How to graph scan data from the Auterra PDA scantool into excel
Feb 20, 2004, 12:11 AM
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How to graph scan data from the Auterra PDA scantool into excel
--[
okay, so only like 3 people on EVOM have the Auterra PDA OBD2 Scantool/Dyno, but i dunno where to put it.
]--
so i've been tinkering with Auterra OBD2 scantool for some time now. what i noticed is that the PDBexport program that comes with the unit is ****ty. once it exports to a csv file, the thing can be analyzed numerically but is arranged in a way that you can't really graph it in excel easily (unless you're some super excel user who has uncanny formula and graphing skills). after some looking into, i've been able to make graphs for easy analysis at the cost of having a not so great process. here's how it goes:
if you haven't used the PDBexport (otherwise skip):
1. with the pda hooked up to the pc, do a hotsync.
2. the .pdb file with your scan data should be in c:\program files\palm\pda name\backup .
if your scan data name in the Auterra program is OZ scan, it would be OZ_scan-SD.pdb .
3. run the PDBexport.exe program, hit "open file" and go to your palm backup directory and pick what file you want to export. go ahead and click export and don't forget which directory you export to.
_
*export to a new directory that's easy to get to. if you're proficient in command line usage, it would be easy to use a directory like c:\scantemp or something like that. if you don't know command line too well, i'll talk about it in a bit.
great! now you got a .csv file we can work with. on to the command line stuff.
- - - - - -
Extracting Data:
1. now that you've got a .csv file, go to the "Start" menu in windows XP and click on "Run".
2. where it asks what program you want to run, type "cmd". if you're familiar to the command line, go to the folder where your csv file was exported to.
*if you don't know how to do this, open up a new instance of windows file explorer. make sure you've got "address bar" checked under "View > toolbars > address bar". make sure the folder that has the .csv file is highlighted. in the address bar at the top of explorer will have the location typed out. go back to the command line and type "cd location". if that won't work, look at the letter before the colon in the location. it should be like c: or d: . type that into the command line by itself (ie. "e:" or "c:") and then do the "cd location" thing. it should work by now.
3. time for extraction - open up the .csv file with excel. this is just to see what different data types you have in the file. as you can see in column "B," there are 3 data types: 12, 17, and 20 that recur.
4. you're gonna have to do this step for each data type. go back to the command line and use this command:
"findstr ,data type, file.csv>desired_filename.csv"
all this does is it takes all the values from the same data type and puts it into one file. do this for each and you'll have as many extra files as datatypes.
_
5. now open all of these files in excel and cut and paste the columns that matters into one new excel spreadsheet. usually cut the two columns with the value and the unit measurement.
6. with the new spreadsheet with everything on it, select the columns with only the values in them by holding down the ctrl key and dragging over the data you want to graph. if you want to plot with RPM as your X-axis, make sure you don't highlight a range of values in RPM that modulate. select a range 1000rpm-6000rpm (or whatever) that doesn't drop revs.
(this data is actually RPM, o2 b1s1, and o2 b1s2 from a different export)
7. click on the graph button up top and pick XY(Scatter). the easier to use "Chart sub-type" is the one with 2 lines and no points plotted. hit finish. there are no other options that are needed.
8. now this is cool! stretch the graph as large as you want to see the detail. then you can move your mouse pointer over the line where you like and it will give you the numerical value in a pop up tip box.
this is all lengthy and there's probably an easier way, but this just shows how useful this tool generally is for tuning. also, the last graph comes from different data than from the data i opened in the example. hopefully auterra will make a much better export tool in the future. until then, have fun guys.
okay, so only like 3 people on EVOM have the Auterra PDA OBD2 Scantool/Dyno, but i dunno where to put it.
]--
so i've been tinkering with Auterra OBD2 scantool for some time now. what i noticed is that the PDBexport program that comes with the unit is ****ty. once it exports to a csv file, the thing can be analyzed numerically but is arranged in a way that you can't really graph it in excel easily (unless you're some super excel user who has uncanny formula and graphing skills). after some looking into, i've been able to make graphs for easy analysis at the cost of having a not so great process. here's how it goes:
if you haven't used the PDBexport (otherwise skip):
1. with the pda hooked up to the pc, do a hotsync.
2. the .pdb file with your scan data should be in c:\program files\palm\pda name\backup .
if your scan data name in the Auterra program is OZ scan, it would be OZ_scan-SD.pdb .
3. run the PDBexport.exe program, hit "open file" and go to your palm backup directory and pick what file you want to export. go ahead and click export and don't forget which directory you export to.
_
*export to a new directory that's easy to get to. if you're proficient in command line usage, it would be easy to use a directory like c:\scantemp or something like that. if you don't know command line too well, i'll talk about it in a bit.
great! now you got a .csv file we can work with. on to the command line stuff.
- - - - - -
Extracting Data:
1. now that you've got a .csv file, go to the "Start" menu in windows XP and click on "Run".
2. where it asks what program you want to run, type "cmd". if you're familiar to the command line, go to the folder where your csv file was exported to.
*if you don't know how to do this, open up a new instance of windows file explorer. make sure you've got "address bar" checked under "View > toolbars > address bar". make sure the folder that has the .csv file is highlighted. in the address bar at the top of explorer will have the location typed out. go back to the command line and type "cd location". if that won't work, look at the letter before the colon in the location. it should be like c: or d: . type that into the command line by itself (ie. "e:" or "c:") and then do the "cd location" thing. it should work by now.
3. time for extraction - open up the .csv file with excel. this is just to see what different data types you have in the file. as you can see in column "B," there are 3 data types: 12, 17, and 20 that recur.
4. you're gonna have to do this step for each data type. go back to the command line and use this command:
"findstr ,data type, file.csv>desired_filename.csv"
all this does is it takes all the values from the same data type and puts it into one file. do this for each and you'll have as many extra files as datatypes.
_
5. now open all of these files in excel and cut and paste the columns that matters into one new excel spreadsheet. usually cut the two columns with the value and the unit measurement.
6. with the new spreadsheet with everything on it, select the columns with only the values in them by holding down the ctrl key and dragging over the data you want to graph. if you want to plot with RPM as your X-axis, make sure you don't highlight a range of values in RPM that modulate. select a range 1000rpm-6000rpm (or whatever) that doesn't drop revs.
(this data is actually RPM, o2 b1s1, and o2 b1s2 from a different export)7. click on the graph button up top and pick XY(Scatter). the easier to use "Chart sub-type" is the one with 2 lines and no points plotted. hit finish. there are no other options that are needed.
8. now this is cool! stretch the graph as large as you want to see the detail. then you can move your mouse pointer over the line where you like and it will give you the numerical value in a pop up tip box.
this is all lengthy and there's probably an easier way, but this just shows how useful this tool generally is for tuning. also, the last graph comes from different data than from the data i opened in the example. hopefully auterra will make a much better export tool in the future. until then, have fun guys.
Last edited by rhyzin; Feb 20, 2004 at 02:43 AM.
Oct 24, 2004, 07:59 PM
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there aren't any OBDII datalogging software that monitors EGT since it's not a feature of OBDII. EGT's have always been something that's been monitored by special interests such as race cars.
www.autotap.com (laptop/palm) $200 for either version
autotap only supports generic obdII codes and no special mitsu codes, if you happen to trip one. don't think it datalogs and doesn't have a dyno feature.
www.auterraweb.com (palm only) $239 + palm-to-serial cable ($5-$20)
have seen it packaged under different names like nology, but i believe auterra is the real maker. supports exporting logs to PC as "comma-separated-values" spreadsheets. the only peeve i have with it is making these graphs for reference. i already shot them an email to try and make this more convenient to do. if you want to see the graphs as you would on the palm, do a search for a palm emulator on the web. palm makes one for developers and you can sign up and just use it. also has a dyno feature.
www.pocketlogger.com (palm only) $125
does support exporting logs to PC. dunno how they look tho. DSMs have been using this for years. doesn't have a dyno feature.
http://www.digimoto.com/ (laptop/pocket pc) $119 for either
has log exports since windows is it's native environment. does support dyno testing also. i just looked at a demo of how it datalogs, and it looks like you're gonna have to do the same amount of work as the auterra (or more) to get the graphs into excel.
none of these programs export datalogs in a way that if you straight import them to excel will display a graph thats useful. they also don't organize data into a way that's useful. (it seems to me) all these programs datalog information as it gets them and doesn't reorganize the data(especially the digimoto as it logs **** you don't need like a hex number and timestamp). you're gonna have to reorganize the data yourself.
once you organize the data, graphing it is optional but you can usually get an idea of what's going on by just looking at the numbers. when you're scrolling down a spreadsheet of organized data, it's like you're watching all the numbers on the screen as in the matrix and know whats going on.
so take your pick. they're all basically the same. the dyno function(probably applies to all) is a subjective feature since not all dyno's are the same, and these are more or less theoretical numbers. the auterra unit adds 10% to the actual hp/tq figures i realized through comparison to a real dyno(dynojet). it's only a measuring tool to see the difference in adding new parts and not so much a real-world value.
oh yeah, there's probably some scanners i've missed so take a look around. there might be better ones.
www.autotap.com (laptop/palm) $200 for either version
autotap only supports generic obdII codes and no special mitsu codes, if you happen to trip one. don't think it datalogs and doesn't have a dyno feature.
www.auterraweb.com (palm only) $239 + palm-to-serial cable ($5-$20)
have seen it packaged under different names like nology, but i believe auterra is the real maker. supports exporting logs to PC as "comma-separated-values" spreadsheets. the only peeve i have with it is making these graphs for reference. i already shot them an email to try and make this more convenient to do. if you want to see the graphs as you would on the palm, do a search for a palm emulator on the web. palm makes one for developers and you can sign up and just use it. also has a dyno feature.
www.pocketlogger.com (palm only) $125
does support exporting logs to PC. dunno how they look tho. DSMs have been using this for years. doesn't have a dyno feature.
http://www.digimoto.com/ (laptop/pocket pc) $119 for either
has log exports since windows is it's native environment. does support dyno testing also. i just looked at a demo of how it datalogs, and it looks like you're gonna have to do the same amount of work as the auterra (or more) to get the graphs into excel.
none of these programs export datalogs in a way that if you straight import them to excel will display a graph thats useful. they also don't organize data into a way that's useful. (it seems to me) all these programs datalog information as it gets them and doesn't reorganize the data(especially the digimoto as it logs **** you don't need like a hex number and timestamp). you're gonna have to reorganize the data yourself.
once you organize the data, graphing it is optional but you can usually get an idea of what's going on by just looking at the numbers. when you're scrolling down a spreadsheet of organized data, it's like you're watching all the numbers on the screen as in the matrix and know whats going on.
so take your pick. they're all basically the same. the dyno function(probably applies to all) is a subjective feature since not all dyno's are the same, and these are more or less theoretical numbers. the auterra unit adds 10% to the actual hp/tq figures i realized through comparison to a real dyno(dynojet). it's only a measuring tool to see the difference in adding new parts and not so much a real-world value.
oh yeah, there's probably some scanners i've missed so take a look around. there might be better ones.
Last edited by rhyzin; Oct 24, 2004 at 08:06 PM.
Oct 24, 2004, 08:07 PM
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thanks a lot rhyzin, a lot of useful info. from what all you said, it looks to me liek the auterra is the right choice for me. i was looking at the pocketlogger b4, but it didnt seem as comprehensive.
i was just told that one of the evos in one of my local car groups has the auterra so i will talk to him about it and see how he likes it.
how long should it take to make a graph after putting the info onto the comp?
i was just told that one of the evos in one of my local car groups has the auterra so i will talk to him about it and see how he likes it.
how long should it take to make a graph after putting the info onto the comp?
Oct 24, 2004, 08:32 PM
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nice writeup bro!
Do you think the +10% that the auterra appears to add might come from the car getting "real world" air into the engine (instead of just the fan that most shops use)? or maybe a not-quite-right gear ratio?
Do you think the +10% that the auterra appears to add might come from the car getting "real world" air into the engine (instead of just the fan that most shops use)? or maybe a not-quite-right gear ratio?
Oct 24, 2004, 08:45 PM
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well.... import the logs to a special folder. in that folder i already have a link to the command line so i can just open it up and reorganize the files. you can probably make a batch file for it but i'd have to open up some dusty books to see how to do that again. after a while you can probably do it in less than 3-4 mins.
since you're turboed, you'll probably wanna tune for .96-.98v if you get a tunable piggyback. you can probably go through the DSM boards for some good info.
since you're turboed, you'll probably wanna tune for .96-.98v if you get a tunable piggyback. you can probably go through the DSM boards for some good info.
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Oct 24, 2004, 08:53 PM
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i think the 10% is a difference in preference to torque calculations. looking at real dynos, each brand probably has a different weight in rolling drum and different formula. the auterra looks at the air temp, altitude, vehicle speed, weight, and tire circumference to come up with torque based on how fast you pull a certain weight. the auterra uses a more "ideal" formula that doesn't account for some things real dynos do.
i still believe you can only compare dynos of the same kind. hp is a function of torque and you can't measure hp by itself. you come of with a torque curve and insert those values into a function and you get hp. so in the end, it's all about how you come up with torque values. thus, the reason why different dyno brands get different results.
i still believe you can only compare dynos of the same kind. hp is a function of torque and you can't measure hp by itself. you come of with a torque curve and insert those values into a function and you get hp. so in the end, it's all about how you come up with torque values. thus, the reason why different dyno brands get different results.
Oct 24, 2004, 09:50 PM
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Originally Posted by rhyzin
well.... import the logs to a special folder. in that folder i already have a link to the command line so i can just open it up and reorganize the files. you can probably make a batch file for it but i'd have to open up some dusty books to see how to do that again. after a while you can probably do it in less than 3-4 mins.
since you're turboed, you'll probably wanna tune for .96-.98v if you get a tunable piggyback. you can probably go through the DSM boards for some good info.
since you're turboed, you'll probably wanna tune for .96-.98v if you get a tunable piggyback. you can probably go through the DSM boards for some good info.
i got the piggyback from gurudel, that he got from rmm, that boe retuned for me, that is originally from www.splitsec.com.
Oct 25, 2004, 01:24 AM
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unless you get the software for the piggy from rrm and a laptop, you can't tune it. maybe you can just buy the software from splitsec. (that last sentence is confusing. do you have it or not?)
a batch file isn't necessary. if you follow the instructions in this thread, you should be okay. it may add just a minute or 2. you can always PM me if you get the Auterra unit and want to do this.
a batch file isn't necessary. if you follow the instructions in this thread, you should be okay. it may add just a minute or 2. you can always PM me if you get the Auterra unit and want to do this.
Oct 25, 2004, 01:51 PM
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sorry taht was a confusing sentence. i have teh splitsec piggyback. the splitsec device is the one that rrm uses. gurudel had an auto stg2 turbo piggyback and sold it to me. boe then tuned it for the standard since that is what i have. i already have it sitting in my house. i will be getting the software and i do have a laptop. one of my friends is buying the dsmlink for his gst and my other friend is buying the microtec(?) for his rx7. i plan on getting the rpw stg2 cam and forged pistons so will have to tune it myself at that point.
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