# OBDII Scanner USB problems



## Real_Bullet

This is the OBD II scanner I am using with an old Toshiba Laptop OBD-II USB Adapter (ELM)

One point in time I was using a regular computer with Windows 2000 on it and I had a real pain trying to get the device functional, I am using Scantool.net software and always get a Interface not found error.

The scanner is on COM2, I tried changing all sorts of settings in device manager including baud rate and to no avail, always get interface not found. I even changed it to Com 1 and moving the Communcations pot to Com 2, I tried Com 3 and 4, still dont work, Scantool.net gives settings for baud, com port, and metric that corresponds with the device manager sets and when matching them up it still shows the problem. If I were to hit Sensor date on the scantool.net program, it will show as:

Port Status (yellow light) Com 2 Ready (device not responding) after a few secs setting there I get a popup about device not responding.

Their is 5 lights on the OBD II, only 1 lights up red.

I have got this working before on a similar system running Windows 2000 and their was something I was suppose to do, I dont remember what it is, it seems like its something in the device manager I was fooling around with or something I was suppose to do in the run command, I dont remember.

any suggestions?

The Toshiba laptop is also running Windows 2000.


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## octaneman

Rb, 


Has the driver been installed ? The ODB II scanner could be conflicting with other com port printer drivers. Try disabling the printer drivers and make sure there are no viruses on the laptop the main com port should be clear, double check your adapter is firmly seated on the ALDL connector. If there is a sequence on how to fire up the scanner follow the OBDII'2 instructions.


Note: There is a comment made on the scanner's web page stating that windows parameters has to be well configured to run centrtafuse. Is everything in spec ?


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## Real_Bullet

what parameters they talking about?

Driver is in it though.

printer port could be conflicting with it, ill check that out, I had disabled Com 1 which was stated as a communications port, and that did no good. But the printer port was as LPT1.


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## Real_Bullet

well I done disabling of some devices, still no avail.


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## octaneman

Re-do the set-up download and re-install the driver perhaps its corrupted. 

Here is a translation of the set-up: 


First download the driver from our website. Now connect the adapter to the OBD
System.
Next, click the right mouse button on the workplace. Next, go to properties
and in the device manager.
Your new hardware should now be listed in Device Manager. This hardware was not installed yet
You can do this in a clearly marked yellow recognize "". Use the right mouse
found in hardware. Now you get to the driver update and it comes with the hardware wizard
on. When they put the first window, check "No, not this time" and confirmed this with
"Next". Now a window opens, make the setting as follows:

Now go to "Browse" and select the driver or the file you saved earlier
and had upload it now high. Confirm these data with "OK". Next, you will return to
the first window, where you will confirm the setting by clicking "Next".

Now appears "Continue Anyway" question, this will confirm with "YES". When the installation is finished
, you confirmed this with "Finish".
Repeat this process please even the "USB Serial Port".
=> Remember the COM port where the OBD has now been installed.
Start Centrafuse, choose "Setup" from the main menu. In the setup you choose as the next "+" button
and hold it for about 5 seconds until the message "Advanced Sharing Settings" appears
confirm this with "YES".
Scroll down to the entry "OBDII" will appear and open it.
The following settings must now:
- COM port &#56256;&#56518; enter the COM port determined and confirm with "OK".
- Baud rate, select the speed &#56256;&#56518; 38400 and confirm again with "OK".
- OBDII unit &#56256;&#56518; select your existing OBD adapter (you should have bought this at CarTFT,
You find it under the name "ELM32x"), you again confirm with "OK".
Save the settings and confirm the message "Current Settings Override" with
"YES".
The last thing you now close the OBD adapter to your OBD port of your vehicle. Please switch
the ignition of your vehicle now.
Navigate to the menu item "OBDII" and open it. The software will now automatically
Connection with the controller on, and you are now all available values ​​are displayed.


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## Real_Bullet

I was having the interface not found problem with scantool.net version 1.10

All the stuff above I did.

I dont know what centrafuse is, should I download it?


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## octaneman

I believe it would be a good idea its part of the software package, perhaps the centrafuse opens the com port to activate the driver.


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## octaneman

This may be insignificant but worth mentioning. Is your firewall deactivated ?


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## Real_Bullet

I dont know if it has a firewall, its an old laptop with Windows 2000 SP3 on it.


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## octaneman

Windows 2000 doesn't have a built in firewall like Xp, are you sure there is no other third party software like zone alarm installed ?


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## Real_Bullet

no, these problems are after a install of 2000.

previous OS had Windows 98 on it.


seems like their was some settings on device manager or the ports needed to be changed, I dont remember. I got it working on a similar system one time before and it was troublesome.


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## octaneman

Does the laptop see the ODDII connection like "new hardware found" when you connect the USB interface ?


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## Real_Bullet

Yeah it recognizes when its unplugged and plugged in.

in device manager under Ports it list it as USB Serial Port (COM 4)

it list it again under the USB controllers as USB Serial Converter.

in scantool.net program it obviously is recognizing it on the proper port as well, but it will state that the device is not responding as well as give the interface not found prior to that.

The driver for it I have was downloaded here:

Virtual COM Port Drivers


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## octaneman

You're not getting any other error messages aside the connection issue,
the troubleshooter indicates that if the driver was installed on top of a previous driver it leaves fragments that can interfere with it. Was the same driver reloaded or the IMF files modified ?


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## Real_Bullet

Not that I am aware of, the program though one point had a yellow marker by it after the driver was installed and it needed to be reinstalled again, but this was after a while of me tinkering with it still trying to get it to work then.


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## octaneman

The yellow marker is telling you that the driver is not installed or there was a problem with it. It has to be deleted from the device manager and reinstalled for it to work. 


There is also the issue of the baud rate, on OBDII the baud rate on the ALDL data stream ranges from 160 on pin E to 8192 on pin M. The only difference to get the 8192 bit data stream you need to connect a resistor to pins A&B for the 8192. This isn't compatible with what the installation guide tells you of 38400, its clearly no where near the specified rate.

There is also one more thing that needs addressing the ALDL connector itself. The software could be set up properly but there may not be a signal going to the pins.


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## Real_Bullet

Yeah the problem came up after it was installed properly though, but before that I never did get it to work. I reinstalled the driver to it again.

the Baud rate was set at 2 points, 38400 in device manager and the program, and at 9600 which is what the program calls for, either one of those.

like I said, I had problems getting that thing working properly once before and I dont remember what I did to get it working, the scanner is more of that made in china junk that never works anyway.

But in the program it identifies the OBD scanner there but it just says device not responding, how to get it to respond is beyond me.


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## octaneman

Can you switch from COM 4 port to LPT1 ?


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## Real_Bullet

it wont let me, it list all coms from 1 to some insane number like com 255., although the one time way back when I got it to working, it seems it was something of that nature that got it to working.


Also going to note, I decided to plug the scanner into my PC which is running Vista 64 bit right now, and its doing the same thing.


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## octaneman

Have you tried to fool the scanner's software by going through the add new hardware in the control panel by creating a virtual port by downloading a third party vendor that can see the ALDL ?


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## Real_Bullet

no, where would the third party vendor be?

whats the ALDL?


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## octaneman

The ALDL is the car's computer connector under the dash. 

I just had a crazy thought. 

For example lets say you want to run the OBDII scanner through your laptop's LPT1 port. But you cant because the software won't let you for some reason. 

Create a printer .bat file with your scanner's name. Then map the com 4 port which the scanner sees to the LPT1 file you created on your laptop. 

It would go something like this.

@echo off
net use lpt1: \\OBIIscanner\hp
exit

Save it as .bat file and put it in your start-up folder. Now you got yourself a makeshift virtual LPT1 port. 

Its old school but it might just work.


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## Real_Bullet

do I just create a notepad file and rename it as a .bat file and put that command in it?

I am not too savy with that type of thing.


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## octaneman

Yup, notepad will do just fine. Btw I forgot to mention it, the file you create is a DOS file, so the scanner's software has to be booted in DOS mode for it to see it. 

Don't worry I'm not too savvy either, I learned this through trial an error trying to make old dot matrix printers run.


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## octaneman

RB, 

Can you post a screenshot of your device manager where the scanner is set up ?


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## Real_Bullet

I could do it with the computer I am on now, it does it on that one to, its done it on every computer I hooked it to except that one where I was changing something but I dont remember what it was.


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## bruiser

Are you sure the port in the car works?


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## Real_Bullet

I got it working.

apparently it needed to be hooked up to the car in order to function.

I had thought the lights on the scanner was suppose to go green, it would only stay 1 red lit color.


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