So I stumbled accross this thing on Cravenspeed, http://www.cravenspeed.com/products/...Connector.html

Has anybody tried this out yet, any opinions? I just got a Droid X and I'm looking into mounts, I think it would be cool if I could have my MP3 player, GPS, and auxilary gauges all be one device.

 

Sullo, I was looking into these as well for my EVO 4G. The best app looks to be Torque, their website is http://torque-bhp.com/ and from there you can link to the wiki which lists the compatible adapters: http://torque-bhp.com/wiki/Main_Page

They warn against the cheap chinese made ones but I found one on Amazon for $39 and another for $49 but I am not sure if these are the crappy ones or not. I guess going through Amazon should give a better return policy. I wanted to do the same thing and be able to monitor engine temp and especially want to see the boost gauge which I believe is supported.

Here is the one that I found on Amazon, has good reviews and the order is actually processed by Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/BLUETOOTH-DIAG...pr_product_top

If I take the plunge I will let you know.

 

The good news about Craven's is that every one of our units was tested and is guaranteed to be defect free.

 

I am new around here and I know that the vendors do pay for advertising which makes this site available to us. I wouldn't imagine that it is not allowed to post deals from outside vendors but as a general rule is it frowned upon?

Kellen, your price is higher but the unit testing and guarantee would definitely make up for any hassle if I got a broken unit off of Amazon.

BTW, I was in Oregon last summer and talk about dream roads to drive on. The in-laws live in Bend and we drove over the mountains out to the coast and then back through Eugene. Talk about some beautiful scenery, I thought we had it good here in Colorado but Oregon in the summer is wonderful.

 

Allrighty, so I bought it and I'm giving it a try. Still playing with the features, but it seems very cool.

I found one downside at least in the fine print after I got it. You can't leave it plugged in all the time or it will drain your cars battery. So you have to plug it in and unplug it every time you go driving. Kind of a pain, moreso if you forget to pull it out, but maybe I'll get used to it.

One thing I've found is that I guess I'm not real familiar with some features. Like the boost gauge is cool, but I don't know what the numbers actually mean, either good or bad. Is there a list somewhere of what average readings you should get on various gauges?

 

That is a big downside as I had a great idea to couple the OBDII data with a smartphone application. Does anyone know of a bluetooth reader that is smart about when the vehicle is turned off or shuts down after 5 mins of turning the vehicle off?

 

Ok, I found one that has an automatic on/off switch. It is from Kiwi which I think was listed on the Torque Wiki that it is compatible. Its more expensive but if you never have to unplug then that is a huge bonus.

http://www.plxkiwi.com/kiwibluetooth/hardware.html

 

Sullosar, If you go for the Motarola mount for the X you will have to get the long arm with the garmin ball mount on the end from cravenspeed. I have it mounted and it is great for nav and music (Pandora). In addition you can move the arm up and shoot HD video from your X.

 

Yes, I've played around with this one for a while, and it is a great tool but it is NOT a permanent option.

Even with the car turned off and the phone not connected, if the device is plugged in you can see little lights blinking on it. So it is still attempting to work and using power, and will drain your battery.

But I don't see myself needing a boost gauge etc. every time I turn the car on. For long trips, or a run at the track, its definitely great, and for reading and clearing fault codes it works wonders. It was worth the money in my opinion.

The one you linked looks great, but the only real difference is remembering to turn it on and off, vs. remembering to unplug it. You still have to make sure you reach under the dash and hit the thing when you turn off the car.

I ordered the flexpod scissor bracket from Cravenspeed for now, we'll see how it works when it gets here. As of now the USPS tracking service has it listed as Out For Delivery yesterday morning, and then No Status Update since and it aint at my door...

 

Can you link what you're refering to on Cravenspeed? I looked through their flexpod accessories and I'm not sure I see anything like what you describe.

 

The mount is the Droid X car mount from verizon, It has the same type of mount as a garmin gps( a little ball type). it comes with a suction cup which you can mount to the window, but that takes up a lot or real estate on such a small windshield. I tried sticking it to the speedometer, once again I did not like having the speedometer and radio partially blocked. I looked through cravenspeed and got the arm that attaches to the back of the tach with the setup for a garmin mount and the 5in arm. I would contact cravenspeed as to what parts to order. The motorola mount comes with a mini audio cable which I ran to my aux input. However it did not come with a power cable. I just use a micro usb cable that came with my last phone and plugged it into a usb power adapter that fits into the cig lighter. sorry I am not good with posting links but I hope the info helps

 

I think he is talking about using this mount;

http://www.cravenspeed.com/products/...ting-Kits.html

along with the Motorola mount, sounds like a cool idea to me.

 

Yep that's it. Just get the 5" arm.

 

If you want the 5" arm, just request it in the comments section of the online form...or call me, I'm friendly.

 

Sullo, you are right about the power switch on that Kiwi unit. When I read it the first time it sounded like it had an auto on/off but when I read it again it does sound like a physical switch. I will keep searching and let you know what I can find.

Kellen, do you know if your distributor has other versions available that might power off automatically?

 

I will look into it further to be certain, but I am not sure where it says that it drains your battery. It powers off; the lights go out, and the phone cannot pair with it while the car is off.

 

I have checked it out, and there is no indication that any power is being drawn to the OBDII dongle when the vehicle is completely off.

 

Are any of these compatable with a ipad?

 

That seems neat but it still won't work with a case. I'm getting really frustrated with this phone that I can't use a mount and a case at the same time. I'm trying to build my own now using a case that comes with a belt holster but I need to find one that will allow the phone to function with the screen facing out.

 

I don't have a case or a Bluetooth connection for the iPad unfortunately. You are not the only person who is interested, so we'll be looking into it.

 

The Scissor version of the cradle will allow a case on the phone...

 

I heard somewhere that its illegal to drive with a device mounted on the windshield in California. Is that true or urban legend?

Anybody?

Thanks!
RayanMX

 

It is somewhat true. It seems you are allowed to use a square in the bottom corner of the windshield.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc26708.htm

 

my works very well with the program TORQUE with HTC EVO

 

I just got an el-cheap-O ELM327 Bluetooth dongle from Amazon. I paid $44 USD which works just great on my MCS, Torque and Efficiency apps on my Nexus One Smartphone.

Cheers,
Rayanmx