Application Note

AN02 - ELM327 Circuit Construction

When constructing an electronic circuit, it is often First, wire everything to these sockets, but do not
best to build it in stages, testing each as you proceed. install the ICs. Complete the rest of the circuit, power it
The following pages provide typical voltages that you with a small 9V ‘radio’ battery, and then measure the
might expect as you build the ELM327 Example voltages in your circuit. Compare your voltages to
Application circuit, first with no integrated circuits those shown in red on Figure 2. If there are any
installed, and then with all in place. Hopefully, it will significant discrepancies, find out why before
help you to locate wiring issues before they cause proceeding. Note that a 9V battery is chosen as it will
problems. not be able to supply very large currents, so if there
are serious problems, there will be little or no damage.
Testing the ELM327 IC Once you are satisfied that your circuit will not
damage the integrated circuits, install them in their
Although we do not advise it, we often get emails
sockets, and apply a source of about 12V to the circuit.
from people that are trying to test their ELM327 before
You should then see voltages similar to those of
installing it into the final circuit. This exposes the chip
Figure 3. Once satisfied that the voltages are correct,
to conditions that may not be good for it, as people
you can begin testing with the software of your choice.
often report open-circuited inputs, incorrect supply
Do not connect to the vehicle when testing the
levels, etc. CMOS integrated circuits should never
software, as you are only testing the communications
have an input left open-circuited - it should always be
at that point.
connected to either 0V or 5V, else erratic behaviour
and possibly damage to the IC might occur. Once the software is able to communicate with the
interface, test each protocol in sequence, with no
If you insist on taking the IC from its protective
vehicle connected. Use the SP command to select
tube and installing it into a test circuit, use the one in
individual protocols, and then send 0100. If all goes
Figure 1. If the IC is able to initialize itself internally
well, you should only see ‘NO DATA’s or ‘UNABLE TO
and start functioning, you will see the four LEDs light in
CONNECT’ and no messages that indicate a problem
sequence, followed by the one on pin 26 lighting one
with the vehicle such of ‘BUS BUSY’ or ‘FB ERROR’. If
more time.
you do see either of these latter two messages, then
there is a problem with your wiring – correct it before
Constructing Figure 9 from the Data Sheet connecting to a vehicle.
Most people build the Example Application circuit When you’ve finished the above, and all appears
that we show in the data sheet (Figure 9), so we will to be working well, you may connect to a real vehicle
discuss it here. When you do begin to build this circuit, and begin testing the complete ‘package’. Hopefully all
we advise using sockets for the MCP2551 and will work well for many years.
ELM327 ICs, and building the circuit in two stages.

+5V

4x
470 Ω
78L05 +5V
28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15
+
7 to 20V
- 0.1µF 0.1µF 327
+5V
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

4.00MHz

Figure 1. A minimal ELM327 test circuit

27pF 27pF

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 Application Note
AN02 - ELM327 Circuit Construction

CAN-L 0.00
14
0.00 9.24 Vbat +12V 8.51 U3 +5V
6 4.96
CAN-H 0.00 0.00 16 78L05
R32 R33 L5
100Ω 100Ω
8 7 6 5 Battery D1
R31 PWR
Positive
0.00 0.00 4.7KΩ MCP2551 C1 C6
C8 C9 0.1µF 0.1µF 2.97
560pF 560pF NOT installed U2 R1
5 470Ω
1 2 3 4
+5V 0.00 Signal
Ground

Vbat Vbat C7 0.00 +5V

0.1µF
RS232
R19 R17 R26 Interface
510Ω 510Ω 4.7KΩ (DB9F)
4.96
9.24 0.00 R24
15 -0.57 10KΩ -5.76
ISO-L 3 (TxD)
R16 2.2KΩ 0.00 Q9
9.18 Q6 R25
7 D5 10KΩ D4
ISO-K
R18 2.2KΩ 0.00 -5.18
C5
Q7
0.00 5 (SG)
+5V +5V
4.36 0.1µF
2.90 ELM327
R22
pin 12 10KΩ R23
R20 Q8 4.7KΩ
47KΩ R21 L1-L4
22KΩ 3.53 4.36 2 (RxD)
R27-30 +5V +5V -2.61
470Ω 0.00
Vbat 3.53 1 (DCD)
n.c.
9.24 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15
5.36 4 (DTR)
R34 327 NOT installed
47KΩ +5V U1 6 (DSR)
1.64
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
R35 7 (RTS)
C2
10KΩ
0.1µF to 5.49
0.00 to R15 8 (CTS)
8.51+12V X1 R21 0.00
U4 2.42 4.00MHz 2.90
OBD 6.10 R2
317L 470Ω C3 C4 Notes:
Interface R5 27pF
240Ω 27pF
(J1962) R3 470Ω - The MCP2551 and ELM327
0.00 0.00
R8 4.88 have NOT been installed
R4
10KΩ 470Ω 2.42 R6
Q2 - 9V dry cell used to power the
6.10 4.7KΩ R10
0.00 6.10 R7 0.00 circuit (ie for Battery Positive)
22KΩ
4.7KΩ Q1 - A PC is connected to the RS232
D2 0.00
Interface, and terminal software is
running
0.00 R9 10KΩ
2 - No connections were made to
J1850 Bus + R36* * see text, R11 the OBD (J1962) interface
22KΩ page 55 0.00 10KΩ +5V
10
J1850 Bus - 0.00 R14
R12 4.7KΩ
D3 100KΩ 4.96
R15
4.7KΩ Q4 0.00
ELM327
Q3 pin 14 Q5
R13 Figure 2. First stage wiring tests
0.00 0.00 10KΩ

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 Application Note
AN02 - ELM327 Circuit Construction

CAN-L 2.56
14
2.48 12.05 Vbat +12V 11.33 U3 +5V
6 4.96
CAN-H 1.73 2.48 16 78L05
R32 R33 L5
100Ω 100Ω
8 7 6 5 Battery D1
R31 PWR
Positive
2.48 2.56 4.7KΩ C1 C6
C8 C9 MCP2551 0.1µF 0.1µF 2.97
560pF 560pF U2 R1
5 470Ω
1 2 3 4
+5V 4.96 Signal
Ground

Vbat Vbat C7 4.96 +5V

0.1µF
RS232
R19 R17 R26 Interface
510Ω 510Ω 4.7KΩ (DB9F)
4.96
12.05 0.00 R24
15 -0.57 10KΩ -5.76
ISO-L 3 (TxD)
R16 2.2KΩ 0.00 Q9
11.96 Q6 R25
7 D5 10KΩ D4
ISO-K
R18 2.2KΩ 0.00 -5.18
C5
Q7
0.00 5 (SG)
+5V +5V
4.96 0.1µF
3.79 ELM327
R22
pin 12 10KΩ R23
R20 Q8 4.7KΩ
47KΩ R21 L1-L4
22KΩ 4.95 4.96 2 (RxD)
R27-30 +5V +5V -2.61
470Ω 0.00
Vbat 4.95 1 (DCD)
n.c.
12.05 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15
5.36 4 (DTR)
R34 327
47KΩ +5V U1 6 (DSR)
2.14
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
R35 7 (RTS)
C2
10KΩ
0.1µF to 5.49
1.94 to R15 8 (CTS)
11.33 +12V X1 R21 0.00
U4 0.05 4.00MHz 3.79
OBD 4.92 R2
317L 470Ω C3 C4 Notes:
Interface R5 27pF
240Ω 27pF
(J1962) R3 470Ω - Bench supply used for Battery
0.00 2.29
R8 3.69 Positive (measured as 12.05V)
R4
10KΩ 470Ω 1.24 R6
Q2 - Measured current draw for this
4.92 4.7KΩ R10
0.00 4.92 R7 0.00 entire circuit is about 33 mA
22KΩ
4.7KΩ Q1 - A PC is connected to the RS232
D2 0.00
Interface, and terminal software is
running
0.09 R9 10KΩ
2 - No connections were made to
J1850 Bus + R36* * see text, R11 the OBD (J1962) interface
22KΩ page 55 0.09 10KΩ +5V
10
J1850 Bus - 0.09 R14
R12 4.7KΩ
D3 100KΩ 4.96
R15
4.7KΩ Q4 0.00
ELM327
Q3 pin 14 Q5
R13 Figure 3. Final Wiring Tests
0.00 0.00 10KΩ

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