Hardware you need
FastECU talks to the car through a cable or adapter that you plug into the OBD connector. Which one you need depends on the ECU.
The adapters below are supported in the software, but most of the protocol work has not yet been tried on a real ECU. Each connection page says what has been verified.
The options
| Interface | Platform | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Plain USB serial K-Line cable | Windows, Linux | SSM1 (older ECUs) trouble codes and K-Line work. SSM1 needs this kind of cable. Also ISO 9141 and ISO 14230. |
| J2534 (PassThru) device, for example Tactrix OpenPort 2.0 | Windows (vendor driver), Linux (OpenPort 2.0 over USB) | K-Line and CAN. Slow and fast init, ISO 15765. |
| FastECU wireless adapter (ESP32 based) | Any | Cable-free logging and tuning over WiFi or USB, and a listen-only mode for sniffing a CAN bus without disturbing it. |
Plain K-Line cable
A USB-to-serial cable with a K-Line level converter. Plug it in and pick its serial port in the toolbar's port selector. No driver is needed beyond the one that makes it show up as a serial port.
J2534 devices
- Windows: install the device's own J2534 driver first. FastECU lists the drivers registered on your computer in the port selector. FastECU is a 32-bit program, so it works with the usual 32-bit J2534 drivers.
- Linux: there are no vendor drivers, so FastECU talks to a Tactrix OpenPort 2.0 directly over its USB serial port.
The FastECU wireless adapter
A small ESP32 based J2534-compatible adapter that connects over WiFi or USB. You set it up from Settings › FastECU Adapter: connection, its WiFi password and firmware updates.
The USB and WiFi transports and over-the-air firmware updates work on real hardware. The CAN and K-Line interfaces of the adapter have not been wired and tested against a car yet.
Only one connection at a time
A plain serial port and a J2534 device share one connection. If datalogging is running, the ECU page cannot also use the port, and the bus monitor takes the adapter while it is started. Stop one before starting the other.
Before you plug in
- Use a charger or battery maintainer. A battery that drops in voltage in the middle of a write can leave the ECU unusable.
- Turn off everything that draws power (lights, blower, radio) while flashing.
- Make sure the laptop is on mains power and will not sleep.