The features available on a scan tool vary widely between manufacturers. The Auterra
DashDyno SPD and Dyno-Scan series product have many advanced features, many of which
Auterra pioneered or that you won't find
anywhere else. Compare features and you'll see why Auterra's Dyno-Scan is the intelligent
choice.
The following table lists some key differences between the Auterra scan tool
and our competitors.
| Feature |
Auterra |
Other Manufacturers |
| Supports for 3 Platforms |
Supports Auterra's DashDyno
SPD handheld platform, Windows PCs and Palm OS devices. |
Most only support one platform,
such as Windows. |
| In Business Since 2000 |
Sold thousands of scan tools over the years. The product is
stable, feature rich, and professionally designed. |
Some only in business for a matter of months and have little
experience designing scan tools, or offer hobbyist quality tools. |
| All OBD II Protocols Supported |
Every vehicle protocol since 1996 including
CAN, VPW, PWM,
ISO and KWP 2000 is supported in a single unit. |
Most do not support CAN. Many only support
1 protocol, or
require the purchase of one interface adapter per protocol. |
| Complete CAN Solution |
Designed from the ground up to support
CAN and all other
vehicle protocols in a single unit. |
Most do not support CAN or offer
a less reliable
two-board design. |
| USB and Serial Solutions |
Both USB and serial OBD II
adapter are available. On the USB adapter, the USB cable is replaceable. |
Most others only have
serial-based solutions. Those with USB solder the USB cable directly to
the adapter circuit board making cable replacement impossible. |
| All 1996 and Later Vehicles Supported |
Every vehicle from Acura to Volvo and everywhere in-between
is supported, including American, Asian, Korean and European. |
Many support only a single
protocol or don't support CAN. |
| OBD II Adapter Software Upgradeable |
The software within the OBD II adapter is upgradeable to
help protect against future automaker changes. |
Most, if not all, are not
software upgradeable. Some only allow software upgrades of the CAN board,
not the entire adapter. |
| Molded OBD II Cable Design |
The separate molded OBD II cable and OBD II adapter box is
very rugged. The OBD II cable is replaceable. |
Many offer a less rugged, all-in-one glued together
integrated connector/box combination. The OBD II connector is non-replaceable. |
| Compact Design |
Very compact, all-in-one OBD II adapter hardware design. |
Integrated box/connector adapter
is large. Others are
equipped with a large 25-pin connectors instead of a compact 9-pin
connectors. |
| Drivability |
The OBD II cable connector head is small and does not interfere
with the vehicle foot pedals. |
The integrated box/connector design hangs in the way of the
gas/brake/clutch pedals on many vehicles. |
| Thousands of Trouble Code Definitions |
Thousands of trouble code definitions for generic and
manufacturer specific (enhanced) codes. P,
B, C and U codes definitions included. |
Many only offer generic code definitions, or none at all.
Others only offer P codes. |
| Horsepower and Torque Measurements |
Invented by Auterra! Measure horsepower and torque with your
scan tool. |
Most do not support measuring
horsepower and torque. |
| Acceleration Tests |
Invented by Auterra! Measure vehicle acceleration times and top
speed with your scan tool. |
Most do not support acceleration
tests. |
| Gear Ratio |
Invented by Auterra! Measure your vehicle's overall gear ratio. |
Most do not support gear ratio
measurements. |
| Fuel Economy |
Instantaneous and trip MPG
measurements. |
Most do not support fuel economy
measurements. |
| Trouble Code Lookup |
Lookup any code definitions by
entering a number. |
Most do not support code lookup. |
| User Friendly Screen Design |
Informative and easy-to-read
screen displays and simple user interface. |
Most are difficult to use and look unprofessional. |
| Zoom/Pan Graph Screens |
Zoom and pan the graph to expose
even tiny fluctuations in the
data stream or horsepower/torque curves. |
Most do not offer any zoom in/out/pan
capability, or don't support graphing live data. |
| Obtain Exact Value On Graph |
Drag the stylus on the graph to obtain the exact reading
anywhere along the line. |
Most do not allow obtaining an exact measurement on the
graph. |
| Fast Data Sampling |
Highly optimized data sampling
rates for accurate graphing and dyno measurements. |
Most graph data slowly, or don't
support graphing live data. |
| Minimum and Maximum Values |
The absolute min and max parameter value is shown on each
graph. |
Most do not list min/max values. |
| Bar Graph |
Bar graph shows where the
parameter measurement lies in relation
to the sensor's absolute minimum and maximum. |
Most do not have a bar graph. |
| High Speed Data Collection |
Highly optimized data sampling
with CAN 6x communication support (6 data samples per query). |
Most gather data slowly and
don't support the CAN 6x mode. |
| Show All Vehicle ECUs |
Shows the total number of
vehicle ECUs and the parameters supported by each one. |
Most do not support viewing ECU parameters
independently. |
| Unlimited Record and Playback |
Unlimited live data stream record and playback capabilities. |
Many do not offer
record/playback, limit the recording time, or can't playback data on the
handheld. |
| Oxygen Sensor Monitoring and Test Results |
View the vehicle's O2 sensor test results. |
Many do not provide O2 sensor
test result data. |
| Auto-Detect Vehicle Protocol |
Complete automatic vehicle
protocol detection. |
Many require a trial-and-error
approach to connecting with the vehicle. |
| Mode 6 Support |
Fully supports vehicle mode 6
data. |
Most don't support mode 6 data
collection. |
| Auto-Detect Vehicle
Capabilities |
Self discovery determines the
vehicle capabilities and only shows parameters supported by the vehicle
under test. |
Many show all parameters and
require a trial-and-error approach to determine which ones are supported. |
| Feature |
Auterra |
Other Manufacturers |
| PC Software |
Use DashDyno to connect your
Windows PC to a vehicle. Use all the features within the Dyno-Scan for
Windows software package. Open DashDyno recordings on the PC. |
Most offer no PC-based scan tool
software with their handheld. |
| Quick Release In-Vehicle
Mount |
DashDyno can quickly be
removed/installed using its integrated quick release windshield suction
cup mount. |
Most offer no mounting solution,
other than glue and Velcro. |
| All 1996 and Newer Vehicles
Supported |
All OBD II protocols are
supported so any 1996 and newer vehicle will work. |
Most offer none or limited OBD
II diagnostic protocol support. |
| SD / MMC Memory Card |
DashDyno supports a SD memory
card for unlimited recording. |
Most offer limited internal
flash-based recording, or offer no recording options. |
| Graphics Display |
DashDyno has a high-contrast
graphics LCD display. The software shows graphs on-screen. |
Many offer only a text-based
display, or offer no on-screen line graphing support. |
| On-Screen Display |
All recordings and measurements
can be played back and viewed on-screen. |
Many require exporting data to a
PC to view results. |
| Auxiliary Ports |
DashDyno offers a serial port, 4
analog inputs, 1 digital input and 1 digital output. |
Most offer no expansion
ports. |
| GPS |
DashDyno records GPS positional
information. GPS and sensor data is synchronized and played back in Google
Earth. |
Most have no GPS support. |
| Google Earth |
An Auterra first! DashDyno GPS
data is played back in Google Earth. |
None have dynamic Google Earth
GPS support. |
| Wideband O2 |
Connect a wideband O2 sensor to
an auxiliary port to measure air/fuel ratio. |
Most offer no AFR support. |
| Performance Meter |
Measure HP/torque and
acceleration. View graphs directly on-screen. |
Most offer no performance
monitoring. |
| Alarm Lights |
Three user-programmable alarm
lights to illuminate or flash when limits are exceeded. |
Most have no alarm lights. |
| Description Databases |
DTC descriptions are shown
directly on-screen. |
Most require you to lookup the
DTC in a manual. |
| Easy To Use |
All screen configurations stored
to the SD card. 8-button keypad and screen wizards make DashDyno easy to
use. |
Most have a limited user
interface with only a few buttons to control the device. |
| Low-Profile OBD II Connector |
Low-profile OBD II connector
stays out of the way of gas/clutch/brake pedals. |
Most others have large OBD II
cable connector that gets in the way of the vehicle controls. |
| Feature |
Auterra |
Other Manufacturers |
| Data Analysis Screen |
View the entire recording all at
once in a stacked or side-by-side view with zoom and scroll. Data cursor
obtains x-y, period and peak-to-peak values. All data is time stamped. |
Most only offer a playback
function and can't view the entire recording. Most don't time stamp
data. |
| Most Parameters |
The most live data parameters,
including unique ones like air/fuel ratio, boost pressure and MPG. |
Most support less
parameters. |
| Resizable Windows |
Resize the application window to fit
any size screen. |
Many offer a tiny 800x600 dialog-based
application with no means to resize the software window. |
| Flexible User Interface |
Dock or float the toolbars and
windows to any location, or hide them altogether to maximize viewing space. |
Most don't offer anyway to
modify the user interface data presentation. |
| Customizable Toolbars |
Add/remove buttons and switch
between large and small toolbar icons easily. |
Most don't offer toolbar customization. |
| Customizable Menus |
Add, remove or reorder any menu
option. |
Most don't offer menu customization. |
| Customizable Fonts |
Change the font size, color, and
style to suit your needs. |
Most don't offer font customization. |
| Unlimited Live Data Windows |
Create unlimited live data
graphs or list windows. |
Many offer a fixed number of
graphs. |
| Export Recordings to a
Spreadsheet |
Export all live data to a
spreadsheet for further
analysis. |
Many cannot export data. |
| Import Data from Dyno-Scan
for Palm |
The Windows and Palm versions
work seamlessly together. Record on the Palm and import into the Dyno-Scan
for Windows for viewing. |
Most don't offer a handheld
product, or the PC and handheld versions don't work together. |
| Absolute Min/Max Tracking |
Tracks the minimum and maximum
sensor output over time as the sensor output varies. |
Most don't have this feature. |
| Printing and Screen Shot |
Supports printing screens and
saving screen shots to an image file. |
Some don't support printing or
screen shot features. |
| Auto-Save User Preferences |
All user preferences, such as
toolbars options, window positions, and last used sensors are
automatically saved for next time. |
Many can't remember last user
settings. |
| Spanish |
Fully translated into Spanish,
German, French,
Italian, Hungarian
and Greek. |
Most don't support other
languages. |
