Beijer Electronics introduced its iX T7BR, a rugged 7-inch operator panel designed for operation in extreme environments. Optionally, the panel supports J1939 and CANopen.

The model is tested and certified to withstand rough environmental conditions such as wind, snow and rain, working on heavy duty motors in remote locations, or in a steamy offshore engine room. The HMIs are certified by classification societies for hazardous environments (UL, IECEx, ATEX) as well as to marine standards (ABS, DNV, GL, LR, KR) for use on vessels and off-shore installations. The rugged panels are designed for an extended operating temperature range between -30 °C to +70 °C and conform to NEMA 4X and IP66 standards.

With the optional CiX-CAN module, the panel supports the SAE J1939, CANopen, and Classical CAN protocols. CiX-CAN is an iX HMI module that is designed to mount on the back of the panel. It allows communication from the panel to devices using a CAN interface. The module supports two independent CAN ports that are both capable of running a separate protocol.

The module supports most CAN protocols including J1939 and CANopen. In addition, the module supports Beijer's FreeCAN architecture that permits additional messages to be added to the J1939 protocol or it can be used to define a unique CAN protocol. Support for the module is incorporated into the iX software version 2.0 or newer plus the appropriate CAN driver.

A Comprehensible Guide to J1939

SAE J1939 has become the accepted industry standard and the vehicle network technology of choice for off-highway machines in applications such as construction, material handling, and forestry machines. J1939 is a higher-layer protocol based on Controller Area Network (CAN). It provides serial data communications between microprocessor systems (also called Electronic Control Units - ECU) in any kind of heavy duty vehicles. 

The messages exchanged between these units can be data such as vehicle road speed, torque control message from the transmission to the engine, oil temperature, and many more.

The information in this book is based on two documents of the SAE J1939 Standards Collection: J1939/21 - Data Link Layer J1939/81 - Network Management A Comprehensible Guide to J1939 is the first work on J1939 besides the SAE J1939 standards collection. 

It provides profound information on the J1939 message format and network management combined with a high level of readability.

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