Do you have a non-Ford to test, what I have seen is that there are different ELM327 devices, even from Vgate, when connected to the OBD port are the led's facing you or the floor? The ones I have seen that face the floor wouldn't work on fords, and internally appeared to be a different board. The ones I have seen that wouldn't work on fords but would read other vehicles, were different physically than the ones that would work, basically.

Also in the protocol, the J1850 pwm never shows up on the devices that don't work, when "checking protocols".

 

I have not had issues with my unit. I activate the Buetooth on the tablet, push the button on the ODII adapter (this puts it in discovery mode), then pair with the OBDII adapter after it's discovered. From there, I select my OBDII adaptor in Torque and configure it to use J1850 PWM protocol. I also configure Torque to turn on the Bluetooth when Torque is activated.

 

My adapter has the LEDs facing the floor. It, too, doesn't work.

Mine has no button to put it into discover mode, at all.

There seems to be a lot of variables in this mix, serving mostly to confuse us newbees.

Pop

 

In order to link to a Bluetooth device, you have to "pair" it with your tablet. It's possible the device is always in discovery mode until paired, or maybe plugging it in and turning the key on puts it in discovery mode for a short time. Either way, you need it to be in discovery mode to be paired.

 

The one I'm using is slightly bulkier than the little blue ones but not so big I even know it's there when driving. The lights are up facing away from the floor. No pairing button, after the initial pairing just start the app and it hooks up. The listings on Amazon even state it's J1850 compatible

 

I took the screws out of my OBDII port and tucked it behind the dash. I never see my adapter when driving. It powers down after 10 minutes of non-use, so it has no real drain on the battery when parked. Cycling the key is akin to calling the adapter to the back yard fence, ready to gossip about the powertrain.


AllaboutMPG - good job on searching the specs before purchasing.

 

Subscribing. I just installed this Android head unit and REALLY want torque to work!!!



Jelly Bean 4.2.2? It was $296...

 

is that a tablet installed in the dash? Awesome!....take it, its cold where ur at..."fan" full blast, "heat" fully loaded...haha

 

Thanks for the info guys, here is one that shows the j1850 compatibility is this worth getting?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EM8E3HM?sn=email&vs=ARRAY(0x7b62d51c)

 

In the long list of those wrestling with OBDII adapters, I don't think OBDLink is one of the culprits. Since the ELM 327 chip costs more (wholesale) than the whole Chinese knockoff product, all you're getting is a clone. I paid for the "licensed and legitimate" OBDLink MX, and I would get customer support from the manufacturer - if I ever needed it. Try calling the people that get your $11 if you have issues, and you may bump into the Cheshire Cat - just before he disappears.

$0.02

 

Nope, 2din dvd/navi head unit with Andriod operating system. Uses SD card for navi program and files, so choose from dozens of apps to use. 2nd SD card can be used for 'dash cam'. Capacitive touch too! Also supports screen mirroring... Not ready to recommend it just yet though.

 

I've been watching the Android dash units, the stuff I've seen has all been Chinese knock-offs. The Jellybean operating system will be the first tip-off that it's not a refined product. When Android double-dins truly hit the US market, they will not have Jellybean, they will have an automotive form of "Lollipop" (two OS versions later than Jellybean) or a whole different OS just for automotive purposes. My money is on a modified Lollipop.

Having Jellybean in the dash is akin to having a Windows Vista laptop - so much has changed since then. It works, it's really cool, but it could use some refining. The "real" Android double-dins are not out in the U.S.A. yet, the knock-offs are sold only by importers.

For those not in the know about getting products from overseas: If say... Google goes to a vendor in Taiwan, and tells the vendor they want a double-din dash unit made - Google has full control. The colorfully-named company would have the engineering specs, plans, schematics, operating system, maybe key components, etc already in-hand - the Taiwan manufacturer just needs to build it as per Google's plan. Google even has a say on the packaging quality, and they wrote the instructions.

Looking at the other "business model" for double-din Androids: They have a license for an older OS (maybe), and the ability to clone older tablets - so that's what they use, building it in a double-din housing. Mind you, this is for the Chinese market. We wouldn't want these units because we can't read the Cantonese on the buttons. An importer calls the "cloner" and asks for a version with English buttons, and the manufacturer says "send your peanuts over here and we'll change the print on the buttons and face". They select English language from the Jellybean options, run their instructions text through Google Translate, and print that to go in the box. So in essence, Google "wrote" the instructions - but not necessarily as a willing party.

I have a double-din stereo with touch screen, but that one is not Tugly approved. I've been meaning to yank it out for about two years, but I'm waiting for the real double-din Androids to some out. When they do come out, I'd be surprised if they are less than $400, and I'm expecting more like $600.

 

SkySkiJason - I tried to PM my contact information to you to help out, but your PM system is full. Looking at mine, I'll have the same problem soon.

 

The Android OS source code is released under an open source license. It can be compiled to run on different architectures. Android is based on the open source Linux kernel. There's absolutely no need to knock it off; anyone can download and modify it to suit their needs, then compile and use it.

 

Fair enough, thank you for the correction. I'm wondering why they don't put KitKat on those units. I think we can agree the hardware is not open source, and not likely to be of the manufacturer's design.