Hey hey! ‘Arrived in country’!
Question Bob: Are your updates cumulative, or do they need to be applied in sequence?

I was about to ask the same. There aren't any streetlights where I live so I haven't noticed the display hunting as it passes streetlamps. I will probably update anyway, just because... but I wondered if I skipped this one, but wanted a future update, if this latest improvement would be in the future update too. Bob?

Updates are not cumulative, and if you want to go back a few versions that's also possible.

Thanks, Bob :)

Thanks. If the updates are not cumulative then I assume each update is for a specific item which successive updates do not include. Consequently, one will need to apply all updates if he or she desires to have everything up to date. I assumed it was cumulative. Good question.

Perhaps cumulative is the wrong word to use here.
Each update has the previous enhancements in them.
If one update is skipped, the next update can be installed without installing the previous update.

So, for the avoidance of doubt, if I skip the 'no flickering' update for now, but then there is a future update for xxx, if I install the xxx update, I will also get the 'no flickering' feature as well?

My Adu has arrived in Canada, cleared customs, and is with Canada Post in Ontario to be shipped to me in the east coast. I should have it by Thursday.

I'll like to suggest an update. Most, if not all, members who bought into this ADU have done so to reduce the catastrophic event of having the engine over heat. If the coolant temperature reached an unsafe temperature, preset or user entered, have the readout flash to alert the user. We have no color change or sound alert option, but this should not be too difficult to implement with a few lines of code.

Yes. a firmware update is a total brainwash. the device has no memory of a previous update.

I'll have a look into this. There may be problems introduced since currently when you select a display other than coolant temperature, this coolant temperature is not polled. What would be the threshold temperature? (if more people respond I'll take the average)

IDK what temperature would be considered 'dangerous' but my 4.2 runs anywhere between 92 degrees C and 95 C. It depends on speed, ambient temperature etc. Sometimes, when I am sitting in traffic, it will go up to 96 but I can't recall it going beyond that. I'd say I'd start to get concerned at 100 degrees C. Just my two cents.

I understand the polling issue. 99% of the time in the UK, I have the ADU set to show coolant and volts, so flashing the display would work for me most of the time. The other readouts are, for me, just things I might check now and then. But when I am in France, I will set the ADU to KPH and leave it at that for fairly long time periods. AIUI, if the engine overheats while I am on KPH, the ADU won't 'know' this as it won't be polling coolant temperature. I guess it would have to poll 'in the background' which may be a problem. Nothing is ever simple is it!

My 5l SC regularly see's coolant temperature 95 to 98 Celsius. Then when the engine is stopped after being 98 the coolant temperature can reach 103 with no air or water flow. I think a safe temperature setting would be around 108 to 110. We want to be protective after 110 to avoid > 120 Celsius and engine damage. No coolant temperature warnings and an engine with a faulty water pump, and faulty hoses can be disastrous; we all know we have these problems engineered into our engines. This is a situation were the ADU will benefit us the most.

Hi all
Does anyone else with the ADU find the flashing led lights from the OBD2 wireless device annoying when driving at night?
My whole footwell flashes blue, green and red all the time.
Is there a way of turning these off or maybe put some tape over the unit to stop the distraction?

You already answered this yourself.

Mine does the same, but after a couple of minutes my eyes are on the road and I don't notice it any more.
Indeed (black) tape is a good remedy.

Now working on a code that will notify you when the coolant temperature has arrived above a certain value:
When in coolant/volts mode, the coolant temperature changes into a different colour (or flashes, maybe better)
When other screens are displayed, a BIG yellow dot flashes on the screen every ~0.5 seconds.

For test purposes, I'll set the threshold temperature low so we can see if it works, later the threshold will be set to an xxx value.

2nd round ??
 

I've had numerous requests about a 2nd round.
Currently all I can say is:
Keep an eye on this thread, in a couple of weeks there will be more news about that (when round 1 is completely delivered / finished).

[QUOTE=Cabrio Bob;2291670]Driving around at night, I noticed when passing street lights, the display of the device flickers, which I found to be annoying.
So I updated the firmware again, which smooths out the change in brightness of the display.
Now downloadable from my website.

After updating yesterday I can confirm that driving in the dark this morning, passing under many street lights There was absolutely no flickering of the screen :icon_toast:
Another great contribution from Bob

If this product were a commercial venture costing £££/€€€/$$$ I could understand the demands of users.

Given this was the price it was I've no unreasonable requests for Bob. IMO he is immensely proud of his baby and will never say no.

The question is, should we ask?

I am happy with Bob's solution out of the box and am also happy to PAY a few £'s for future enhancements...are you?

I would be happy to pay Bob an additional fee for updates and new features too. If this was a commercial product, he would have to charge $200-$300 for the product, and that probably doesn't include packaging and marketing either. I think we are very fortunate to have Bob's expertise and especially his willingness to let us have these units *at cost*, excluding even his own time input, which must be considerable. The demand from other Members shows how much people want a solution of this sort. IDK about you, but I am immeasurably happier driving my car, knowing I am able to keep my eye on coolant temperature (and Volts is also very useful of course, but not the $$$-saver coolant temp could be).

My daily beater is an X-Type and it's ironic that that car has a water temperature gauge right there on the dash (although no Volts). Mrs Barnsie's Porsche also has a full set of gauges built right in. Manufacturers took a big backward step IMO when they stopped offering proper gauges and monitoring. Like I say, I am so much more comfortable since fitting my ADU!

Box arrived on my front porch! (Illinois, USA)
Unpacked, looks good!

I'd say, a small business venture for limited sales as the market is far from huge would be a thing. All this work is worthy of a profit.
Side note........ Are any other models equipped with a similar ashtray configuration???

Bob, just an idea. I had a DeTomaso Pantera earlier. In that community a guy clever in electronics came up with a solution to a problem. It sold well, even in that small community. And his products and service were always good. That became his business I believe, he invented lots of electronic solutions for Panteras, white/yellow front LED lights, fusebox with LEDs indicating broken fuse, fan controller, instruments etc. etc. etc.

Just saying. Even on more modern cars, there's a demand for clever electronic solutions customized for X150s.

IDK how many XK and XKR owners are on this forum, but I bet most would welcome the additional information and peace of mind the ADU gives. If Bob could sell his unit, at a profit, to half of them, I think it could be the start of a viable business idea. And then Bob's creativity and skill could be put, as you suggest, to other ideas for these wonderful cars. The one that springs immediately to my mind is an upgrade of the entire touchscreen unit. I know there are solutions to this already and I have read the threads, but they are all way too complicated for me (and I guess, many others) to undertake. The beauty of Bob's ADU solution is that it is truly plug and play - no skill need to install it or to use it. And Bob has even perfected the update method too, so that it is pretty foolproof to use. I think there is a market for easy to install, easy to use additions to the XKs - the additional requests for a second round that Bob has received seem to bear this out.

Received mine today looks great. I am a bit of a flintstone when it comes to computers, my question is this where do I find these uploads that were mentioned here. Do I search this thread? Is there a sticky? I want to take the ADU to work and have someone upload these for me.

Thx

CC

Never mind I see Bob has a site. Installed mine ,took two seconds and paired right up, what a treat! Bob u da best :)

I've never seen anything like it before. The first hit on google showed me an ashtray full of ash.

If anyone has ideas I'm open to it. But I do not intend to make a business out of it.

Connected it ... still looks good ??

coolant temperature warning
 

OK so I have this coolant temperature warning feature finished. Temperature threshold has been set to 104°C ( = 219F).
For this to happen I had to ditch the intro screens and create a new one, and had to lower the ELM327 data request frequency.
When high coolant temperature is reached:
Coolant value flashes when in coolant/volts mode, a big circle with C flashes when looking at other displays.

All is now downloadable from my website (see my signature).
The 5.0 version I can't fully check if it works.
If your device re-starts randomly, I'll have to lower the frequency even more.

Video of how it looks when a high temperature is measured (threshold is set to a low temperature deliberately):



Update procedure:
- connect device to computer (micro USB cable)
- download EZ firmware ZIP file
- unzip the ZIP file
- go into the unzipped folder
- double click the "firmware.bat" file
- follow the on screen directions.

Be sure not to run the "firmware.bat" file from within a WinRAR window.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...00fdf1bd04.png

Looking good, Bob!

I'd rather keep the existing start up screen so won't be updating..until I have to.

And come on guys, lets keep this X150 and not digress into your own personal ownership needs, if you've other marques that Bob doesn't own don't be self serving & greedy.

Hey, sorry Bob, haven’t had the chance to try it out (too many work and non-work issues needing my attention). But it is still sitting on my desk, so it can try to gilt me into trying it out. Trying to make time for a road trip within the next month, so it will definitely be coming along for the ride!

I prefer the existing start-up screen too. I have downloaded the update and put it in my ADU folder, but have hesitated, so far, to install it. If you kept the earlier updater install file, you can try this latest version out and if you don't like it as much, you can go back to the earlier version. Not sure what to do ATM.

EDIT:

Having given it some thought, the added safety factor of an overheating engine being drawn to my attention trumps the aesthetics of the boot screen, so I will probably install the latest update tomorrow.

​​​​​That is very elegant, Bob. Well done! We can all drive with much less anxiety of not knowing our engine may quickly overheat and self distroy from a defective hose or water pump. This device is an essential must have.

I just updated mine, will be installing it shortly. That said, I know you mentioned that you don't want to make a job out of this, but you have talent my friend. You are a hero among men and a god among mortals! This really is awesome!

Thanks again!

Edit: LOVE IT

The eagle has landed. Device looks great and displays Coolant. Some minor problems to work out (feedback):

1. No split screen Coolant/Volts
2. Updated to version 2105. Will not know about Coolant warning (flashing or "C") until it is tested when my engine reaches set temperature.
3. Getting error code "5" and sometimes "-1" as I cycle through the display. After error code screen displays, "If your engine is running:" then gores to "Or start your car". Car was running.
4. Screen displays 1.32, Gallon Oil when I selected Celsius/KM on one display.

Did we loose the split screen Coolant/Volts with the warning update change?
Overall the device is well made and will be an essential must have for our cars.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...aacf5bdbee.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d37fd40ec2.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...e32a7949fa.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...3dfa9132c7.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...0f4133ac20.jpg

Looks like the update is not taking:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...2437aa12e6.jpg