Service Technician’s Reference for Participant Vehicles

This vehicle has been equipped with a variety of instruments as part of a driving study which is being conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The main goal of this study is to study the behaviors of ride-share drivers. These instruments are not the property of the driver or owner of this vehicle and should not be removed except by a trained, authorized technician.

As it may be relevant to the work you are about to perform on this vehicle, this reference will:

Provide an overview of the connections to the vehicle
Provide contact information in case you have questions or need assistance
If necessary, there are directions for temporarily disconnecting the system from the vehicle (the reference on the next page is designed to show you how our system is connected so you can determine if that will be necessary or not)

What is Connected?

There are many components but only four connections between our system and the car.

Constant Power (internal fuse box or rear battery in some models)
Ignition Power (fuse box or tap at BCM)
Ground (Bolt on chassis always near constant power)
Vehicle Network (OBD II port)

Pre-Service DAS Disconnect Guide

If it is decided that the system should be disconnected to prevent interfering with service to the vehicle and you are in the position to do it yourself, here is a brief guide showing how to disconnect our data acquisition system. We are only connected to the vehicle network and two power connections, which are likely sharing circuits. With our power and network connections temporarily removed, the rest of the system will be completely independent of the vehicle and should not interfere with any service needed.

To avoid damaging our system or the vehicle network follow this protocol every time!

Do NOT open the FlexDAS (large gray box in the rear of the vehicle)
Disconnect the OBDII y-cable, return the OEM diagnostic port to its original position, and secure our cable out of the way in a safe location
At the internal fuse box, unplug and return OEM fuses to their respective slots for ignition and constant power, and secure our wires out of the way in a safe location
If the car has in-line fuse holder instead of fuse taps (usually at the BCM), simply remove the fuse from the in-line fuse holder (pictures on following pages)
If there is only one fuse tap connection at the fuse block for ignition, it is possible that an alternate battery located in the trunk was used for das power, attached with an inline fuse. In this case you would also simply remove the fuse to separate our system from the vehicle

Step 1: Disconnect the OBDII Y Cable

1. First, cut the zip tie and disconnect our OBDII Y cable.

2. After unplugging, secure the Y cable and place it safely out of the way. Return the OEM OBDII connector to its original location using the factory mounting hardware.

3. With the Y cable, it is important it is out of the way yet still accessible for when it needs to be reconnected.

4. Coil and zip tie the cable neatly and tuck to the side behind a panel or zip tie to the side to ensure it is not visible in the foot well and completely clear of the emergency brake, foot pedals and steering column!

Step 2: Remove fuse taps / inline fuse

1. If found at the Fuse panel then remove the taps and secure out of the way and return the OEM fuses back to their original slots (on the taps the lower fuses circled in red will be the OEM fuses).

2. If posi-tapped in the wiring harness, leave taps in place and remove the fuse from the inline fuse holder.