Rev! Ipod touch/iPhone car app

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05-23-2009, 11:08 PM

Nuffy

Thread Starter

Join Date: Feb 2009

Posts: 210

Rev! Ipod touch/iPhone car app

Thier webpage has all the info. but you have to purchase an OBD-II hardware device to connect to your car.. priced out they run about $150 but the things this thing can do are great.. it reads and lists engine codes (like those responsible for your Check Engine/MIL light), and allows you to reset them as well! plus alot more like gas milage, Engine Coolant Temperature, speed including 0-60 times, Fuel Pressure etc.. all wirelessly

http://www.devtoaster.com/products/rev/

05-24-2009, 06:47 AM

Space

Join Date: Jul 2008

Location: Beach`in Florida

Posts: 33,585

Thanks 4 your Post

Hi Troy,
Thanks for all your contributions to our MCF Family.
Are you getting one ? Is so, please post your reviews,
and `if you think it was a good investment of your $'s.
Look forward to your future posts.
(Yes, U could've photoshoped & better background : ) lol

Welcome to Rev.

Rev is the first and best iPhone application to connect directly with your vehicle.

Rev is an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that monitors, displays, and records real-time vehicle data. By communicating directly with your vehicle's ECU via its OBD-II port, Rev is the first iPhone and iPod touch application to give you complete access to everything you want to know about your vehicle.
Real Time Metrics

Rev can monitor and record several vehicle metrics in real-time:

Vehicle Speed (including 0-60 time)
RPM
Fuel Consumption
Engine Coolant Temperature
Fuel Pressure
and lots more! *

*Supported metrics are specific to vehicle make and model.

See our Features page for all the details.
Check Engine Light on?

Save a trip to the mechanic. Rev also reads and lists engine codes (like those responsible for your Check Engine/MIL light), and allows you to reset them as well!
Auto meets iPhone.

Rev communicates directly with your vehicle's ECU via an OBD-II hardware device. The hardware sends your data to Rev wirelessly—you can place your iPhone or iPod touch wherever you want. See our Hardware page for all the details.

Videos

Here are some videos of Rev that we created:

And some videos created by Rev fans!

Rev Features

Built-in Metrics

The iPhone is a powerful computing platform, and Rev takes advantage of all the iPhone's built-in technology to provide interesting metrics about your vehicle. These built-in metrics, available without the aid of additional hardware, include:

Lateral and Forward Acceleration: Graph your cornering, braking and acceleration G-forces. (Also available in Rev Lite)
GPS Track: Visual track displays your location and acceleration data - see how you are braking and accelerating around corners. (Also available in Rev Lite)

OBD Metrics

Rev gives you access to lots of vehicle metrics, communicating via an OBD-II device to extract highly accurate, real-time data directly from your vehicle's ECU. Those metrics include:

Vehicle Speed
RPM
Fuel Consumption*
Engine Coolant Temp
Fuel Pressure
Calculated Engine Load
Throttle Position
Intake Manifold Pressure
Air Intake Temp
Timing Advance
Mass Air Flow
Fuel Level
Barometric Pressure
EVAP System Vapor Pressure
Fuel Trim
Boost**

* The Fuel Consumption calculation may be inaccurate on some diesel vehicles.

** The Boost calculation may be inaccurate on piggyback turbo systems.

Visual Representations

Data is great, but not very useful without a way to visualize it. Rev provides beautiful visual representations of everything about your vehicle:

Gauge: Displays a moving needle and LED display to show the current value of the metric. Themes allow you to select an empty backdrop or different gauge colors. A double-tap zooms in for best readability. Graph: Displays current value over time. The graph units represent the proper minimum/maximum values for the metric. Acceleration values are also plotted against the selected metric. Double-tap to zoom in.Accelerometer: view forward/lateral acceleration G's with local minima and maxima.Map Track: use gps to correlate position on a track and forward acceleration. Red represents braking, green represents acceleration.
With its polished dark interface, Rev is tuned to be highly visible and non-distracting, even at night.
Data-logging - You asked for it!

You talked, we listened. Rev now provides data-logging. Here is a quick overview:

Record multiple metrics at the same time with the Multi-Metric Logger.While recording, tap and hold to display the color key. Double-tap to set reference markers.Any metric can now be recorded, reviewed and exported via email.

Engine Code Retrieve and Reset

Want to know why your Check Engine light is on? Rev will tell you why!

Engine code checking
Listing of all engine codes thrown by the vehicle
One-button reset of your codes and Check Engine light

View the status of your Check Engine light.View a detailed list of trouble codes and other diagnostic pending codes.Reset your codes and turn off your Check Engine light with a single touch.

NEW! Rev now also supports the review of emissions-related readiness monitors! Save money and prepare for your emissions test with Rev!
Auto-centric User Experience

Rev has been designed to be easy to use in car-mounted iPhone/iPod Touch installations.
While we OFFICIALLY DO NOT RECOMMEND USING Rev OR OTHER IPHONE/IPOD TOUCH APPLICATIONS WHILE DRIVING,

we do think it would be a mind-bendingly awesome experience were anyone to actually try it.

Quick taps for bumpy rides—double-tap a gauge to zoom in/out, swipe over to the graph view
Detailed calibration tools to support any mounting configuration
Your choice of orientations—landscape or portrait
Dark background color scheme—easy on the eyes, day and night

Wireless Freedom

Simply connect to the OBD-II/WLAN device by approaching your car. Provided you are using the OBD-II device's ad-hoc network while connected, your iPhone can still access the Internet via EDGE or 3G.

Rev's Hardware Companions

Rev communicates with your vehicle via its physical OBD-II port. Interfacing with this port requires an OBD-II hardware device that supports the 802.11/WiFi interface on the iPhone and iPod touch.
DevToaster supports a variety of devices serving a variety of needs.

Features

All devices supported by Rev have the following features:

Small size—easy to tuck anywhere in your vehicle.
Works with Rev right out of the box! Just setup a connection with your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Powered directly from your vehicle. No batteries or cigarette adapters needed.
Blazing-fast wireless communication over 802.11/WiFi.

Supported Vehicles

Perhaps our most-asked question has been "is my vehicle supported?". We cannot answer that question exactly because each vehicle model is set up differently by its manufacturer.
In the United States, all vehicles sold after 1996 (1998 in Canada) were required to have OBD-II support. That means if you're driving a 1996 or later vehicle in the United States (1998 in Canada), your car is virtually guaranteed to be supported. The number of metrics supplied by the vehicle may vary, but you are certain to get the important ones required for the operation and evaluation of the vehicle (speed, RPM, etc) as well as support for reading and clearing trouble codes.
If your vehicle was made before 1996, or if you're just not sure whether or not OBD-II is supported by your vehicle, check with your local dealer or service garage.
Supported Devices

The following manufacturers are proud to support Rev.
Kiwi Wifi

by PLX Devices
Product info: Kiwi Wifi
Ordering: Buy Now
Based in: United States (California)
Ships: Worldwide
Description

Kiwi Wifi is a plug and play wireless device measuring only 2.75 x 1.25 x 0.6 inches. Kiwi Wifi comes attached with a 6 ft OBDII cable for easy installation. It is compatible with 1996 and later vehicles. Connecting to your iPhone/iPod touch is made by 802.11a/b/g connection in adHoc mode.

ElmCanII-WLAN

by CarCode-Muller
Ordering: CarCode-eShop
Based in: EU (Germany)
Ships: Worldwide
Description

Rev's original hardware partner! The first OBD-II/WLAN product on the market. Manufactured in Germany under strict European Union standards. OBD2/EOBD interface for all protocols and WLAN (TCP/IP) computer/iPhone connection, with a maximum bandwidth of 54 Mbps. Includes all cables and protection bag.

OBDKey WLAN

by KBM Systems
Product info: OBDKey WLAN
Ordering: OBDKey Store
Based in: EU (United Kingdom)
Ships: Worldwide
Description

OBDKey WLAN is a vehicle interface providing a WiFi/Wireless LAN/WLAN radio interface for devices that have a WiFi compatible system. A single unit design with no cables or mechanical connectors.

Note: DevToaster no longer directly sells OBD-II hardware. Please refer directly to the manufacturers for sales and support. If you encounter any troubles obtaining support from those companies, contact us and we'll help work it out.

If you previously purchased a CarCode-Muller ElmCanII-WLAN from DevToaster, we still provide support. E-mail support@devtoaster.com for assistance.
Usage Considerations

Adding WiFi-broadcasting hardware to your automobile is probably a paradigm shift for most auto-enthusiasts. We ask that customers consider the following when purchasing WiFi automotive hardware for perminent installation:

Leaving the module plugged in at all times will draw a small amount of power from the battery. Check with the manufacturer for exact power consumption.
While the module is on, it broadcasts an open (by default) unsecured wireless network. There is WPA and WEP encryption support on the module, but these are far from perfect security protocols.

Please consider these items in the context of your neighborhood parking conditions, and driving frequency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Rev User Manual?

It's right here: Rev User Manual (pdf)

Why don't you support USB or Bluetooth OBD-II interface hardware?

Bluetooth and wired USB (dock connector) data transfer protocols are off limits to iPhone developers. The only inter-device communication protocol available requires WiFi connectivity. Aside from being the only hardware option for the iPhone (at the moment), OBD-II WiFi offers some technical advantages over Bluetooth and USB:

Bluetooth headsets would be unusable during Rev operation.
Bluetooth hardware may never work with the iPod Touch (it has a very limited subset of protocol support).
A USB dock connection to an OBD-II device would have to replace any car-charger/music dock connectors.

What are the differences between the available hardware devices? Which one is better?

The units vary in size and features, but they all have similar performance and ease of setup when using Rev. Consult with the manufacturers' product pages for all the details.

Pay attention to their country of origin, too, as that will affect shipping cost and time.

Will I lose my Internet connectivity while connected to the hardware?

If the OBD hardware device connects via ad-hoc networking, then your 3G/EDGE connection to the cellular network should still remain active. Most customers have had success with this provided they leave the "router" address blank in their network setup.

The OBD-II cable shipped with the OBD-II interface hardware doesn't fit my vehicle, what should I do?

We provide the 90 degree OBD-II cable for free with the hardware. It is much better than the alternative straight cables for long term driving because the straight cables stick out very far. If the 90 degree neck does not fit your steering-column OBD-II port, there is usually an extra OBD-II port on the ECU itself to which the cable might be able to connect. Alternatively, OBD-II cables are fairly cheap and available worldwide.

Why is my iPhone/iPod Touch battery draining so fast?

We highly recommend mounting your iPhone or iPod touch in a cradle with a car charger. Rev uses more battery power than most applications due to its significant amount of WiFi network usage.

Why does Rev only show a few supported OBD-II metrics for my vehicle?

Rev can only read metrics that are available via the OBD-II hardware. Likewise, the OBD-II interface hardware can only read metrics that are available via the OBD-II protocol supported by the vehicle manufacturer. If a metric is not available in Rev, the reason is because the vehicle does not present the data for that metric on the OBD-II bus.

Do I need an existing wireless network to operate the OBD-II device?

Definitely not! The supported devices broadcast its own wireless network in Ad-Hoc (recommended for use with Rev), so your wireless connectivity is available wherever you are.

Will Rev work with my vehicle?

Rev communicates with an OBD-II/WLAN device to read vehicle OBD metrics. All cars and light trucks sold in the United States after model-year 1996 support OBD-II and will work with Rev. Manufacturers are only required to adhere to a subset of the OBD-II standard, so some advanced metrics may be unavailable for your vehicle, but Rev will dynamically adapt to the sensors supported by your vehicle.

What is the difference between Rev and Rev Lite?

Rev Lite offers all the metrics built in to the iPhone and iPod touch, including acceleration and GPS track maps. Rev Lite is our basic version. If OBD-II/WLAN hardware is attached, Rev Lite can tell you which metrics are supported on your vehicle.
Rev offers all the features of Rev Lite but adds all the amazing capabilities provided by OBD-II. Rev works with the supported OBD-II/WLAN devices (discussed on the hardware page) to provide incredibly accurate data about your vehicle, as well as check and reset your engine codes and Check Engine Light.

We encourage users of Rev Lite (and all Rev versions) to provide feedback via our Feedback page.

What are 'built-in' vs. 'OBD' metrics?

'Metrics', in a scientific sense, refer to parts of a system of measurement. In Rev terms, 'metrics' are vehicle measurements.

'Built-in' metrics refer to measurements that can be read from native iPhone/iPod touch hardware, like the accelerometer and GPS services (iPhone only).
'OBD' metrics refer to the vehicle ECU measurements that can be taken with the proper OBD-II WLAN hardware.

Last edited by Space; 05-24-2009 at 06:53 AM.

05-24-2009, 07:10 AM

The Popcorn King

Monte Of The Month -- July 2009
I'M NOT OLD, I'M JUST WELL MARINATED.

Join Date: Dec 2007

Location: Henderson, NV

Posts: 6,996

Holy Crap.

Next thing you know, someone is going to turn an iPhone into a programmer.

05-24-2009, 12:41 PM

Nuffy

Thread Starter

Join Date: Feb 2009

Posts: 210

the real-time data this thing pumps out is amazing for an ipod app to say the least. for all those gear head tweakers out there this would be a must have i think.. change car settings on the fly

yes i have the full app already installed on my ipod touch, i was kinda hoping the code reader we have at the bodyshop was going to have a hook-up i could use but... no dice there