what's out there?

[denn454]

i'm goig to buy some kind of scan tool, the car is doing weired things and i can't make sence of it with just listening to it any more. I've used turbo link before and like it, but thats all i know right now. direct scan sounds like it woudl work pretty good, but i don't want something hardwired, so thats kindof out of the question. I would need somethign that will work on the T, and if its possible obd1 and obd2 would be great. right now all i know about is turbo link and direct scan, what else is out there and what works the best? price does matter too.

 

[WakkoSS]

ScanMaster, DirectScan and TurboLink are the big Turbo Buick ones. OTC 2000 and 4000 are also available. I use both DS and SM in my car, SM for "on the fly" and DS for fine tuning. TLink is the only one that's easy to take out and put in another car, so if you're looking for mobility, that's the way to go.

 

[denn454]

i think i'll go with turbolink, i'm waiting for someone i know to get back from the bahamas to see if they can get me a deal on a laptop.

whats the difference between the different versions? is it really worth spending $300 for the new version 4 when a used 3 is avaliable for quite a bit less; would it be cheaper to upgrade rather than start off with the new version? i'm sure the older version will work good enough to do everything i want to do, but one thing that i saw but am not sure about is boost sensing stuff. On their website it says you have to buy something extra to see boost, does this come with v4? how fast os a computer do you really need to make each one work smoothly, i've heard a few different numbers, anywhere from 166-300mhz being needed to just run v4. any oppinions are greatly appreciated.

 

[kenmosher]

V4.0 is the latest and contains support for a lot more vehicles. The hardware is also more complete (all molded into one connector, SMT componnents, etc).

The boost sensing is extra for any versions and can be added at any time (it consists of a harness that goes under the hood ... snaps together with OEM style weather pack connectors with no cutting or splicing). You need a 3 BAR sensor which you can find several places or we sell them.

As far as computer power, more is better ... mostly due to Windows. A P166 works fine, but screen loads and such can be really slow at times. Once things are loaded, it's pretty snappy.

A 300 MHz box will work really nicely (we bought a Dell Latitude used ... a PII 300 with only 64Mb of memory and it's really nice for $300 from D.P.V. ... contact info is in the FAQ on our web site).

The higher speed CPU is more necessary for the P4 vehicles (like the Sy/Ty and F-bodies) since they have a data rate of about 11 frames/sec with about 150 parameters per frame). The Windows graphics have been optimized in v4.0 and you'll find they work well on anything above a P166. There are people out there running it on less machine (P100s - P133s), but I don't recommend it.

 

[kenmosher]

Got this from DPV ... a list of laptops they have in stock:

DPV, Inc. is offering the following refurbished laptop computers from stock:

50 units - Compaq Armada M700 PIII650mhz, 128mb, 12gb, CD Rom, 1.44FDD, 56k,
14.1"TFT - $445 each

5 units - IBM Thinkpad T21- 26474AU- PIII800mhz, 128mb, 20gb, DVD, 1.44FDD,
56k, 10/100 Ethernet, 14.1"TFT - $595 each

7 units - Toshiba Tecra 8100 PIII700mhz, 128mb, 12gb, DVD, 1.44FDD, 56k,
14.1"TFT - $545 each

7 units - Toshiba Tecra 8100 PIII700mhz, 128mb, 12gb, CD Rom, 1.44FDD, 56k,
14.1"TFT - $525 each

10 units - IBM Thinkpad 390X PIII450mhz, 64mb, 12gb, CD Rom, 1.44FDD, 56k,
14.1"TFT - $385 each

10 units - Dell Latitude CPX PIII500mhz, 128mb, 12gb, CD Rom, 1.44FDD,
14.1"TFT - $425 each

All units are tested and have a formatted hard drive. We offer a 30 day
warranty on our laptops (excluding battery).
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or if you would
like to place an order.

Best regards,

Steve Meliti
DPV, Inc.
358 Saw Mill River Rd.
Millwood, NY 10546
P: 001-914-923-5100
F: 001-914-992-7897
AIM: DPTSTEVE
Steve@dpvtech.com