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Priced Diagnostic Scanners Allow FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa, IL - On-Board Diagnostic systems are in most cars and light trucks on the road today. OBD II, a standard used on all cars and light trucks since the 1996 model year, provides almost complete engine control and also monitors parts of the chassis, body and accessory devices, as well as the diagnostic control network of the car. For years diagnostic scanners have been large, expensive devices, out of reach of the average small shop technician or home mechanic. Do-it-yourselfers and small shops have been essentially locked out from under their car’s hoods. The past few years have seen hardware technology breakthroughs and more willingness from auto manufacturers to release the codes used for diagnostic testing. This has produced lower priced diagnostic scanners and allowed do-it-yourselfers to again make repairs themselves, or at least better understand what they are paying others to do. AutoTap Diagnostic
Scanners for Use with Windows PCs By using a computer you probably already have, the AutoTap manufacturer has cut the cost of diagnostic scanners dramatically. An upgradeable AutoTap single brand generic scanner starts at $199.95, complete with carrying case, software and complete instructions. The professional’s choice AutoTap OBD II Scanner, showing both generic and enhanced drive train parameters for all domestic cars, light trucks and SUVs is $449.90. In addition, the AutoTap hardware supports CAN, the communication language that will be used on all 2007 model cars and light trucks, starting in 2006. When CAN vehicles become common and CAN software for AutoTap is released, you will be able to download it from the Internet and start scanning. Most diagnostic scanners on the market today do not support CAN and will not work on future vehicles. Pocket-able
Scan Tool
“Until today, PDA-based and other pocket-sized scanners have been limited in features when compared to PC-based and factory scantools because of memory and processor limitations,” states product manager Mike Fahrion. “We worked hard on the database compression needed to pack the professional features of our PC version of AutoTap® into the Palm PDA. We didn’t sacrifice any functionality. Our database includes over 5,000 different parameters and is expanding to include data from several import manufacturers.” B&B Electronics is a mid-sized electronics manufacturer located in Ottawa, Illinois. Founded in 1981, B&B Electronics develops and manufactures data communications products for retail and factory automation systems, and Palm interface products for the heavy duty trucking market. For more information, visit www.autotap.com. ### Editor:
For more background on OBD II and OBD II diagnostics, take a look at www.obdii.com,
an educational website set up by B&B Electronics, manufacturer of
AutoTap scanners. #########
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The
AutoTap OBD II Diagnostic Scanner is used with your Windows PC or laptop
to provide a big easy-to-read screen and lots of memory to log miles of
test drives. The AutoTap scanner shows the Diagnostic Trouble Codes that
lit up your Check Engine light (MIL or Malfunction Indicator Light in
tech speak). It displays the code description in language you can understand,
unlike simple code reader tools which often show just a code number. AutoTap
scanner helps you intelligently diagnose the problem by showing real-time
sensor values so you can tell whether a part has really failed.
The
AutoTap for Palm scanner boasts a first-in-class database of vehicle parameters.
This level of diagnostics was previously reserved for factory scantools.
AutoTap features both generic data for all vehicles and manufacturer-specific
real time and diagnostic trouble codes for GM, Ford and Chrysler into
an easy-to-use PDA-based product.
