This product works as a data bridge between a car’s OBD port and Arduino (or similar hardware) with a dedicated open-source library provided. It provides high-speed OBD-II data access and integrates 9-DOF motion sensor with built-in sensor fusion algorithm. The adapter is powered directly from OBD port and outputs regulated 5V voltage for powering attached devices.

 

Features

• Access to all standard OBD-II PIDs with ELM327 AT command-set
• Reading and clearing vehicle diagnostic trouble codes (engine & powertrain only)
• CAN bus sniffing
• Car battery voltage measurement
• Motion sensing with MPU-9250 9-DOF motion sensor
• Orientation measurement with built-in quaternion sensor fusion algorithm
• Power supply (5V/2.1A)
• Serial UART compatible with both 3.3V and 5V micro-controllers
• Micro USB for computer/tablet connection
• Arduino library and example sketches available

 

Compatibility

The adapter plugs into the OBD port usually located under the steering column or slightly to the left of it. To check if your vehicle is OBD-II certified, open your hood and find the sticker that looks like this:

Vehicles using following vehicle protocols are supported.

• CAN 500Kbps/29bit
• CAN 500Kbps/11bit
• CAN 250Kbps/29bit
• CAN 250Kbps/11bit
• KWP2000 Fast
• KWP2000 5Kbps

 

Connectors

The adapter stays plugged into the OBD port usually located under the steering column or slightly to the left of it. A unpluggable cable comes out from the adapter and splits into one 4-pin connector two 2-pin connectors, including power lines (VCC/GND) and data lines (Rx/Tx). They can be connected to Arduino with onboard breakout pins or breakout shield. Your Arduino device will look tidy in car with only one cable.

Power Connector (2-pin 2.54 Dupont connector)

• Red: VCC (connecting to Arduino’s VCC)
• Black: GND (connecting to Arduino’s GND)

Serial UART Data Connector (2-pin 2.54 Dupont connector)

• White: Rx (connected to Arduino’s serial Tx)
• Green: Tx (connected to Arduino’s serial Rx)

Note: Arduino UNO or Nano only has one hardware serial which is also used by USB serial. Avoid using serial output if the adapter is connected to hardware serial. Arduino Leonardo, Mega, Due do not have this limit.

USB Port

• For connection with computer or tablet via micro USB cable
• Allows power output (5V/2A)

 

Extended AT Command Set

We have extended standard ELM327 command set for following purposes:

• Reading built-in MEMS motion sensor data
• Reading orientation result from sensor fusion computation
• Data bus specific controls
• CAN bus sniffing

 

Motion Sensor Access

 

ATACL

• Function: reading accelerometer data
• Response format: X,Y,Z (in G)

ATGYRO

• Function: reading gyroscope data
• Response: X,Y,Z (in degree)

ATMAG

• Function: reading magnetometer data
• Response: X,Y,Z (in milli-Gauss)

ATTEMP

• Function: reading temperature data
• Response: temperature (raw) data

 

Quaternion Control and Orientation

 

ATQU0/ATQU1

• Function: disable/enable 9-DOF sensor fusion (disabled by default)
• Response: OK

ATORI

• Function: retrieving orientation parameters from 9-DOF sensor fusion
• Response: <yaw>,<pitch>,<roll> (in degree)

 

K-Line and ISO9141-2 Specific

 

ATSH <AA> <BB> <CC>

• Function: set header bytes
• Example: ATSH C1 33 F1

ATPTH <AA>

• Function: set initializing pulse time for (in hex, range of 0~255ms)
• Example: ATPTH 19 (set to 25ms)

ATPTA <BB>

• Function: set negative pulse duration before first data (in hex, range of 0~255ms)
• Example: ATPTA 32 (set to 50ms)

 

CAN Bus Specific (CAN bus sniffing)

 

CAN Bus Specific (CAN bus sniffing)

CAN Bus Specific

ATSH <ABC>

• Function: set CAN message header (on 11-bit CAN)
• Example: ATSH 7DF

ATSH <AA> <BB> <CC>

• Function: set lower 24 bits of CAN message header (on 29-bit CAN),  higher 5 bits are set by ATCP command
• Example: ATSH DB 33 F1

ATCP <HH>

• Function: set CAN priority/higher 5 bits of header (on 29-bit CAN)
• Example: ATSH 18

ATCF <ABC> or <AA> <BB> <CC>

• Function: set CAN message header filter for CAN sniffing, <ABC> for CAN 11-bit, <AA> <BB> <CC> for CAN 29-bit
• Example: ATCF 7E8

ATCM <AA> <BB> <CC> <DD>

• Function: set CAN message filtering bit mask (32-bit)
• Example: ATCM FFFFFFFE (ignore the lowest bit when comparing with header filter number)

ATM1

• Start sniffing mode

ATM0

• Stop sniffing mode

Examples

Typical sniffing on 11-bit 500kbps CAN bus

1. ATSP6
2. ATCF 700
3. ATCM FFFFFF00
4. ATM1

Typical sniffing on 29-bit 500kbps CAN bus

1. ATSP7
2. ATCF 18DBF133
3. ATCM FF000000
4. ATM1

 

Arduino Library

A dedicated Arduino library is provided for easy access to all the features with any type of Arduino. Please note not all available AT commands are encapsulated into API.

Some commonly used APIs are like following:

• setBaudRate – set adapter serial baudrate
• readPID – read specified OBD-II PID and return parsed value
• clearDTC – clear diagnostic trouble code
• getVoltage – measure car battery voltage
• getVIN – retrieve Vehicle Identification Number
• getTemperature – get device temperature
• readAccel – read accelerometer X/Y/Z values
• memsInit – initialize motion sensor
• memsRead – read motion sensor data
• memsOrientation – retrieve computed orientation data

Here is an example code of a simplest engine RPM indicator, which uses the pin 13 LED (built in every Arduino board) to indicate whether the engine is above 3000 rpm.

#include <OBD2UART.h>

COBD obd;

void setup()
{
  // we'll use the debug LED as output
  pinMode(13, OUTPUT);
  // start serial communication
  obd.begin();
  // initiate OBD-II connection until success
  while (!obd.init());
}

void loop()
{
  int value;
  // save engine RPM in variable 'value', return true on success
  if (obd.readPID(PID_RPM, value)) {
    // light on LED on Arduino board when the RPM exceeds 3000
    digitalWrite(13, value > 3000 ? HIGH : LOW);
  }
}

More example sketches are here.

Some commonly used PIDs are defined in OBD library as following.

Engine

• PID_RPM – Engine RPM (rpm)
• PID_ENGINE_LOAD – Calculated engine load (%)
• PID_COOLANT_TEMP – Engine coolant temperature (°C)
• PID_ENGINE_LOAD – Calculated Engine load (%)
• PID_ABSOLUTE_ENGINE_LOAD – Absolute Engine load (%)
• PID_TIMING_ADVANCE – Ignition timing advance (°)
• PID_ENGINE_OIL_TEMP – Engine oil temperature (°C)
• PID_ENGINE_TORQUE_PERCENTAGE – Engine torque percentage (%)
• PID_ENGINE_REF_TORQUE – Engine reference torque (Nm)

Intake/Exhaust

• PID_INTAKE_TEMP – Intake temperature (°C)
• PID_INTAKE_PRESSURE – Intake manifold absolute pressure (kPa)
• PID_MAF_FLOW – MAF flow pressure (grams/s)
• PID_BAROMETRIC – Barometric pressure (kPa)

Speed/Time

• PID_SPEED – Vehicle speed (km/h)
• PID_RUNTIME – Engine running time (second)
• PID_DISTANCE – Vehicle running distance (km)

Driver

• PID_THROTTLE – Throttle position (%)
• PID_AMBIENT_TEMP – Ambient temperature (°C)

Electric Systems

• PID_CONTROL_MODULE_VOLTAGE – vehicle control module voltage (V)
• PID_HYBRID_BATTERY_PERCENTAGE – Hybrid battery pack remaining life (%)

Additional defines can be added to access all OBD-II PIDs which the car’s ECU provides.

 

Comparison

The following table lists the differences among all Freematics OBD-II adapter models.

Features \ Models	OBD-II UART Adapter V1	OBD-II UART Adapter V2	OBD-II UART Adapter V2.1
Connection Cable	Fixed	Fixed	Unpluggable
Additional Interface	N/A	micro USB	micro USB
Motion Sensor	N/A	6-DOF MPU-6050	9-DOF MPU-9250
Voltmeter	Yes	Yes	Yes
Max. Output Power	2A	2.1A	2.1A
Standby Mode Power	5mA	6mA	6mA

 

 

FAQ

Q: What is this product used for?
A: The most straight-forward use of this product is for making Arduino possible to access vehicle data easily. The OBD-II data, together with other data from GPS or all kinds sensors, can be logged and stored on SD/TF card with Arduino and that makes an open-source vehicle data logger (check out the data logger kits). More extensively, many interesting interaction applications requiring car data can be made.

Q: How is the adapter powered?
A: The adapter gets power from the 12V DC output from the OBD-II port.

Q: Does my Arduino needs power from somewhere in the car?
A: The adapter provides regulated 5V output for powering Arduino and other devices, so no extra power cord is needed.

Q: Do I need a CAN bus shield to use with the adapter?
A: Definitely no. The adapter retrieves data from CAN bus, like a CAN bus shield does and convert the more complicated CAN bus interface to simple serial UART interface which Arduino and most embedded systems are easy to access. The data connection is provided by adapter’s data connector (Rx and Tx).

Q: How do I connect the adapter with my Arduino?
A: The adapter works with all models of Arduino with the dedicated Arduino library and is connected with Arduino by connecting adapter’s Tx to Arduino’s Rx (D0) and adapter’s Rx to Arduino’s Tx (D1). If you want to connect and disconnect the adapter with your Arduino effortlessly, it’s recommended to use a common I/O breakout shield or use an Arduino board with breakout pins for Rx/Tx/VCC/GND.

Q: Is the power provided by the adapter always available in car?
A: This depends on whether the OBD-II port of your car still has power after ignition is off. Actually it is so with most cars.

Q: What’s the maximum frequency of data polling?
A: The OBD-II PIDs are polled one after another. The time for a polling depends on the speed of car’s ECU computer and how busy the computer is in different status. With a typical modern car with CAN bus, the time can be as low as 10ms. In other word, up to 100 times of data polling can be done in one second.

Q: What if I have questions/obstacles about Arduino programming?
A: Sorry it is not our responsibility to provide any instructions on Arduino programming. There are abundant online guides and tutorials about Arduino programming for reference.

Q: What's the difference between product version and firmware version?
A: Freematics OBD-II UART Adapter V2 uses a firmware versioned 1.1. Freematics OBD-II UART Adapter V1 uses a firmware versioned 1.0.