On this screen, you can read all sorts
of data from the Control Module in real-time.
Use
[Up] and [Dn]
to scroll through the available groups (000 - 255 on most Control
Modules). Don't become discouraged when you find some that say "ERROR:
Group xxx Not Available" or if you find some groups where the fields are
all blank. Most 1996 and newer ECUs have Groups through the 200 range, but
there are often "gaps" in the numbers.
You can also type a Group number
into the Group box and click [Go!]
If you'd like to record just a snapshot of the current
readings in each group, click on
[Save].
This will save the results to your PC, typically in in your VCDS\Logs
directory
like this:
measuring-blocks-save-8035.txt
When you have one or more measuring group
with speed (km/h) in it, clicking on
[Acceleration]
will bring up the Acceleration Measurement function, which is described
on the Acceleration Measurement page.
You can
[Log] the data from the
measuring blocks. For more information see the Data Logging page.
[Switch to
Basic Settings]
can be used to use the Basic Settings
function for
the Group that is currently being displayed. This should be done only
under guidance from the Service Manual or when following some other
documented procedure. For more information see the
Basic Settings page.
Notes:
-
Multiple Groups are not permitted in Basic Settings. The
[Switch To Basic Settings]
button is intentionally disabled if you have groups "running" in the
second and third rows. To stop a running group, click on the box that
displays the group number (as though you wanted to enter a new number).
The button is also disabled on controllers using KWP-2000, CAN, or UDS. On those, you
need to go directly to the Basic Settings screen.
-
The data presented in each Group varies greatly from Control Module to Control
Module and between different models and years. Some groups are
documented in the Factory Repair Manuals, but many are not. Feel free
to explore the Control Modules in your car by scrolling through all the
Groups. You can't hurt anything with the Measuring Blocks function!
VCDS will attempt to "scale"
the raw data coming from the Control Module into real-world units like degrees C, km/h, etc. At the present time, all
scaling conversions are to metric units.
Note:
Group 000 and any other
group that displays 10 fields instead of 4 is an exception. No scaling
is possible because the Control Module provides no "Data Type"
information with the data for these. Groups of this type can only be
displayed in the top row of the screen.
VCDS also tries to elaborate as
much as possible what the data means. Unfortunately, the "Data Type"
information coming from the Control Module is not that precise. For
example: VCDS can tell that a particular field contains a
Temperature, but the data from the Controller doesn't tell us whether
this is the Coolant Temperature or the Intake Air Temperature.
To reduce the confusion, VCDS
supports Label Files and will display the name of the Label File. The
Label File name is displayed on the top left when you are in Measuring
Blocks or Basic Settings. If a label file is present then you will be
able to use the Advanced Measuring Blocks
function.
If you click on the name of the Label File,
the file will open in Notepad or whatever program you have set to handle
*LBL files. When a
Label file for the Control Module you are looking at does not exist,
VCDS will come up with an "educated guess" for what a particular Data
Type means. The dealers' VAG-1551 and 1552 scan-tools do not provide any
elaboration; they only show what’s in the display fields!
For more information see the Label Files
page.
Group 000 supports special Labels. Due to
space constraints on the screen, these labels are displayed in a
"balloon" when the user clicks on a field:
Sample Rate:
Some ECUs
may not be willing to produce more than about 3.5 samples per
second when running a single group, even with
the
the most aggressive
protocol-timing settings.
Other ECUs may be much faster. Except on the
slowest most ancient PCs, this is a limitation inherent in
the firmware in the ECU, not a limitation in the VCDS
software or the PC. Naturally, if two groups are being displayed
simultaneously, the sample rate drops about half what it was
running a single group, and 3 groups
simultaneously runs at around 1/3. Sample Rate will vary from
controller to controller.
Some controllers (particularly AG4 transmissions and Digifant-III ECU's)
use a "hybrid" data-type that requires reading a long header when
changing group numbers. Viewing multiple groups still works with these
data types, but the sample rate becomes extremely slow. If you see
"Reading Header" all the time under the Sample Rate display, you'll know
you've got one of these.
In Engine controllers using KWP-2000, there is a
[Turbo] button in
Measuring Blocks screen. Pressing this
button can significantly speed up sampling, for example over 30
samples per second when logging a single group in our Touareg. Once you have pressed
[Turbo] you will
remain in this High-Speed mode until you exit the Measuring
Blocks screen. This function is only available when using a HEX
Interface.
[VC-Scope]
is a plug-in for VCDS
that allows you to graph Measuring Group Information and display
customizable virtual gauges. For more information, see the
VC-Scope page.
Use
[Done, Go Back] to return to
the Controller Information screen.
Note: You
may also want to try the Advanced Measuring Blocks function, which frees you from
the grouping format of the Measuring Blocks function.
Warning!
If you wish to observe real-time data while driving the car, please use
a second person! Let one drive while the other observes the data,
making sure the person holding the PC is not in front of an active
airbag!
