THE ANALOGUE
Build Your Own
Build Your Own MasterLink
Anyone can build one, and honestly I hope you do. You buy the parts, I give you the
software and licence, and I walk you through it. About an hour of work, and no soldering. This is the
path I would love most people to take.
A
Build walkthrough
Coming shortly. I will build one on camera, start to finish.
What you are building. The MasterLink is the adapter that
lets The Analogue speak the older BMW languages, DS2 and KWP2000, that cheap Bluetooth dongles
cannot reach. It is what gets you module level faults, deep engine data and service resets,
closer to what a dealer tool sees. This is a Generation 2 build. It also speaks the
older ADS protocol on the round OBD1 port, so even pre-OBD2 BMWs can connect. That
path is in early testing, so treat it as a work in progress for now.
What to buy
Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ (recommended)
What I build my own units on. The cable plugs straight into the full size USB port,
the WiFi works on both 2.4 and 5 GHz, and it is actually in stock.
~$25-35
or Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (smallest)
The smallest option by far. It has gotten pricey and hard to find lately, so it
is only worth it if size really matters to you. Two catches either way: 2.4 GHz WiFi only, and
no full size USB port, so you also need the OTG adapter below.
~$20-40
or Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (easy to find)
My pick when the 3 A+ is sold out. It uses the same WiFi and Bluetooth as the
3 A+, so it behaves the same, dual band WiFi and the cable straight into a full size USB port.
It is a larger board, so leave a little more room in your case and use the 5V 2.5A supply
below.
~$40-55
or Raspberry Pi 3 Model B (most available, help me prove it)
These are everywhere right now, and I want them to be an option. Same brains as
the others and a full size USB port, so the software runs. The one part I am still confirming
is the Bluetooth pairing, because this board uses an older Bluetooth chip than the rest. If it
gives the app any trouble during setup, email me and I will get you connected another way. If
you have one and are willing to help me lock this down, I would be genuinely grateful, it opens
the door for a lot of people. It is 2.4 GHz WiFi only, so turn on Maximize Compatibility like
the Zero.
~$35-50
microSD card, 32 GB, A1 or A2
SanDisk Extreme or Samsung EVO Select. Do not buy the cheapest no name card.
A bad card is the most common way one of these dies, and it usually happens months later.
~$12
Power, 5V 2.5A, micro USB
Two ways it gets power: a good 5V 2.5A wall supply on the bench for flashing and
the first boot, and in the car a micro USB power cable into a car USB port, or a 12V-to-USB
adapter in the cigarette socket. This matters more than people expect. An underpowered or flaky
supply causes random reboots and corrupts the card, so do not run it off a random phone charger.
~$10
K+DCAN cable
Sometimes sold as an INPA cable. This is the actual link to your car. Get one
with the switch on it.
~$20-30
Micro USB OTG adapter (only for the Zero 2 W)
Micro USB male to USB A female. Skip this if you bought the 3A+.
~$5
OBD1 adapter, fully pinned 20 to 16 pin (only for older cars)
If your BMW has the round 20 pin port under the hood instead of the flat OBD2 plug
under the dash, you need this to reach it, and it must be a fully pinned 20 pin
round to 16 pin OBD2 adapter, meaning every pin is wired through. The cheap partial ones only carry
a few pins and will not pass the diagnostic lines the MasterLink needs. E30, early E34, early E36.
~$20-40
A case
The official Raspberry Pi 3 A+ case fits perfectly. Geekworm makes an aluminium
one if you want it to look nicer in the car.
~$6-15
USB SD card reader
Only if your computer has no SD slot. Most modern laptops do not.
~$12
Roughly $95 to $150 total, depending on which Pi you choose and
what you already own.
Where to buy the Pi
Amazon is not your only option, and often not the best one. Prices
there run high and the boards go in and out of stock. These are official Raspberry Pi resellers,
usually better stocked and closer to list price on the bare boards.
Boards, kits, and solid power supplies. Usually in stock, ships US and Canada.
US / CA
Bare boards near list price. Use pishop.us in the States, pishop.ca in Canada.
US / CA
Reliable and well packed, with genuinely good guides if you like to tinker.
US
Micro Center (in store)
If one is near you, the cheapest boards anywhere, often with in store deals.
US
The two I would point UK and Europe buyers to first.
UK / EU
Anywhere else, the official finder lists a stocked seller
in your country: raspberrypi.com/resellers.
Build it
- Get your software and licence key. Sign in at
theanalogue.app/download with the same email you used for your
Founder purchase. Your licence key is shown on that page. Write it down.
You will type it in at setup, and you will want it again if you ever reflash.
- Flash the card. Install Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com/software.
Under Choose OS, scroll to the bottom and pick Use custom,
then select the .img.xz file you downloaded. Do not pick Raspberry Pi
OS from the list, that is a plain operating system with none of the MasterLink software on it.
Choose your SD card, and write. It takes ten to twenty minutes.
If Imager offers to apply OS customisation settings, choose No. Your
unit gets its WiFi details over Bluetooth in a moment.
- Wire it up. Plug the K+DCAN cable into the Pi's USB port, through the OTG
adapter if you are on a Zero. Plug the other end into your car's OBD2 port, or through the
round pin adapter if that is your car. Then power the Pi. Give it about two minutes on the
very first boot. It will look like nothing is happening. Leave it alone.
- Set it up over Bluetooth. In The Analogue, go to
Settings, MasterLink, Set up over Bluetooth. Your unit appears as
MasterLink-XXXX. Give it your hotspot name and password, and your
licence key.
- Done. You will watch it move through
receiving, connecting,
activating, online. That is it phoning home
once, locking the licence to your board, and joining your hotspot. From now on, turn on your
hotspot, open The Analogue, hit Connect. It updates itself in the background and you never
need the computer again.
You need a computer for the flashing step, and only that step. Writing a disk
image to an SD card needs direct access to the card, which iPhones and iPads do not allow any
app to have. So there is no way to do it from the app, mine or anyone else's. Flash once on a
Mac or PC, and everything after that happens on your phone. No computer at all? Email me and I
will ship you a card already written.
Two iPhone settings that trip up nearly everyone.
1. Allow Others to Join must be ON. Settings, Personal Hotspot, Allow Others to
Join. The hotspot toggle in Control Centre does not turn this on, and if it is off your
MasterLink cannot see your phone at all.
2. Turn on Maximize Compatibility. Same screen. The Pi only talks 2.4 GHz and
iPhones default to 5 GHz, so without this it cannot find your hotspot.
About your licence
One licence, one device. When you activate, your
licence locks to that exact Raspberry Pi. This is how I stop one purchase becoming five
MasterLinks, and it is why your key is tied to your Analogue account.
If your hardware dies or you rebuild it, you can move
your licence to a new board once yourself. After that, email me and I will sort
it out. I am not trying to make your life hard, I am trying to keep the work from being copied.
Your download is one time. Your licence key stays visible on
the download page whenever you are signed in, so you can always get it back.
GET MY SOFTWARE AND LICENCE KEY
Full setup guide