Bimcom: User Manual
Bimcom: User Manual
com/bimcom
BimCOM
User manual
www.obdtester.com/bimcom
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BimCOM user manual www.obdtester.com/bimcom
SECONS Ltd. is not connected with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG in any way.
SECONS Ltd. is not liable for damages caused by using of BimCOM software.
Please read carefully this user manual before using the BimCOM software.
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Table of Contents
1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................5
1.1 BimCOM Key features............................................................................................................5
1.2 Software updates......................................................................................................................5
2 BimCOM software and driver installation......................................................................................6
2.1 Microsoft Windows operating systems....................................................................................6
2.2 Microsoft Windows 8 driver installation.................................................................................7
2.3 Interface busy issue [Microsoft Windows]..............................................................................8
2.4 GNU/Linux System.................................................................................................................8
3 First steps.......................................................................................................................................11
4 BMW/Mini Diagnostic connectors................................................................................................12
4.1 OBD-II connector..................................................................................................................12
4.2 20pin connector......................................................................................................................12
4.3 10-pin motorbike connector...................................................................................................13
5 Settings..........................................................................................................................................14
6 Connecting to control units...........................................................................................................16
6.1 Model selection......................................................................................................................16
6.2 ECU variant selection dialog.................................................................................................16
6.3 “Missing” ECUs....................................................................................................................17
6.4 Communication protocols......................................................................................................18
7 Auto-Scan......................................................................................................................................19
8 Diagnostic functions......................................................................................................................20
8.1 Control Unit Identification.....................................................................................................21
8.2 Read fault code memory........................................................................................................22
8.3 Clear Fault Codes...................................................................................................................22
8.4 Freeze Frame..........................................................................................................................23
8.5 Measured values....................................................................................................................24
8.5.1 Graph display.................................................................................................................24
8.5.2 Display 3x3....................................................................................................................24
8.5.3 Display list.....................................................................................................................24
8.5.4 Save to log......................................................................................................................24
8.6 Actuators activation...............................................................................................................25
8.7 Coding and programming functions (commands).................................................................26
8.7.1 Service reset and Condition based service.....................................................................26
8.7.2 Battery replacement.......................................................................................................26
8.7.3 DDE (Diesel) injector coding........................................................................................27
8.7.4 DPF regeneration...........................................................................................................27
8.7.5 ECU Reset......................................................................................................................27
8.8 ECU Configuration (“ECU Coding”)....................................................................................28
8.8.1 Edit.................................................................................................................................29
8.8.2 Hex edit..........................................................................................................................29
8.8.3 Revert to original...........................................................................................................30
8.8.4 Undo all changes............................................................................................................30
8.8.5 Go back..........................................................................................................................30
8.8.6 Load...............................................................................................................................30
8.8.7 Save................................................................................................................................30
8.8.8 Copy...............................................................................................................................30
8.8.9 Print................................................................................................................................30
8.8.10 Write configuration to ECU.........................................................................................30
9 Reporting bugs and improvement requests...................................................................................31
9.1 How to create Debug Log......................................................................................................31
9.2 How to create ECU Snapshot................................................................................................32
9.3 Unsupported control unit.......................................................................................................32
9.4 Problems with configuration..................................................................................................32
10 Known issues...............................................................................................................................33
11 Planned improvements.................................................................................................................33
BimCOM user manual www.obdtester.com/bimcom
1 Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the BimCOM diagnostic interface and software. BimCOM is
professional tool for diagnostics of BMW / Mini vehicles. Please read carefully this User Manual
before using the product.
We hope you'll find our products useful. In case you have any questions, problems or
feedback please contact as at support@secons.com. We're here to help!
List of supported cars and control units including diagnosis capability is available at
http://www.obdtester.com/bimcom-eculist
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4. Choose your destination folder for the BimCOM and click Install button and after successful
installation click Close button.
BimCOM drivers are automatically updated during the BimCOM installation. When prompted to
install „unsigned“ drivers, click on Install this driver software anyway (Microsoft® Windows® 7)
or Continue Anyway (Microsoft® Windows® XP).
Microsoft® Windows® will automatically install drivers when you plug-in the BimCOM to USB
port. Driver installation isn't required for operation on GNU/Linux system.
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In case of problem with installing drivers on Windows 8 64-bit, please follow these steps:
Windows Vista & 7 required signed all .sys files (we use usbser.sys shipped by Microsoft
with valid digital signature). Final version of Windows 8 requires also signed .inf file (which
is not in our case). The above procedure helps to override unsigned .inf file. Once driver is
installed, the program will work properly.
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Important information:
• Only Ubuntu distribution 19.10 or later is supported using this guide, however other
distributions that meet our requirements may work. For more information see
www.ubuntu.org
• The diagnostic application runs under Wine which must be installed on the system. For more
information see www.WineHQ.org
• Bluetooth connection is NOT supported natively on Linux (however with some effort you
might be able to get it running, just instead of /dev/ttyACMx device use /dev/rfcommx.
• It is highly recommended to try the diagnostic application first under Microsoft Windows
operating system to get familiar with it.
Installation procedure:
1. Wine 4.0 or later on an x86 system is required. You can install Wine on Ubuntu using “sudo
apt install wine”). You can verify Wine version by running “wine –version” from terminal. If
you are running 64-bit system you must have 32bit libraries installed (which is usually done
automatically when installing Wine from repositories). Other Debian-derived distributions
use similar commands.
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2. Add users who need to access the diagnostic interface to the ‘dialout’ group. Type “sudo
usermod -a -G dialout username” (replace ‘username’ with you username, in
the screenshot we have used ‘test’ user)
4. Install the diagnostic applications (either using correct file manager association or from
terminal, e.g. “wine ~/Downloads/PoCOMsetup.exe”). After the installation you should see
the diagnostic application icon on the desktop and in start menu.
5. Now you need to figure out assignments between emulated “COMx” ports and respective
Unix devices. For this we have created diagnostic script called “findcom”, which you can
run in terminal using comand “sh ~/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files\ \
(x86\)/APPNAME/findcom.sh” (replace APPNAME with actual diagnostic
application name, such as BimCOM, PoCOM, FCOM, TruckTester, etc.)
6. When you know COM port used in Wine (in the screenshots com33), configure the
diagnostic application and test the interface
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8. Optional. To override Wine's default device mapping, run wine regedit and create
string entries in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wine\Ports where the entry
name is the Windows device name and the entry value is the path to the Unix device. To
make COM1 the first USB-attached serial port, create an entry with the name COM1 and the
value /dev/ttyACM0. After editing the registry, shut down Wine with wineserver -k
and the next time Wine runs a program, your changes will take effect.
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3 First steps
1. Connect the BimCOM interface to your computer.
2. Connect the BimCOM interface to OBD-II connector in the vehicle. You can use picture
gallery for find it, available from main menu – OBD-II Connector Location button
9. If the control unit was recognized, you can use diagnostic functions now. In other case, you
must select correct type of control unit. (chapter Unrecognized Control Unit)
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Notice: This pinout applies only to BMW/Mini models. Bentley and Rolls-Royce use different
pinout, specific to each model.
If the vehicle is equipped with both OBD2 and 20-pin connector, always use 20-pin connector for
diagnostics, because OBD2 connector allows only diagnosis of powertrain systems.
Pin Description
1 Speed signal
7 Service interval
14 Battery +
15 ISO9141 L-Line
17 ISO9141 K-Line body
19 Ground
20 ISO9141 K-Line powertrain
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Pin Description
1 Terminal 15
2 Battery voltage
3 Ground
4 K-Line BMS/ABS
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5 Settings
All functions in settings are described below.
Language
Choose language of diagnostic application user interface in the drop down menu.
Units type
You can choose metric or imperial unit system for measured values.
Expert functions
Development functions - Enables additional functions under development. This setting is not saved
before program exit and will be cleared on every application start. Do not enable this option unless
requested by SECONS support staff as these functions may be dangerous to use without proper
instructions.
Expert mode – Enables additional functions such as special coding functions or additional
configuration options. These functions are intended for experienced technicians and are provided on
“AS IS” basis, with absolutely no guarantee. It is highly recommended to leave this option
unchecked. This mode also eliminates some warning messages and questions.
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Refresh - this button refreshes COM port selection drop down list. Correct COM port number
should be already chosen after connecting diagnostic interface via USB to PC and clicking on
Refresh button. If not, choose correct COM port number from the list. It is needed in order to
perform successful interface test.
Test interface – before each use of program, please test proper function of your connected
interface by clicking this button. After successful test, you can see a serial number of your interface
displayed below the COM port field, then firmware version and information about active licenses.
Activate license – this button is used for activating new license/s to use the program or special
functions. Internet connection is required. Standard license is already activated for all interfaces
before purchase.
Upgrade firmware – use this button to upgrade firmware in your diagnostic interface every time
after installing the latest software version (available at www.obdtester.com/downloads). Do not
disconnect your interface during upgrading the firmware.
Device Manager – is used to finding out correct COM port number, or to reinstall drivers. Your
device appears as “ELM-USB Interface (COMx)” under “Ports (COM & LPT)”.
Protocol settings
You can set various timings for each communication protocol. This is advanced feature used for
example when problems occur with connection to control unit caused by slower ECU response and
the like.
Restore Defaults – this button restores all modified timings of all protocols to default values.
Changing protocol settings is not required before normal use of the program. You will be
asked to make changes by our tech. support when solving your issue at support@secons.com
if necessary.
Debug functions
By clicking on Save Debug button, you can capture the latest data from elapsed communication
between control unit and program into one file. Providing this file is required only by our technical
support. Based on these data, we are able to monitor the whole process of performed operation and
its correctness.
Use of debug function is important for successful resolution of any program failure or
verifying its causes. For more information on how to proceed, please read the following
chapter #9.Reporting bugs and improvement requests.
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Some modules require fully charged battery in order to allow diagnosis. It is recommended to
perform diagnostics with vehicle connected to a battery charger.
Some control units may go to 'sleep' mode after a couple of minutes; in such case please cycle
the ignition to wake all control units up.
BimCOM may recognize control unit variant uniquely, however it is also possible that installed
ECU variant is recognized in a different model. In such case warning message is displayed and
diagnosis is possible, but we would like to ask you to send the ECU snapshot file to us in order to
examine the problem. Please read chapter 8.3 Unsupported control unit
On Bentley and Rolls-Royce some control units cannot be automatically recognized, in that case
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You can send us ECU snapshot file in order to add support for related ECU. Please see
chapter 8.3 Unsupported control unit for more information.
The following table describes which models to use for scan for additional ECUs:
If you find any ECU that is not reachable with correct model selected, please provide us with the
ECU snapshot for further BimCOM improvments. Please see chapter 8.3 Unsupported control unit
for more information.
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KW71 Used on old DME (up to 1996) and DDE (up to 3.0, year 2000)
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7 Auto-Scan
This function scans for all known ECUs in selected vehicle, and shows the list of ECUs
present in vehicle along with number of present or stored fault codes (DCTs).
Autoscan may take a while for high-end models with many control units.
When autoscan is in progress, number of discovered control units and progress is displayed. Some
models may reach even more than 50% without any found ECU.
On Bentley and Rolls-Royce models before 2005 auto-scan cannot read number of present fault
codes on some control units. Please connect manually to such ECUs to read fault codes.
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8 Diagnostic functions
You can connect to ECU by choosing control unit from list of ECUs in selected vehicle or
auto-scan listing.
If control unit was identified uniquely, diagnostic menu will be available immediately,
otherwise it is necessary to select control unit variant as described earlier in this manual.
Diagnostic menu is divided into three parts. Basic functions, Advanced functions and Expert
functions. Basic functions generally safe to use under any conditions. Please note that clearing
(deleting) fault code memory may result in additional fault codes appearance even in different
control unit(s). Also messages may appear on on-board computer display.
Advanced functions require deeper knowledge of car components. Be careful before activating any
actuators – incorrect actuation may damage vehicle components.
Expert functions may have serious consequences if used improperly. Please refer to technical
service bulletins and workshop service manuals before running any of these functions.
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Please note that many vehicles do not have programmed VIN code or other data (such as
programming date/etc).
You can print identification by clicking Print Values button or you can copy it to clipboard
by clicking Copy Values.
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"Static" error is simply the opposite of "Sporadic" and "Intermittent". When a DTC is
marked Sporadic or Intermittent, it means the fault condition that set the DTC did not exist
(or could not be detected) at time the DTC read-out was performed.
Please note that number of clearing fault codes may be limited for some control unit types.
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Please note that BimCOM is not capable of decoding freeze frames on all ECUs. In such
case raw hex dump is displayed. In order to improve this function, please report such
ECUs to support@secons.com - provide us with ECU identification data, listing from fault
code + ECU snapshot (this file can be saved in Control Unit Identification by clicking on
“Save ECU Information button”).
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Some actuators run for specified time. In such case BimCOM displays progress, but it may not be
possible to stop the actuator from application.
Make sure you understand consequences of activating ECU components. Also make sure
that activation conditions (engine idle, engine running, etc.) are met. Always consult all tests
with car repair handbook.
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Please note that this function does not perform ECU configuration (“ECU coding” in terms of
BMW DIS / ISTA / INPA / NCS EXPERT).
E6x and Fxx chassis use Condition-based service, which is variable interval service system.
CBS adjustment/reset is performed in DME/DDE, ABS/ASC/DSC, EGS, KOMBI, IHKA.
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When changing battery type it is necessary to configure battery type in CAS module.
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If no editable values are displayed, it is still possible to save or restore configuration via a file.
If complete configuration load fails for any reason, it is still possible to continue with ECU
configuration data subset.
The configuration data retrieved from the control unit are verified for validity after loading.
First check is performed to validate data consistency (such as data check-sum). If data consistency
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validation fails, prompt if you really want to continue is displayed. This usually happens only when
control unit is not yet programmed, or data are corrupt. The diagnostic application is able to fix this
problem when writing new configuration to the control unit. It is possible to continue, however
writing incorrect data to the control unit may damage either control unit or vehicle components.
Then all data are checked for validity. If invalid configuration option is found, warning message is
displayed.
Meaning of colors
Grey line Read-only value (cannot be changed)
8.8.1 Edit
This button allows you to change
currently selected value.
Detailed instructions on valid value
format and it's range is displayed.
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8.8.5 Go back
Returns back to diagnostic menu.
8.8.6 Load
Loads configuration from a file. Data file is checked if matches the connected control unit.
8.8.7 Save
Saves configuration to a configuration file (for restore or configuration transfer) or to a text file
(report).
8.8.8 Copy
Copies configuration to operating system clipboard.
8.8.9 Print
Prints configuration.
The diagnostic application will automatically adjust data checksum or other dependencies.
The control unit may reject new configuration if configuration data are not applicable (or are
generally incorrect) for the ECU. In such case writing original (unchanged) data should succeed.
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Our customers can take advantage of our full technical support for free. You can contact our
technical support at support@secons.com with any technical questions and requests.
In case you encounter to failure of any program functions (e.g. fault codes reading/clearing, coding
functions, actuator test, connecting to ECU, test interface, …), or you miss some function or some
function does not work sufficiently, please follow the steps below.
Note:
Before sending support request for failing operation, please make sure you have met all conditions
required for the operation (e.g. you are entering correct data, correct engine temperature for DPF
regeneration, correct number of keys for engine start, etc).
In case of communication issues we recommend to check diagnostic plug connection and retry
procedure at least once, connection problems may result in erratic communication issues.
Please, prepare the following data in your email before sending your request to our technical
support:
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In case you are prompted with “Unrecognized control unit” window and:
– the installed ECU is not available in the listing
– or you are not sure which control unit to choose
– or you wish to get the ECU automatically properly identified in next BimCOM version
– or you just want to help us to improve BimCOM
We will be more than happy to add any unsupported or unrecognized control unit to next BimCOM
version. We are usually able to do this within one or two working days based on so called “ECU
snapshot file”:
From “Unrecognized ECU” window or “Control Unit Identification” window (after connecting to
ECU), please click on “Save ECU Information” button and save the file to your computer.
Please send the generated file(s) to support@secons.com.
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10 Known issues
11 Planned improvements
The following improvements of user interface are planned for next release:
− Resizable windows
− Font size change option
− Screenshot to PDF or PNG
− Live data logging improvements
− Connection to online services
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