Reproduced with the kind permission of the copyright owner Dayton Closser  May 2023

It looks like to date no one else on the forums has covered this topic, so I thought I might as well.

My background : I am an Aston Martin DB7 owner, and a grad student in electrical engineering at a prestigious school. I like technical things. As a disclaimer, I do NOT own any of the copyright to AMDS, I do NOT work for Aston Martin, and the information I am providing is in good faith, however, no warranties either expressed or implied will be granted, and I am not infallible. Information is as accurate as the people that have provided it to me are, which should be taken with a grain of salt. If there is any issue with any content of this post, please message me and it will be removed.

My Journey:

I  flew to Santa Barbara! I called 15+ dealers across North America, and even long-distance dialed England! I HAD to know more about the holy grail of Aston Martin ownership...no not the car, but the computer system it used! Plus, my DB7 was broken, and this was a good excuse as any. I picked the worst week between orientation at my new school, seeing a space launch, and Jury Duty, but it was my window of time and I took it!

I flew to Santa Barbara! I called 15+ dealers across North America, and even long-distance dialed England! I HAD to know more about the holy grail of Aston Martin ownership...no not the car, but the computer system it used! Plus, my DB7 was broken, and this was a good excuse as any. I picked the worst week between orientation at my new school, seeing a space launch, and Jury Duty, but it was my window of time and I took it!

My story takes place in several sagas, meeting different people. If you don’t care for a story, skip below for the nitty gritty technical details.

Dr. Yvo:

Ironically, after I bought my DB7 from a Youtuber who did a bunch of repair work to it, a lot was still broken on it. I wanted to learn more about the diagnostic trouble codes, and found that my Jaguar OBD scanner was not able to access all the data from the two ports. The body port was very mysterious, and it prompted me to look online for Aston specific tools.

I came across an eBay listing for an old WDS system, and wrote the seller (If interested, it is occasionally on eBay for around $2,000 USD). At first, I just wanted to buy it. However, the seller was also an Aston Martin owner of 3 DBs, and instead, he taught me a lot about how WDS works, and even sent me some source files to look at. His name was Dr. Yvo, a medical doctor from the Netherlands.

He and I kept in touch over several weeks discussing the possibility of using a Vehicle Communication Interface (VCI) with WDS. At the time, I had no idea that the API is integrated into the GenRad (more on that below), and that a better option was just getting a license of AMDS. I already have much of the hardware, so I just wanted the software. Dr. Yvo said the only options were $10,000 “clones” from Taiwan (they actually aren’t, more on that later). None of the local Aston Martin dealers would sell me just the license/software, nor any of the hardware. The only way to get the whole kit was to buy it directly from Aston Martin at a price that rivals the cost of some used cars.

John Draper:

During my request for a license key on the Aston Martin Technical hub, I received an e-mail from their Technical Support Engineer. I found his Linkedin profile, and it looks like John has been working for Ford and Aston Martin longer than I have been alive. In tradition with keeping Dr. Yvo up to date on my research, I sent him the following e-mail:

17-04-2023 Email to Dr. Yvo

‘I just got off the phone with John Draper from Aston Martin's headquarters. I called him right at 8:00 am British Summer time, which is like 2am in the morning for me! I think I took him by surprise because when I got all detailed about the AMDS system, he asked, "have we met before?"

Some of our assumptions were wrong though. He told me that AMDS1 is NOT based upon anything before, it is a "scripted" program which is built from the ground up. The reason they switched in 2007 from AM WDS was because the amount of modules they needed to support for DB9 was untenable. As well, the new system was NOT sold separately from the hardware. In short, the reason they advocate for buying the whole kit at $20,000 is because that is the only way you can get ALL the software. Additionally, the license key that is available is for renewal is for the newer AMDS2 system, which ONLY supports the DB11. Literally! The license online at 1,500 GBP is useless for older cars, and the AMDSB software package is only for those cars as well.
They "scripted" custom apps for the other models of cars before it, basically, there's short-cuts on the desktop which launch dedicated apps for DB7, DB9, the Vanquish, etc. These apps are not a part of AMDS2, they are additions, completely separate. In some of the Taiwan "clones" screenshots, if you look carefully at the desktops, you can see the shortcut icons for these special apps. John told me there is no emulation or anything like that of the GDS3500, it's just an all new design. Likely, there aren't any wrappers, just direct APIs that communicate over the Bosch VCI.

In 2016ish, all the dealers were asked to turn in their AMDS1 systems (which used the silver/black VCIS which are INCREDIBLY hard to find according to John) for a lucrative credit towards parts and supplies for newer models, and for newer inventories. John told me the older system is quite impossible to find because of this, and he said he wouldn't ask questions how if/ we happened to get our hands on one, but that if we did, to "hold onto it forever, as AMDS1 is quite useful" and doesn't require "a yearly license." Think of it like Jaguar's IDS V. 118ish, the latest, greatest version and edition of a bygone thing. We both reminisced about Bloxham where John worked as DB7s were built, and his father as well, in 1995. Afterwards, he had to attend a meeting just then, but I had so many more questions I wanted to ask, so I let him go to his meeting. Maybe he just wanted to get me off the phone because of all my questions, lol! But anyways, I got a good fifteen minutes with the world's AMDS expert though.

I'll let you know how it goes when I meet with Bob. Wish me luck.’

JOHN DRAPER AT AM - DB7GT - SO PROBABLY.... 2003

 

 

Dr. Yvo responded with a picture of John he found online and some comments, mostly wishing me luck. I was the only one in the world to fly out to Santa Barbara for AMDS. I so desperately wanted to see it in action.

Bob Jarrett:

 

During my extensive calls sweeping across the western and central United States, I had called practically every Aston Martin dealer from Texas to British Columbia, and heard the same replies from all of them. One dealer parts guy even admitted when I asked how to buy a copy of just the AMDS license/software, “I wouldn’t even know where to direct you.” The Aston Martin dealer network does not understand the software side of things, unfortunately.

 

By accident screening for Aston dealers, I accidentally called Bob. Our call went something like this:

 

“Hi there, is this Aston Martin of Santa Barbara? I’m looking for a tool.”

 

“Hi, uh yes” a British accent responded.

 

“I’d like to buy an AMDS.”

 

“You can’t.” he sharply responded. “At least, not officially.”

 

Bob and I found immediate ground. Here was a man who actually understood the tolls of my search, who knew how special AMDS is. He explained he got a copy of his from an Asian seller, which he thought was a clone at first but turned out to be a genuine system. I later learned that AMDS clones do NOT actually exist. The Taiwanese companies that produce the Toughbook laptops, the VCIs, and cables produce these systems in small batches of probably 500-1000 each time. However, considering that is probably more than all the Aston Martin dealers in the world, this obviously means there is extra inventory, which is why you can find AMDS from “unofficial” sources at around $10,000 USD. It is a total rip off of course, there is nothing about the system that costs that much to produce, other than Aston Martin ensuring the right to repair is all but impossible for the DIY community.

 

Bob inspired me in our half hour chat to fly out and see his shop in-person. I was not too sure about it myself at first, buying a ticket to travel 1,500 miles to see how a computer system worked, but I had no other options at the time, and it was a good excuse to see the other coast of the United States when I had a little bit of free time. I flew out that very week, and told a local taxi cab driver, “take me to Bob Jarrett’s Aston Martin shop!” I bet that was the first time he EVER heard that.

 

Much of what I know about AMDS comes from this encounter. Bob was a bit of a crusty old Englishman who had emigrated to the US in the 1980s. He was also very to the point and very colorful with language, calling the GenRad GDS3500 a bloody piece of s***. As he opened the AMDS special case, I watched it gleam with a shine. It was indeed the holy grail of Aston Martin. The VCI itself did NOT have any markings from Bosch, and was silver and metallic in color. I spent what little time I had in Santa Barbara looking over it thoroughly, taking notes, and watching Bob demonstrate what it could do. In short, Bob was super kind for giving his time for free. In fact, I may have overstayed my welcome, with questions upon questions, but I couldn’t help myself. He had what we all can only dream of having.

With a heavy heart, I left Bob Jarrett’s of Santa Barbara for the beach to dip in the Pacific ocean and to catch my flight back. I forgot to mention, my same taxi cab driver took me on a brief tour of the coast. Highly recommend!

Technical Outline:

AM PDU:

This is the tool that actually piqued my interest in Aston Martin diagnostic tools. I saw in my repair manual for the DB7 this strange looking contraption that looks like something from the Enterprise’s bridge on Star Trek. I have NEVER seen one in-person, so if you have one, feel free to upload pictures and content on yours. It is a real gem.

The crux of this unit is the Portable Diagnostic Unit, or PDU. It is computer driven, with several really awesome features, like monitoring throttle position. While I’ve read a lot of hatred for PDU, and how WDS is better, I do not know of a single diagnostic tool better suited to working with the older Series I 1995-1997 DB7s (Zytek), and the OBD-I cars, as Virage, (likely the Virage Lagonda/Lagonda Vignale), Vantage V8 V550/V600 Le Mans. This tool is the most feature functioned for these older cars.

It also has my favorite feature which no newer tool I know of has, interfacing with the Valeo Air Conditioning System over the 3130-0030-01 VIA-PDU Cable! Of course, I’m from Texas, so A/C is a must!

From the handbook:

‘Communication with 97 model year control units is principally via an Aston Martin multi-protocol adaptor to 2 inbuilt diagnostic sockets in the vehicle. Only the air conditioning unit requires the VIA on 97 model year vehicles.’

AM WDS:

This is the gold standard for older Series II DB7. Unfortunately, Bob Jarrett called the old GenRad GDS 3500 a piece of s*** for a good reason. If you like Windows 98 menus, dated tooling (25+ years old), and no update functionality, this tool is it. It does offer the most advanced diagnostics for these older cars.

Image courtesy of Dr. Yvo – I don’t own one.

Many of the files are contained in BIN, umf, and then some other odd 1990s formats that never became standards.

IDS:

This system is just WDS ported, and I do mean just. I compared the DB7 content from WDS to IDS, and it is remarkably similar in hierarchy.

The logos, and much of the content from Ford’s WDS is transferred over, even the GDS3500 folder. Contrary to public opinion, I cannot find any deviation from WDS in terms of content. In other words, it’s all there.

One of the files responsible for the GUI interface for VIN Entry is literally a copy-cat of the WDS Javascript file. Note the brand, ‘aml’ is double slashed out so as not to appear in the VIN entry screen of IDS.

With a few tweaks, it’s there, and with a few more, it’s even got a little check-box.

AMDS1:

This all new diagnostic system is a complete departure from the GenRad days. It is non-API dependent, written in Borland Delphi 3/4, and is not based upon anything before it as John Draper explained. AMDS 1.0 introduces the AM Vanquish, AM DB7, and AMDS1 applications. These are stand-alone, and handle Aston Martins DB7, Vanquish, DB9, Virage (2008+), Vantage, from model 1997-2016.

I don’t know anybody with one because they are so rare. I did ask Steve (Aston1936), but he never replied to my questions about AMDS1. Note at the time index 26:09 in his video entitled ‘Astonishingly Simple Episode 2 - Diagnostics, Scanners and Fault Finding,’ the laptop reads IDS. I do find some irony in his comment, “but how would you know you have an AMDS?”

Here’s an official one:

AMDS2:

Everybody hates a subscription-based system, but that is how Aston Martin has moved with their diagnostic vendor Bosch. It features both the old Bosch VCI I as well as the new Bosch MTS 6531 system, VCI II, for newer DB11. This is what Aston Martin of Austin, my local dealer uses, and per their technician there, Matt, he said it was pretty limited for older cars. He of course was not talking about the AMDS2 app, but rather the stand-alone apps, like AMDS DB7. AMDS2 itself only interfaces with newer cars. Contrary to what Steve at Aston1936 claimed, AMDS2 does update these older legacy car apps. If you want ABS bleeding functionality and diagnostics, this is an upcoming feature. As of V. 2.06, it is not yet supported.

At this time, I will not discuss the AMDS2 itself in depth because I don’t have a DB11 and it is not relevant to me. Feel free to add information about it if you wish.

The VCIs:

These are probably the second most important thing about an AMDS. The VCI, is a Bosch re-brand, known as VCI 1 part # 43-27880. This is based upon the EEPOD McS1 vehicle interface. It runs a custom switchable OBD-2 cable, which selects either Body or Powertrain OBD ports based upon demand.

During an order for the McS1, Kerby Suhre, the CEO at EEPOD, told me they both do NOT run at the same time—this would mix CAN BUS electrical grounds, and short circuit the system. The cable is custom to this VCI. It is notable however, nothing special other than this, and the AMDS Vanquish manual states this system can be run one port as a time (in fact you must with older Vanquish).

EEPOD McS1:

AMDS1 VCI:

AMDS2 VCI:

The EEPOD carrying bag is basically identical too, except for branding, EEPOD v. AMDS.

Future endeavors:

At first, I was considering recommending some alternatives to AMDS, but I so strongly believe in the right to repair, and I firmly believe AMDS (and previous generations) are the BEST tools as Aston owners can get. It is within the realm of possibility that future work could be done by Aston Martin (BUT NOT LIKELY) or the DIY community (MOST LIKELY) to see where old IDS could go in terms of WDS backwards compatibility.

While I do have a great deal of experience working with software and am studying about the hardware side of vehicle communications and buses, I am resource constrained. For starters, I do not have an Aston Martin VCI, nor the tools yet to undertake the project by myself. However, if this is something the Aston Martin community is interested in supporting fully, resource and time-wise, we could start a new project… Aston Martin IDS.