Controller Area Network (CAN) connects multiple TDS2020F and TDS9092 computers (and perhaps a PC) for distributed real-time control applications

The TDS2020CAN board goes under the computer to form a CAN node.

Use it to -

l       request temperature or any other sensor readings from remote equipment

l       control relays and lamps in a distant machine

l       display messages far away from the source

l       change parameters of machines from an office environment

l       synchronise instruments

l       collect management information from the shop floor

l       gather data from data loggers

l       intelligently connect a microphone to a set of remote loudspeakers

Implementation of the CAN specification by TDS2020CAN

The 'CMS multiplexed domain protocol' defined in the CAN in Automation (CiA) CAN Application Layer is used to accomplish the data transfers. Some names in comments of definitions come from this specification or the Intel 82527 Architectural Overview.

About CAN

CAN was originally developed by Bosch for automotive applications. Its increasing use by passenger car manufacturers in engine and transmission management systems, as well as in car body electronics, means that CAN is the basic network technology in automotive electronics. But CAN meets the needs of industrial networking applications as well as automotive ones. In both cases the major requirements are: low cost, the ability to function reliably in a harsh environment, a high degree of real-time capability and ease of use. More than 1000 companies offer CAN-based products such as PC expansion cards, PLCs, I/O modules, sensors and actuators, as well as CAN tools and CAN-based higher layer protocol source codes. Textiles are produced by CAN-controlled machines, and newspapers and books are printed, folded and bound by machinery linked by CAN buses. CAN networks can be found in cars and trucks as well as in off-road vehicles, especially in agriculture and forestry. Ferries, yachts, railways and underground trains use CAN technology. You will also find a lot of CAN networks used in medical equipment and building services automation. To date there are over 100 million CAN nodes installed world-wide. By the end of the decade this figure will have increased to more than 180 million CAN nodes.