Obd ii

I bought the $20 version on Amazon:

BAFX Brand - ELM 327 Bluetooth OBD2 scan tool - For check engine light and other diagnostics - Android compatible


Seems to work just fine!

 

I bought a $21 one off of eBay. I had heard some people had issues with these. I also heard that they cant handle as many PIDs as the more expensive ones (Kiwi, for example). But I didnt really care. I just wanted to try it out.

I'm happy to say it works well enough. The most PIDs I've had running at the same time so far is 8 (8 display and same 8 logging). I've logged my commute to and from work a few times. From what I was told, the "cheap" ones may be only able to handle 10-15 PIDs at once. I havent hit the limit yet, but like I said, I'm OK with what I've done so far.

I think your Android device makes a pretty big difference too. I was using a G1 (running Android 2.2.1) but it was slow as hell. I'm now using a borrowed tablet that has a lot more power and seems to work better with Torque.

If its just something you want to do for fun once or twice, then I think the $20 OBD2 adapter might be OK. But if its something you're serious about and want to leave plugged in all the time, then you might want to spend a bit more.

Here's the one I bought

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