Diagnostic tool. INPA & K+DCAN cable. Review

[ponchi101]

In the box:
Cable K+DCAN
Software (INPA).



Overview.
The cable is what can be bought, via Amazon or other sources. The software comes in a regular CD, which contains multiple folders and files. The software is in one of them.
The important thing is the cable. After much manipulation, I was able to load up the software in the CD, but it was very tiresome. I did that in an XP machine. However, looking around the web, two sites offer the software:
Our friends at bimmergeeks.net
Do a search in YouTube for "The EASIEST Setup Guide INPA and NCS EXPERT". This video includes links to the software. I tested them and they are clean of viruses.
The good news is that after being told that INPA can ONLY run in Windows XP, the software downloaded from geeks or Mike's BMW tools runs easily in W10, and the setup is solely a matter of clicking SETUP.EXE files and let them run. The instructions to download the drivers for the cable are also easy to follow, but these are in the CD and work, so you can go either way. Last, all pieces of software bring the precise instructions to make sure the cable runs properly, which is a simple act of opening Windows' DEVICE MANAGER, finding the PORT settings (with the cable plugged to your machine) and making sure that the port used is COM1 and that the latency is set up to 1.

 

[ponchi101]

Software use.
INPA looks very easy to use, but it lacks any GUI. You work a lot with F keys, but these are on the screen. One issue is that although the software loads in English, once you get to the second or third menu you run into German. Get ready to use google.translate or call cousin Willhem for advice.

The software frequently brings error messages, which you simply ignore. I suspect that some of the errors I am seeing is because I am testing the software on an American X3.
One good thing is that TRUE error messages are easy to clean, and these would be, I gather, the bulk of the use for the majority of users. The reports for errors are more detailed than what my Creator 310+ scanner gives, as well as what Scanner 1.4 delivers.

One thing of importance is that the K+DCAN cable recommended MUST have a switch, as some vehicles need to be switched. Simple K+DCAN may not work, according to the video recommended.
However, I have tried to load and run DISv57, to no avail. I have found a couple of videos in Turkish and Russian, but the one software I downloaded took me a long time to set up and did not work. Worst part of it, it claims that it needs to run on Windows XP, but then it loads VMware, a virtual machine software which then loads a virtual machine IN WINDOWS XP. Why this redundancy I can't tell, but I gather that it is the reason why DISv57 won't run. Plus, of course, it makes the software very heavy.

 

[ponchi101]

Summary

I really can't tell if INPA is more complete than Scanner 1.4, as the softwares are very different, but INPA looks able to do a lot of things and the other softwares complement INPA. Together with INPA, all downloaded software comes also with BMW coding tool, NCS Expert and WinKFP, which are multiple pieces of software. As the names tell you, you can code and perform more functions than with Scanner 1.4. Seeing as you really don't need W_XP for INPA, this a plus as you can simply load it in your regular laptop.
By now, I gather than if you want it all, get a small portable scanner for easy checkups, and then decide between Scanner 1.4 or INPA. The prices for the last two are very similar (excluding the XP loaded laptop) and you get a lot of tools to use when you download INPA, from either site.
The cons for INPA are:
Its tendency to reset to German, which I gather that after a while you will get used to. As long as you understand the german words for ERROR and CLEAN ERRORS, you will get by.
As usual, no users' manual, but there are some videos online.
Make sure to get the right cable, or maybe your vehicle will not be serviced (which should not be a case as we are all driving Z's here).

 

[ponchi101]

Got home and, to my surprise, INPA will not work on my E85. The software claims that there is a HARDWARE failure, although it worked perfectly well on my X3(E83).
Truly clueless as to what may have happened.

 

[GuidoK]

Truly clueless as to what may have happened.

Do you have the right switch setting?
It might be different from your x3; KKL afaik needs a different switch setting than Dcan.

INPA obviously works with the E85 Z4; I've been using it for over 12 years nw :lol:

 

[ponchi101]

...

Do you have the right switch setting?
It might be different from your x3; KKL afaik needs a different switch setting than Dcan.

INPA obviously works with the E85 Z4; I've been using it for over 12 years nw :lol:

Went back inside, checked my laptop and for some reason, the DCAN port switched from COM1 to COM4. I think that must be it.

 

[GuidoK]

Yes if the com port numbers don't match the parameters in the ini files, it won't work.

 

[colb]

Fair review of the systems mentioned, I have the same, quite like BMW Scanner 1.4 and my handheld Creator 310+ resort to INPA when I want to look at live data in detail just annoys me when it displays in German. Have used NCS Expert to code an airbag module after getting my head around how to do it watching youtube videos.