Comment Re:Sourceforge is your friend (Score 1) 270
Your cheap scanners still give you the manufacturer codes (or rather, can read them), they just don't automatically turn them into something useful like they can with standard codes so you have to rely on either a mechanics manual or a quick google search to find the meaning of the code. If he's asking for help on Slashdot then I'm sure he can manage that.
If he's specifically looking for fancy sensor readouts though, he might be better off buying a prepackaged solution anyway, sadly.