Help identifying IC, automotive product at Home Depot - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: NaDobraNich
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2025, 05:46:10 pm
content: https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=YnmdsqhZKHGWZP0YybWsaQ%3D%3D&fcc_id=2BGBLA140AIt's a Gearbench OBD2 scanner. Their site says STM32, but that's a lie and it appears to be an LPC54S0.I see:* the micro on the right, LPC54S0* unidentified IC on the left JCCU25NTM (INTERIOR PHOTOS page5). Has build date maybe. And a crystal. I can't figure out what it is.* BLE RealTek chip.* Standalonne SMPS near the connector.* SPI Memory near BLE* I do not see a CAN Transceiver, maybe inside the "custom" chip?I wonder if this is some modern "ELM" chip they're using for the CAN side, instead of just doing the protocol work on the LPC that is more than qualified to handle it?Very confusing.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2025, 10:37:40 pm
content: https://www.gearwrench.com/all-tools/shop-equipment-tool-sets/diagnostic-testing/gwsmartbt-professional-bi-directional-diagnostic-scan-toolThe memory spec matchesLPC siteso I guess some marketing typoMemory : 4MB+360 KBAs you say the custom IC is likely handling all of the CAN/etc signaling, whether it does protocol or just hardware layer and pass on to the LPC, don't know.Something like this:https://www.obdsol.com/solutions/chips/stn2100/

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2025, 01:01:30 am
content: Quote from: NaDobraNich on September 05, 2025, 05:46:10 pmThe ELM327 must be one of the most cloned, hacked, and bodged devices in existence. It's not so much a device as a label applied to random SoCs that someone has shovelled some ODB2 code into. So don't believe any claims from vendors or on web sites, you pretty much need to pull the hardware apart to see what your "ELM" really is.

author: NaDobraNich
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2025, 12:27:57 am
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on September 06, 2025, 01:01:30 amYes, agreed. That's why I wrote "ELM".

author: NaDobraNich
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2025, 12:30:16 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on September 05, 2025, 10:37:40 pmThing is... Why? The NXP chip they chose has CAN-FD modules. It's got to be a ton harder to deploy a second IC that is a combined CAN Transceiver and CAN protocol layer then micro to micro comm to it, than just to put the protocols on the business logic chip.I just don't understand. It's not like UDS and KWP are difficult or rare. I'm sure with the ELM chips being so hacked, that there is a software implementation they could have used.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2025, 12:40:00 am
content: Quote from: NaDobraNich on September 10, 2025, 12:30:16 amNot necessarily, if an off the shelf chip exists that handled all of these protocols and has been verified to work, it might be the simpler solution. Don't forget there is some unique hardware in there too, its not just CAN.Look at all of these ICs used to replace the one IC they had:https://docs.macchina.cc/product-documentation/m2-docs/detailed-reference/interfaces3 CAN, 2 LIN, 1 J1850, etc.

author: NaDobraNich
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2025, 03:27:30 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on September 10, 2025, 12:40:00 amI wasn't thinking about J1850 and K line... That's fair. I can't see anywhere they mention it, but yes they only say OBD2 which may be older vehicles. They don't say either way, but this does make sense. Thanks for that.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2025, 10:52:50 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on September 10, 2025, 12:40:00 amI'd guessed something vaguely similar, that the SoC was some ancient non-upgradeable ELM327 clone and the external CAN device was a kludge to allow it to handle things the original ELM couldn't via a bump-in-the-stack addon. I've seen various legacy devices get "upgraded" in this manner.

author: NaDobraNich
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2025, 05:15:40 pm
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on September 11, 2025, 10:52:50 amMaybe. The CAN on the LPC has no transceiver. If that protocols and transceiver and etc chip has a "bypass" to allow the user to use an internal CAN and an external, maybe the LPC's CAN could be hooked up. Otherwise, it seems that the LPC was just selected for it's crypto and memory maybe. If it's CAN isn't hooked up, I don't know why they would select that chip specifically.But, my question is approximately answered. Likely some big fancy ELM-like chip.