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 minCAN physical layer: voltages, wiring and termination
- 01.2 · 13 minCAN frames and arbitration: how a bus without a master decides who speaks
- 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 minVehicle network architecture: from domain buses to zonal Ethernet
- 02.2 · 13 minOBD-II and secure gateways: what the diagnostic connector really is
- 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 · 12 minCAN bus installation best practices
- 04.2 · 12 minField diagnostics for CAN networks
- 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 ottobre 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
CAN physical layer: voltages, wiring and termination
How high-speed CAN turns bits into differential voltages: ISO 11898-2 levels and thresholds, 120 Ω termination, cable and stub limits, transceivers, EMC and the electrical fingerprints of common wiring faults.12 min read3 Diagrams - Fundamentals02
CAN frames and arbitration: how a bus without a master decides who speaks
Field by field through the classical CAN data frame: 11- and 29-bit identifiers, bitwise arbitration, bit stuffing, CRC, acknowledgement, error frames, error counters and bus-off, with worked timing and bus-load examples.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
Vehicle network architecture: from domain buses to zonal Ethernet
How modern vehicles organise dozens of ECUs into CAN, CAN FD, LIN, FlexRay and Automotive Ethernet networks, why central gateways exist, and what the move to zonal architecture changes.13 min read2 Diagrams - Architecture06
OBD-II and secure gateways: what the diagnostic connector really is
The SAE J1962 connector pin by pin, ISO 15765-4, ISO-TP and UDS explained, and why the diagnostic port now sits behind a gateway that is increasingly a secure one.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
CAN bus installation best practices
An engineering guide to fitting electronics on vehicle CAN networks: tap points, twisted-pair integrity, joints, +30/+15/31 wiring, fusing, ground loops, sleep current, EV power states and commissioning.12 min read3 Diagrams - Field practice12
Field diagnostics for CAN networks
How to diagnose vehicle CAN networks in the field: bus voltages, 60 Ω termination checks, shorts and opens, oscilloscope patterns of healthy and faulty buses, fault confinement and a twelve-step checklist.12 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.
