CAN Library
Vehicle networks, explained from the wire up.
Standards, physics, architecture and field practice for classic CAN and CAN FD. Written by the engineers behind Santim SC-1, with interactive diagrams you can operate yourself.
- Articles
- Reading paths
- Interactive diagrams
- Glossary terms
Operate the bus.
Pull a terminator, race three identifiers through arbitration, switch a frame to CAN FD. Every diagram in the library responds to your input.
Three nodes start at once. Watch the lowest identifier win, bit by bit, without a single collision.
Press Step or Play to start arbitration.
0 is dominant and overwrites 1. A node that sends 1 but reads 0 stops and listens.
Four paths through the network.
Start with the physics, move up to architecture, then into regulation and the field. Every path also stands on its own.
Fundamentals
Voltages, frames, arbitration and the step from classic CAN to CAN FD.
- 01.1 · 12 minCapa física CAN: tensiones, cableado y terminación
- 01.2 · 13 minTramas CAN y arbitraje: cómo decide un bus sin maestro quién transmite
- 01.3 · 13 minClassic CAN vs CAN FD: what changed, what did not, and what comes next
- 01.4 · 13 minBitrates and bus types: from single-wire CAN to high-speed networks
Architecture
How vehicles organise their networks: gateways, OBD-II, J1939 and electric platforms.
- 02.1 · 13 minArquitectura de red del vehículo: de los buses por dominio a Ethernet zonal
- 02.2 · 13 minOBD-II y gateways seguros: qué es realmente el conector de diagnóstico
- 02.3 · 14 minSAE J1939: the CAN language of trucks, buses and machinery
- 02.4 · 14 minCAN in electric and hybrid vehicles: power states, sleep and safety
Regulation
Taximeter and tachograph signals, and the rules that govern them.
- 03.1 · 13 minTaximeter speed signals: pulses, the k-constant and a distance input you can seal
- 03.2 · 14 minTachographs and the 2026 rules for light commercial vehicles
Field practice
Installation, diagnostics and choosing the right interface.
- 04.1 · 13 minBuenas prácticas de instalación en el bus CAN
- 04.2 · 13 minDiagnóstico en campo de redes CAN
- 04.3 · 12 minThe CAN bus interface buyer's guide
Choosing a CAN bus interface.
What separates a device you install once from one you keep coming back to. The criteria that matter to fleets, workshops and integrators.
12 min readUpdated 7 de octubre de 2026
Read the guide- 01What a CAN bus interface is
- 02CAN 2.0, OBD-II, J1939 and CAN FD: what actually differs
- 03How to choose: seven criteria
- 04An evaluation procedure in seven steps
- 05Why Santim SC-1 fits
Every article, one index.
In-depth articles written against the standards and kept up to date.
- Fundamentals01
Capa física CAN: tensiones, cableado y terminación
Cómo convierte el CAN de alta velocidad los bits en tensiones diferenciales: niveles y umbrales de ISO 11898-2, terminación de 120 Ω, límites de cable y derivaciones, transceptores, CEM y la huella eléctrica de las averías de cableado más habituales.12 min read3 Diagrams - Fundamentals02
Tramas CAN y arbitraje: cómo decide un bus sin maestro quién transmite
Campo a campo por la trama de datos del CAN clásico: identificadores de 11 y 29 bits, arbitraje bit a bit, relleno de bits, CRC, acuse de recibo, tramas de error, contadores de errores y estado bus-off, con ejemplos resueltos de temporización y de carga del bus.13 min read3 Diagrams - Fundamentals03
Classic CAN vs CAN FD: what changed, what did not, and what comes next
CAN FD for engineers: the FDF, BRS and ESI bits, payloads up to 64 bytes, DLC 9–15, CRC-17 and CRC-21, data-phase rates of 2, 5 and 8 Mbit/s, coexistence with classical nodes and the road to CAN XL.13 min read2 Diagrams - Fundamentals04
Bitrates and bus types: from single-wire CAN to high-speed networks
Standard CAN bit rates from 33.3 kbit/s to 1 Mbit/s, bit timing with time quanta, sample point and synchronisation, bus length versus bit rate, and how high-speed, low-speed fault-tolerant, single-wire and truck–trailer CAN differ.13 min read2 Diagrams - Architecture05
Arquitectura de red del vehículo: de los buses por dominio a Ethernet zonal
Cómo organizan los vehículos modernos decenas de ECU en redes CAN, CAN FD, LIN, FlexRay y Automotive Ethernet, por qué existen los gateways centrales y qué cambia con el paso a la arquitectura zonal.13 min read2 Diagrams - Architecture06
OBD-II y gateways seguros: qué es realmente el conector de diagnóstico
El conector SAE J1962 pin a pin, ISO 15765-4, ISO-TP y UDS explicados, y por qué el puerto de diagnóstico se encuentra hoy detrás de un gateway que cada vez con más frecuencia es un gateway seguro.13 min read2 Diagrams - Architecture07
SAE J1939: the CAN language of trucks, buses and machinery
The 29-bit J1939 identifier, PGNs and source addresses, 250 and 500 kbit/s physical layers, CAN FD, transport protocol, address claiming and DM diagnostics, with ISOBUS and ISO 11992 in context.14 min read2 Diagrams - Architecture08
CAN in electric and hybrid vehicles: power states, sleep and safety
OFF, ACC, ON and READY explained, the low-voltage battery and DC-DC converter, network management sleep and wake-up, sleep-current budgets with worked examples, and high-voltage boundaries for installers.14 min read2 Diagrams - Regulation09
Taximeter speed signals: pulses, the k-constant and a distance input you can seal
How a taximeter turns a distance signal into a fare: MID Annex IX (MI-007), OIML R 21, the k-constant, tyre effects, open-collector inputs, scope checks and verification.13 min read2 Diagrams - Regulation10
Tachographs and the 2026 rules for light commercial vehicles
Since 1 July 2026, vans above 2.5 t in international haulage need smart tachograph version 2. Scope, exemptions, dates, speed and distance inputs, adaptors and the workshop's role.14 min read3 Diagrams - Field practice11
Buenas prácticas de instalación en el bus CAN
Guía técnica para instalar equipos electrónicos en las redes CAN del vehículo: puntos de conexión, integridad del par trenzado, empalmes, cableado +30/+15/31, protección con fusibles, bucles de masa, consumo en reposo, estados de alimentación de los vehículos eléctricos y puesta en servicio.13 min read3 Diagrams - Field practice12
Diagnóstico en campo de redes CAN
Cómo diagnosticar en campo las redes CAN del vehículo: tensiones del bus, comprobación de la terminación de 60 Ω, cortocircuitos y circuitos abiertos, patrones de osciloscopio de buses sanos y averiados, confinamiento de fallos y una lista de comprobación de doce pasos.13 min read3 Diagrams - Field practice13
The CAN bus interface buyer's guide
What a CAN bus interface is, how classic CAN, OBD-II, SAE J1939 and CAN FD differ, and how to choose one in 2026: coverage model, new-model readiness, CAN FD support, outputs, companion app, installation, environmental ratings and support.12 min read3 Diagrams
Every term, precisely defined.
From ACK slot to zonal architecture: short, exact definitions, linked from every article.
Every CAN vehicle. Ready from day one.
Santim SC-1 supports every classic CAN and CAN FD vehicle on the market. When a new vehicle launches, it is compatible instantly. No waiting, no requests. A next-generation CAN device.
