DTC Database

Comprehensive OBD-II Diagnostic Trouble Code database with generic SAE J2012 coverage plus manufacturer-specific definitions.

License: MIT

Overview

This repository ships a local SQLite database (data/dtc_codes.db) and language wrappers for Python, Java, Android, and TypeScript.

It is designed for offline diagnostics workflows where you need:

• Fast code lookups (P/B/C/U)
• Manufacturer context where available
• Simple embedding into apps/services without remote API calls

Current Dataset Snapshot

Values below are from data/dtc_codes.db (locale='en'):

Sister Projects

Part of the same automotive tooling set:

• nhtsa-vin-decoder
• nhtsa-recall-lookup
• dtc-database

Cross-project examples are in INTEGRATION.md.

Quick Start

Python

from python.dtc_database import DTCDatabase

db = DTCDatabase()

dtc = db.get_dtc("P0420")
print(dtc.code, dtc.type_name, dtc.description)

ford_specific = db.get_dtc("P1690", "FORD")
print(ford_specific)

Java Core

import com.dtcdatabase.DTCDatabaseCore;
import java.util.List;

DTCDatabaseCore db = new DTCDatabaseCore("data/dtc_codes.db");

DTCDatabaseCore.DTC dtc = db.getDTC("P0420");
System.out.println(dtc.code + ": " + dtc.description);

List<DTCDatabaseCore.DTC> results = db.search("misfire", 25);
db.close();

Android

import com.dtcdatabase.DTCDatabase;

DTCDatabase db = DTCDatabase.getInstance(context);
String description = db.getDescription("P0420");

TypeScript (Repository Source)

git clone https://github.com/Wal33D/dtc-database.git
cd dtc-database/typescript
npm install
npm run build
npm test

import { DTCDatabase } from "./dist";

const db = new DTCDatabase();
console.log(db.getDescription("P0171"));
db.close();

Installation Notes

Python

No external runtime dependencies. Uses standard-library sqlite3.

Java

Requires SQLite JDBC in your application:

<dependency>
  <groupId>org.xerial</groupId>
  <artifactId>sqlite-jdbc</artifactId>
  <version>3.45.3.0</version>
</dependency>

Android

Use the library module under android/dtc-database-android/.
dtc_codes.db is included in module assets.

TypeScript Package Status

@wal33d/dtc-database metadata exists in typescript/package.json, but the package is currently maintained as repository source (not a published npm release at this time).

Directory Structure

dtc-database/
├── data/
│   ├── dtc_codes.db                  # SQLite database (~3.1 MB)
│   └── source-data/                  # 37 source text files
├── python/
│   └── dtc_database.py               # Python wrapper
├── java/
│   ├── DTCDatabaseCore.java          # JVM core wrapper
│   └── DTCDatabaseAndroid.java       # Legacy Android wrapper (kept for reference)
├── android/
│   └── dtc-database-android/         # Android library module
├── typescript/
│   ├── src/                          # TypeScript source
│   └── tests/                        # Jest tests
├── docs/
│   ├── API.md
│   ├── INSTALLATION.md
│   ├── RELEASE_NOTES.md
│   └── USAGE.md
├── build_database.py
├── test.py
└── test_schema.py

Documentation

• API Reference
• Installation Guide
• Usage Guide
• Release Notes

Contributing

1. Add/modify entries in data/source-data/*.txt (CODE - Description format)
2. Rebuild database with python3 build_database.py
3. Run validation:
   • python3 test.py
   • python3 test_schema.py
   • cd typescript && npm test
4. Submit a pull request

Support

• Issues: https://github.com/Wal33D/dtc-database/issues