mqb ignition

al70 said:

here's a tool to switch on mqb clusters on the bench even without a gateway, works with passthru dev...

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Thanks for sharing, mate. Rep+ added.

Always good to have a lightweight solution for MQB clusters without needing to wire up a Gateway or use expensive tools just to wake it up.

A couple of questions for those looking to test:

• Have you tested this with common J2534 devices like Tactrix Openport 2.0 or Scanmatik 2 Pro?
• Does it just send the CAN wake-up frame (usually ID
  Code:

  0x475

  or similar) to keep the bus active, or does it actually simulate the Terminal 15 status so we can communicate via OBD?

I'll try to test it later on a Virtual Cockpit I have on the bench and report back.

i haven't tested yet but it has been tested with original openport, there's a document in the zip with some instructions

al70 said:

i haven't tested yet but it has been tested with original openport, there's a document in the zip wi...

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Thanks for the update.

If it works with the original Openport, it likely uses standard J2534 API calls, so it *should* theoretically work with good clones or other Passthru devices like SM2 Pro or Mongoose as well.

I'll download it, check the included docs, and test it out on a Golf 7 cluster I have lying around. It's definitely handy if it saves setting up a full bench rig with a Gateway just to check mileage or coding.

Will report back with results.

anyone test the mqb ignition ?

al70 said:

anyone test the mqb ignition ?

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I haven't managed to hook it up to the physical cluster yet, got buried in work today.

However, I took a quick look at the software structure. It seems to be a simple J2534 wrapper.

For those wondering how this works technically: On the MQB platform, the cluster (J285) waits for a specific CAN message from the Gateway/BCM to know that "Ignition is ON" (Terminal 15). Usually, this is CAN ID 0x3C0 or similar depending on the year. Without this message repeating on the bus, the cluster stays dark or goes to sleep immediately to save power.

This tool likely just blasts that CAN frame periodically to keep the cluster awake.

A word of caution for clone users:
If you are using a clone Tactrix (especially the cheaper ones), be careful. Some of these third-party tools try to access the J2534 DLL in ways that can sometimes brick a clone if the firmware/driver versions mismatch. Always safer to test with a device that has robust drivers like SM2 Pro or a genuine Openport.

I will try to test with Scanmatik 2 Pro this weekend and let you know if it works or if it's hardcoded for Tactrix only.