At Copperhill Technologies, we specialize in embedded systems and CAN (Controller Area Network) applications for industrial, automotive, and marine environments. Our products are built to serve professionals and engineers who need reliable, real-time communication across a variety of platforms. One of the most critical decisions in any CAN-based hardware design is the selection of the CAN controller—a decision that directly affects performance, compatibility, and ease of development.

Over the years, we have evaluated numerous hardware solutions for CAN Bus implementation. Among them, two stand out as the clear winners in terms of functionality, flexibility, market acceptance, and developer support: the MCP2515 and the MCP2518FD, both manufactured by Microchip Technology. These two external CAN controllers have become the foundational components in many of our most successful product designs, from breakout boards to full-featured CAN-to-USB adapters.

Our focus on these controllers is driven by a combination of three factors:

• Proven popularity among hobbyists, engineers, and OEM developers alike.

• Robust and versatile functionality that covers both Classical CAN and CAN FD protocols.

• Extensive software support across Arduino, C/C++, Python, and other development environments.

We consider these chips the best choice for our hardware line, not just for their technical merits but also for their widespread adoption, rich documentation, and robust open-source support.

MCP2515 – Time-Tested Reliability for Classical CAN

The MCP2515 is a stand-alone, SPI-based CAN controller that is designed to interface directly with any microcontroller lacking native CAN support. It is fully compliant with the ISO 11898-1:2003 specification, supporting the Classical CAN protocol at speeds up to 1 Mb/s. The controller includes its own CAN protocol engine, thereby offloading low-level message handling from the host MCU and enabling more efficient communication.

From a hardware perspective, the MCP2515 provides:

• An SPI interface that enables seamless integration with a wide range of microcontrollers, including Arduino, PIC, AVR, STM32, and ESP32.

• Three receive filters and two masks, supporting both standard (11-bit) and extended (29-bit) CAN identifiers.

• Two transmit buffers and one receive FIFO, allowing for intelligent buffering and non-blocking communications in time-critical applications.

• Interrupt pins that signal a range of events, from message arrival to error conditions.

Where this controller shines is in its universality. It is one of the most widely adopted CAN controllers in the embedded industry, and its open-source support is unmatched. Numerous driver libraries exist for the MCP2515 across platforms like Arduino, Raspberry Pi (via SPI and SocketCAN), and even embedded Linux distributions.

This popularity has given rise to a robust ecosystem of tutorials, GitHub repositories, forum discussions, and pre-built software examples—all of which make it easier for developers to quickly deploy prototypes or production-level applications. That is exactly the kind of support that aligns with Copperhill Technologies’ mission: to deliver plug-and-play development tools and production-ready hardware that developers can count on.

MCP2518FD – Advanced Performance with CAN FD Support

As the demand for higher data throughput, longer payloads, and improved diagnostic capabilities continues to grow—especially in automotive and industrial markets—CAN FD (Flexible Data-Rate) has emerged as the logical evolution of Classical CAN. In response to these new requirements, Microchip introduced the MCP2518FD, a high-performance, stand-alone CAN controller that supports both Classical CAN and CAN FD per ISO 11898-1:2015.

The MCP2518FD features:

• Dual protocol support, offering full backward compatibility with Classical CAN as well as support for CAN FD features like larger data payloads (up to 64 bytes) and faster data phase bit rates (up to 8 Mb/s).

• SPI interface, much like the MCP2515, for maximum flexibility in microcontroller selection.

• 32 message buffers, including a configurable FIFO structure, making it suitable for applications requiring high-speed, high-volume message exchange.

• Advanced filtering, including 32 acceptance filters with programmable masks and filter-to-buffer mapping.

• Event and error handling, with an expanded interrupt system that includes flags for each buffer, error state changes, bus-off recovery, and overflow conditions.

• Time stamping and DMA-friendly memory layout, which facilitate precision logging and real-time analysis.

The inclusion of these features makes the MCP2518FD ideal for modern automotive environments, heavy-duty industrial automation, and any application requiring large-scale diagnostics or data streaming over CAN Bus.

From a software development standpoint, Microchip offers a comprehensive C driver suite for the MCP2518FD, complete with initialization routines, message handling, and interrupt servicing. Moreover, the open-source community continues to expand its support for this chip, with Arduino and ESP32 libraries emerging across GitHub and other repositories. At Copperhill Technologies, we actively contribute to and adapt these libraries, ensuring our customers receive fully documented and validated firmware with each of our MCP2518FD-based products.

Why These Controllers Are the Backbone of Our CAN Hardware

At Copperhill Technologies, our hardware designs are guided by principles of interoperability, reliability, and developer-friendliness. The MCP2515 and MCP2518FD meet these standards in every regard. Their widespread popularity ensures an abundant supply of software tools, troubleshooting resources, and hardware design references. Their SPI-based design allows us to implement them across a variety of host platforms without depending on built-in CAN peripherals—ensuring the portability of our solutions.

Our decision to standardize on these two CAN controllers has had multiple benefits:

• Streamlined firmware development across all CAN-enabled products.

• Easier integration for end-users, who benefit from existing software tools and broad community support.

• Reduced time-to-market, thanks to Microchip’s mature documentation and reference designs.

• Long-term availability and support, which is a key requirement for industrial and automotive customers.

Whether you’re working with a Raspberry Pi, Arduino, or a custom embedded board, our MCP2515 and MCP2518FD-based solutions provide a dependable bridge to the CAN Bus.

Conclusion: CAN Solutions Built on Proven Technology

The MCP2515 and MCP2518FD are not just components—they are enablers of fast, reliable, and scalable CAN Bus communication. At Copperhill Technologies, we have embraced these controllers as the foundation of our CAN-based product line. From low-cost development boards to advanced CAN FD interfaces, these chips allow us to deliver hardware that performs, scales, and integrates effortlessly into real-world applications.

If you are building a CAN-enabled system—whether for automotive diagnostics, industrial automation, marine navigation, or robotics—we invite you to explore our product lineup. Our solutions are built around these time-tested, widely supported controllers, and we are confident they will meet the demands of your project.

A Comprehensible Guide to Controller Area Network

A Comprehensible Guide to Controller Area Network by Wilfried Voss stands out as the most thoroughly researched and complete resource on CAN Bus technology currently available. Originally developed for the automotive industry—particularly European vehicles—Controller Area Network (CAN) has since evolved into a widely adopted communication protocol across various sectors, including industrial automation and embedded systems.

Designed to facilitate fast, reliable communication between microcontrollers, CAN Bus meets the demands of real-time data exchange without the complexity or cost of dual-ported RAM solutions. This makes it ideal for embedded applications where efficiency and reliability are critical.

The book offers an in-depth exploration of all aspects of CAN Bus, from fundamental principles to advanced features, while maintaining a high degree of readability. It is a definitive reference for engineers, developers, and students seeking both comprehensive technical detail and practical guidance. More information...