If you’ve seen our new RA Ranger x SAEB Engineering OBD Programmers and wondered what they actually do, here’s the easiest way to explain it.
You plug it into your vehicle, it makes the change for you, and then you unplug it.
That’s basically it.
There’s no laptop, no complicated software, no wiring and nothing that needs to stay permanently plugged into your vehicle.
So, What Is an OBD Programmer?
Modern vehicles like the NextGen Ranger, Ranger Raptor and Everest are basically computers on wheels.
Ford builds a huge number of features and settings into these vehicles. Depending on the model you buy, some of those features are switched on and others are switched off in the vehicle's software.
Normally, changing these settings yourself can involve using programs such as FORScan, connecting a laptop to the vehicle and knowing exactly which settings need to be changed.
We wanted to make that process much simpler.
Our OBD Programmer does the programming automatically for you.
You simply:
- Turn the ignition on.
- Plug the OBD Programmer into the OBD port underneath the dash.
- Let it do its thing.
- Wait until the light turns solid green.
- Unplug it.
Done.
The programmer does not need to stay connected while you drive.
Think of It Like a USB Drive for Your Car
Probably the simplest way to think about it is like plugging a USB drive into a computer.
Except instead of transferring a file, the OBD Programmer changes a specific vehicle setting for you.
For example, we have programmers that can:
Add additional factory drive modes
Make Lane Assist remember your last setting
Automatically lock your doors when driving
Enable Global Close for your windows
Change the 12V power point timeout
Each programmer is designed to perform a specific change without the customer needing to understand the complicated programming happening behind the scenes.
Why Did We Make Them?
We already know what some people are thinking:
"Can't you just do this with FORScan?"
Yes, many of these changes can be performed using FORScan if you know what you're doing.
And FORScan is a great tool.
But not everyone wants to connect a laptop to their new vehicle, search through different modules, change hexadecimal values or worry about selecting the wrong setting.
We wanted something that almost anyone could use.
Plug it in. Wait for green. Unplug it.
That's the whole idea.
These programmers are aimed at the owner who wants some of these features but doesn't want to become a vehicle programming expert to get them.
It Saves Your Vehicle's Original Configuration
There is another important part happening when you first use the programmer.
During the first programming session, the OBD Programmer securely stores your vehicle's original configuration.
In simple terms, it remembers how the vehicle was configured before it made the change.
That means if you ever want to undo the programming later, you can.
Simply plug the same OBD Programmer back into the same vehicle and it can revert the changes back to the configuration it recorded when it was first used.
While reverting, the programmer will flash red and green.
Leave it connected until the LED turns solid green, then it can be unplugged.
Does It Stay Plugged In?
No.
This is one of the biggest questions we get.
The programmer is only plugged in while programming the vehicle.
Once the LED turns solid green, programming has finished and you remove it from the OBD port.
There is no module hanging underneath your dashboard and nothing permanently connected to the vehicle.
Can I Use It On Multiple Vehicles?
No.
Once the programmer is first used, Vehicle Locking links that programmer to that vehicle.
This is also important because the programmer stores the configuration from that particular vehicle so it can revert the changes later if required.
Keep your programmer somewhere safe after you've used it.
What Happens While It's Programming?
You may notice the instrument cluster or SYNC 4 screen restart while programming.
That's completely normal.
The programmer is communicating with different modules inside the vehicle and applying the required configuration.
The main thing you need to watch is the LED on the programmer.
Once you see:
Solid Green = Programming Complete
You can unplug it.
Developed by RA Ranger & SAEB Engineering
These haven't simply been bought off the shelf and had an RA Ranger sticker put on them.
The OBD Programmer platform has been developed in collaboration between RA Ranger and SAEB Engineering, with the firmware developed from scratch by Stewart Brown from SAEB Engineering.
A huge amount of development and testing has gone into making something that takes a complicated process and turns it into something incredibly simple for the end user.
That was always the goal.
We didn't want customers reading programming spreadsheets or worrying about which module they were changing.
We wanted:
Plug it in.
Let it program.
Wait for green.
Unplug it.
The Complicated Stuff Happens in the Background
There's actually a lot happening when you plug one of these programmers in.
The device checks the vehicle, identifies its current configuration, stores that configuration and then makes the required changes.
But as the customer, you don't need to understand any of that.
That's the point.
The programmer handles the complicated part.
Built for Everyday Ranger Owners
If you're already comfortable using FORScan, changing vehicle configurations and programming modules yourself, you may not need one of these.
But plenty of Ranger owners aren't comfortable doing that and they shouldn't have to be.
The RA Ranger x SAEB Engineering OBD Programmer gives everyday owners a simple way to unlock and change supported features in their NextGen Ranger, Ranger Raptor or Everest without needing a laptop, complicated software or programming knowledge.
Turn the ignition on. Plug it in. Wait for solid green. Unplug it.
It really is that simple.
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