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Building a Classical CAN to CAN FD Gateway with ESP32-S3: A Powerful Migration Platform for Next-Generation Networks
As CAN FD (Flexible Data-Rate) continues to gain adoption across automotive, industrial, agricultural, and heavy-duty vehicle applications, many developers face a common challenge: How do you connect legacy Classical CAN networks with newer CAN FD systems? One practical solution is a protocol gateway that can receive messages on one network, process or translate them, and transmit [...]
CAN Bus Troubleshooting with the PiCAN HATs: Why the Board Is Probably Not the Problem
The PiCAN product line has become the go-to CAN Bus interface solution for Raspberry Pi developers, system integrators, educators, and industrial engineers worldwide. From entry-level CAN Bus connectivity to advanced dual-channel CAN, CAN FD, GPS/GNSS integration, RS232, RS485, and real-time industrial networking, PiCAN boards combine robust hardware design with seamless Raspberry Pi integration. Whether you [...]
Why CAN Bus Is One of the Most Reliable Communication Systems Ever Created
When engineers design communication systems for vehicles, industrial machinery, agricultural equipment, marine electronics, and embedded control systems, reliability is often more important than raw speed. A lost message in a music streaming application may go unnoticed. A lost message containing engine speed, brake status, steering angle, or hydraulic pressure can lead to equipment malfunction, downtime, or [...]
Why the Teensy 4.1 Triple CAN-Bus Board with Ethernet Makes an Excellent CAN Data Logger
Modern vehicles, industrial machines, marine systems, and agricultural equipment generate enormous amounts of CAN bus traffic. Capturing, storing, and analyzing this data is essential for diagnostics, performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, fleet management, and product development. While there are many commercial CAN data loggers available, they often suffer from one or more limitations: High cost Limited customization Proprietary software Restricted storage [...]
ESP32-S3 vs. Raspberry Pi + PiCAN: Which Platform Is Better for Cloud-Connected CAN Bus Applications?
The growing popularity of Industrial IoT, fleet management, predictive maintenance, and cloud-based monitoring has created a demand for embedded systems that can bridge CAN networks with modern software platforms. Two popular approaches dominate the market: An ESP32-S3 embedded system with integrated CAN connectivity A Raspberry Pi combined with a PiCAN interface board Both platforms can transmit CAN data to [...]
Programming PiCAN Boards with Python: A Practical Guide for Raspberry Pi CAN Applications
The Raspberry Pi has become one of the most popular platforms for developing CAN bus applications. Whether you are working with industrial equipment, agricultural machinery, marine electronics, automotive systems, or SAE J1939 networks, combining a Raspberry Pi with a PiCAN board provides a powerful and cost-effective development platform. One of the biggest advantages of this setup [...]
Why CAN Bus Refuses to Die: What CAN FD and CAN XL Reveal About the Strength of Classical CAN
For more than 25 years, I have been working with CAN (Controller Area Network) technology. During that time, I have lost count of how many times industry experts, analysts, and technology journalists predicted its imminent demise. First, it was Ethernet. Then came FlexRay. Later, it was Automotive Ethernet. More recently, CAN FD and now CAN XL have been presented [...]
CAN Bus Programming in Python for Automotive, Industrial Automation, and Robotics
The Controller Area Network (CAN bus) is a resilient, lightweight, and efficient communication protocol originally developed by Bosch in the 1980s for in-vehicle networks. It allows multiple microcontrollers (ECUs) and devices to communicate without a central host, using a multi-master, message-oriented design. Over the decades, CAN bus has expanded beyond its automotive roots into domains [...]
Mastering CAN Bus: Essential Guide to Understanding and Troubleshooting Vehicle Networks
In today’s world of connected vehicles and industrial automation, understanding the details of networked communication protocols has become a pivotal skill for engineers and technicians alike. The book Mastering CAN Scratch: Understanding & Troubleshooting (ISBN/ASIN B0G24Z25RZ) steps into this space by offering a comprehensive, hands-on guide to the widely used Controller Area Network (CAN) bus [...]
Migrating Legacy CAN Systems to Modern Architectures: Practical Steps & Pitfalls
The Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol has been the backbone of reliable embedded communication for decades. From passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks, from industrial machinery to marine electronics, CAN has delivered deterministic, robust, and low-cost networking. But as data demands grow—driven by autonomous features, connected vehicles, and Industry 4.0—Classical CAN’s 1 Mbit/s bandwidth and 8-byte [...]