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CAN Physical layer
CAN usually consists of two wires - arranged as a differential
pair. The data is impressed on the CAN bus by making the
voltage between these two wires different: either 2 volts or zero
volts. This differential arrangement provides excellent immu-
nity from outside electrical interference and substantially reduces
emitted RF radiation eliminating the need for shielded cables.
LIN Physical layer
The LIN bus is less expensive than the CAN bus and is used for
less demanding applications such as door locks and windows.
Many of these applications do not need the power and speed of
CAN. The LIN bus is a 12 volt single wire UART serial design.
Other Serial Networks
There are several low cost networks available including LIN,
ISO9141, KWP2000, J1850 and BEAN. BEAN (Body Elec-
tronic Area Network) is used in Toyota vehicles along with
CAN. BEAN runs at 10 Kbits/sec and is a single wire, 0 to 10
volt bus. Since the Toyota CAN is 500 Kbits/sec, the raw CAN
data transfer is 50 times that of BEAN. BEAN, however, is
quite capable of handling the normal body application load.
Polled and Periodic Messages
Polled messages are those that a ECM requests from another
ECM (or even itself) for some specific information. For ex-
ample, an ECM could request the status of the brakes or other
vehicle subsystems. A scan tool could request some specified
diagnostic information. Polled and periodic messages are used
on both the Standard and Diagnostic modes of ECMs.
Periodic messages are broadcast on the network on a periodic
basis, i.e. every 120 msec. They do not need to be requested by
an ECM. Speeds, temperatures, pressures and commands are
commonly sent in this manner at specific times.
Scan tools generally read both polled and periodic messages.
You can view both types with an oscilloscope, but in order to
request and subsequently see the polled messages, a CAN
analyzer, scan tool or an ECM will be needed.
Standard CAN Traffic - Public and Proprietary
Standard traffic consists of broadcast messages. It is easy to see
the raw data with an oscilloscope or preferably a CAN analyzer,
but knowing exactly what a message means can be challenging.
It is not clear what the following CAN message represents:
2C1 08 05 83 28 06 EC 00 75
All we know about it is that it is a standard 11 bit Identifier
CAN frame with 8 bytes of data and the identifier is hex 2C1.
A public protocol such as J1939 or ISO9141 will specify what its
frames mean as well as other details about the entire system.
A proprietary protocol such as found in many vehicle applica-
tions will not be disclosed except to approved vendors with the
appropriate nondisclosure documents in place. It is possible to
find out some things about these systems through trial and error
and observation. It is impossible to derive all the secrets of these
systems in this manner due to their complexity.
Most vehicles contain a mixture of public and proprietary
messages. The public diagnostics system OBDII is required by
law in the USA, Canada and Europe.
Diagnostics - Public and Proprietary - Overview
Public Diagnostic Protocols (OBDII)
Diagnostics can use a government-mandated standard such as
OBDII (On Board Diagnostics Version 2) as specified by CARB
(California Air Resources Board) and the EPA (Environmental
Protection Agency) for automobiles and light trucks for model
year 1996 and on. The European Community has also imple-
mented OBDII as part of its Euro Stage III Directive in 2000.
These are normally concerned with vehicle emissions and the
method and information needed to access and decipher them is
public knowledge. OBDII legislation requires trouble codes to
be reported with a generic scan tool such as the one in Figure 3.
Figure 3 also shows the special connector found under the
steering column on all 1996 and later cars. This connector is
specified by SAE J1962 and is equivalent to ISO15031-3.
Normal vehicle network messages are also available on this
connector. Depending on the vehicle, various protocols can be
found on this connector including CAN, ISO9141, KWP2000
and J1850. Most vehicle makers are migrating to the CAN bus.
Figure 3: Generic Scan Tool
OBDII specifies a vehicle warning light called MIL (Malfunc-
tion Indicator Lamp). This light displays a message similar to
“Service Engine Soon” to the vehicle operator. Pending errors
will not illuminate the MIL but are available to the scan tool. If
a pending error exists for a predetermined time duration, it will
be turned into a Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) and the MIL
will be turned on indicating vehicle service is required.
Proprietary Diagnostic Protocols
Diagnostics not prescribed by the government are usually
proprietary to the vehicle or subsystems manufacturer. Each
vehicle manufacturer or supplier has its own proprietary diagno-
sis system and this information is usually kept confidential.
The raw CAN messages can be seen with an oscilloscope, some
scan tools or a CAN analyzer such as the Dearborn Group’s
Gryphon but the meaning of the messages can be difficult to
decipher without a translation list from the manufacturer.
Phone (248) 488-2080
Dearborn Group, Inc. www.dgtech.com