We build and test our own OBD-II hardware on a bench before it goes near a car. If you make dongles, apps, telematics units or repair tools, or you teach diagnostics, we offer three things from that bench: an OBD-II ECU simulator, CAN bus and OBD-II signal analysis, and custom CAN bus devices for trucks, equipment and other machines.
By enquiry only. There are no prices or lead times on this page: every job starts with a short call and a written scope and quote.
An early bench rig we built for our own testing. Available to selected partners. Buy or lease terms by enquiry.
A CAN node (a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W with a CAN transceiver board) sits on a bench bus and answers standard OBD-II requests: live data (mode 01), stored trouble codes and clearing them (modes 03 and 04), and vehicle information (mode 09), including a multi-frame VIN.
Alongside its replies it broadcasts periodic frames: seven streams at 10 ms to 1 s intervals, about 286 frames a second in total. A stress mode pushes the load toward 2,000 frames a second, to see how a device copes with a busy bus.
The software simulator models the engine and drivetrain, so RPM, speed, load, coolant and intake temperatures, fuel level and battery voltage move together the way they do in a car. Scenarios include idle, city, highway, hard acceleration and a cold start.
Set a trouble code and check that the device under test reports it; clear it and check that it notices. For apps, the simulator also speaks the ELM327 command set over TCP, so you can test without any hardware.
Bench testing, signal decoding and technical consulting for teams building on the OBD-II port, backed by our own library of recordings from real cars. It's the same work we do for our own device.
Capture from a vehicle's OBD-II port or a bench bus, then decode it: which IDs appear, how often, and what they carry.
For the vehicles on your list that you provide or we can get to: which standard PIDs each one supports, and how it reports and clears trouble codes.
Many newer cars put a gateway between the OBD-II port and the internal buses, so the port shows far less than the car carries. We document what gets through, and how often.
A written test plan for a dongle or telematics unit: what to check on the bench, what needs a real car, and what a pass looks like.
We record real cars in listen-only mode and keep our own library of what each one sends, growing with every car we capture. We decode the signals your project needs: which messages carry them, how they scale, and how often they update.
A control module on our bench, out of the car: we identify it, read its identification and stored codes, and check that it communicates before it goes into a vehicle. Useful for used and replacement modules. We don't remap or tune ECUs, and we don't touch emissions controls.
On the recent production car we test with, the OBD-II port sits behind a gateway: we saw about 6 frames a second there. Most of the car's traffic stays behind the gateway. That's worth knowing before you design a product that only listens to the port.
We capture in listen-only mode, so the capture device doesn't transmit onto the car's bus. Anything that has to transmit is tested on the bench first.
Our own device reads the OBD-II port on light-duty vehicles. If your machines run on CAN bus in some other way, we'd like to build something for them: hardware and firmware developed for your equipment, by project.
SAE J1939 through the 9-pin diagnostic connector: engine hours, fault codes, fuel use and the other data your fleet needs, logged or sent where you want it.
Construction and farm machines, generators and industrial gear on J1939, ISOBUS (ISO 11783) or CANopen: reading, logging and alerts for the signals that matter to you.
Engines and systems on NMEA 2000, which is built on CAN: monitoring and logging devices for boats and vessels.
Uncrewed aircraft, ground equipment and bench or test-stand setups on CAN-based protocols such as DroneCAN or CANaerospace. For crewed aircraft, see the note below.
We start from your machine and what you want to know from it, agree the scope in writing, then build and test on our bench before anything connects to your equipment. Where we can, a device only listens to the bus; anything that has to transmit is proven on the bench first.
Custom work is by quote, like everything on this page. We'll tell you plainly if something isn't a good fit.
Crewed aircraft: anything installed on a certified aircraft needs airworthiness approval from Transport Canada or the FAA. We don't make certified avionics. We can help with bench work, ground testing and data analysis around it.
Nothing is charged, and no hardware changes hands, until you've agreed to a written scope.
Tell us what you're building and what you need, with the form below. A few sentences is enough.
We talk it through and work out whether we're the right fit. If we're not, we'll say so.
What's included, what isn't, and the price, in writing, before any work starts. For the simulator, that covers whether you buy or lease it.
You'll work with Gerrit van Rensburg, Founder of Tachwise, who builds and runs the bench. About Gerrit.
It depends on what you need, so there are no prices or lead times on this page. After a short call you get a written quote. Buy and lease terms for the simulator are both by enquiry.
No. It's an early bench rig for development and testing. It isn't a certified test instrument, and we don't claim it complies with any standard.
The simulator and the signal analysis cover light-duty vehicles with an OBD-II port: cars, SUVs, pickups and vans. For heavy trucks (SAE J1939) and other CAN bus equipment, including off-road, farm, marine and uncrewed aircraft, we take on custom device builds by project.
Tachwise is small, and each simulator is an early rig built by hand. We take on work where it's a good fit and where we can support it properly.
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