Vpw interface+microcontroller+lcd?

[Alex]

 Did you ever consider usign a pic to display info out of the obd2 interface instead of using a laptop?
I'm currently looking into this but i have lots to learn before i coem up with anything consistent, maybe you can help?

[admin]

I've never really given it much thought.  I have the Scantool connected to the car 24/7 and use my music computer (modified desktop system) to read the troublecodes and display them on the LCD.  I still use the laptop, once in a while, when it comes time to test/debug the software.

I can see how it would be useful, having a small portable device that can be taken from vehicle to vehicle, though.

Writing the software shouldn't be too bad.  It's mainly a matter of reading bytes, formatting the data in a way that's useful to the user, then displaying the results.

I've never worked with a PIC microcontroller, so I wouldn't be much help there.  One would think that a person would their hands full just dealing with the hardware, figuring out how to interface the electronics, building some kind of custom case, etc.  Then you'd need to come up with some kind of way to get input from the user.

How about using some off-the-shelf hardware, like a Gameboy?

This page certainly looks interesting:
http://www.devrs.com/gb" TARGET="_top">http://www.devrs.com/gb

Something to consider, anyway.