DashSketch 'Virtual Cockpit' for iOS - Beta Testers Wanted

**parso_rex** · 03-03-2016, 04:16 PM

you might want to check Vagcom again. It certainly does read the correct boost value

but the rest you mention is spot on

The P3 when reading off the OBD port obviously looks at the wrong pid or maybe its the only one they know off. The analog sensor is fine, I should have pointed that out a bit more clearly

**HLS** · 03-03-2016, 08:45 PM

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll re-run VCDS tomorrow with the CAN sniffer and see exactly what it's doing.

From memory in pure OBD2 mode VCDS only displays the PIDs from the standard set that VW implements (so no MAP boost). If I recall correctly it runs the 01x0 Support PID queries upon connection and filters the list of available PIDs based upon the ECU's response, without using any extra 'smarts' that RossTech might have gleaned over the years.

I *think* that it gets boost by using the $7DF CAN format and initialising a 2 way session with the ECU in the other communication modes, or perhaps it's in a measuring block from one of those direct ECU responses. Of course I'm more than happy to be wrong, as if VCDS can obtain MAP boost using an extended PID then we can do so too.

As an aside, MAP boost via OBD2 works on the Mk4 Golf - for some reason VW dropped it from the supported PID list for the Mk5 generation when the OBD2 connection switched to the CAN protocol.

For now, at least, we've decided not to include any interpolated or calculated boost values in the app. Partly because DashSketch is more about being a 'connected vehicle' product rather than a pure 'gauge and readout' app, partly because there are other vehicle makes that do support the MAP boost PID, and partly because we've got an awesome CANBus Adapter waiting in the wings that will read pretty much anything...

**HLS** · 03-03-2016, 09:04 PM

On another note, our latest build now supports external video output in 16:9 Widescreen or 4:3 formats (depending on your device).

Here's a quick snap from a test run on the weekend with the local Audi crew:

We've also added support for custom backgrounds for people who don't want the distraction of the full-screen map - here's an example one of our testers made for himself:

And there's a simple graphical interface for configuring the gear ratios to be displayed:

**parso_rex** · 03-03-2016, 09:13 PM

Yep its in a measuring block. I can probably find out some more info. Have a look in one of their label files (or is it the other one can't remember

FWIW on the Mk7's I think the correct boost is available just via normal CAN however there are two MAP sensors (charge pipe and inlet manifold) and I haven't had a chance to see what my elcheapo bluetooth dongle is reporting.
It will be really good it you guys can get all this sorted because really the only other option around is vagcom and its incredibly slow and clunky. Well there is another option around too but its not available to the general public

awesome work so far BTW

**kamold** · 03-03-2016, 09:14 PM

I have a R36 and MkII Octavia vRS.
Plus a fair bit of experience with retrofits, vcds coding, RNS units etc be happy to participate in a beta and try and help realise what is looking like a great product already!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

**stefcio007** · 03-03-2016, 11:59 PM

I know the use will be a bit limited but do you plan on Apple Watch support?
For remote tasks and possibly single data read outs?

**HLS** · 04-03-2016, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by parso_rex

Yep its in a measuring block. I can probably find out some more info. Have a look in one of their label files (or is it the other one can't remember

FWIW on the Mk7's I think the correct boost is available just via normal CAN however there are two MAP sensors (charge pipe and inlet manifold) and I haven't had a chance to see what my elcheapo bluetooth dongle is reporting.
It will be really good it you guys can get all this sorted because really the only other option around is vagcom and its incredibly slow and clunky. Well there is another option around too but its not available to the general public

awesome work so far BTW

Thanks for the help - I'll report back today once I've had a play with the CAN sniffer and VCDS. Appreciate the kind words also!

Originally Posted by kamold

I have a R36 and MkII Octavia vRS.
Plus a fair bit of experience with retrofits, vcds coding, RNS units etc be happy to participate in a beta and try and help realise what is looking like a great product already!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Thanks Kamold - I'll shoot you a PM this morning. We're always very happy to get more experienced help with testing.

Originally Posted by stefcio007

I know the use will be a bit limited but do you plan on Apple Watch support?
For remote tasks and possibly single data read outs?

It's on our radar, but as we focussed initially on the iPad layouts we haven't built an Apple Watch design as the Watch only pairs with an iPhone.

That said, we're building integration with the cloud service IFTTT - for those who haven't used it, it's a service that lets you link any internet connected devices with a huge number of other apps. For example, we've setup a test trigger that detects when you go over the speed limit and sends an email to a designated address, but you could configure yours to post to Facebook, send a Tweet, flash a light in your fleet manager's office etc etc.

What's relevant here is that the IFTTT app on your iPhone also gets a push notification when that event occurs, which means your Apple Watch gets the notification and vibrates on your wrist. With that setup you could configure your own notifications - so for example have the watch vibrate 200m from your next navigation turn, once for turn left and twice for turn right.

**HLS** · 04-03-2016, 01:43 PM

I had a play with VCDS this afternoon using our CANBus logger to see what's going on, and I can confirm that:

1. VCDS relies on the OBD2 protocol to determine data PIDs in OBD2 mode, so it will only read those PIDs that VW 'officially' supports. That is, no MAP boost pressure, though some vehicles (like the Beetle 1.4TSI, but not the Mk6 Golf R) do return an pressure value that we may be able to interpolate into a boost reading.

2. VCDS grabs the 'actual' boost value from the Engine module (0x740) using measuring block 0x73.3. I've logged the session and we can reproduce the communication steps and decode the protocol on our CAN test hardware. I'm not sure however if we can implement that communication session over Bluetooth using an ELM327 (ie generic OBD2 Bluetooth Adapter) - that testing will have to wait until after we wrap this first build of DashSketch.

If we can't perform that communication session over those OBD2 Adapters then we'd need a different hardware Adapter to communicate between our app and the car. We have already developed a CANBus Adapter that would do the job, but we're using it in a completely different manner.

What VCDS does to obtain data is to perform an active request-response session using the OBD2 connector. The CAN Gateway passes the requests to the correct ECU module, which returns the requested data. VCDS can sample a single measuring block about 6x per second using this method. The big advantage here is that you can plug in a VCDS cable in about 2 seconds and remove it just as quickly.

Our CANBus Adapter actually sits on the 'car' side of the CAN Gateway, tapping directly into the 3 main busses (2 in old or MOST-enabled cars). Rather than doing request-response for specific values it just watches every CAN packet sent on the busses and grabs the data we are interested in from there. This gives us much faster data rates but not every piece of data is sent across the busses on a regular basis. The disadvantage is that it's a much harder (though still completely reversible) installation process.

In any case, thanks for the hints regarding the measuring blocks - most appreciated.

**HLS** · 15-03-2016, 10:22 PM

A few updates as we get closer to the public launch of DashSketch:

•VWs built on the Mk7 platform appear to return a reasonably accurate manifold pressure value which can be interpolated into boost pressure using the local atmospheric pressure. With this method we can display 'calculated' boost on the Mk7 platform cars (including current generation Beetle).

Our testing on the Beetle (which has a VW factory Boost gauge) shows the calculated value to be almost 100% accurate, up to and including any boost spike values.

•Our latest Beta builds include our DashCam component, and enable use of the app without any vehicle connection (relying solely on the device's GPS for speed and location data). We're still looking to expand our Beta program, so if you're interested in testing a new DashCam with data logging in your car please drop us a note!