Ground Vehicle Standards Newsletter - July 2015 - 3

NEW INFORMATION REPORT ON BEST PRACTICES FOR AFTERMARKET COMMUNICATION
PLUG-IN DEVICES
(Adapted from an article which previously appeared in SAE
Update)
Developed in response to the creation of an overwhelming
number of devices that plug into the diagnostic port in new
vehicles, the SAE International Vehicle E E System Diagnostic
Standards Committee issued "J3005: Permanently or SemiPermanently Installed Diagnostic Communication Devices," in
December 2014.
This information report defines communication best practices
in order to minimize problems for the vehicle owner when
installing equipment that has a permanently or semipermanently diagnostic communication device connected to
the SAE J1962 connector or hardwired directly to the invehicle network.
Without guidelines in place, OEMs and car owners are at the
mercy of manufacturers, many of whom are creating devices
with little or no knowledge of the potential negative impact the
device could have on a vehicle.
"People are designing these aftermarket devices and there
have been no standards to protect the vehicle from a
potentially dangerous device," said Mark Zachos, a researcher
with DG Technologies and Chair of the Vehicle E E System
Diagnostic Standards Committee. "Auto makers are putting in
protections, but nothing is foolproof."
Because of the lack of standardization, SAE International
began working on J3005 to offer guidance and recommended
practices to manufacturers. The ultimate goal is to assist
OEMs, aftermarket manufacturers and vehicle owners in
understanding the compatibility requirements of the diagnostic
ports and curtail potential damage to the vehicle.

The J1962 port is located on the underside of a car's instrument panel.

Examples of some of these potentially problematic plugin devices include "good driver" devices placed in the port
by insurance companies to monitor the driving habits of
customers, devices that stream information to an iPhone, or
devices that monitor a vehicle's whereabouts.
"Everyone wants to make a widget that plugs into that port,"
Zachos said. "Some work, some don't, and the ones that
don't can corrupt communications and may harm the car. You
could very well be plugging something into your car that was
invented in someone's garage and the developer never read the
specs. It could end up bad for your vehicle."
"Essentially, we're saying, 'If you're plugging something into
this port, which was designed to do emissions diagnostics,
watch out for these sorts of things, because some of them may
not be compatible," Zachos said.
For more information about J3005, visit http://standards.sae.
org/j3005_201412.

DELIVERY OPTIONS FOR SAE TECHNICAL STANDARDS
The more than 35,000 standards in the SAE database, which now includes 24,000 historical standards dating back to the early 1900's, can
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* SAE Ground Vehicle Standards Database is comprised of more than 7,000 current standards and 2,200 historical versions issued by
SAE's ground vehicle committees. subs.sae.org/dlibstd-gv/
* SAE J1939 Standards Collection is the easiest and most cost-effective way to access to SAE's family of standards relating to the
Controller Area Network (CAN) for heavy-duty vehicles. subs.sae.org/j1939_dl/
* SAE Subscriptions are online portfolios of SAE standards or technical papers focused on targeted industries and technologies such as
emissions, NVH, alternative fuels and more. subs.sae.org/specialty/
* SAE JPaks let you decide how many ground vehicle standards you need and when you need them. Choose from packages that provide
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SAE International Ground Vehicle Standards Newsletter

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Ground Vehicle Standards Newsletter - July 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ground Vehicle Standards Newsletter - July 2015