Carly alternative.

[Keet]

I bought a Carly and whilst it can do a fair bit of what I need such as simple mods and resets, the geek in me, and the fact Carly is now subscription and £50+ a year, I'd like to get an obd cable and the necessary software.

I've done some searching but basically can someone recommend a specific cable and software for a 2014 e89.

There's loads of cheap ones on eBay but are they a waste of time?

[R.E92]

Bimmergeeks Pro Cable.
https://www.bimmergeeks.net/product-pag ... -pro-cable

By far the best cable out there in terms of quality, reliability and speed. Also has a handy switch so you can use it with pre-2007 BMWs.
I've had cheap ebay cables that work and also some that don't. Currently have one of these Bimmergeeks cables and a cable-shack one as a spare/backup cable.

You can get a 10% discount using "MHD" as a promo code.

[Keet]

Thanks @R.E92

[Ducklakeview]

That bimmer geeks one is the same as the bcables silver which comes with software and is cheaper. Couldn't see if the bimmer one does?

Mike

[R.E92]

That bimmer geeks one is the same as the bcables silver which comes with software and is cheaper. Couldn't see if the bimmer one does?

Mike

You can download the standard tools software from the Bimmergeeks site. ISTA+ is available elsewhere for free.

The cable from bcables will be an inferior product, just like the ones from ebay, cable shack and BMS. All non bimmergeeks cables use the same conversion logic to translate to KCAN protocol, this works for the most part but is slow and will cause errors when programming certain modules in the car (certain TCU modules and anything on the MOST bus).

The guy who makes the bimmergeeks cables has figured out a fix for this limitation and thus the bimmergeeks cable is capable of programming all modules and works almost exactly twice as quickly as other cables. It takes me 20 minutes to do a full ECU write with all other cables but only 10 with the BG one. Time is certainly very crucial if you are relying on battery alone during programming!

[MalNCH]

I've never had errors, Slow running, it has certainly never taken any where near 20 minutes to do a full ECU write with the Bcables one I have, sounds more like a marketing ploy to me.

Free EasyBMWTools https://mega.nz/#!kAASwa7I!AJLVnnEBwLgz ... ofE-TBYGmk

EasyBMWTools is basically :

- Inpa 5.0.6 (with English script files & Support for F-series)
- EDIABAS 7.3.0
- NCS Expert (with English menus and buttons, and NCS Dummy Profile pre-installed)
- NCS Dummy 4.0.1
- Tool32 4.0.3
- WinKFP 5.3.1
- Integrated SP-DATEN v53.3
- BMW Coding Tool v2.5.0 (for use as an alternative to NCS Dummy, or to update DATEN files as new ones become available)
- USB Drivers for cable

I tried lots of different versions/downloads before this but couldn't get them to work. I'm using Windows10

Some useful links........
https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showt ... p?t=879366
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/show ... NCS-Expert
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh ... NCS-Expert

[R.E92]

I've never had errors, Slow running, it has certainly never taken any where near 20 minutes to do a full ECU write with the Bcables one I have, sounds more like a marketing ploy to me.

Free EasyBMWTools https://mega.nz/#!kAASwa7I!AJLVnnEBwLgz ... ofE-TBYGmk

EasyBMWTools is basically :

- Inpa 5.0.6 (with English script files & Support for F-series)
- EDIABAS 7.3.0
- NCS Expert (with English menus and buttons, and NCS Dummy Profile pre-installed)
- NCS Dummy 4.0.1
- Tool32 4.0.3
- WinKFP 5.3.1
- Integrated SP-DATEN v53.3
- BMW Coding Tool v2.5.0 (for use as an alternative to NCS Dummy, or to update DATEN files as new ones become available)
- USB Drivers for cable

I tried lots of different versions/downloads before this but couldn't get them to work. I'm using Windows10

Some useful links........
https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showt ... p?t=879366
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/show ... NCS-Expert
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh ... NCS-Expert

Your E85 uses the old KLINE protocol so there is no benefit for you. The OP has a E89 with modules that require DCAN so is going to notice the wonky DCAN translation.

It's well understood that using the traditional DCAN cables like the bcables one is risky for flashing certain modules on DCAN and suicidal for MOST bus modules whereas the Bimmergeeks cable will do all. Bimmergeeks won't advertise MOST bus flashing using their cable but I'm yet to see a failure from their cables and many experienced coders across ECU programming sites will openly recommend using the BG cable for flashing the CIC iDrive unit.

Doing a full write of the MSD81 ECU in my 35i with MHD will take 20min on a standard cable and 10min with the BG cable. A partial write normally takes 2min, but the BG cable cuts that down to 1min.
Even diagnostic functions with ISTA+ are faster. Every single operation that involves talking to modules is twice as fast.

The BG cable works out at £41 after shipping. The bcables one is £33. If OP wants a cable for doing some hobbyist work then for an additional £8 he is getting the best cable on the market rather than a the kind of standard cable available on eBay.

This thread highlights the troubles associated with standard cables: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1380533

Thread here on bimmerfest also echoing the advantages of the cable: https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showt ... p?t=976542

[eff1guy]

@ R.E92 Am interested in getting the BG cable, will it and the downloads work on a Win10 laptop?

[R.E92]

@ R.E92 Am interested in getting the BG cable, will it and the downloads work on a Win10 laptop?

I know BMW Standard Tools will work on Win10 but I personally use a virtual machine for programming. I would recommend that anyone intending on doing coding just download the coding VM from here: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1220039

INPA and WinKFP that form part of the standard tools that are included with most cables are great but I just prefer the nice shiny GUI and documentation that ISTA provides and that VM comes with ISTA all ready to go.

[Keet]

Thanks for the advice, a new Bimmergeeks cable will shortly be making it's way over the Atlantic

[GuidoK]

You can get that same cable delivered for about £10,- from aliexpress....

Its all the same chinese stuff.
easy money for all those rebadgers.

[R.E92]

You can get that same cable delivered for about £10,- from aliexpress....

Its all the same chinese stuff.
easy money for all those rebadgers.

That's not strictly true. The cables may be produced in China but are not the same.

You have an E85 so only need a basic Kline cable but it's still possible to end up with a cheap cable without a genuine FTDI chip. Cables with non-genuine FTDI chips had a problem recently where Microsoft updated the drivers for the FTDI chip in Windows and it bricked all non-genuine cables. (see here https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/01/3 ... its_again/)

For E89 owners there is the real possibility that the Aliexpress cable doesn't actually support DCAN even though the listing says it does. This is the most common problem that people ahve when buying unbranded cables online.

Also as I've explained, the bimmergeeks cable is not the same as the Aliexpress ones. The logic in one of the chips (the one that manages the conversion into DCAN) has been changed and they are the only cable seller currently able to do that.

It would be nice if people didn't spout bullshit on forums. Less people would be mislead by uninformed opinions.

[GuidoK]

you have any proof of that?

I know there are a few versions on aliexpress, you need to get the one with the mulit way switch, that supports both kkl and D-can fully.

I know the issue wiht the ftdi chip (eevblog did an interesting article), but that particular software update has been recalled by the manufacturer long long ago (there were serious legal issues with that one had they continued to roll that out), so thats not an issue anymore (and who says the other cables have geniune ftdi chips? You checked that with ftdi? Thats the only way to know)

I have first hand experience that the aliexpress ones support dcan on an e89 without any problem, with ISTA-d and ISTA-p (thus ediabas 7.3.0) without a bulky vm image btw, you can run it directly if you know how to config it all properly, so I highly doubt the bimmergeeks claim (is it bimmergeeks claim? I mean your claim). I had no problem communicating with all modules. On a crappy 4 year old tablet even.

[R.E92]

you have any proof of that?

I know there are a few versions on aliexpress, you need to get the one with the mulit way switch, that supports both kkl and D-can fully.

I know the issue wiht the ftdi chip (eevblog did an interesting article), but that particular software update has been recalled by the manufacturer long long ago (there were serious legal issues with that one had they continued to roll that out), so thats not an issue anymore (and who says the other cables have geniune ftdi chips? You checked that with ftdi? Thats the only way to know)

I have first hand experience that the aliexpress ones support dcan on an e89 without any problem, with ISTA-d and ISTA-p (thus ediabas 7.3.0) without a bulky vm image btw, you can run it directly if you know how to config it all properly, so I highly doubt the bimmergeeks claim (is it bimmergeeks claim? I mean your claim). I had no problem communicating with all modules. On a crappy 4 year old tablet even.

Not all aliexpress cables come from the same source. Some may work with DCAN, but not all. Unreliable unbranded ebay and aliexpress cables is a common topic and one of the main reasons for people struggling to get BMW tools working.

The flashing speed of the BG cable is not an opinion, it's proven and has been tested by countless users who've purchased the cable. I posted some links above which you can read through, lots of your doubts have already been covered in this very thread. These threads also cover the issue of flashing modules which normal cables can't. You can do your own research on the cables and if you find something to backup your assumption that all cables are equal and the speed claims of the BG cable are fabricated then let me know.

The coding sections of bimmerpost and bimmerfest are all full of users who get shafted with cheap aliexpress/ebay cables and also full of shining reviews of the BG cable. Maybe you think it's all a conspiracy?

[GuidoK]

The 2 links you posted from the bg cable are 1/2 page topics from which 1 only the TS posted 1 post reporting he f***ed up and bg helped him. (the other topic is just a notification that someone bought it)
What the actual cause was is in no way clear, they might as well helped him with the software at the same time. That he didnt elaborate on that is probably because he doesnt have the knowledge for that.
Nowhere you post an in depth review, analyzing the circuit board by someone who actually knows what he's doing/has decent knowledge of electronics. So its all heresay. What was that you were talking about bullshit spread around on forums?!?

The point is that for every bg cable probably a million aliexpress cables are sold, That is also to users who absolutely have no idea how it all works. Those are the reports of users getting shafted. not by a non working cable but by lack of intelligence or knowledge.

Come with some in depth information on what exactly is different between the 2 cables on a component level scale and then we can talk like experts.