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We have built an OBD-II scan tool using an STM32 microcontroller and it works for most vehicles. But occasionally our device fails to detect the OBD protocol, whereas the OBD scanner (ELM) will detect it. We are following international standard documentation provided by ISO and so the logic is theoretically correct, also this setup works for most vehicles.

Are there any open source implementations of an OBD scanner using a microcontroller instead of ICs/firmware like ELM327? Basically, I need to know how an OBD II scanner sends its frames into the CAN/K-Line bus.

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    You are aware there are vehicles out there which have the ECUs on either the L-Line (Audi was a prominent example) or a secondary CAN? So it may be just a matter of wiring.
    – Janka
    Commented Jun 14, 2017 at 9:39
  • Your best bet may be to reverse engineer what you have. Probe the lines and record what happens during the detection process. Then compare this to a recording of how your scanner does the detection.
    – vini_i
    Commented Jun 14, 2017 at 13:28
  • What transceivers and other hardware are you using? Is it only specific vehicles it fails to detect or is there an intermittent problem?
    – Newbie Noob
    Commented Jun 14, 2017 at 16:49
  • @Janka, yes I'm aware of that. But if the scanner can detect it then my hardware must also detect it. Unless the scanner changes it's pin configuration. The OBD connector, to my knowledge, is a standard. So I'm not sure why my setup fails even though the scanner detects it.
    – clamentjohn
    Commented Jun 15, 2017 at 11:01
  • @vini_i Thank you, I'm currently doing that. It's a bit hard as I don't own a scope, so currently using a LabJack U3.
    – clamentjohn
    Commented Jun 15, 2017 at 11:02

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I couldn't find an open source scanner firmware, but we have solved the KWP issue that we were facing. Still open for any mention on open source OBD II scanners.

I use the same GPIO pin as both GPIO and UART TX, which is what we must do. But when switching between that two modes the pin goes into high impedance mode and so there was a drop in voltage which the KWP ECU will see/read.Thus there was a faulty bit in the bus, and so obviously the "handshake" failed. We have fixed this with a pull-up resistor.

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