Electronic Conversations: How CAN Bus Helps Devices Communicate

Computers control every modern vehicle you see on the road, and you’ll find computers in numerous racecars, too. How exactly do these computers talk to each other? The majority of these electronic wonders use the CAN bus communication method to share information. In this video from Haltech, you’ll learn how CAN bus works and how you can use it.

CAN bus stands for Controller Area Network bus, and it allows any device that uses CAN bus architecture to communicate with each other. CAN bus is standardized, but the CAN protocol language used by these devices isn’t. The devices that use CAN bus and CAN protocol can all work together on a single CAN network. This is very important when you consider how much wiring this cuts down on inside a vehicle.

Information travels over the CAN network via the CAN high and CAN low wires. A device like an ECU can send out all the information it sees via CAN, and a device like a dash can display it. CAN is able to control all kinds of devices as long as they are connected to a CAN-enabled controller. This is another way you can cut down on the complexity of wiring in a vehicle.

This video produced by Haltech does an outstanding job explaining in detail how CAN bus and protocols actually work in a vehicle. You’ll get some great examples, plus you also learn how to maximize what a CAN bus device can do. If you want to learn even more about CAN bus make sure to check out Haltech’s website right here.

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About the author

Brian Wagner

Spending his childhood at different race tracks around Ohio with his family’s 1967 Nova, Brian developed a true love for drag racing. Brian enjoys anything loud, fast, and fun.
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