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Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:20 pm

What information did the "VW Computer Analysis System" show? What type of equipment did VW dealers have to plug into the "test network socket" in the engine compartment. Are any of these still in existance?

Has anybody explored interfacing the "test network socket" with a modern computer....might be a fun project?

Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:40 pm

Hiya ksb,

The VW Diagnostic Computer System would spill out results in about 70 individual tests. The exact number would vary with the model of vehicle being tested. About half of these tests were actually visual inspections done by the technician and entered into the computer system.

The Computer System itself was actually a number of components housed in a frame. There were a couple of other units (wheel alignment and headlight adjust), but, in truth, when one thinks of the VW Diagnostic Computer System (Oh boy, let's plug it in and get a readout!) its the "framed" components one is thinking of.

I have most of that Computer System, although it is, by no means, complete. Check this....................

This is the heart of the system, the CPU. The blue panel in the front is the card reader. The tech would insert a plastic card (software) which would program the computer through the tests of a given model. Immediate test results would be read out in the digital display on the right. Most test results were of the go - no go variety.

Another Sambaite, Tron is considering playing around with the idea of hooking up a laptop to the diagnostic plug. You might want to contact him for details.

Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:09 am

I've been around VWs for over 25 years now, and that is the first time I have ever seen a VW Diagnostic "Computer". Thanks, Bookwus.
Bradford

Mon Oct 01, 2007 5:00 am

Bookwus wrote: Hiya ksb,

The VW Diagnostic Computer System would spill out results in about 70 individual tests. The exact number would vary with the model of vehicle being tested. About half of these tests were actually visual inspections done by the technician and entered into the computer system.

The Computer System itself was actually a number of components housed in a frame. There were a couple of other units (wheel alignment and headlight adjust), but, in truth, when one thinks of the VW Diagnostic Computer System (Oh boy, let's plug it in and get a readout!) its the "framed" components one is thinking of.

I have most of that Computer System, although it is, by no means, complete. Check this....................

This is the heart of the system, the CPU. The blue panel in the front is the card reader. The tech would insert a plastic card (software) which would program the computer through the tests of a given model. Immediate test results would be read out in the digital display on the right. Most test results were of the go - no go variety.

Another Sambaite, Tron is considering playing around with the idea of hooking up a laptop to the diagnostic plug. You might want to contact him for details.

This is a real piece of VW history. Where did you get that thing?

Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:07 am

I have a few of the printouts where the diagnostics were done on my '72.

Here's one of them:

Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:27 am

I actually used the diagnostic plug this weekend.

I set up two switches, so I wouldn't have to keep going back up to the key: one is a momentary, the other is an on off toggle.

I hooked + to one side of each switch. The other side of the momentary goes to pin 30, the other side of the toggle goes to 13.

So when I need to start and run the car from in back, I switch on 13 (power to ignition) and then press the momentarily switch to power the starter.Zoom. And I'm sitting at the back by the engine the whole time.

M

Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:49 am

Hiya row,

I landed the computer shown and a bunch of ancillary parts from an e-Bay auction quite some time ago. My intention was to restore the system but, in truth, it has been languishing out in the shop for the past few years now.

Scott: Neat! Although I have the blank form, this is the first one I have seen that was actually printed out. Very cool!

Web: That is outta sight! As I understand it, remote starting was a function used in the original set-up. Too bad more folks didn't take the time to play around with their diagnostic plug before ripping it out. A built-in (so to speak) remote starter.

Mon Oct 01, 2007 8:03 am

A friend on mine used the remote start to start up his bug and had no key or setup in the car itself.
Like a security feature. Hop in it to steal it and there's no place to stick a key, LOL.

Update:
I hit my buddy up on yahoo, he said he has made a plug that he puts in the port. Then when he gets in he flips some switches and pushes a button to start it. Great anti-theft device!

Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:03 am

Wow, that engine's oil temperature was running at 948 degrees Centigrade :shock: :wink: That must be 94.8 degrees, which would be about 203°F

Thanks for posting the computer report, I've never seen one before either, and have always wanted to see what it looked like.
-Andy

Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:25 pm

I'm not really trying to take it off topic

The readout, it says

ADJUST the BRAKES

it doesn't say retrofit discs, or bleed the brakes, it says adjust them.

Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:59 pm

webwalker wrote: I actually used the diagnostic plug this weekend.

I set up two switches, so I wouldn't have to keep going back up to the key: one is a momentary, the other is an on off toggle.

I hooked + to one side of each switch. The other side of the momentary goes to pin 30, the other side of the toggle goes to 13.

So when I need to start and run the car from in back, I switch on 13 (power to ignition) and then press the momentarily switch to power the starter.Zoom. And I'm sitting at the back by the engine the whole time.

M

Very clever.

Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:48 pm

What some one may want to do is try and build an emulation software that mimics the original Diag computer. The cool part would be that it could have different settings for different models , t4, t3, bus, ecet.

The biggest hurdle is that a modern computer or laptop would not be able to handle the currents generated by the Diag plug. One would need to construct an adapter that steps the voltages down and then translates the signal into lets say a USB plug. This could then be plugged into the computer running the emulator and it could then give a virtual print out.

Wed Oct 26, 2016 11:24 pm

Such a cool thread! Love the info on here. Did anyone ever make an attempt to write a software program?