Frequently Asked Questions
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light with an occasional red blink means that the StarSCAN tool is running off of the vehicle’s
battery and charging its internal battery. Note: on boot up, the StarSCAN tool may take a few
seconds to recognize that vehicle battery is present.
If you don’t see a green light, then check all of your cable connections from the StarSCAN tool
to the DLC. Also check that the vehicle’s battery voltage is at least 10.5 Volts. This is the
approximate voltage at which the StarSCAN tool will switch from vehicle power to internal
battery power for most of its hardware. Vehicle communications hardware on the StarSCAN
tool would still draw off of vehicle power and function above 6 Volts. If all of these conditions
are met and you are still having trouble communicating, then try a different vehicle.
If vehicle battery is present, the StarSCAN tool will attempt to identify the cable attached to it.
Currently, there are 2 types of cables that can be connected to the StarSCAN vehicle connector.
They are the standard vehicle communications cable and the MDS2 Power Supply Cable. The
MDS2 Power Supply Cable is used only to apply power to the StarSCAN tool and can’t be used
for communications. So, the StarSCAN tool will not attempt to communicate with a vehicle if
that cable is attached to it. In order to connect to a vehicle, you must use the standard vehicle
communications cable and hook it up to the DLC of the vehicle.
Once the cable identification has identified a valid communications cable, the StarSCAN tool will
attempt to identify the vehicle. If it is not successful identifying the vehicle, a screen will pop up
asking you to tell the StarSCAN tool what vehicle you are connected to. Only vehicles
supported by the StarSCAN software will be shown in the list. Note: It is required that the
vehicle’s ignition be placed in the ‘Run’ position prior to connecting to a vehicle. If this is not,
then the automated identification process on CAN vehicles may not work properly.
Sometimes, communication problems between the vehicle and diagnostic tools are due to
problems with the vehicle cable, the DLC connector, or some internal wiring fault. The
StarSCAN tool has the ability to detect some of the common faults that can occur on the
Diagnostic CAN-C bus, which runs from the DLC to the CGW (Central Gateway Module which is
usually the FCM). Note that most, but not all vehicles have a Diagnostic CAN-C bus. Faults
that can be detected by the StarSCAN tool include open circuits, shorts to ground and battery,
and bus wires shorted to each other. The Diagnostic CAN-C bus can be diagnosed by going
into “Network View” and then pressing the “Diag CAN-C” button. This will bring up a screen
containing fault information and controls to rerun the bus test used to determine these faults.
Note that all fault information on this screen needs to be manually verified by using the proper
diagnostic procedures.
The automated identification of vehicles will immediately load the year, model, engine, and VIN
from the vehicle. This information can be seen on the left side of the title bar.
How do I View StarSCAN recordings on the PC using StarMOBILE Desktop Client?
Follow the step-by-step instructions below:
1. Turn on the StarSCAN tool and allow the application to load up the home screen. Select
More Options, then View Recordings, then select a recording.
