D4 Gap Tool - leave permanently connected?

[gavinwibrow]

I've just heard that it may not be the best idea to leave the Gap Diagnostics permanently connected to the OBDII port!

Any words of wisdom pre or con for this approach please? Could be related to being connected, then getting a presumably unrelated flat battery?

[Geedublya]

You can leave it connected permanently as long as you disconnect it from your bluetooth device before shutting the car down. If you don't it will flatten your battery... It only took me about 5 jump starts from the second battery before I started to remember.

[gavinwibrow]

You can leave it connected permanently as long as you disconnect it from your bluetooth device before shutting the car down. If you don't it will flatten your battery... It only took me about 5 jump starts from the second battery before I started to remember.


Thanks for that - straight to the point and a good explanation for an IT troglodyte dumbo like me.

So, I think I'll just disconnect the Gap tool and only connect for trips or specifics, as I'm even worse playing with mobile settings. Only minor hassle, maybe I'll wear out the OBDII connections.

So do I make up a cable to sit between OBDII port and scan gap tool that includes an on/off breaker switch? [bigwhistle]

Then again, do I recall that the BBS RovaCom? can be left permanently connected to ease instrument mode use? Colin, are you there? I'll send him a message/post/pm.

[barney]

I was chatting with my mechanic mate while my wallet was being raped the other day and we were talking about nanocoms and other OBD11 interface devices and he said that they have had at least 2 D4's come in with their ECUs destroyed from a backfeed from the bluetooth ODB11 device and advise to avoid driving around with it permanently connected.
I don't have any other reports of this happening, it might just be isolated to one particular brand of bluetooth OBD11 unit. Who knows?

[Milton477]

Mine has been permanently connected via a short cable for the last 3 years now. Nothing went flat or blew up from backfeed. I do disconnect after using it though.

[BBS Guy]

I obviously cannot comment on this power consumption aspect question in respect of any equipment other than our own.

Our Nanocom Evolution does have an instrument mode function that is easiest to facilitate by a permanent connection to the OBDII socket. However it is not designed to remain powered up when the vehicle is not. It has however been improved to provide easier ways to turn it on and off though.

However our new VCIQ interface with Bluetooth connectivity via a Panasonic BLE module to a mobile device with our Rovacom-IQ app is quite and very specifically designed from the ground up to stay permanently plugged in. Natively it consumes very little power when fully running anyway, but then actually has several levels of reducing its own power consumption, right down to it periodically self measuring the vehicles battery voltage and pretty much shutting itself down almost entirely if required.

[BradC]

I've just heard that it may not be the best idea to leave the Gap Diagnostics permanently connected to the OBDII port!

Mine has been permanently connected since ~September. As already said by others, disconnect the app before you get out. In my case I use it with my phone, so when I walk away from the car it disconnects anyway when I inevitably forget. I do have to force restart the app, but the car just shrugs it off.

The hardest part was teaching the missus not to kick it when getting in, but haven't had an issue so far.

[LRD414]

How do you know the car “shrugs it off” According to Gap what you’re doing can leave ECUs awake and using more power. You wouldn’t notice an issue if it’s driven everyday or getting a regular external charge.

Now they may have changed things with a recent upgrade but I wouldn’t be sure of that unless they confirm.

A short extension cable with flat plug removes the risk of kicking it.

Regards,
Scott

[BradC]

How do you know the car “shrugs it off” According to Gap what you’re doing can leave ECUs awake and using more power. You wouldn’t notice an issue if it’s driven everyday or getting a regular external charge.

I took the time to do some tests. Needed to break in my new current probe and that sounded like a fun way to do it.
Still. These cars are particularly fussy and what works for mine might not work for yours. Mine has ECUs that yours hasn't and you've got some that mine hasn't.

I've had a weather eye on the flat cables, but haven't quite got around to it yet.

[BBS Guy]

Since my last post on this thread regarding Power consumption, I have noted a couple of other aspects being mentioned that are related to leaving a wireless Diagnostic device permanantly connected along with some that are not mentioned.

So I hope no one minds me chiming in with some comments that if nothing else are food for thought.

In designing a diagnostic system with wireless hardware (VCIQ) that was specifically intended to stay permanently connected from the ground up, We had to consider many aspects and here are just a few of the most basic ones.

1) The hardwares own Power consumption.
2) The hardware causing other ECU's to consume power.
3) The hardwares physical size.
4) The hardwares acess security.
5) The hardware / softwares auto connectivity.
5A) The Hardware and softwares auto resyncing after a connectivity disconnection / reconnection.

Here are some of the ways we handled these aspects

1) The hardwares own Power consumption.
Pretty much as already mentioned on my last post on this thread, we designed the VCIQ hardware specifically to consume as little power as possible, Implimenting a multi level shut down stategy that periodicaly measures the battery voltage and based on that also included circuitry into our design that allows us to turn off vehicle and Bluetooth communication circuits, LED's and other aspects. For the tech guys we are talking 1 to 7ma ranges.

2) The hardware causing other ECU's to consume power.
It is obviously not really worth the power saving efforts in 1) if we then permanently or even periodially wake up a vehicles power sapping ECU to just check if the ignition is on, So we don't. we found other more power saving ways to check this that do require us to periodically turn on the VCIQ's Vehicle communication circuits, but again also have a great strategy in place for even that.

3) The hardwares physical size.
With years of experience supplying Nanocoms, we already understand how having anything sticking too far out of the Diagnostic socket is not ideal, and although even we offer cables that assist, but for the VCIQ design we wanted to completely eliminate that problem.
As such we designed our VCIQ using the smallest parts we have ever worked with and through a huge amount of effort somehow managed to squeeze this all into a case with an OBD connector that sticks out from the vehicles OBD socket by less that 14MM.
Here is a picture for comparison

151999

4) The hardwares acess security.
Very few may think about this, but it's an important aspect, that we have a professional obligation to consider, appreciate and cover properly.
Leaving a wireless diagnostic interface permanently connected in your vehicle provides an aspect of connectivity that has a possibility, however slight, of being mis used by less than honest individuals.
For sure you certainly dont want to have a situation where anyone who downloaded and installed the app or other on a mobile device can just walk up to your vehicle and acess it wirelessly !!!!
So our VCIQ is specifically designed to accept connections only from mobile devices that it recognises have previously connected to it before and have either the Master Password or more conveniently the user settable password.

5) The hardware / softwares auto connectivity.
Inevitably there are many possible reasons for an unexpected disconnection between a Mobile Device and vehicle diagnostic interface.
We have gone to great lengths to ensure that any activity that the VCIQ was undertaking at a point of disconnection self continues to a completion state.
The VCIQ will self finish even flashing functions to completion, even after a disconnect.

5A) The Hardware and softwares auto resyncing after a connectivity disconnection / reconnection.
As per 5) we have to expect and handle the VCIQ experiencing discconnections to the mobile device, so the two do look for each other and will automatically re connect and re sync just about everything.
No app restarting requirement, no loss of information or action progress status. The moment your mobile device is within range, the VCIQ and our ROVACOM-IQ app will re connect automatically and sync all stautus and information .

As previously stated, I cannot comment about other equipment, but clearly, from the above comments alone, anyone can appreciate that our VCIQ was never designed or imagined to be some "what if" in respect of permanant fitment. It was clearly and very specifically developed from scratch for that role.

One way or another, I am sure, and will ensure, that this will become quite the must have diagnostic equipment of the future.

ATB

Colin

[LRD414]

I took the time to do some tests. Needed to break in my new current probe and that sounded like a fun way to do it....
Excellent work. So did you find the current draw to be the same (or close to) regardless of the tool being in the port? Perhaps Gap has addressed it. Thinking about it, their advice re this was quite some time ago. Anyway, I still felt it prudent to minimise its use with the vehicle off but what you’ve found gives some comfort.

Cheers,
Scott

[BradC]

Excellent work. So did you find the current draw to be the same (or close to) regardless of the tool being in the port? Perhaps Gap has addressed it. Thinking about it, their advice re this was quite some time ago. Anyway, I still felt it prudent to minimise its use with the vehicle off but what you’ve found gives some comfort.

Cheers,
Scott

I couldn't detect any additional current draw when the car was asleep. I've been meaning to check if the OBD port has constant power or if it comes off one of the switched ECU power busses, but I'm still missing the round tuit required to make that happen.

if you leave the Bluetooth connected it absolutely stops the car going to sleep though.