A branded mini that keeps the V1.5 label in its model number: Panlong's B02 plugs in under the dash, hides from the Bluetooth list until an app calls it, and runs Torque, Car Scanner or Dr. Prius on an Android phone.
Most minis print a firmware version on the sticker and hope nobody asks. Panlong puts it in the model name: B02 V1.5, part number PL-B02. The claim that matters sits beside it, fully ELM327 compliant, with nine OBD-II protocols named.
Why does a buyer care about 1.5? Elm Electronics never shipped a version by that name, so the label comes from the clone world, where v1.5 describes the older, fuller command set that many apps were written against. A v1.5 mini is the version owner forums tend to recommend when an app is picky about the commands it sends.
A branded mini changes the calculation. With the B02 there is a named maker, a 1-year warranty, a published app list and a part number to quote, which a generic blue shell rarely offers. The version label then works as extra reassurance rather than as the only thing to go on.
What the B02 is built around:
The shell measures 1.89 × 0.98 × 1.26 inches and weighs 18.14 g, small enough to live in the port. Some cars bury that port behind a kick panel or low near the pedals, so check where yours sits before planning to reach it with the engine running.
A full breakdown of v1.5 versus v2.1 labels sits in the app setup notes, next to the settings each app expects.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Model number | B02 V1.5 |
| Part number | PL-B02 |
| Version label | V1.5 |
| Compliance | Fully ELM327 compliant |
| Connection | Bluetooth |
| Bluetooth name | OBDII |
| Operating systems | Android phones and tablets, Windows |
| iPhone / iPad | Not this version (Panlong PL-B04 is the iOS model) |
| OBD-II protocols | 9 |
| Vehicles | 1996+ US, 2000+ EU and Asian, 12V gas and light diesel |
| Functions | Read and clear codes with meaning, turn off Check Engine Light, live data in text and graph |
| Tests | I/M readiness, O2 sensor test, EVAP test |
| Not supported | ABS and SRS codes |
| Compatible apps | Torque Lite and Pro, DashCommand, Car Scanner, OBD Auto Doctor, OBD Fusion, Dr. Prius, ScanMaster, Hybrid Assistant, FordSys |
| Power | From the OBD-II port |
| Dimensions | 1.89 × 0.98 × 1.26 in |
| Weight | 18.14 g |
| In the box | Panlong OBD2 scanner × 1 |
| Warranty | 1 year |
Panlong ships no app of its own with the Android B02, and suggests starting with the free version of whatever you install. The list it names is long for a mini: Torque Lite and Pro, DashCommand, Car Scanner, OBD Auto Doctor, OBD Fusion, Dr. Prius, ScanMaster, Hybrid Assistant and FordSys.
The Bluetooth step catches people out. Panlong notes that the B02 may not appear as OBDII in the phone's Bluetooth device list, and that this is fine. Open the app, let it scan, and it finds the dongle from inside.
Which app for which job:
Paid tiers add logging, extra PIDs and more gauges. Try the free tier on your own car first and upgrade only once you know which screen you use most, since the B02 can only show what the car's engine computer reports.
The B02 does more than switch off a warning light. Panlong's feature set covers the jobs that count ahead of a smog check: an I/M readiness check, an oxygen sensor test and an EVAP system test, with live data shown as text or as a graph.
Readiness is the useful one after a repair. Clearing a code resets the monitors, and a car that has not completed its drive cycles can fail inspection even with the light off. The B02 shows which monitors have completed, so you know whether to drive another day before the test:
The code reader explains each fault in plain words, and freeze-frame values show what the engine was doing when the fault set. Panlong's pitch is simple: find out whether the Check Engine Light is a loose fuel cap you can fix, or a job for a mechanic.
Hybrids get their own angle. Dr. Prius and Hybrid Assistant both sit on Panlong's app list, and both read the high-voltage battery side of Toyota and Lexus hybrids that a plain code reader ignores. For an ageing Prius, a block-by-block battery view is often the reason to buy a mini at all.
Live data rounds it out: car speed, load value, RPM and coolant temperature in text or graph form. On a highway run, a graph of coolant temperature and fuel trims tells more than a single number. A slow warm-up or fuel trims drifting far from zero both point at a fault long before a code sets.
Panlong sells the same shell in two styles, and the style name is the only hint: For Android Only is this B02, For iOS Android is the PL-B04. The Android version sticks to Bluetooth that iOS will not open, while the B04 is the one an iPhone can reach.
| B02 V1.5 | PL-B04 | |
|---|---|---|
| Phones | Android, Windows | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Own app | None, third-party apps | YMOBD, one-click pairing |
| Engine codes, live data | Yes | Yes |
| ABS and SRS | No | No |
| Readiness, O2, EVAP | Yes | Yes |
Choose by who drives the car:
Price-conscious buyers weigh the B02 against the generic blue v2.1 clones, which look almost identical. The difference is the paperwork: a named maker, a part number, a published app list, nine stated protocols and a warranty. A generic shell may work just as well on a given car, but when it does not, there is nobody to ask and no spec sheet to check against.
Order it once the basics line up: the port is a 16-pin OBD-II socket, the car is 12V petrol or light diesel from the covered years, and the phone is Android. Owners switching phones later should read the iPhone mini notes first, because the B02 will not follow them to iOS.
It is the clone-world version label for the older, fuller ELM327 command set. Panlong adds that the B02 is fully ELM327 compliant with nine OBD-II protocols.
No. The B02 is an Android-only dongle, for phones and tablets. Panlong's PL-B04 is the model for iPhone and iPad.
Panlong calls that normal for the B02. Launch the app, which locates the dongle through its own connection settings.
No. Engine codes, live data, readiness, O2 and EVAP tests are its range. Panlong's PL-V800 is the model that adds ABS and SRS.