CAN data directly into the iPhone

Source: CAN Newsletter Online June 2012

Opel (Germany) is the first carmaker providing selected CAN data directly into the iPhone. The OPC PowerApp software allows displaying and analyzing data from the in-vehicle networks on a smart phone. This deep look into the car’s electronic is available for Astra OPC and other cars by the German GM (General Motors) daughter company.

Apple smartphone users can download the OPC PowerApp software from the AppStore for 0,79 euro, enabling them to access to CAN data. The necessary sending equipment, the black box or smart phone controller, will be available in August 2012. It is installed behind the interior panels. The data comes from the different CAN networks in the vehicle. So far, only highly specialized workshops were able to access this information using special diagnostic tools. Now however, Opel is giving car enthusiasts the chance to receive selected, performance-related data. The fun offered by this iPhone app does not just end when the engine is switched off. Not only are up to sixty different data, including engine boost pressure, throttle position, lateral acceleration or engine torque, readily available in real-time on the smart phone, but they can also be stored and later compared with friends. A lap-time recorder connected to GPS data appeals to racing fans, for example those who use the legendary Nürburgring track and want to analyze and improve their performances on the Nordschleife stretch.
In this way, braking points and section speeds can be analyzed. However, in addition the G-forces can be measured inside specific bends. The black box or smart phone controller can be installed ex works or retrofitted on request by Opel dealerships. The module is directly connected to one of the in-vehicle CAN networks and transmits its data with a frequency of 30 Hz to the iPhone, which is equivalent to real-time. An optionally available FlexDock iPhone cradle can also be installed to offer even better access and visibility of the PowerApp data. In that sense, the mobile phone acts as an additional instrument inside the cabin, recording all the data.
Seven different display modes complete with the OPC logo and colors are available to the user including an analog instrument, a G-force meter, a digital display and over/under-steer indicator, a bar chart, a line graph and a map. The OPC PowerApp works on iPhones (starting at the third generation), iPad 2 and iPod Touch and will also be available for android systems by early 2013.