Gordon Martin

When I see free software which then costs $200 US with the cable, I get to thinking that I must build me one o' them cables...

Is there a lot of electronics in the cable? - or is it justs a fun rearrangement of the pins?

Does anyone have a pinout diagram so that we can benefit from the free beta software?

Dale Kirstein

I built one of the adapters on the web page below, and it works great. Some of the parts are a bit hard to find. I used generic equivelants for the transistors and opto-isolators. The transistors were NTE-123AP, and the Optos are NTE-3098. These parts are probably eaiser to find for the average hobbiest.
The circuit is basically a level shifter and isolator, not very hard to build, and the cost of the parts is less than $20.
I still haven't found a local source for the OBDII plug, so I've been just pushing the wires into the sockets carefully.

Be sure to check the links at the bottom of the Opendiag page for downloadable schematics and other information.<ul><li><a href="http://www.planetfall.com/~jeff/obdii/">Opendiag Schematics for OBDII</a></li></ul>

AUDINOW AlexandriaVA

<p>'01 1.8T QMSPXB + ESP

Dale Kirstein

Even the transistors and optos aren't available at Radio Shack. You have to go to a real electronic parts house for them. But NOBODY in the area caries OBDII plugs. I think I'll have to go to a manufacturer and ask them to "sample me" a few.

Dale

EdP

<p>

Uwe Ross

I charge $199 a complete package consiting of an interface adaper, the software including future uprgades, and full technical support. Ask some of my customers how much time I've spent helping them.

I went into this with the intention of offering a professional quailty tool at a price the individual enthusiast can afford. I've invested many man-months of time reverse-engineering the VAG protocols and throusands of dollars in the eqipment necessary to do that. I think I charge a very reasonable price.

Yes, you can build your own adapter. And you can download the beta version of VAG-COM and use it, I won't stop you. But future versions of the software will have a mechanism in them to limit their functionality if you haven't paid. If you want full all the functionality coming in future versions, and you're using an adapter other than mine, you'll have to pay a software registration fee.

-Uwe- http://www.Ross-Tech.com