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How about listing and selling a Mini VCI ?

Discussion in 'PriusChat Shop Forum' started by AzWxGuy, Jun 5, 2016.

  1. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

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    Checked the 90-some posts, no mention. Sure would be nice to be able to order the recommended cable and TechStream software, and produce a small profit for PriusChat. The Amazon page is just confusing to me, all sorts of protocols and 16- or 22-pin OBD. Some come with a CD but no mention of what is on that CD. I get the feeling the version of TechStream you need to find is perhaps pirated. Help us out, huh PC?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not sure they are legal. chinese knock off's?
     
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The real Mini-VCI hardware was made by XHorse. Most of the Mini-VCI hardware people are buying isn't straight from XHorse, and they're typically used to run Techstream software not straight from Toyota. Not surprising if PriusChat-the-business wants to keep a distance.

    If I remember correctly (I don't have a link ATM, could be wrong), you can't even buy real Mini-VCI hardware any more, the counterfeits drove XHorse out of the business. Counterfeits are all that's left, some work better than others, they all say "Mini VCI" on the label.

    For anyone who has a preference to support original engineering, I have read about success using the Tactrix Openport (it is another adapter implementing the same J2534 standard, so it could be reasonably expected to work). Tactrix (in San Francisco) still builds, documents, and supports it. (Even they face a wave of counterfeits, if you want to avoid that you basically have to buy from their website. Anything you see elsewhere may be fake, especially if the price is too good.)

    Of course a preference to support domestic original R&D and production has a price, as usual; a genuine OpenPort's about $170, where the counterfeit Mini VCIs seem to be in the $20 range. (And of course if Tactrix sells you an Openport, it's not going to come with a copy of Techstream....)

    -Chap
     
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  4. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

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    Thanks for the synopsis Chap. Unfortunate that there doesn't appear to be an economical solution. I certainly will not be supporting any pirated software. I do have a premium OBD II/CAN reader that can tell me quite a bit, so I will just have to make do.
     
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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