Aurora Companion for Android

[jummama]

I posted about this in the Bus Signal Documentation thread, but I felt that this also deserves it's own thread.

 
Aurora Companion (Release 1)
The basics:

• As this program is not on the Google Play Store, you will need to enable Unknown Sources so that you can sideload the app. This can be done in settings on your phone, though the exact location may vary.
  
• After the disclaimer dialog, you will need to connect to your bluetooth device with the connect button. A toast will pop up at the bottom of the screen when this is successful.
• Tap on either of the buttons for setting a driver name, with the key on, engine off. The app will query the DIC to find out what name is set currently (if any)
• You will see a text box with any previously set name already in it. You have 20 characters of space to use for the new name. If you want to clear it back to factory defaults, leave this box blank, and the app will clear the name back to default. After pressing OK, a few seconds will pass, and your DIC will restart itself. You should then see the new name (unless you programmed Driver1 while on Driver2 of course). Do not turn your key off until the DIC restarts. I did that once and it garbled the name that got written. That's probably the worst thing that would happen, but I wouldn't risk it.
• As an added bonus, there is a display test button. The radio gets stuck in this mode until you turn the key back off however. (See the known issues below)

Known issues:

• The buttons for setting names and doing a display test will enable themselves even if the bluetooth connection fails. Attempting to use them will cause a force close error. Pay attention for the toast at the bottom of the screen to make sure it succeeds.
  
• The display test seems to be missing something that the Tech2 sends. It basically works, but on my car, the radio gets stuck in display test mode until you turn the key back off.
• Bluetooth settings are not saved and have to be selected each time you run the app.
• There is certainly room for performance improvement. All communication is done on the same thread as the UI, so it does become unresponsive when reading out data, or sending it.
  
• Some symbols you can enter in the text box are not supported properly by the DIC, and may cause strange results. Eventually, these should be filtered. That said, you can have some interesting results from these unsupported characters.
  
• Key fob programming mode is not implemented yet (sorry Tigger!)

Planned features for a future version:

• Remote programming support
  
• Speaker diagnosis (enable/disable individual speakers on the stock system)
  
• Lighting tests (headlight, reverse, parking lamp, drl, interior lighting, etc)
• DIC feature programming (the same stuff you can already do by holding the select buttons, but in a list on the phone)
• ?
• No profit

Download Aurora Companion

Have fun with it everyone!

[tigger]

Loaded flawlessly, test it tomorrow. Thanks!

[Hammer]

Where is the connect button in the car 01 Aurora 4.0 Bose system

[jummama]

Jul 22, 2016 12:18:21 GMT -6 Hammer said:

Where is the connect button in the car 01 Aurora 4.0 Bose system

There isn't a connect button in the car. You need an ELM327 compatible bluetooth dongle plugged into your OBD port. These can be had fairly cheap on Amazon, and are also handy for pulling trouble codes using programs such as Torque.

Here's one that should work: www.amazon.com/IDEAPRO-Scanner-Bluetooth-Wireless-Diagnostic/dp/B00SM8R04Q/

[inkd]

Can't download? Just takes me to a blank screen

[sall]

Domain is expired.

[tigger]

Sept 12, 2016 12:27:43 GMT -6 inkd said:

Can't download? Just takes me to a blank screen

PM me.

I don't know if the owner has any future development plans for this app, think I read he's in a STS or CTS now so he may not be back. I'm not comfortable uploading it to a host site and linking it, but I think he'd be cool with sharing it with another member...

[tigger]

jummama, any objections?

[inkd]

Hopefully he is cool with it

[sall]

Tigger saves the day. I'd just upload it to google drive and share it lol. it was open source as I understand and use at your own risk.

[tigger]

You're right, sall. Easier this way as well...



Again, use at your own risk;

Aurora Companion App for Android

[jummama]

Sorry about the hosting issues, I have renewed my domain, and you are more than welcome to share it outside of my link.

Thanks for helping people get it tigger!

As for future development, there's not much I can do anymore, without a car to test on. I may go back and do some refactoring (for example, getting rid of that lag when it loads/stores a name, or when it connects to bluetooth)

[inkd]

What is this app capable of in all? What are the odds of bricking the ecu?

[jummama]

Sept 27, 2016 14:44:31 GMT -6 inkd said:

What is this app capable of in all? What are the odds of bricking the ecu?

It can change the names that are displayed on the DIC from "DRIVER 1" and "DRIVER 2" to whatever you want them to say, and it can initiate a display test mode on the radio, IPC, DIC, and climate controls. It can also clear a custom name back to the factory default.

There shouldn't be any way that it could brick an ECU, as it isn't sending any commands to it. All the commands involved here go to the IPC on the serial data bus. The messages used to do this came from an after-market Tech2 hooked up with an OBD splitter cable.

There are two main things to be aware of here:
- If you tell it to program a name, and then turn off the key before the DIC restarts to display the new name, the programming will fail, and in my testing results in a gibberish name. I would be concerned that it may be possible to brick the DIC in this way, so be sure to leave the key on until you see the new name, roughly 5-10 seconds later.
- The display test mode seems to be missing something. The radio stays in this test mode with all segments lit until you turn the ignition off and back on. This freaked me out the first time it happened, but no damage was done.

[AuroraGirlFromMars]

Any further development to this app?

[jummama]

Unfortunately, no. I ended up moving to a 2006 Cadillac STS, and I don't have room for a secondary project car where I live, so at least for now, I am without an Aurora.

If I can find the code, I may release it on GitHub, though it is a little messy. There should also be a thread around here on Bus signal documentation where I wrote about some of the things you can do through the ODB port (including the stuff this does), though it's not quite as quick and easy to use as an app would be.

[AuroraGirlFromMars]

Hmm. I tried using the program on my car, but it crashes when I try to set a name. Its one of those cheap 10 dollar ELM ones. Does it have to be higher quality maybe?

[jummama]

Did you get a message at the bottom about it connecting successfully at the bottom when you connected to the ELM? The app is kind of braindead about that and will enable the buttons even if the connection fails, and then it promptly crashes when you try to use them. I did use a cheap clone to develop this, so I doubt that's the problem you have.

[AuroraGirlFromMars]

Yeah it even says the connection is successful. Strange.

[jummama]

The only other thing I can think, after you click the button, there's a bit of a hang where the interface is unresponsive, as I only have one thread doing the UI and the communication. On most phones, if you try to tap again while this is happening, it will prompt you that the app is unresponsive, and it will ask if you want to force close. If this is what you're seeing, you should be able to have it wait, and the app will come back in a few seconds.

[AuroraGirlFromMars]

Hmm Ill try it again later. today it is -15 and I dont wanna be outside

Thanks for your correspondence.