CAN --> USB Adapter

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SodaAnt
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Posted by SodaAnt: Tue. May 8, 2012 - 09:21 PM
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Anyone here have experience with a CAN to USB adapter they can recommend?

Galvanic isolation would be nice, but not an absolute requirement.

Good APIs for C# are a requirement as I don't have time to write my own.

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Learning and Information, General Electronics
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max_torque_2008
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Posted by max_torque_2008: Wed. May 9, 2012 - 06:43 PM
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I use the Peak CAN tools - their PcanUSB adaptor is one of the cheapest, and comes with a decently documented API ;-)

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Jepael
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Posted by Jepael: Wed. May 9, 2012 - 07:00 PM
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Have you checked totalphase.com? I have not used their CAN analyzers, but have positive experiences from their I2C and SPI boxes and their C APIs.

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SodaAnt
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Posted by SodaAnt: Wed. May 9, 2012 - 10:29 PM
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Jepael wrote:
Have you checked totalphase.com? I have not used their CAN analyzers, but have positive experiences from their I2C and SPI boxes and their C APIs.

Yes, I have, and I agree, they have a nice CAN bus analyzer (Komodo--saw it at the recent ESC in San Jose). It can double as a CAN <-> USB interface too, but at $450 it's a little expensive for that use. Other CAN <-> USB converters are in the $100-250 range typically.

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Bronze Markbobgardner
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Posted by bobgardner: Thu. May 10, 2012 - 01:20 AM
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We have a Kvaser Leaf HighSpeed. The boss bought it. I truly have No Idea how much it costs, but it works like a champ with the free Can King sw.

Imagecraft compiler user

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jon_newcomb
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Posted by jon_newcomb: Thu. Aug 30, 2012 - 12:40 PM
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Hi, many CAN USB adaptors come with nasty DLLS that you need to 'PInvoke' (like peek/poke). They were not designed for modern languages that use managed code. You have to write/use a 'C# wrapper' to access the DLL. You can NOT add them to your VS2010 and start using them.
When you distribute your application - the user has to install USB hardware drivers, then install DLLs (which fills the windows system directory with all kinds of rubbish), then your application. The application talks to the DLL which talks to the USB driver which talks to the hardware. Yuck.

So.. If you want a solution that uses a very simple USB hardware device driver (from FTDI) and a c# library (instead of the dreaded DLL) that is actually referenced (or linked?) as managed code in your project.. AND is provided in source code form.. And is open source.. And can be compiled as 64bit code.. Then this is the solution you should be looking at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/...
(Note: You will need to take the project from SVN/CVS as the zip file may be old..)
It also happens to be one of the cheapest CAN hardware devices out there..
The library can also be compiled with Mono instead of VS2010
Some keywords:
CAN USB adaptor C# library 64bit CANUSB Managed code .NET library with no DLL nonsense!

I hated working with DLLs.. callbacks from an unmanaged code that bloats the system directory.. that needs permissions to install.. can’t be recompiled and so on..
If you are working with C#, then it’s the right way to do it..

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