Measurement Computing DBK70 - Manual (Page 33)

PidPRO & PidPRO+ 919092 5-3
Introduction
PidPRO is a Windows-based software application, which was created for use with the DBK70 Vehicle
Network Interface. The user-friendly application is used to:
o Set up the DBK70 hardware to capture and report vehicle network data.
o Manage databases of network parameter identifiers (PIDs).
o Monitor the network and display network traffic.
o Record and display network parameter values.
PIDs, Analog Output Channels, and Virtual Channels
The DBK70 uses channels to capture and report network information. The captured information is
converted to an analog output voltage and to an ASCII text format. A DBK70 can have up to 16 analog
output channels for monitoring network parameters, one parameter per channel. In addition to analog
output channels, the DBK70 can have virtual channels.
Virtual channels are setup and operated in the same manner as analog output channels, but with no
associated analog output. When a virtual channel is configured, its value is reported as an ASCII string on
the RS-232 port. No analog output port is updated as a result of this.
The process of monitoring a network parameter includes the following events:
(1) A parameter identifier (PID) is assigned to each analog output channel. Each PID includes a
header filter and information on how to decipher the attached data.
(2) Each DBK70 channel monitors the network. The system searches for a header that satisfies
the filter criteria.
(3) Once a match is discovered, the DBK70 reports the value as a proportional analog output and
also reports the value on its RS-232 port as an ASCII string.
Using DBK70 and PidPRO to Acquire Data from a Vehicle Network