Gen I Mini VCI Cable

This is the one I got a few years ago and it has worked well. There looks to be a lot of options available so no idea if this is the best one.

 

Weird that it's not showing the link. On Amazon.com:

KKmoon Mini VCI Car OBD Diagnostic Scanner OBD2 USB Interface Scan Tool for TOYOTA TIS Techstream Diagnostic Cable & Software

 

The "Mini VCI"s you can buy now are, AIUI, all counterfeits of an original product that was called "Mini VCI", which you can't buy anymore, because the original maker couldn't outcompete the counterfeiters. Even the ones that advertise the original maker's name, are fakes.

What I'm gathering from the reports is that it really doesn't matter much where or from whom you buy them. It's not a "this seller has good ones, this seller has lousy ones" proposition. They are just all being made at such a low price point that some will work and some will not, and the ones that don't will have different functions that do and don't work, and the QA reject filter is you. If you buy enough of them, one will mostly work.

 

In 2016 I bought this cable and software (TIS 10.10) on eBay for about $23. The software works on Windows XP 32-bit. This software is hacked, and because I don't know what else it might do, I dedicate an older laptop for running TIS and nothing else.
I looked on eBay and I see there are releases 13.x and 14.x for TIS, perhaps important if you have a recent vehicle, also there are drivers for Win 7 64-bit which is more common these days. I suspect it's still hacked software and I personally would be hesitant to use the same computer for banking, health, etc.., but I'm just an old paranoid guy - LOL!

 

I'm surprised it's not a sticky thread but can someone point in the direction of a OBD scanner/cable that will work?

Many thanks![/QUOTE]

 

I have a 2003 Prius and I bought one on Amazon that is working for me.
SZ-TONDA Mini VCI Techstream J2534 Cable - V2.0.4 Firmware and V14.10.028 Software TIS Techstream OBD2 K+CAN Code Reader 64bit Scanner Mini-VCI Diagnostic Tool Compatible Lexus Toyota Scion

I picked this one because of the latest version of Firmware V2.0.4 which controls the mini VCI and V14.10.028 Software for TIS . Also my laptop has Windows 10 64 bit ,but will also offer the 32 bit when installing. The disk it comes with has a video as well as a printable text instruction that I held in my hand the whole time I installed and went line by line . I also copied the video to a second computer so I could watch with out interrupting the install on my laptop . I turned off the sleep mode and anti virus and loaded the newest version of Java then disconnected from the internet on the laptop. Everything went as it should, when you are done I sent the registration code through Amazon ask seller a question and had a new registration that evening. Went to my Gen 1 Prius plugged it in and told it to connect and it tried and tried, I was on the verge of giving up when I clicked on a tap that offered two devices First one meant nothing to me and second offered SZ TONDA which was my purchase so I clicked it and it connected and was all smiles after that. No that was not on my two page printed instructions. I am 64 years old and can do some stuff on computer and cars with a little guidance and that is what I believe this tool will give me. So far I have changed all four wheel bearings around $100 u.s. dollars . Changed Trans fluid $38 with pan removed for cleaning, motor oil and Toyota filter$17, spark plugs $12 and cabin filter $4 Four new tires $140 . New 12volt AGM battery $134 . Three used cells for the main drive battery $60 . I drive it everyday and love it. After changing and repairing my batteries deleted all codes none of them came back. Before the batteries it was a freak show with codes , I can get 51 mpg if I do the hyper mile gas peddle game or 45 mpg if I dive it like any other car. I purchased the car as a project to learn on at $800 with 155000 miles , Thought I would know if I could work on something made in the last twenty years when I was done and could go to EBAY with the mess I made if not. My other vehicles are a 1993 3/4 ton Chevy truck and a 1999 Chevy Blazer 15 mph on both . When I gas up my prius I feel like walking around all the pumps and bragging about spending under $10 after 11 years of the other two at $60 to $75 at the pumps. Even if I do not get another Prius, it will be a Toyota

 

Amazon has them. Or Ebay. What Chap says is true. I hit the jackpot on my first attempt. Installed it on an isolated Win. XP laptop. I'm out of hybrids for now, I sold my mini VCI and laptop to another member.

 

This is what I did, this time last year: Attempting to get our original 01 Prius back on the road | PriusChat Note there is a link in that thread to a post here on PriusChat with an interesting zip file.

The cable I bought was specifically this one: v.gd - Shortened URL (If that link doesn't work, put B00W97K7O6 into the search box at Amazon, and that should pull it up.) It cost me $23 plus shipping; now the price is $29, which is enough to get you free shipping.

Like Chap said, they can be a little flaky. Mine will talk to any ECU on the car except for the power steering ECU; if I try that, it loses connection with the car, and sometimes also gives me a Christmas tree of lights on the dash. Turning off the key, unplugging the cable from the car, waiting a few seconds, then reconnecting, has fixed it so far for me.

(To everyone else in the thread: PriusChat is apparently detecting Amazon links and trying to handle them with a weird MEDIA= markup tag, possibly to try to skim some affiliate money. If you use a URL shortener service like v.gd, you can bypass this. If not, find the "ASIN" in the item listing and post that; that's like a UPC but just for Amazon.)