Deep OBD2: Unlock Advanced Vehicle Diagnostics and Customization

The world of automotive diagnostics has evolved significantly, and Deep Obd2 represents a leap forward in accessing in-depth vehicle data and customization options. This guide will explore the capabilities of Deep OBD2 through the lens of the Deep OBD app, a powerful tool designed for car enthusiasts and professionals alike.

Understanding Deep OBD2 and its Potential

Deep OBD2 goes beyond basic On-Board Diagnostics (OBD2) to delve into the intricate systems of your vehicle. While standard OBD2 provides essential engine and emission-related information, Deep OBD2 unlocks access to a broader spectrum of Electronic Control Units (ECUs), offering profound insights into various vehicle modules. This advanced access empowers users to perform detailed diagnostics, coding, adaptations, and even performance tuning.

For those seeking to truly understand their vehicle’s inner workings and tailor its performance and features, Deep OBD2 is the key. The Deep OBD app is engineered to harness this potential, providing a user-friendly interface to interact with your car’s complex systems.

Deep OBD App: Your Gateway to Advanced Diagnostics

The Deep OBD app is a mobile application designed to leverage the power of Deep OBD2. Available for download on Google Play, it transforms your Android device into a sophisticated diagnostic and customization tool.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.holeschak.bmw_deep_obd

This application is particularly renowned for its deep diagnostic capabilities with BMW and VAG (Volkswagen Audi Group) vehicles, offering functionalities that surpass standard OBD2 scanners.

Compatibility Across Manufacturers: BMW and VAG Focus

The Deep OBD app operates in two primary modes, catering to either BMW or VAG vehicles. Selecting the correct manufacturer is the first crucial step. While BMW mode offers extensive functionality, the VAG group mode (VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda) is continuously being developed, currently supporting KWP2000, KWP1281, and TP2.0 protocols. It’s important to note that for VAG mode, a specialized ELM327 adapter firmware is often required to ensure proper communication.

Choosing the Right OBD2 Adapter for Deep OBD

The effectiveness of Deep OBD2 hinges on the adapter used to interface with your vehicle. The Deep OBD app is compatible with a range of OBD2 adapters, each with its strengths:

Standard FTDI-based USB “INPA compatible” D-CAN/K-Line adapters: These are versatile and support all protocols, making them a robust choice for comprehensive diagnostics.
ELM327-based Bluetooth and WiFi adapters: Popular for their wireless convenience, it’s recommended to use ELM327 versions 1.4b, 1.5, or genuine 2.1 based on the PIC18F25K80 processor. These are generally suitable for D-CAN protocol.
Custom Bluetooth D-CAN/K-Line adapter: For users seeking optimized performance, a custom adapter built for BMW-FAST protocol over D-CAN and K-Line can offer enhanced communication speed and reliability.
ELM327-based adapters with Replacement Firmware: These modified ELM327 adapters are essential for full protocol support, especially when working with VAG vehicles in Deep OBD2 mode.
ENET WiFi adapters: Specifically designed for newer BMW F-models, ENET adapters provide a high-speed Ethernet connection for rapid data transfer, crucial for advanced coding and diagnostics.

For detailed information on adapter compatibility and selection, refer to the Supported adapter types documentation. Choosing the right adapter ensures a stable and efficient Deep OBD2 experience.

Getting Started with Deep OBD App: Initial Setup

Upon launching the Deep OBD app for the first time, you’ll be prompted to extract ECU files. These files are substantial, requiring approximately 2.5GB of storage on your device’s external SD card. An active internet connection is necessary during this initial setup to verify update information and download the latest ECU data.

Following file extraction, you’ll need to create a configuration file (*.cccfg). The easiest method is to utilize the built-in configuration generator. For users with specific needs or complex setups, manual configuration file creation is also possible (refer to HowTo create Deep OBD pages).

After loading and compiling your configuration, the app’s main interface will display tabs corresponding to the ECUs included in your configuration. Before establishing a Bluetooth connection with your vehicle, ensure your Bluetooth adapter is selected within the app settings. Pairing the adapter in your Android device’s Bluetooth menu beforehand is recommended for streamlined connection and password management.

Creating Your First Deep OBD Configuration

Setting up your initial configuration for BMW vehicles is straightforward with the Deep OBD app’s configuration generator:

Access the Configuration generator from the main menu.
Select the appropriate interface type and your Bluetooth adapter if using a wireless connection.
Tap the Read button and allow the app to populate the ECU list by communicating with your vehicle.
Choose an ECU from the list that you want to monitor or interact with.
On the subsequent page, select specific jobs and job results that correspond to the data you wish to view on the main app screen. Ensure the checkboxes for these results are selected. You can use the Test button to verify data retrieval.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 to select additional ECUs as needed.
Exit the Configuration generator and save your configuration.
The main app screen will now display tabs for your selected ECUs, along with an Error tab for fault code monitoring.
Press the Connect button to establish communication with your vehicle.
Select the desired ECU tab to begin exploring Deep OBD2 data.

Navigating the Deep OBD App Main Menu

The Deep OBD app’s main menu provides access to a wide array of settings and features, enabling you to customize your Deep OBD2 experience:

Manufacturer: This is where you select your vehicle’s manufacturer, choosing between BMW and VAG. Remember that VAG mode is still under active development and has specific adapter requirements.
Device: Use this menu to select your Bluetooth adapter. If your adapter isn’t already paired, you can search for new devices directly from within the app. This menu is active when a configuration with a “BLUETOOTH” interface type is selected.
Adapter configuration: For FTDI USB or non-ELM327 Bluetooth adapters, this menu unlocks adapter-specific settings. Available options may include:
- CAN baud rate: Switch between 500kbit/100kbit or K-Line (CAN off) depending on your vehicle and adapter.
- Separation time: Adjust the delay between CAN telegrams. Modify this only if you encounter communication issues.
- Block size: Control the size of CAN telegram blocks. Adjust only if communication problems arise.
- Firmware update: Initiate adapter firmware updates when available, ensuring optimal performance and compatibility.
ENET IP: For ENET adapters, this menu displays the currently configured IP address and allows manual IP assignment. This is particularly useful in hotspot mode when the ENET network is connected through your Android hotspot.
Adapter IP: Similar to ENET IP, this menu manages the IP address and port for WiFi adapters. Manual IP configuration is often necessary in hotspot mode, especially for ESP8266-based adapters configured to connect to Android hotspots automatically.
Configuration generator: Access the user-friendly configuration generator to automatically create or modify XML configuration files based on your vehicle’s data.
Configuration: This submenu is your central hub for managing configuration files:
- Select: Choose a configuration file (*.cccfg) to load. Configurations created with the generator are automatically selected. Compilation occurs after selection.
- Recent configurations: Quickly access the 10 most recently used configurations.
- Edit: Modify the main configuration file (*.cccfg) using an installed XML editor app.
- Edit pages list: Edit the current pages list file (*.cccpages).
- Edit current page: Provides options to edit the currently active page file (*.cccpage):
  - Edit page: Open the active page in your XML editor.
  - Font size: Adjust the page font size directly within the app if the XML file includes the <fontsize> tag.
  - Gauges landscape/portrait: Modify the number of gauges displayed in landscape or portrait mode directly if the <gauges-landscape> and <gauges-portrait> tags are present.
  - Result display order: Change the order of displayed results without XML editing if <display-order> tags are defined for display nodes.
- Edit other file: Select and edit any configuration file (*.cccpage).
- Reset XML editor: Clear the currently selected XML editor, prompting you to choose a new one when editing files next.
- Close: Unload the current configuration.
Ediabas tool: This powerful feature is a port of the Windows tool32.exe application, providing advanced diagnostic and coding capabilities. Access it via the Ediabas tool page.
Coding: Access the BMW coding online service for vehicle customization and feature modifications.
Extract ECU files: Re-extract ECU files if necessary. This requires an internet connection to check for updates.
Data logging: Configure various data logging options:
- Create trace file: Generate an ifh.trc trace file during vehicle communication, saved in the “Log” subdirectory.
- Append trace file: Append to the trace file on each connection. Otherwise, trace files are overwritten on new configuration selection or app restart.
- Log data: Enable logging of displayed data to a log file. Only lines with the <log_tag> property in the configuration file are logged. The <logfile> property in the <page> node must also be defined. The configuration generator automatically sets <log_tag> to the job name and <logfile> to the ECU name. Data is stored in the “Log” subdirectory.
Translations: (For non-German languages) Configure automatic ECU text translation using various translation engines. Many engines require API keys or access tokens.
- Translate ECU text: Enable or disable automatic ECU text translation.
- Translation configuration: Configure translation providers and API keys.
- Clear translation cache: Force a new translation by clearing the translation cache.
Trace file: Manage trace files:
- Send trace file: Send the trace file from the last vehicle communication.
- Open trace file: Open the last trace file with an external app that supports ZIP files.
- Resend trace file/Open last trace file: Options for resending or opening the last trace file if sending failed.
Global settings: Access general app settings via the global app settings page.
Online help: Access this help documentation.
App info: Display app version and unique app ID.

These screenshots showcase example configurations for an E61 BMW:

Leveraging Google Translation APIs for Deep OBD

For users requiring translation of ECU text, the Deep OBD app supports integration with Google Translation APIs. While these APIs are publicly available, their stability is not guaranteed, as highlighted by the translatepy project.

You can obtain basic API URLs from resources like translatepy and paste them into the “Translation configuration” section within the Deep OBD app. The app intelligently attempts to use the next API if one fails.

https://clients5.google.com/translate_a/t?client=dict-chrome-ex https://translate.googleapis.com/translate_a/single?client=gtx&dt=t

Keep in mind that free translation services often have usage limitations, and paid subscriptions may be necessary for extensive text translation.

Locating Log and Trace Files

The storage location for log and trace files generated by the Deep OBD app depends on your Android version. On older Android versions (prior to KitKat 4.4), these files are typically found in a subdirectory within “de.holeschak.bmw_deep_obd” on your external SD card.

For Android KitKat (4.4) and later, due to Android security restrictions, files are located in the directory “Androiddatade.holeschak.bmw_deep_obdfiles” on the external SD card.

Standard log files are stored in the “Log” subdirectory. The Ediabas tool utilizes the “LogEdiabasTool” subdirectory, and the configuration generator uses “LogConfigTool.” Backup trace files, generated when sending trace files fails, are stored in “TraceBackup.”

Customizing the App Background

Personalize your Deep OBD app experience by replacing the default background image. Simply place a custom “Background.jpg” file in the “de.holeschak.bmw_deep_obdfilesImages” directory. You may need to create the “Images” subdirectory if it doesn’t already exist.

Deep OBD on Android Auto

The Deep OBD app extends its functionality to your car’s infotainment system with Android Auto integration. This feature is available in the release version of the app, allowing you to monitor Deep OBD2 data and access key features directly from your Android Auto compatible head unit.

Visual Studio Settings for Deep OBD App Compilation

For developers interested in compiling the Deep OBD app using Visual Studio, consider these recommended Android settings. It’s advisable to install and configure Android Studio first and then utilize a common configuration for both environments. Regularly update components within Android Studio to maintain compatibility and access the latest features.

Java SDK location: Microsoft: C:Program FilesMicrosoftjdk-17.0.8.101-hotspot or custom: C:Program FilesJavajdk-11.0.12
Android SDK location: C:Users<user>AppDataLocalAndroidandroid-sdk</user>
Archive location: C:Users<user>AppDataLocalXamarinMono for AndroidArchives</user>
Activate option: “Keep application cache”
Activate option: “Install Android SDK automatically”
Deactivate option: “Use AndroidX migrator”
Extra -> Android -> Android SDK Manager: Enable “Repository complete list” (if Android Studio is installed)

Deep OBD2 and the Deep OBD app empower you with unparalleled access to your vehicle’s data, enabling advanced diagnostics, customization, and a deeper understanding of your car’s intricate systems. Whether you’re a seasoned automotive professional or a passionate DIY enthusiast, Deep OBD2 opens up a new realm of possibilities for vehicle interaction and optimization.