Contributing to OBDium

OBDium deals with raw vehicle diagnostics (e.g Mode $01, $06, $09), hex decoding, real CAN data, and OBD-II protocol parsing. Contributions are welcome, but if you’re touching the core, you need to know what you’re doing.

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Guidelines

There are two simple guideline for making a commit:

1. Be knowledgeable

• If you're working on anything protocol-related, like parsing responses or decoding monitor data, you should already understand:
  • SAE J1979 / ISO 15031
  • OBD-II mode structure
  • Bit-level interpretation of hex payloads

2. Test your feature thoroughly

• If you're working on anything protocol-related, it is essential that you either thoroughly test your feature using either an ELM327 emulator or real vehicle. Your code will be tested on a real vehicle before being pushed.

Otherwise, if you're working on something not apart of the core logic, like the frontend, a markdown file, or even documenting logic (including the backend), don't hesitate to submit a pull request.

To Contribute

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a new branch for your feature or fix

3. Make your changes

4. Submit a pull request describing your changes and include how this was tested

What a Good PR Looks Like

• Tested
  You tested it on a real car or an emulator (a popular one is ELM327-emulator), or you referenced official docs. Protocol logic must be grounded in something concrete.

• Scoped
  One feature or fix per PR. Don’t combine unrelated changes.

• Clear
  Use real commit messages. If something’s not obvious, be sure to explain it.

Where Do I Start?

There are plenty of great resources to start. The first step is to have a decent understanding of what goes on under the hood. Here are a couple great resources:

• Wikipedia - OBD-II PIDs
• SAE J1979 - Detailed PDF
• OBDTester - ELM AT Commands
• CSS Electronics - A Brief Overview of OBD2

Thank you for your contributions to OBDium.