Using clone ELM327 Bluetooth OBDII adapter with Leaf

[Stoaty]

OK, the first draft of the Wiki manual for using the Leaf Battery App is pretty much finished:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/index.php?title=Leaf_Battery_Application" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Please report any errors or omissions here, or make the corrections yourself.

 

[Sven]

Thanks Turbo3 for the work you are putting into this app!

I have tried the 0.22 version with Samsung Galaxy S2 running Gingerbread 2.3.5.
It works nicely for a couple of seconds, then it stops loading data and the yellow "waiting" message stays on the screen, see the screen capture.

I am using the ELM327 mini adapter. When using the new Sony Xperia Z phone, it seems to work fine.

 

[surfingslovak]

When I reported the above this morning, I had noted 4 GID difference at 80% and 5 GID difference at 70%.

Now at the end of the day at 29.1%, it's up to a 19 GID difference with LEAFCAN reporting 58 GID and the app reporting 77 'GID. My AHr reading is 58.80 (0.60 Ah down from 5 days ago!!!)

More evidence of the infamous gauge error leading to low bar/GOM readings???

It appears that simulated Gids are not very useful (a shame). I had a similar difference (but not quite as much) down around 33% SOC. Unless we can figure out a reliable way to correct them they will be a distant second to true Gids. That means that kwh left in the pack and DTE will be similarly affected.

I went through the numbers posted in the forum, and it appears that Gids might be adjusted for internal battery losses. I'm not entirely certain how this is done, but I suspect that the outflow of energy from the pack is monitored, integrated and correlated to the SOC.

The Gid count, stored energy really, is periodically adjusted for internal losses. If my observation is correct, the quick and dirty way to emulate this behavior is to deduct a small number of Gids (or kWh) as the battery discharges:

Adjustment value = (Current estimated stored energy - Estimated Stored Energy When Full) * 0.05

Please note that internal losses are higher at high and low SOC. The formula above assumes linear internal losses over the entire SOC range, but we might see nearly double of the average value at either end. Just more food for thought.

 

[vrwl]

Stoaty;
I'm using an HTC Vivid phone, and it works fine, so you can add that to the wiki if you like.
I too bought one of the larger bluetooth elm327 adapters from Newlaunch on Ebay, and it does not seem to work. I'm not sure if I'll try to find the unsoldered lead, or just send it back.

Thanks. Added phone to Wiki, and a note in the ELM327 section that two users reported Newlaunch ELM327 scanners did not work.

The Ebay seller name is actually "newlauch". I made the same mistake in earlier posts, thinking it was "newlaunch", but after checking, it really is missing the "n". Just thought I'd mention the reason I corrected the Wiki, in case you thought it was changed and a typo was made during the change.

 

[Stoaty]

I went through the numbers posted in the forum, and it appears that Gids might be adjusted for internal battery losses. I'm not entirely certain how this is done, but I suspect that the outflow of energy from the pack is monitored, integrated and correlated to the SOC.

The Gid count, stored energy really, is periodically adjusted for internal losses. If my observation is correct, the quick and dirty way to emulate this behavior is to deduct a small number of Gids (or kWh) as the battery discharges:

Adjustment value = (Current estimated stored energy - Estimated Stored Energy When Full) * 0.05

Please note that internal losses are higher at high and low SOC. The formula above assumes linear internal losses over the entire SOC range, but we might see nearly double of the average value at either end. Just more food for thought.

Yes, that is my number one problem with the app right now. Simulated Gids are fairly accurate at the high end, but diverge from True Gids (TM) more and more as the Gid count gets lower. Some kind of quick and dirty correction would be nice until we can get a better handle on this. I can see this in real time, since I have my Gid meter connected at the same time through a splitter cable. A number of other calculated values on Screen 3 depend on an accurate estimation of remaining energy in the battery, including Distance to Empty.

 

[rickbecker]

Stoaty;
I'm using an HTC Vivid phone, and it works fine, so you can add that to the wiki if you like.
I too bought one of the larger bluetooth elm327 adapters from Newlaunch on Ebay, and it does not seem to work. I'm not sure if I'll try to find the unsoldered lead, or just send it back.

Thanks. Added phone to Wiki, and a note in the ELM327 section that two users reported Newlaunch ELM327 scanners did not work.

I tried for a week to get a Newlauch (fwiw, it really is lauch and not launch} ELM327 to work. I reported it to them and they are giving me suggestions on how to get it paired. Before I spend any more time, I will tell them what Turbo3 found.

Oops, I see that I am behind you by at least 50 minutes (if not more), Vicki :roll:

 

[Stoaty]

I tried logging to my Fusion 2, but I can't tell if it worked or not. I connected my phone by USB to my PC to look for the log file, but don't see any folders except "document" and "drivers". In Windows Explorer the phone is listed as "CD Drive (K Mobile Partner" with zero bytes free of 7.75 MB. CDFS.

Thoughts? It doesn't appear I can do logging (or get the log files) without a micro SD card. Perhaps there is something else I am missing?

Edit: OK, found it using the File Explorer App on the phone. Data seems to be there. Not sure how to get it over to my PC though.

 

[sorphin]

So.. I did a full charge last night, did some work on the leaf this afternoon, then plugged in the elm, to see how i looked... As you can see... the dash and the output from the app are quite a bit far apart.. (this is under .21 btw..)

 

[surfingslovak]

So.. I did a full charge last night, did some work on the leaf this afternoon, then plugged in the elm, to see how i looked... As you can see... the dash and the output from the app are quite a bit far apart.. (this is under .21 btw..)

Thanks for posting. I think this is expected, albeit confusing for 2013 owners. The app shows the true SOC and the dash shows consumer SOC. it essentially says "full", even though the battery is physically capable of storing more energy. Also, it appears that your LEAF is very new, and the battery is reporting higher than expected capacity. You might want to adjust the Ah value in the settings, so that the CAP indicator shows 100%.

 

[Stoaty]

So.. I did a full charge last night, did some work on the leaf this afternoon, then plugged in the elm, to see how i looked... As you can see... the dash and the output from the app are quite a bit far apart.. (this is under .21 btw..)

My understanding is that the Leaf Battery App shows true SOC, which should be around 95% when fully charged. The SOC on the Leaf will always show 100% when fully charged, it doesn't count the 5% reserve at the top.

 

[rickbecker]

I tried logging to my Fusion 2, but I can't tell if it worked or not. I connected my phone by USB to my PC to look for the log file, but don't see any folders except "document" and "drivers". In Windows Explorer the phone is listed as "CD Drive (K Mobile Partner" with zero bytes free of 7.75 MB. CDFS.

Thoughts? It doesn't appear I can do logging (or get the log files) without a micro SD card. Perhaps there is something else I am missing?

Edit: OK, found it using the File Explorer App on the phone. Data seems to be there. Not sure how to get it over to my PC though.

I ended up using the manual (rtfm, Rick) for my Kyocera eVent phone and was able to get the log files transferred to my PC. I imported them into excel and have been playing around with the data. I'll post when I have something interesting. I have logged three trips, a charge to 100% with some balancing, and a DCFC charge from about 60% to 80%.

 

[Deleted member 770]

I have tried the 0.22 version with Samsung Galaxy S2 running Gingerbread 2.3.5.
It works nicely for a couple of seconds, then it stops loading data and the yellow "waiting" message stays on the screen, see the screen capture.

I am using the ELM327 mini adapter. When using the new Sony Xperia Z phone, it seems to work fine.

I don't know if this is useful information or not, but I too was having all sorts of problems with my initial setup (LG Optimus S phone running Gingerbread 2.3.3 and ELM327 mini adapter) - difficulties with getting the initial connection, random hangups of the app and/or its service process which usually required a full restart of the phone to clear, etc.).

I finally took the plunge and upgraded to a Cyanogenmod 9 build on the phone (Android 4.0.4 equivalent). Since then it's been working flawlessly with two different ELM327 adapters, including the original. I can only surmise that there's a better Bluetooth stack in the later Android versions. If you have an option to upgrade your Galaxy S to a newer version of Android, it might be something to consider.

Perhaps some others with Gingerbread-based Android phones could chime in about their experiences. Has it worked flawlessly? Do you have issues with stopping at random, losing connection, etc.?

 

[edatoakrun]

Stoaty;
I'm using an HTC Vivid phone, and it works fine, so you can add that to the wiki if you like.
I too bought one of the larger bluetooth elm327 adapters from Newlaunch on Ebay, and it does not seem to work. I'm not sure if I'll try to find the unsoldered lead, or just send it back.

Thanks. Added phone to Wiki, and a note in the ELM327 section that two users reported Newlaunch ELM327 scanners did not work.

I tried for a week to get a Newlauch (fwiw, it really is lauch and not launch} ELM327 to work. I reported it to them and they are giving me suggestions on how to get it paired. Before I spend any more time, I will tell them what Turbo3 found.

Oops, I see that I am behind you by at least 50 minutes (if not more), Vicki :roll:

As posted this AM, I also seem to have problems using the Newlauch ELM327:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/310651672153?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_5133wt_1144" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I drove my usual range/capacity test rout yesterday with the app running most of the way, with a few frustrations, and leading to several questions.

I'm still having issues establishing and maintaining a connection. I'm thinking of buying another ELM327and giving that a try.

What procedure should restore connectivity if you lose it while driving?

Could the irritating "connected/ disconnected from phone event" pop up I get on my energy screen every ~30 seconds be indicative of this ELM327 connectivity problem?

How can I make it go away?...]

 

[sorphin]

So.. I did a full charge last night, did some work on the leaf this afternoon, then plugged in the elm, to see how i looked... As you can see... the dash and the output from the app are quite a bit far apart.. (this is under .21 btw..)

Thanks for posting. I think this is expected, albeit confusing for 2013 owners. The app shows the true SOC and the dash shows consumer SOC. it essentially says "full", even though the battery is physically capable of storing more energy. Also, it appears that your LEAF is very new, and the battery is reporting higher than expected capacity. You might want to adjust the Ah value in the settings, so that the CAP indicator shows 100%.

I did adjust the Ah rating once already to 67.5... apparently that's still not enough.. I guess i'll keep tweaking it. and yes.. I've only had my leaf since April 17th.. it was built in Jan/Feb. that 5% reserve is about as useful as the 'reserve' they 'claim' on gas tanks..

 

[LEAFfan]

So.. I did a full charge last night, did some work on the leaf this afternoon, then plugged in the elm, to see how i looked... As you can see... the dash and the output from the app are quite a bit far apart.. (this is under .21 btw..)

Thanks for posting. I think this is expected, albeit confusing for 2013 owners. The app shows the true SOC and the dash shows consumer SOC. it essentially says "full", even though the battery is physically capable of storing more energy. Also, it appears that your LEAF is very new, and the battery is reporting higher than expected capacity. You might want to adjust the Ah value in the settings, so that the CAP indicator shows 100%.

I did adjust the Ah rating once already to 67.5... apparently that's still not enough.. I guess i'll keep tweaking it. and yes.. I've only had my leaf since April 17th.. it was built in Jan/Feb. that 5% reserve is about as useful as the 'reserve' they 'claim' on gas tanks..

Try 66.3AH which should equal 100%.

 

[LEAFfan]

Stoaty, here's the link again to the ELM that people can modify:
http://www.amazon.com/Vgate-ELM327-Bluetooth-Scanner-ANDROID/dp/B00AAOOQJC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Stoaty]

Stoaty, here's the link again to the ELM that people can modify:
http://www.amazon.com/Vgate-ELM327-Bluetooth-Scanner-ANDROID/dp/B00AAOOQJC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks. Added to Wiki. Did you modify yours? Does the Leaf Battery App read true Gids after you modify it? How is the modification done?

 

[LEAFfan]

Stoaty, here's the link again to the ELM that people can modify:
http://www.amazon.com/Vgate-ELM327-Bluetooth-Scanner-ANDROID/dp/B00AAOOQJC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks. Added to Wiki. Did you modify yours? Does the Leaf Battery App read true Gids after you modify it? How is the modification done?

Yes, I watched TickTock do it and now I can. Gary posted detailed directions on what pins to unsolder and move. It's just two pins that need to be moved. However, the next step is to put in a sliding switch so it can be changed from CAR CAN to EV CAN without removing it.
When Jim gets the App to also read the EV CAN, then true Gids will be available and even more EV CAN data. So right now, even though it has been switched to read the EV CAN, it reads all the CAR CAN data without any problems. It's been left plugged in now for almost a week and I haven't lost even one tenth of 12V battery voltage. Another thing I've observed using the EV CAN setting on the OBDC, if you turn on the App before turning on the car, often the orange EVS icon + orange triangle in the brow will come on. So far, every time I turn On the car, in Ready, or Off first, then turn on or off the APP, those warnings have never come on.

 

[Stoaty]

Gary posted detailed directions on what pins to unsolder and move. It's just two pins that need to be moved. However, the next step is to put in a sliding switch so it can be changed from CAR CAN to EV CAN without removing it.
When Jim gets the App to also read the EV CAN, then true Gids will be available and even more EV CAN data. So right now, even though it has been switched to read the EV CAN, it reads all the CAR CAN data without any problems.

Why do you need a switch to change between EV CAN and CAR CAN? It sound like you are able to read the CAR CAN data while it is set to read EV CAN. Am I missing something?

PS Can you provide a link to Gary's instructions so I can add them to the Wiki manual?

 

[Stoaty]

I tried logging to my Fusion 2, but I can't tell if it worked or not. I connected my phone by USB to my PC to look for the log file, but don't see any folders except "document" and "drivers". In Windows Explorer the phone is listed as "CD Drive (K Mobile Partner" with zero bytes free of 7.75 MB. CDFS.

Thoughts? It doesn't appear I can do logging (or get the log files) without a micro SD card. Perhaps there is something else I am missing?

Edit: OK, found it using the File Explorer App on the phone. Data seems to be there. Not sure how to get it over to my PC though.

Answering my own question, one way to get the log file over to the PC is to install Dropbox for Android (through Google Play with a WiFi connection if phone is not activated). Once I put the file in the dropbox folder on the Android phone it showed up in the dropbox folder on my PC right away.