OREANDA-NEWS. August 12, 2015. The WorkshopTab, an innovative and user-friendly solution that considerably simplifies the regular inspection of digital tachographs as required by law, has now become available. The device increases the efficiency of day-to-day workshop activities and is easy to handle, in this way reducing the time required for installation and inspection by up to 50 percent. It combines all the major functions in one unit, including vehicle acceptance using checklists, calibration of tachographs, checking for manipulation and printing of test certificates. Data can be entered and processed quickly and easily at the robust touchscreen display. The tablet also possesses an integrated chipcard reader and wireless Bluetooth access to the vehicle interface at the tachograph as well as to the roller dynamometers in the workshop. The WorkshopTab will initially cover all radio-slot tachographs for testing and calibration.

Up to now Continental has offered its time-proven handheld Compact Test Computer VDO CTC II to record test data from digital tachographs, and the Web-based DTCO Workshop Report can be used for documentation and archiving of data. The menu sequences in the WorkshopTab now augment these functions. “This fully integrated tachograph inspection system immediately processes the test data online, which means that workshops will be well prepared for future tachograph generations,” says Lutz Scholten, head of the Tachographs, Telematics and Services segment. “The inspection process is now more efficient, allowing workshops to work faster and thus more cost-effectively.”

Two basic tachograph variants to cover all vehicle variants

Another advantage of the new development is that the tablet can be used to adapt the retrofit versions of VDO’s digital tachographs to the vehicle architecture. As a result, service workshops can cover the whole range of possible vehicle variants with only two basic tachograph variants. Up-to-date vehicle data records and software updates for the tachographs are available to workshops at all times via the VDO Extranet Web portal.

Workshop App makes everyday activities easier

VDO is also supplying a helpful tool for everyday workshop activities in the form of the DTCO Workshop App. Using the DTCO SmartLink Bluetooth interface, all authorized workshops can access this smartphone app which provides service technicians with an easy way to identify relevant data for vehicle acceptance and tachograph inspection before starting work. For vehicle owners and drivers, the app also makes it a simple task to set customer-specific parameters and perform device tests and simulations in the vehicle when it is handed over.