Hardware

owa5X Data Logger

The current VDS data logger is the Owasys owa5X. It records CAN, XCP/CCP, UDS and OBD traffic, carries a GPS receiver and a cellular modem, and is powered from the vehicle at 9 to 36 V DC.

owa5X physical overview owa5X dimensions

Status LEDs

The two software-controlled LEDs on the top of the owa5X show the connection state of the logger:

LED Meaning
Green blinking Connecting to the VDS backend
Green solid Connected to the VDS backend and exchanging data
Red blinking Temporary error, the logger keeps retrying (for example no cellular connection yet)
Red solid Permanent error, the logger needs attention

After power-up there is a short delay before the LEDs light. If the red LED stays on, see Device Troubleshooting.

LED positions on the owa5X and owa4X

Power Consumption

Typical consumption of the owa5X at 24 V DC:

State Current
Off 0.98 mA
Standby 12.64 mA
Run 51.95 mA
Run with cellular and GPS active 92.60 mA

Harness

The harness consists of:

  • One 35-pin female ECU connector (to the logger).
  • Three female DB9 cables for CAN 1 to CAN 3. Yellow is CAN High, green is CAN Low. The DB9 connectors can be removed in favour of banana plugs for use with a breakout box.
  • Two male banana cables for power, 9 to 36 V DC, about 3 ft long.
  • One male banana cable for T-15 (ignition).
Harness drawing

Earlier Hardware: owa4X

Some fleets still run the earlier owa4X logger. It is configured and used the same way as the owa5X; the differences are physical.

Connections. The antenna sockets differ from the owa5X: with an antenna that has two purple Fakra connectors, CELL1 connects to the top socket and CELL2 to the bottom.

owa4X connection setup
owa4X general connection setup

SIM and SD card. The cover is held by four snaps and can be prised off with a coin. The SIM and SD card sit under it.

owa4X cover removal
owa4X cover removal
owa4X inputs and outputs
owa4X IO

Front and rear IO.

owa4X front IO owa4X rear IO

Ethernet activity lights.

owa4X Ethernet activity lights

The owa4X exposes its CAN interfaces as can1 to can3 where the owa5X uses canfd1 to canfd4; this matters when mapping buses to interfaces on the Assignments page.