Pocket-sized diagnostics for the dealership lot
PACCAR needed a way for dealership technicians to read truck diagnostics without rolling out a computer-based scan tool every time — especially in bad weather. The result was PACLink: a wireless diagnostic tool that streams J1939 data straight to a phone.
The challenge
Heavy- and medium-duty truck dealerships often need to diagnose vehicles in the lot rather than at a workbench. Setting up a Windows-based scan tool, running an extension cord, and hoping the laptop survives the snow gets old fast. PACCAR wanted something a technician could pull from a tool pouch, plug in, and read on a phone.
The solution
PACLink plugs into a truck's J1939 diagnostic port — the 9-pin standard on essentially every commercial truck built in 2004 and later — wakes the electronics, and streams the live diagnostic feed wirelessly to a paired Android or iOS device. The technician walks the lot with a phone, the truck stays parked, and the dealership skips the laptop dance.
Why TinyCLR
SITCore system-on-modules drop straight onto a custom PCB: CPU, memory, networking, and the TinyCLR runtime in one validated package. For PACLink, that meant engineering effort focused on the diagnostic protocol and the mobile app — not on bringing up a microcontroller from scratch.
The tradeoff that mattered: rugged enough for the cab and the dealership lot, cheap enough to issue to every technician.
About PACCAR
PACCAR is a global technology leader in the design, manufacture, and customer support of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks marketed under the Peterbilt, Kenworth, and DAF nameplates — one of the world's largest truck manufacturers.
Building something similar?
Two ways forward — read about the TinyCLR platform, or talk to us about your project.