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Optimizing Field Testing of Automotive Instrument Clusters with Precisol’s CAN to USB adapter
Field testing is a critical phase in the development of automotive components, ensuring they perform reliably under real-world conditions. For complex systems like the instrument cluster, which serves as the primary human-machine interface and data hub in a vehicle, precise data acquisition and analysis during field trials are paramount. This case study explores how a leading automotive electronics supplier significantly enhanced their instrument cluster field testing capabilities by integrating our CAN to USB adapter.
The Challenge
Prior to implementing our CAN to USB adapter, the engineering team faced several challenges during instrument cluster field testing. Their existing setup relied on a cumbersome array of data loggers and custom-built diagnostic tools, leading to:
- Limited Real-time Visibility: Engineers struggled to gain immediate insights into CAN bus traffic. This meant issues were often discovered post-test, requiring time-consuming data downloads and offline analysis.
- Inefficient Troubleshooting: Diagnosing intermittent faults or performance anomalies in the instrument cluster was a protracted process. Without precise, timestamped CAN data accessible on-the-fly, pinpointing the root cause was a “needle in a haystack” endeavour.
- Setup Complexity and Portability Issues: The previous equipment was bulky and required extensive setup time in test vehicles, hindering the agility needed for diverse field-testing scenarios. Its lack of portability also restricted testing to specific, prepared environments.
- Data Synchronization Problems: Integrating data from various sources (e.g., vehicle sensors, GPS, and CAN messages) proved challenging, often leading to synchronization discrepancies that complicated analysis.
- Cost and Resource Intensiveness: The proprietary diagnostic tools and dedicated data loggers were expensive to acquire and maintain, placing a strain on project budgets and requiring specialized training.
The Solution: Precisol’s CAN to USB adapter
The engineering team sought a more agile, cost-effective, and powerful solution for their field testing needs. After evaluating several options, they identified the Precisol’s CAN to USB adapter as the ideal interface. Our CAN to USB adapter is a compact, robust, and versatile device, offering high data throughput and compatibility with a wide range of CAN protocols. Its key features that appealed to the team included:
- Real-time CAN Monitoring: Ability to capture, transmit, and analyze CAN messages in real-time.
- Ease of Use and Portability: Plug-and-play functionality and compact design, making it highly suitable for in-vehicle use.
- Software Compatibility: Robust drivers and support for various software tools, including Precisol’s own PreciCAN-View tool.
- Reliability: Proven performance in demanding automotive environments.
Implementation and Results
The integration of CAN to USB adapter into their field-testing methodology yielded significant improvements:
- Enhanced Real-time Diagnostics: Using CAN to USB adapter in conjunction with a laptop, engineers could now monitor CAN bus traffic in real-time. This provided immediate feedback on instrument cluster behavior, allowing them to detect anomalies as they occurred. For example, if a specific warning light failed to illuminate or a gauge displayed incorrect values, they could instantly verify if the corresponding CAN message was being transmitted correctly by the vehicle’s ECUs.
- Accelerated Troubleshooting: The real-time visibility facilitated rapid identification of issues. Engineers could filter CAN messages, log specific data streams, and even inject test messages directly from the laptop. This dramatically reduced the time spent diagnosing communication errors, corrupted data, or software glitches within the instrument cluster. A critical example involved an intermittent flickering of the speedometer, which was quickly traced to a sporadic data loss on a particular CAN ID, identified using the PC software’s logging capabilities.
- Streamlined Setup and Increased Flexibility: The compact size and simple USB connectivity of the adapter drastically cut down setup time in test vehicles. This improved testing efficiency, enabling more varied and extensive field trials across different driving conditions and vehicle configurations. Engineers could easily move the setup between vehicles, making their testing process far more adaptable.
- Improved Data Integrity and Analysis: While the adapter itself doesn’t solve all data synchronization issues, its reliable and precise timestamping of CAN messages provided a stable foundation. The captured CAN data could then be easily integrated with other logged parameters, providing a more coherent and accurate overall picture of the vehicle’s performance during tests.
The adoption of the Precisol’s CAN to USB adapter proved to be a transformative decision for the automotive electronics supplier. By providing real-time visibility into CAN bus communications, simplifying troubleshooting, and enhancing overall testing efficiency, the adapter significantly optimized their instrument cluster field testing process. This not only led to faster development cycles and reduced costs but also contributed to the delivery of a higher-quality, more reliable product to the market. Our CAN to USB adapter emerged as an indispensable tool, demonstrating its value as a robust and versatile solution for modern automotive diagnostic and testing requirements.
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Arima Leonardo
Electrician
Alex Piter
Designer
Mariya Komola
Developer
David Malan
Developer
Arima Leonardo
Electrician
Alex Piter
Designer
Mariya Komola
Developer
David Malan
Developer
