VAGCOM cable stuck in OBD-II port!

[8bit]

Folks,

Got myself a cheap VAGCOM cable off ebay to use with VCDS lite. Went out to the car today to test it and as a first test went into the Central Convenience module section to check the interior alarm sensors were enabled. Somehow the software crashed completely, it gave some error message first about not being able to communicate with the convenience module but in the end I had to kill it with task manager.

Now though, the OBD-II end of the cable seems to be stuck, or locked in place. Is there some kind of lock in either the cable or the socket on the car to prevent the cable coming out when in use? If so then is there any way of disabling this?

I tried restarting the computer and even reinstalling the software but it still won't come out, even if I've started and stopped the car a couple of times.

 

[cuprakemp]

may of over heated and welded its self in

 

[8bit]

Don't think so, doesn't feel like that - like when I try to pull it out it moves a tiny bit but stops.

 

[LEE69]

No lock on the cables.

 

[8bit]

Hmm, OK I'll go out and have another go, didn't want to forcefully remove it in case that was how it worked and I ended up breaking my port.

 

[DPJ]

They are usual quite tight in the socket. Wiggle it out.

 

[Slimy]

I agree with DPJ, they can get quite tight in there. A fair bit of side to side wiggling and pulling will eventually get it out.

The only time I've seen a port break is when the lead is being plugged in, and the force required has dislocated the port from the surround. Coming out is usually ok.

 

[8bit]

OK thanks all, I did get the cable out. Strange though, when it arrived at work I stuck it in the socket without a computer attached and it seemed to go in and come back out no problem, also the cable for my handheld code reader is nothing like as tight as this one was today. Also because VCDS lite had crashed and when I restarted the laptop and it couldn't see the interface I thought maybe something was up.

Haven't tried VCDS lite again yet, will try tomorrow.

 

[BeartheBruce]

Lots of the aftermarket connector bodies do not meet the SAE standard for the OBDII plug. The trim around the plug in VAG cars can also be too tight. Ross-Tech researched this and made our connector design to meet both the standard and the tight fit to avoid these problems.

As to VCDS-Lite crashing, care to share more about that? What exactly happened? PC locked up? Blue screen of death? VCDS-Lite froze? Help us to understand what happened.

 

[DPJ]

Strange though, when it arrived at work I stuck it in the socket without a computer attached and it seemed to go in and come back out no problem,

Virgin OBD socket, now de-flowered.

 

[8bit]

Virgin OBD socket, now de-flowered.

It's actually been used a few times before, Al logged and scanned my car a couple of times and the garage used it to check and clear codes when it was last there, before I got a code reader or cable.

Lots of the aftermarket connector bodies do not meet the SAE standard for the OBDII plug. The trim around the plug in VAG cars can also be too tight. Ross-Tech researched this and made our connector design to meet both the standard and the tight fit to avoid these problems.

As to VCDS-Lite crashing, care to share more about that? What exactly happened? PC locked up? Blue screen of death? VCDS-Lite froze? Help us to understand what happened.

From memory it gave an error message about losing communications with the control module and froze up. I haven't registered it yet, was trying to test it out to make sure it worked with my cable and get the serial number to do that.

I had a play with the laptop last night and discovered that every time I removed and reinserted the USB-OBD cable it got a different COM port number. Had a look online and discovered this can happen with USB-serial interfaces based on FTDI chipsets so I got hold of a tool called FTClean and ran that which blew away all the cable drivers. Going to try it again this afternoon with fresh cable drivers and see how I get on, fairly sure its' an issue with the cable or its' drivers rather than the VCDS lite software at this stage.

 

[DPJ]

It's actually been used a few times before, Al logged and scanned my car a couple of times
.

I'd heard his was undersized.............

 

[8bit]

I'd heard his was undersized.............

He'd probably argue that Scarlett's receptacle was too big

 

[BeartheBruce]

From memory it gave an error message about losing communications with the control module and froze up. I haven't registered it yet, was trying to test it out to make sure it worked with my cable and get the serial number to do that.

While it seems you are aware (base on what you say below), I am making this statement for
others who might read this thread when they have problems: Registering VCDS-Lite will not solve communications problems. Many people think that if it is not working in Shareware mode, registering the software will solve the problem. That is not the case and is the reason we tell people to get it running in shareware mode to their satisfaction before registering.

I had a play with the laptop last night and discovered that every time I removed and reinserted the USB-OBD cable it got a different COM port number. Had a look online and discovered this can happen with USB-serial interfaces based on FTDI chipsets so I got hold of a tool called FTClean and ran that which blew away all the cable drivers. Going to try it again this afternoon with fresh cable drivers and see how I get on, fairly sure its' an issue with the cable or its' drivers rather than the VCDS lite software at this stage.

You are going about this the right way. Get stable comms and then if you want the program features unlocked, purchase the license. Good luck with your setup.

 

[8bit]

While it seems you are aware (base on what you say below), I am making this statement for
others who might read this thread when they have problems: Registering VCDS-Lite will not solve communications problems. Many people think that if it is not working in Shareware mode, registering the software will solve the problem. That is not the case and is the reason we tell people to get it running in shareware mode to their satisfaction before registering.



You are going about this the right way. Get stable comms and then if you want the program features unlocked, purchase the license. Good luck with your setup.

Cheers Bear, yeah I don't want to pay for VCDS lite and try and use it with a third party cable if it's not going to work and mean I'll have to pay for another cable or the full VCDS later.

Just tried it again and it's better but still not happy. As I said, last night I cleared out the cable drivers and reinstalled, just now I tried it on the car again and in the test panel it found the cable and the car OK so saved the config. Went to do a fault code scan, picked my chassis type and it scanned the first two modules then stopped saying I needed the registered version. Cool, figured that was the case.

So then as a last test I thought I'd go into a random module (picked instruments) and it scanned for a second, showed the part numbers and stuff then gave an error saying it "couldn't communicate with the control module". Then VCDS-lite stopped responding. It wouldn't even respond to "End Task" or even "kill process" from the XP Task Manager.

I know that the instruments module isn't normally available with the unregistered VCDS-lite but I wouldn't have thought it would crash for this reason, surely just give a message telling me to register then allow me to quit the program normally?

 

[BeartheBruce]

No, it's not going to tell you to register and communications problems are not usually VCDS-Lite related. They are caused by the drivers or the hardware in the third party wire. VCDS-Lite has no drivers. These must be supplied by your vendor. What you are reporting has been reported before. Contact the vendor and see if he has different drivers from what you are using. There also can be other programs on your computer that are messing with the COM ports, making the communications flaky. You must solve that problem before spending any money with Ross-Tech for a license. When it is running stable, then if you want full operation, register. I know there are threads on this forum and others about dealing with the flaky comms problems on the third party wires.

 

[8bit]

Right, cool - I had assumed that since the autoscan for fault codes stopped before it got to the instrument module (17) that it wouldn't let me talk to it for other stuff. When I got an error I guess I put 2+2 and got 5.

I'll see if I can upgrade the cable drivers, failing that I'll see if I can get a different cable. This one was one of the £8 jobs from ebay. If anyone else can recommend one that will work OK with VCDS lite then let me know. Sorry Bruce, I just can't justify going the whole hog on a proper ross-tech setup at the moment

 

[LEE69]

Followed this walk through?

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...20-eBay-VAG-COM-Cable-Walkthrough-*Revisited*

 

[BeartheBruce]

Sorry Bruce, I just can't justify going the whole hog on a proper ross-tech setup at the moment

No need for apologies. Everyone must make their own decisions about how they spend their precious money.

We provide the shareware version as a tease, the registered Lite version for those on a budget, and the real deal for those who are serious and can afford to have the full factory level VAG tool. There is something for everyone as long as you are driving a pre-2005 vehicle. After 2005, your choice is the full system because those cars need the CAN connected diagnostic support. "Lite" does not support CAN connected diagnostic cars.

 

[8bit]

No need for apologies. Everyone must make their own decisions about how they spend their precious money.

We provide the shareware version as a tease, the registered Lite version for those on a budget, and the real deal for those who are serious and can afford to have the full factory level VAG tool. There is something for everyone as long as you are driving a pre-2005 vehicle. After 2005, your choice is the full system because those cars need the CAN connected diagnostic support. "Lite" does not support CAN connected diagnostic cars.

Hmm, my car is a mk1 Leon Cupra R but it was registered in December 2005. Could that be the problem?

Followed this walk through?

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...20-eBay-VAG-COM-Cable-Walkthrough-*Revisited*

Cheers for that Lee, I'll take a look just now.