MANILA, Philippines – With the launch of the KTS 300 in 1988, Bosch became one of the first manufacturers to make control unit diagnostics equipment available to independent workshops. As the automotive industry moved increasingly toward the use of electronic systems, control unit diagnosis testers became an essential part of the modern testing toolkit. Bosch has continued to develop the professional devices that make up its KTS series, and is now a global leader in control unit diagnostics. Since the early days of the KTS 300, which was also known as the “Bosch Hammer” on account of its design, Bosch has sold over 175,000 KTS-series diagnosis testers in various models. Today, one third of independent workshops in Europe now use Bosch control unit diagnosis testers, while in Germany half of all independent workshops use these devices.
A Milestone in KTS Development: Esitronic Workshop Software
The founding father of Bosch diagnosis testers, the KTS 300, remained part of the product line-up until 1999. It was joined by the KTS 100 module, a diagnosis tester designed for use in conjunction with Bosch emissions and engine analyzers. At the end of the 1980s, Bosch capitalized on its experiences with on-board diagnostics systems in the US and was one of the first to bring an OBD module to market in the form of the KTS 115. The launch of Esitronic, the Bosch workshop software, in 1999 was a key milestone for control unit diagnostics and the continued development of the KTS product series. Bosch diagnosis testers have been equipped with this software since that time. Basic control unit diagnostic functions such as reading and clearing fault memories, reading actual values and controlling actuators were soon supplemented by trouble-shooting instructions, circuit diagrams, mechanical data and maintenance schedules. The existing version of the workshop software was replaced by Esitronic 2.0 at the start of 2012. The powerful Esitronic software allowed the Bosch development team to shape the KTS family into a comprehensive diagnosis and information system that supports mechanics, guides them through the testing sequence and provides a standardized diagnostic routine for all vehicles currently available on the market.
Today, the KTS range from Bosch has the perfect system for any workshop requirement: from the KTS 515 OBD module in the Bosch emissions analyzer, to the handy KTS 200 and 340 testers, the PC-based KTS 540 and 570 Bluetooth radio modules that are also integrated in the vehicle system analysis testers, and even the high-performance KTS 840, KTS 870 and 890 diagnosis testers. Control unit diagnostics, trouble-shooting, repair and maintenance are made even quicker and more reliable by state-of-the-art measuring technology such as multimeters, the dual-channel oscilloscope in the KTS 570 and 870, the four-channel oscilloscope in the KTS 890, and fast and reliable diagnosis connection detection via the “Easy Connect” adapter concept. All these developments save time and ensure that processes run efficiently in the workshops.
Continuous Database Growth
Over the last 25 years, electronics have played an increasing role in our vehicles, and the volume of diagnostic data has grown enormously as a result. From the outset, regular data updates ensured that workshops always had up-to-date control unit data at their fingertips. Back in 1988, the KTS 300 could only handle data for the engine management systems of three vehicle manufacturers. Today, the Bosch Esitronic 2.0 software can tackle 180 vehicle brands and over 90,000 models from around the world. New data records are added every day, and made available to subscription-paying workshops in the form of regular updates.
Bosch develops and produces the KTS-series control unit diagnosis testers in Plochingen, near Stuttgart (Germany). The continuous development and updates make the testers an excellent investment for workshops. Included in the investment are technical documentation and a comprehensive training program that provides workshop staff with the information they need to test and repair even the latest electronic vehicle systems safely and economically. Even if a workshop is unable to make any progress with a particularly difficult case, the Bosch technical hotline will be able to help – no matter which brand or manufacturer is involved.