Introducing ElanBT

[KenS]

Hi Matt, yes I have been dabbling with ALDL Scan, haven't got far yet, only added a couple of additional parameters into your template .aldl. - next stage to understand the colours and add more parameters! When it gets a bit more populated I'll drop a copy here.

scan.JPG

Best regards & Happy New Year

[KenS]

Quick update, added a few more parameters to the ALDL Scan .aldl config file (in attached .zip file). Currently showing:

scan2.JPG

LotusM100test_1.zip

ALDL Scan is a free Android app available from Google Play store, written by John Wales. Looks very useful since once the configuration is set by the .aldl file it will give a live display of engine parameters or can log all data during a run (in .csv format). So logged data can easily be viewed on a mobile or imported into Excel.

log file.JPG

[matts1972]

Quick update, added a few more parameters to the ALDL Scan .aldl config file (in attached .zip file). Currently showing:

scan2.JPG

LotusM100test_1.zip

ALDL Scan is a free Android app available from Google Play store, written by John Wales. Looks very useful since once the configuration is set by the .aldl file it will give a live display of engine parameters or can log all data during a run (in .csv format). So logged data can easily be viewed on a mobile or imported into Excel.

log file.JPG

Hi Ken,
That is great. Thanks for providing the file.
Best regards
Matt

[Fredjohn]

Out of curiosity I searched for ALDL Scan in Playstore. Couldn't find it. So I googled it, found it but on opening the link it said:

App not suitable for your phone, developed for older Android versions.

I run Android 13.

Obviously I don't have the BT ALDL transmitter bit, but is it intended to update the app to more recent Android versions?

[matts1972]

Out of curiosity I searched for ALDL Scan in Playstore. Couldn't find it. So I googled it, found it but on opening the link it said:

App not suitable for your phone, developed for older Android versions.

I run Android 13.

Obviously I don't have the BT ALDL transmitter bit, but is it intended to update the app to more recent Android versions?

Good point. ALDL Scan seems to be the only available phone app that can easily be used with our cars but I am not sure if it will be updated in the future as it has not been updated for three years now.
ALDLDroid, on the other hand, is not free but currently still supported by its author. However it requires a more complex .adx configuration file and it would be up to one of us to create one for the Elan.

For now, even if ALDL Scan does not officially run on newer Android versions, I am pretty sure you could download the .apk-file (from a trusted source) and install it directly on your phone.

[KenS]

Looks like ALDLScan is available from the Google Play Store for Android devices up to Ver 9 or 10, then from Android Ver 10 or 11 onwards Play Store will not show the app or allow it to be installed. However as Matt suggested, this doesn't prevent the app (as a .apk file) from being installed directly (at own risk) instead of through Play Store. I have just tried installing ALDLScan directly on Android Ver 11 and all looks good.

[Fredjohn]

Thanks Ken.
Managed to download apk ALDL Scan from Internet onto Android 13.

However until I acquire the Bluetooth adapter to attach to ALDL cable, I can't use it.

At least it's there for the future .

I have an Elanscan cable, but haven't tried it on my laptop....Windows 10. Guess that won't work given attempts at CC last year and more recently.!

[dapinky]

I have a BT adapter which was part of the "development beta test" of Elandroid which was developed by Geoff's son as part of his Computer Science degree a few years ago....

.... I'm assuming that this App of which you speak is something similar to what was developed (but never quite completed) by Peter. Don't get me wrong, it works for what it was intended to do, and I make no complaints about the product/developer, but it is a tad more limited than we hoped for (but more than good enough to get a BSc, so that is all that counts, really!).

It manages to talk to my phone (with Elandroid on it) and also to my laptops - one running W10 and one running W11 to gather ElanScan data (with a few errors, but good enough for what I use it for).

I assume that if I download the .apk file it will work with it - but I am not going to be in a position to do so for a month at least, as I'm off to The Gambia on Thursday.

Before I get asked, all I know of the BT adapter is that it is a black plastic box with an LED which is red when powered up, and goes green when it's connected..... I am no electronics expert, and don't need to know any more than how to attach it!

[KenS]

Hi John, don't give up on the leaded ElanScan interface, there is a good chance it will still work with Win10, just that newer drivers, newer hardware, USB3 and Win11 can start to cause problems.

Dave, since your BT interface works with ElanScan, I think it should work with the android app ALDLScan. Once ALDLScan is installed on the phone/tablet, it needs a parameter/ini file which is unique to the Elan. A suitable parameter file is evolving and latest is in the post above ( LotusM100test_1.aldl contained in LotusM100test_1.zip). That unzipped .aldl file needs to be copied into the phones ALDL folder. The app can then be run, the blutooth adapter needs to be selected and the .aldl file selected under 'Load vehicle protocol from ALDL file'. When we have a more complete .aldl file I can provide a basic guide for installing ALDLScan with a picture walkthrough that could go on the WikiLEC.
ALDLScan wont replace ElanScan, but with bluetooth it does provide a handy phone tool to see basic parameters and to easily log parameters when on a run without having to balance a laptop on the seat.

[dapinky]

That was the biggest restriction with Elandroid - there is no facility to save a log of a journey. The 'real time' data was excellent, but the 'save' function never got developed.

I will have a look at it when I get home again, and see how I get on.

[RonR]

Moved from "Elanscan Drivers" thread to here:
Update on my Bluetooth saga:

I've been doing a bit more investigation around Serial-over-Bluetooth.

The 2 "Versions" of Bluetooth, BR and BLE use completely different protocol stacks, and newer devices such as ESP32-C3 don't support the older BR protocols. The original BR version has a built-in Serial-over-Bluetooth protocol which is the one Ken's interface uses, and Windows has a driver (Here we go again!) that creates a virtual comm port when it sees that protocol being used so Elanscan can "See" the comm port over Bluetooth.

So far so good...

BUT the newer devices only support BLE which doesn't have a built-in Serial-over-Bluetooth protocol, so several chip manufacturers have invented their own BLE protocols to achieve the same functionality. However, as these are all Non-Standard and differ widely, Windows doesn't recognise them so won't create the virtual comm port that Elanscan needs. As the older BR Bluetooth devices are phased out I expect that Serial over BLE will be standardised in some form, and eventually Windows will support it.

But for now, if you're looking to implement a Bluetooth solution for Elanscan please choose a module which supports BR Bluetooth. There's a Product selector on the Espressif website Here - select Bluetooth then BR/EDR to get a list of chips/modules that support BR.

Further update: I managed to get one of the Serial-over-BLE protocols to receive a few packets of data from the ECU, but it's such a faff to set up and TBH it's no better than an Elanscan cable without the optimisations.

Oh well, back to the drawing board!

[KenS]

Completed adding all the Elan parameters into a custom ALDLScan protocol file (.aldl) allowing the Android app ALDLScan to fully work with the Elan when fitted with a Bluetooth interface to the Elans ALDL port.
The file is contained in the .zip file below:
updated file

LotusM100_3.zip

Basic instruction of how to get ALDLScan working with this protocol file:

Use of Android app ALDLScan with Lotus Elan M100.pdf

This will now display all analog and digital parameters:

3screens(2).jpg

The logging works well on my old Android ver 9 phone, it logs about 4 sets of data per second, over a 12 minute run it creating about 3200 full sets/lines of data, there were about 20 minor glitches in the data. Not as fast in data capture as ElanScan, but usable. The .csv files open up in Excel:
e.g.

excel(2).jpg

[matts1972]

Completed adding all the Elan parameters into a custom ALDLScan protocol file (.aldl) allowing the Android app ALDLScan to fully work with the Elan when fitted with a Bluetooth interface to the Elans ALDL port.

Thank you, Ken!

[KenS]

Quick note, I have run ALDLScan on the latest version of Android 14, needed to be installed manually instead of via Google Play, all good, displays live data and logs OK.

[chrism]

+1 on Ken's post .

I have his interface and followed his comprehensive installation instructions successfully. Like him, I encountered the complication that Google Play couldn't install onto my later Android version - but I suppose this must be expected with a new application. (I found it easy to load manually with a PC tho'...) Correction: A little later Play Store subsequently downloaded w/out a problem onto Android v14...

It's useful that Ron's interface enables a bluetooth application of ElanScan which (actually) works and, as we know, has the luxury of graphical info etc. As a relative newbie who wasn't around in the heyday it's good to see how ElanScan ran as before, but without the latest Windows upgrade 'error log' complications.

A useful extra is that the bluetooth function also enables android ALDLScan. This application is similar to android Torque(Pro) that I often used with my obdII MGTF135. It provides numeric ecu info' albeit without the ElanScan graphics - but imo it's better than a passenger seat full of laptop if you want a quick check rather than the full works . Ken has compiled an android software link, too, to make it work effectively for us m100-ers: A really complete package imo

[KenS]

Chris has spotted an error in the coolant parameter in the ALDLScan protocol file (thanks Chris ). It was missing a -40 offset on the final value. I have corrected it in 'LotusM100_3.ALDL' , that file is zipped as 'LotusM100_3.zip' and has now been put in place of the the erroneous version in the above post (dated02-02-2024). Sorry for the error!

[KenS]

Incorporated some improvements into the M100s parameter file (.aldl) used by the Android app ALDLScan. It now scales the O2 sensor value correctly in mV, inline with the latest RonRs ElanScan version (for PCs).
This latest version LotusM100_4.aldl is contained in the attached zip file and needs copying into the ALDL folder of the Android device inplace of the previous version LotusM100_3.aldl.

LotusM100_4.zip

[chrism]

I'm really grateful that you and your fellow wizards are still taking responsibity for keeping us up to date and in the loop KenS. . I've copied your new file into my android phone ALDL folder, thanks...