I set aside a couple hours every week to learn more about recon-related topics and compress the highlights into these emails. Some recent communication with HVEDR authority Matt Disogra put the Bendix Data Recorder [BDR] into my educational hopper.

Matt, Jeff Hirsch, and Adam Yeakley wrote a 2025 SAE paper called Examination of the Data Structures of the Bendix® Data Recorder. Normally, I’d read the paper, pull the key findings, and relay them in writing.

However, this time I sat down with Matt and Jeff to have a conversation about the value of the BDR and how they’re acquiring/interpreting the data. A little more pow!

As you’ll hear Matt say, the BDR is "a better data recorder by almost every measure.” As such, if you’re not prioritizing Bendix data at this point, I highly recommend tuning in. The conversation can be seen below or heard on any podcast platform (Apple, Spotify).

If you don’t currently have the bandwidth to watch/listen, here’s the TLDR.

  • BDR provides better data than engine-based EDRs by almost every measure

  • The data can be acquired via the DLC using ACom (if systems are intact)

  • The raw hex data is stored in the HTML version of the recovered DTC report

  • The data can be acquired via the DLC using ACom (if systems are intact)

  • The raw hex data is stored in the HTML version of the recovered DTC report

  • The report can be shipped off to Bendix for translation, translated using the method presented in their SAE paper, or sent to Delta |v| for translation.

Thanks to Matt and Jeff for taking the time to share their knowledge. I have a whole new appreciation for Bendix data.

Thanks for reading, keep exploring!

Lou Peck
Lightpoint | JS Forensics

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