Merge 4 x CAN buses into 1 x CAN bus

In direct-mode, traffic from four secondary CAN buses can be routed onto the primary CAN bus. The data can be filtered (to e.g. reduce busload or remove CAN FD frames) and IDs can be re-mapped (to avoid collisions). This lets you e.g. monitor multiple CAN buses via a single interface.

Split 1 x CAN bus into 4 x CAN buses

An application may use an expensive sensor-to-CAN module. The sensor output should be available on multiple isolated CAN buses. To solve this, the module can be connected to the primary CAN bus with data routed onto all secondary CAN buses.

Control 4 x CAN buses with 1 x CAN bus interface

An application may have a single 'master node' that needs to control multiple isolated CAN buses by transmitting CAN frames. To achieve this, the master node can be connected to the primary CAN bus, with filters controlling what CAN frames are routed from/to each secondary CAN bus.

 

 

Interface four CAN buses with just one CAN bus (or USB)

Receive/transmit data from/to 4 x CAN buses via 1 x CAN bus (or USB) - e.g. for use by CAN loggers, ECUs or via USB streaming.

• 4 x CAN (incl. CAN FD) with galvanic isolation
• Power via DB9 (5-26 V and DB9 cables) or USB (5V)
• Independently configure each secondary CAN interface
• Optional silent mode and customizable bit-rates
• Advanced message filters and prescalers
• Configure transmit lists - and/or control via primary CAN
• Support for CAN error frame logging
• Quickly connect 4 x CAN via DB25-to-4x-DB9 adapter cable
• Daisy chain multiple modules for 8, 12, 16, ... CAN channels

The CANmod.router module lets you connect up to four isolated CAN buses (incl. FD) via the DB25 connector - and route the data through one CAN bus via the DB9 connector (or via USB)

The optional DB25-to-4x-DB9 adapter cable enables plug & play connection of the secondary isolated CAN buses using our standard DB9 adapter cables

The CANmod.router module can e.g. be used as a plug & play add-on for the CANedge (powered via 2nd port) - letting you log 1 x CAN (via CH1) + 4 x CAN (via CH2)

The CANmod.router offers vast functionality and pro specs - yet it is extremely compact, measuring only 7 x 2 x 5 CM and weighing just 75 G

The USB interface lets you stream data from/to the 4 x CAN FD interfaces (via SavvyCAN or Python), as well as update/configure the device

You can easily daisy chain multiple CANmod.router modules to add e.g. log 8 x CAN on a CANedge CH2 - and/or mix in other CANmod devices

Need to extend multiple CAN buses from e.g. a remote area? Simply combine 2 x CANmod.routers in mux-mode to automatically mux/demux the data

The CANmod.router can be configured via the USB connector using our online/offline config editor tool (or a simple JSON text editor)

 

 

Ex 1: CANedge + CANmod.router = 5 x CAN bus data logger

The CANedge supports 2 x CAN. By adding a CANmod.router, you can now log 1 x CAN (CH1) + 4 x CAN (CH2) - or beyond.

• Power the CANmod.router via the CANedge 2nd port 5V
• Maximise 4 x CAN throughput via CAN FD routing (mux-mode)
• Easily demux the data via MF4 converters/decoders or Python
• Control transmission on the 4 x CAN via CANedge
• Use daisy chaining to log 1 + 8 x CAN, 1 + 12 x CAN (or beyond)

Tip: Check out muxed/demuxed MF4 sample data below.
 

Ex 2: Merge/split/control your CAN buses

The CANmod.router can be deployed as a 100% standalone CAN bus gateway - allowing you to merge, split or control CAN buses.

• Directly route traffic from/to 4 x CAN and 1 x CAN 'as-is'
• Merge 4 x CAN into 1 x CAN - while retaining isolation
• Split 1 x CAN into 4 x CAN for e.g. sensor repetition or control
• Manage CAN traffic via ID filters/prescalers
• Re-map CAN IDs from secondary CAN buses to avoid collisions
• Fully customize all 5 x CAN channel bit-rates
• Configure everything easily via GUI config editor

Specifications

GENERAL

• Functionality: The device routes data from four isolated CAN buses (incl. FD) to one primary CAN bus (or USB)
• Included: CANmod.router module and USB dust cover (DB25-to-4x-DB9 adapter and USB adapter not included)
• Firmware: Supports free firmware updates via USB for adding features
• Configuration: Configuration files based on the popular open source JSON schema concept (similar to the CANedge)
• Software:
  • Free open source editor tool for easy device configuration (offline/online version available)
  • Free open source SavvyCAN GUI for streaming of raw / DBC decoded data via USB
  • Free open source Python API for streaming of raw / DBC decoded data via USB
• Safety: CE, FCC, IC and RoHS certified (see the Docs for certificates)

ROUTER MODES

• Mux-Mode
  • Traffic from/to secondary CAN buses is muxed and transported through 'tunnels' via primary CAN bus
  • Demuxing done via software/API tools to restore original CAN frames (channel IDs, CAN IDs, payloads)
  • - CANmod software/API with demuxing: SavvyCAN, USB Python API
  • - CANedge software/API with demuxing: MF4 Python API, mdf2mdf (and hence all CANedge tools)

CAN BUS (CAN-S)

• Channels: 4 x CAN channels (incl. CAN FD support)
• Isolation: Basic galvanic isolation (easily connect CAN buses not subject to high voltage differences)
• Standard: ISO 11898: Compliant with CAN (between 5K and 1 Mbit/s baud rates) and CAN FD (1M, 2M, 4M, 5M)
• Protocols: Receive/transmit raw data from/to CAN based protocols (J1939, CANopen, NMEA 2000, OBD2, UDS, ...)
• Identifiers: Compliant with CAN specifications 2.0A (11-Bit ID) and 2.0B (29-Bit ID)
• Retransmission: Retransmission of frames that have lost arbitration or been disturbed by errors
• Transceiver Protection:
  • Protection: +/- 25kV HBM ESD, +/-12kV IEC ESD, +/-14 V bus fault, short circuit
  • Common mode input voltage: +/-12V
  • TXD dominant timeout (prevents network blocking in the event of a failure)

CAN BUS (CAN-P)

• Channels: 1 x CAN channel (incl. CAN FD support)
• Modes: The device can either broadcast the data onto the CAN bus - or provide it on-request
• Standard: ISO 11898: Compliant with CAN (between 5K and 1 Mbit/s baud rates) and CAN FD (1M, 2M, 4M, 5M)
• Identifiers: Compliant with CAN specifications 2.0A (11-Bit ID) and 2.0B (29-Bit ID)
• Termination: Termination can be toggled via switch below DB9 connector
• Retransmission: Retransmission of frames that have lost arbitration or been disturbed by errors
• Transceiver Protection:  
  • Protection: +/- 25kV HBM ESD, +/-12kV IEC ESD, +/-14 V bus fault, short circuit
  • Common mode input voltage: +/-12V
  • TXD dominant timeout (prevents network blocking in the event of a failure)

CONFIG (CAN-S)

• Independence: Each secondary CAN channel can be independently configured (router mode is set globally)
• Bit-Rate: Select between standard bit-rates (5K to 1M) or use custom bit-timing (configure per channel)
• Bit-Rate Auto-Detect: Bit-rates can be set manually (auto-detection pending FW)
• Silent Mode: Configurable silent mode: Restricted (acknowledge only) or monitoring (zero transmission)
• Filters: 32 regular/extended ID filters per channel (mask, acceptance, rejection)
• Prescalers: Prescale CAN frames to record e.g. by time (per X ms) or by data (e.g. if byte X or Y changes)
• Transmit:  
  • Transmit lists of up to 16 CAN frames per channel (single-shot/periodic)
  • Transmission can also be directly controlled from the CAN-P interface
• CAN Error Frames: Support for logging CAN error frames (bit-stuffing, form, CRC, bit, acknowledgement)

CONFIG (CAN-P)

• Bit-Rate: Select between standard bit-rates (standard: 5K to 1M, FD: 1M to 4M) or use custom bit-timing
• Identifier Customization: Individually configure each CAN ID (11-bit or 29-bit)

OTHER

• Precision: Cross-channel precision of 1 ms
• Frames/Second: Mux-mode: Route 6,000+ frames/second (Classical CAN) - see FAQ for details

ELECTRICAL

• Input Supply:  
  • +5V to +26V DC via the DB9 connector (power via pin 1 or pin 9)
  • Alternatively power via USB (for updating firmware/config or for streaming data in real-time)
• Power Consumption: Extremely low (<1W) - no risk of battery drainage
• Protection:
  • Reverse voltage protection on CAN-bus supply
  • Transient voltage event protection on supply lines

MECHANICAL

• Enclosure & Weight: Compact aluminium enclosure: 65 x 48 x 24 mm (W x L x H excl. flanges & connectors). 75 grams
• Connector (Front): 1 x Standard D-sub 9 (DB9) connector
• Connector (Back): 1 x D-sub 25 (DB25) connector
• Pin-Out: See the product manual for the DB9/DB25 connector pin-outs
• USB: Standard mini USB connector for config/FW updates and streaming (USB cable available as option)
• LEDs: Module status via 7 external LEDs: Power, CAN-P, Memory, CAN-S1, CAN-S2, CAN-S3, CAN-S4
• Temperature: Operating temperature: -25degC to +70degC
• IP Rating: IP40
• Mounting: Module can be mounted via e.g. velcro strips or mounting kit

Use Cases

The CANmod.router can be installed standalone in any CAN bus system - including e.g. as an add-on for the CANedge. Further, it can be used as a powerful 4 x CAN FD to USB interface.

 

OEM CAN bus telematics with 5 x CAN channels

Need to collect data from 5 x CAN buses across your vehicle fleet?

As an automotive OEM, you may want to use the CANedge3 to collect CAN data and upload it via 3G/4G to your own AWS S3 bucket. But what if you need to log e.g. 5 x CAN per vehicle? Here you can simply add the CANmod.router to the CANedge 2nd port in mux-mode to log 1 + 4 x CAN. Using the DB25-to-4x-DB9 adapter, you can quickly connect the 4 x CAN using our standard DB9 adapters. When the MF4 log files are uploaded to your cloud, they can be automatically 'demuxed' and DBC decoded via Lambda functions for e.g. creation of Parquet data lakes and Grafana dashboards.

 

Merge 4 x CAN FD buses into 1 x Classical CAN bus

Daisy chain 'unconfigurable' sensor-to-CAN modules

Need to daisy chain sensor-to-CAN modules with 'locked' CAN IDs?

Some sensor-to-CAN modules may come with 'locked' CAN message IDs, with no option of configuring the IDs. This in turn makes it impossible to directly daisy chain such sensors on the same CAN bus as their IDs would overlap. To solve this, the CANmod.router can be used as a CAN bus gateway, with the configuration set up to remap incoming CAN IDs from the sensors to ensure unique CAN IDs are assigned for the data routed onto the primary CAN bus. This setup can be scaled to any level by daisy chaining multiple CANmod.router devices.

 

Unlimited CAN channel logging via daisy chaining

Need to log 1 + 8 x CAN, 1 + 12 x CAN or beyond?

By using a single CANedge + CANmod.router, you can easily record 5 x CAN in total. However, you can also go beyond this by daisy chaining 2, 3 or more CANmod.routers. You can add filters/prescalers on each secondary CAN interface to customize what IDs you record (at what frequency), ensuring your CANedge can record everything without frame loss - and that your log file size remains optimized.
 

 

Physical CAN bus extension from remote area

Need to transport CAN data over long distances?

In some use cases, you may want to interface with CAN buses that are far away. For example, you may want to interface with 3 x maritime vessel engines from a bridge (e.g. for integration with a display) - but the cable distance would be 40 meters. It is not recommended to extend existing CAN buses beyond a few meters. However, you can safely deploy one CANmod.router (mux-mode) in the engine room to record the 3 x CAN - and connect it via a 40 meter DB9-DB9 cable to another CANmod.router (mux-mode) at the bridge. The muxed data from the engine room is demuxed in real-time by the bridge device. As a result, you can now interface each engine room CAN bus via the bridge CANmod.router's DB25 connector - as if you had a direct connection. You can even convert the bit-rates of each engine CAN bus in the process or filter/prescale some of the data if preferred.
 

Option

Selct DB25 adapter cable

• DB25-to-4x-DB9 cable

Select DB9 adapter cable

• DB9-DB9/DB9 - connect to CANedge
• DB9-DB9 (5M) - connect to CANedge
• OBD2 adapter
• J1939 adapter
• Generic adapter
• M12 5-pin adapter
• CAT adapter

Select mounting

• 3M velcro strips x 4
• Mounting kit

• Mini USB to USB adapter cable, 100 CM

Note: