# K+DCAN Someone please straighten out this bag of snakes!



## pgaustin (May 8, 2014)

I have a 2003 E39 and a 2007 E70. I do all of my own maintenance. I have had the privilege of using a borrowed ICOM A2 but it is no longer available to me so I am looking for a replacement. The K+DCAN cable looks like the most cost effective solution BUT I bought one (with the switch) from OBD Innovations and could not perform functions such as battery registration. My results were the same on Windows 10, 7 , and XP using every possible FTDI driver version and all the various configuration options I could find. I could read and clear error codes and perform some other functions. I believe the cable did not properly sense battery and ignition status. My questions are:

1) What are the drawbacks to K+DCAN cable when it is working properly? Is there anything it will not do that an ICOM A2 will?

2) Can anyone vouch for the rheingoldusa.com K+DCAN cable? I know One Stop Electronics is a favorite but I prefer to order from a US based supplier and I have a couple of issues I need to diagnose and don't want to wait for the lengthy shipping from China...


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

You probably haven't set the Latency Timer to 1msec for the COM port in use.

2nd possibility, are you using the correct ipo file for the module you want to work on?


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## pgaustin (May 8, 2014)

acoste said:


> You probably haven't set the Latency Timer to 1msec for the COM port in use.
> 
> 2nd possibility, are you using the correct ipo file for the module you want to work on?


No I set the latency to 1. It wouldn't work at all without that. I also tried different com ports. I configured the port and hardware (tried both hardware =usb and hardware =obd) in obd.ini and copied to the windows directory. I was able to do some functions in INPA and ISTA+ for instance ISTA+ would do a full diagnostic run and read/clear codes. When I tried a battery registration I got ERROR_ECU_CONDITIONS_NOT_CORRECT_OR_REQUEST_SEQUENCE ERROR from both INPA and ISTA+. I believe this error is raised because the cable would not report ignition. In INPA I would get a battery indicator but no ignition indicator UNLESS I actually started the car. ISTA is very clear that the ignition should be on but car not running to register the battery (and I tried both ways).

I also installed INPA on several laptops running xp, 7 and 10 with the exact same result. I tried the INPA from OBD Innovations (5.0.6) , the "BMW Standard Tools 2.12" install, a recent ISTA+ and an older install of INPA / ISTA/D. I had 3 different versions of SP-Daten with the latest being 59.4.

Also, I should add that the all of the version of software including sp-daten I am using work fine with an ICOM A2 that I unfortunately no longer have access to.

OBD Innovations was from eBay and had listed their cable as being one of the "good" green PCBs. What I got was a white PCB and the board matched the picture of a bad one with the large voltage regulator that another user here posted. I'm 99% sure it's a problem with the cable...

The old cable is on it's way back. What I am trying to determine is if there are show-stopper limitations to the K+DCAN cable (assuming it's a good working one), whether rheingoldusa.com is a reputable supplier with good cables, or if there is an alternate US based supplier that others have had good experience with...


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

pgaustin said:


> What I am trying to determine is if there are show-stopper limitations to the K+DCAN cable (assuming it's a good working one), whether rheingoldusa.com is a reputable supplier with good cables, or if there is an alternate US based supplier that others have had good experience with...


I haven't run into any limitations of the K+DCAN cable so far using INPA, WinKFP and NCS Expert. It always showed ignition on too.

Since you mention the cable has the switch I assume you know in what position it should be.


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## pgaustin (May 8, 2014)

acoste said:


> I haven't run into any limitations of the K+DCAN cable so far using INPA, WinKFP and NCS Expert. It always showed ignition on too.
> 
> Since you mention the cable has the switch I assume you know in what position it should be.


Yes. It wouldn't work at all on the E70 with pin 8 and 7 tied together. Reverse on the E39. I am a little unclear about what the DCAN transfer rate should be on the E70 (100 or 500) and my E70 was built in 11/06 so does that make it before or after the 3/07 date I keep seeing stated?


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## pgaustin (May 8, 2014)

acoste said:


> I haven't run into any limitations of the K+DCAN cable so far using INPA, WinKFP and NCS Expert. It always showed ignition on too.
> 
> Since you mention the cable has the switch I assume you know in what position it should be.


Have you tried ISTA/D with it? I'd like to know if the K+DCAN cables are capable of detecting voltage.


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

pgaustin said:


> Yes. It wouldn't work at all on the E70 with pin 8 and 7 tied together. Reverse on the E39. I am a little unclear about what the DCAN transfer rate should be on the E70 (100 or 500) and my E70 was built in 11/06 so does that make it before or after the 3/07 date I keep seeing stated?


Looking at the wiring diagram of your E70, it appears that pin 8 and 7 shouldn't be connected. That 3/07 date might not fit all models.

Also I realized the pin 1 on your OBD socket for the E70 is not connected. That's the wire 15 (ignition) this is why you can't see ignition on.

However the E39 has that pin so for that car ignition on should show up.

The D-CAN in the E70 is running at 500 Kbit/s.


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## Reclaimer (Oct 20, 2015)

pgaustin said:


> Have you tried ISTA/D with it? I'd like to know if the K+DCAN cables are capable of detecting voltage.


AFAIK, INPA just needs signal (ON or OFF signal) for KL15 and KL30, which a good quality USB cable may provide but ISTA+ actually reads and needs the voltage value which none of the USB cables have. ISTA+ needs dedicated voltage level sensor which only an ICOM would have, so it won't show unless you use an ICOM.


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## pgaustin (May 8, 2014)

acoste said:


> Looking at the wiring diagram of your E70, it appears that pin 8 and 7 shouldn't be connected. That 3/07 date might not fit all models.
> 
> Also I realized the pin 1 on your OBD socket for the E70 is not connected. That's the wire 15 (ignition) this is why you can't see ignition on.
> 
> ...


Hmmmm. From what I have found so far it looks like INPA, Tool32, and ISTA+ all look for ignition on but motor not running before they will register a new battery. So does this mean it's not possible to register a battery or perform other functions that require ignition on the E70 with a K+DCAN cable?

Has anyone sucessfully registered a new battery using a K+DCAN cable on an E70?


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

pgaustin said:


> Hmmmm. From what I have found so far it looks like INPA, Tool32, and ISTA+ all look for ignition on but motor not running before they will register a new battery.


If that's the case, then short pin 16 with pin 1.

Pin 16 is a constant 12V supply KL30 and pin 1 is the ignition, KL15, supposed to be 12V too.


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## pgaustin (May 8, 2014)

Reclaimer said:


> AFAIK, INPA just needs signal (ON or OFF signal) for KL15 and KL30, which a good quality USB cable may provide but ISTA+ actually reads and needs the voltage value which none of the USB cables have. ISTA+ needs dedicated voltage level sensor which only an ICOM would have, so it won't show unless you use an ICOM.


That's what I suspected. That may also explain why the K+Dcan sellers offer older version of ISTA/D or just INPA etc. It looks like Acoste identified why it's not reading ignition.


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## pgaustin (May 8, 2014)

acoste said:


> If that's the case, then short pin 16 with pin 1.
> 
> Pin 16 is a constant 12V supply KL30 and pin 1 is the ignition, KL15, supposed to be 12V too.


I was thinking the same thing. I'm a little skiddish (possibly because of the E39 i've been grabbing parts from at the pull-a-part that was killed by electrical fire). I've been digging through these forums for a few weeks and this is the first time I've seen the pin 1 issue has been identified.

Has anyone tried this?


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

pgaustin said:


> I was thinking the same thing. I'm a little skiddish (possibly because of the E39 i've been grabbing parts from at the pull-a-part that was killed by electrical fire). I've been digging through these forums for a few weeks and this is the first time I've seen the pin 1 issue has been identified.
> 
> Has anyone tried this?


The way you could play it safe is:
pin 1 on the cable side can handle 12V obviously since that's what it is designed for.
pin 1 on the car's side is disconnected according to the wiring diagram. Either take it apart to prove it or connect a digital multimeter and measure the impedance between pin 5 (ground) and pin 1. It should show infinite impedance and it's safe to short with pin 16


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