These days, car diagnostics requires more than a wrench and a steel brush for the spark plugs. Unfortunately, no mechanic can escape software tools. However, the less tools the better, so some kind of swiss army knife could be useful.
This thought might have inspired Intrepid Control Systems when developing “Vehicle Spy Professional”. It is a single tool that enables the user to perform diagnostics, node/ECU Simulation, data acquisition, automated testing, memory edit or calibration, and vehicle network bus monitoring. This analytic environment is available in Europe at Hitex Development Tools
The diagnostics tool supports CAN, SWCAN (Single-wire CAN), LSFT (Low speed fault tolerant CAN), LIN, ISO9141 including K-LINE, J1708 and J1850. Vehicle Spy allows the user to view, save, and analyze message traffic from multiple networks simultaneously. Industry standard .DBC and .LDF files are supported as well as .UEF and other customer specific formats.
Another feature of Vehicle Spy is Simulation, specifically ECU or network node simulation, in German known as “Restbussimulation”.It can be used together with graphical panels and scripting to create custom setups for customer specific functions. The Playback Function Block can be used to replay prerecorded CAN, LIN or other network traffic back onto a live bus.
Data logging with real-time “Signal Views” combined with post-analysis of data files gives a complete data acquisition and analysis tool. Various diagnostic protocols, e.g. J1939, GMLAN, ISO14229 can be used. Also, scripts written in Vehicle Spy's “Function Block language” can be downloaded to the real-time embedded hardware and executed in real-time. Support for industry standard .ASAP2 and .ODX files is included.
The features in Vehicle Spy are organized into Views. Each View has its own window and can be docked or tabbed within the workspace. Some examples of views:
Messages View - See all messages and signals of all busses that are active. Some of its key features are fast-filtering and activity highlighting.
Messages / Database Editor View - Vehicle Spy includes a built in database or Messages Editor. For creating or editing messages, there is no need to use a separate tool, the "Messages Editor View" does the trick directly inside Vehicle Spy.
Graphical Panels - Create a custom screen to view bus data the way you need it.
Signals View - This view enables viewing signals embedded in CAN, LIN, and other network types graphically.
Signals List - This view shows the latest values of selected signals.
Post Analysis - Post Analysis enables viewing CAN, LIN, or other network signals along with raw message data.
If you can get a package that hasn't been on the shelf for a long time those batteries last a long time.
Posted by: sourceautomotive.biz | 07/06/2012 at 09:01 PM