Overview
Some consumers have come to us wondering what benefits they would see by
upgrading from their PLX DM200 OBD2 to a DashDAQ. We are constantly
evaluating other products on the market to see what we can improve, and
we feel that sharing our results will help customers make informed
decisions. To help, we
created this page comparing and contrasting the two devices.
Here is a summary of what we found
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DashDAQ offers the following Advantages |
Display
The difference between the
DashDAQ display and PLX DM200 are significant. The DashDAQ uses a 24-bit
color 480x272 touch-screen TFT similar to those found on laptops and Navigation
Systems. It is capable of displaying high resolution images and
graphics. The PLX DM200 uses a much lower resolution 260x120 OLED
typically used on low cost consumer devices. OLED displays are also
known to have about 1/4 lifespan of TFT Displays.
Same image on both devices
(click to see larger
version)
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The number of pixels determines how much readable information you can display on a screen. Look at the total number of Pixels on DashDAQ compared to the PLX DM-200, and the resulting price per pixel. You would have to buy 7 PLX DM-200's to display the same amount of readable information on screen that a DashDAQ can.
| Product | Screen Size | Resolution | Total Pixels | Color Depth | Auto Adjusting Backlight | Touch-Screen | Cost Per Thousand Pixels |
| DashDAQ Series II | 4.3" | 480x272 | 130,560 | 16,777,216 | yes | yes | $5.32 |
| PLX DM-200 | 2.1" | 160x128 | 20,480 | 65,536 | no | no | $19.28 |
Parameters and Networks
A
great display is important, but only if you have access to the important
parameters you want to see. This is an area where DashDAQ advances. The
PLX DM200 is a generic OBD2 scanner that appears to be based on the
ELM327 chip
(intended for hobbyists), meaning that it can
display anywhere from 5-80 engine-only parameters depending on your
vehicle. There is no way to access additional parameters beyond generic
OBD2 with the PLX DM200.
The DashDAQ supports all of the parameters in PLX DM200, plus over 2000 manufacturer-specific parameters. These extra parameters include transmission information, boost, exhaust gas temperature, and things that the dealer might see. Drew Technologies spent thousands of hours of work developing a database stored in DashDAQ with these parameters. They also include non-OBD2 modules, sensors, and even replacement EFI systems for the racers. To see the entire list, click here
Customization
If you
expect more than just a basic display of data, you may be interested to
learn about the differences in customizability between the PLX DM200 and
DashDAQ. The DashDAQ has 6 built-in themes to
choose from that all feature different colors and styles. If you don't
like any of those themes, you can also design your own using DashDAQ's
theme editing tool. This will literally allow you to put any pictures,
gauges, graphs, slider bars, or text that you want on your DashDAQ. Look
below for a sample customized screen or click here to
visit the page featuring DashDAQ's customization capabilities.
(DASHDAQ Skin Editor designer view)
The PLX DM200 does allow you to put your own image on the display, but you are limited to it's size and resolution. You cannot setup the PLX DM200 to display more than one analog gauge at a time, or more than 4 digital readouts.
Under
The Hood
Price shouldn't be the only factor in a
purchase decision. Before you buy, you want to know
what's under the hood. Buying electronics isn't that simple because many
manufacturers won't tell you.
When we took apart our PLX DM200, we found
tie wraps used
instead of production strain reliefs,
wires soldiered to
processor pins, a
non-standard OBD2 cable missing the protective lip,
and entire circuit
boards sitting inside the case with no support or shock protection.
The PC Boards appeared to be only 2-layers with single-sided component
placement.
By comparing these two products, you can see that DashDAQ's design is far more clean and advanced including Ball Grid Array (BGA) processors, an 8-layer circuit board, a clean design, and expansion features not present on the DM200. All of this technology allow DashDAQ to collect data faster, access more protocols and networks, offer a more feature rich user interface, and do more with that data.
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DashDAQ Top |
DashDAQ Bottom |
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DM200 Top |
DM200 Bottom |
Cable Connections
We
tried to make the DashDAQ cabling as clean
as possible for simple installation and use. To install a DashDAQ you
only need to connect one cable. You plug one side into the DashDAQ and
the other side into your vehicle's OBD2 port.
The PLX DM200 has 5 different cables that you have to manage. Once you install the gauge, you also have to hide and mount a separate box that contains the processor and circuit board. The PLX does not get it's power from the OBD2 port, so you have to connect the power adapter to your cigarette lighter separately.
Technical Specs
| DashDAQ | PLX | |
| Display | 4.3" 480x272 TFT LCD | 160x128 |
| Color Depth | 16,777,216 | 65,563 |
| Auto Adjusting Backlight | Yes | No |
| touch-screen | Yes | No |
| Processor | 240MHZ - Primary Processor 40MHZ - Secondary Processor |
32MHz |
| Flash Memory | 32MB | not advertised |
| RAM Memory | 64MB | not advertised |
| PC Board | 8 layers double sided | 2-layers |
| Expandable Memory | Up to 32GB (MMC/SD Slot) | none |
| Operating System | Linux | proprietary |
| USB Ports | 3 | only used for loading custom wallpapers |
| RS232 Ports | 2 | none |
| Analog Inputs | 2 | none |
| OBD2 Circuitry | ARM7 based high performance OBD2 design | Generic OBD2 PIC (commonly used by hobbyists) |
| Audio | 16-bit stereo out + 2W speaker | none |
| Voltage protection | reverse battery, overcurrent, and overvoltage. | none, no reverse battery protection |
| Field Updatable Firmware | Yes | No |
| Expansion + 3rd Party Options | GPS Sensor 1-20Hz, GPS Navigation, Accelerometer, Wideband O2, EGT, Additional Analog inputs (up to 32), Aftermarket EFI Systems, 0-5V sensors, RS232 devices, USB Host Devices | Supports PLX sensors only |
Pictures
PLX DM-200
DashDAQ
Front View
Bottom View
Back View
Side View
This concludes our findings. If you believe anything on this page is in error, please contact sales@drewtech.com.
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