DigidownPlus Key – download and storage of tachograph data

The price of the DigidownPlus reader is 300,00 EUR + VAT.

The package includes:

• Key DigidownPlus
• 2 GB memory card
• USB cable for connecting to a PC
• Instructions for use

Direct download

To download a driver card directly into the DigidownPlus, insert the card with the chip down into the slot in the side of the unit. The download will start automatically and the LED beside the ‘card’ button will flash repeatedly about twice a second during the download. Successful downloading is indicated by the LED blinking briefly about once a second.

Downloading a driver card directly into the DigidownPlus takes in the region of 30 seconds. In order to download directly, the DigidownPlus must be powered either by 2 x AA batteries, or by USB connection to a computer. The DigidownPlus should not be connected to the tachograph during a direct card download.

Using a VU

To download a driver card via the VU you will need to insert the driver card into one slot of your tachograph and your company card into the other.

Connect your DigidownPlus to the 6 pin connector on the front of the VU – this may be behind a small cover or in the printer drawer. The DigidownPlus will indicate it is ready by blinking each of its LEDs in turn. Press the ‘card’ button.

During the download, the LED by the selected button will flash repeatedly about twice a second. Successful completion of the download is indicated by the LED blinking briefly about once every second. The downloading of a driver card will usually take only a few minutes to complete.

Please do not disconnect the DigidownPlus during a download. Doing so may cause errors on the SD card.

The DigidownPlus can be connected to a PC using the supplied USB cable. The DigidownPlus will appear as a standard removable drive. Alternatively, the SD card can be removed from the unit and read via a separate SD card reader (available from most major electronics retailers).

The downloaded data appears in the ‘Digidown’ folder under ‘VU’ for tachograph files and ‘Card’ for driver card files. The files in these folders can be copied to an appropriate location on your computer for analysis and storage.

While the memory card supplied with your DigidownPlus will hold thousands of downloads, it may be convenient to have a second memory card.

2GB SD memory cards are supplied as standard by Kagos Pro (although lower capacity cards are adequate for this application). Larger capacity memory cards are not suitable for use with the DigidownPlus. The SD cards supplied by Lisle design have been specially selected for optimal performance with the DigidownPlus.  Unfortunately, a few types of cards do not fully comply with the SD specification, so they are not suitable for this application.

To download your tachograph, you will need to first insert your Company card (Workshop or Control cards may replace this in certain situations) into the tachograph(VU), in either card slot. For some VUs, the ignition must also be switched on.

Connect your DigidownPlus to the 6 pin connector on the front of the VU – this may be behind a small cover or in the printer drawer. The DigidownPlus will indicate it is ready by blinking each of its LEDs in turn. Press the button for the required download.

During the download, the LED by the selected button will flash repeatedly about twice a second. Successful completion of the download is indicated by the LED blinking briefly about once every second. The downloading of data from a VU can take a considerable length of time, potentially in excess of 30 minutes depending on the options selected. Using ‘Latest VU’ can reduce the download time considerably.

Please do not disconnect the DigidownPlus during a download. Doing so may cause errors on the SD card.

Do not disconnect DigidownPlus during the download. This can cause SD card errors.

The DigidownPlus has three controls:

• All VU – pressing this causes the DigidownPlus to download all the data stored in the VU.
• Latest VU – pressing this causes the DigidownPlus to download only the latest data within the VU.
• Card – pressing this causes the DigidownPlus to download the data from the driver card (if any) inserted into the VU.

For fleet operators, ‘Latest VU’ typically downloads data recorded by the VU during the previous 2 to 3 months. For drivers’ hours enforcement purposes, ‘Latest VU’ typically downloads data relating to the last 8 or 28 days. For accident analysis, ‘Latest VU’ perhaps downloads the detailed speed data.

In order to view and analyse your files, you will need appropriate tachograph analysis software.

Your download has not failed and should continue as normal.

When using any download device with a VDO digital tachograph, the message ‘Download Fault 12’ may occasionally be shown on the display. This is a feature of the VDO tachograph. It does not indicate any problem with the download process or the downloaded data. It indicates that the tachograph has not stored any data for one or more of the days within the download period, probably due to the power supply to the tachograph being disconnected.

When using a download device with the Stoneridge digital tachograph an equivalent message ‘Data Integrity Error’ may be shown.

In either case, users should allow the download to finish normally and then press the ‘OK’ button on the tachograph to clear the error message.