Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide
Copyright 2011-2018 Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden
http://www.kvaser.com
Printed Sunday 16thSeptember, 2018
We believe that the information contained herein was accurate in all respects at the time of printing.
Kvaser AB cannot, however, assume any responsibility for errors or omissions in this text. Also note
that the information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed
as a commitment by Kvaser AB.
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Contents
1 About this manual 4
2 Introduction 5
2.1 Welcome to Kvaser BlackBird v2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 Major features of Kvaser BlackBird v2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.3 Additional software and documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3 Kvaser BlackBird v2 hardware 7
3.1 Hardware installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2 USB connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3 CAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.4 Power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.5 LED indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4 How to use the Kvaser BlackBird v2 9
4.1 Initial network setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4.2 Use as a USB CAN interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.3 Use as a Wireless CAN Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5 Appendices 14
5.1 Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.2 CAN connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5.3 CAN bus termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.4 Updating the firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
6 Disposal and Recycling Information 17
7 Legal acknowledgements 18
7.1 Usage warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
7.2 EU Regulatory Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
7.3 USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
7.4 Patents, copyrights and trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
8 Version history 21
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 4 (21)
1 About this manual
This manual is intended for Kvaser BlackBird v2 users. This document contains a
description of the hardware’s properties and general instructions for connecting the
device to a computer. The Kvaser BlackBird setup software is started from the
Kvaser Device Guide program in the control panel.
For information about how to set up a WLAN connection to the Kvaser BlackBird
v2, see the Kvaser BlackBird Getting Started Guide.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 5 (21)
2 Introduction
This section will describe the functions and features of the Kvaser BlackBird v2.
2.1 Welcome to Kvaser BlackBird v2
Figure 1: Kvaser BlackBird v2
The Kvaser BlackBird v2 is a small, yet advanced, wireless CAN interface.
Configured via the USB interface, the Kvaser BlackBird v2 can be used as a
wireless CAN interface or as a USB CAN interface.
This guide applies to Kvaser BlackBird v2 devices listed in Table 1.
Device Product Number
Kvaser BlackBird v2 73-30130-00671-3
Table 1: Kvaser BlackBird v2 devices and its EAN numbers
Throughout this document, we use the name Kvaser BlackBird v2 to mean any one
of the different Kvaser BlackBird v2 products listed in Table 1, unless otherwise
noted.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 6 (21)
2.2 Major features of Kvaser BlackBird v2
• Wireless/USB CAN interface
• Easy one click configuration using Kvaser Wi-Fi Pairing tool.
• Supports Kvaser REST API
• Can be either public or private.
• Supports high data throughput and prevents bottlenecks with quick reaction
times and precise time stamping.
• Supports both 11-bit (CAN 2.0A) and 29-bit (CAN 2.0B active) identifiers.
• Large on-board RAM buffer for CAN messages
• Supports silent mode for analysis tools – listen to the bus without interfering.
• 100 % compatible with applications written for other Kvaser CAN hardware
with Kvaser CANlib.
• High-speed CAN connection (compliant with ISO 11898-2), up to 1 Mbit/s.
• Fully compatible with J1939, CANopen, NMEA 2000 and DeviceNet.
• One USB 2.0 HiSpeed connection with data rates up to 480 Mbit/s while
being compatible with USB 1.x and USB 3.0.
• Rugged aluminum housing.
• Supports 802.11b/g/n
2.3 Additional software and documentation
The Kvaser CANlib SDK includes everything you need in order to develop software
applications interacting with Kvaser CAN hardware. The SDK contains full
documentation and many sample programs, written in C, C++, C#, Delphi, Python
and Visual Basic. All Kvaser CAN interface hardware share a common software
API. Applications developed using one device type will run without modification on
other device types.
The latest versions of documentation, software and drivers can be downloaded for
free at www.kvaser.com/download.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 7 (21)
3 Kvaser BlackBird v2 hardware
In this section you can read more about the installation, hardware, power supply
and LED indicators.
3.1 Hardware installation
For the Kvaser BlackBird v2 to communicate with the host computer, a compatible
version of the Kvaser driver and firmware must be installed.
After the driver has been installed on the host computer, the firmware may then be
downloaded and installed on the Kvaser BlackBird v2.
The latest version of the driver and firmware can be downloaded from
www.kvaser.com/download.
The driver is installed by running the file
kvaser_drivers_setup.exe
.
The Kvaser BlackBird v2 may be inserted in any free USB socket on the host
computer. You do not need to switch the power off before inserting or removing the
device.
For information on how to upgrade the firmware, see Section 5.4, Updating the
firmware, on Page 16.
3.2 USB connector
The Kvaser BlackBird v2 has a standard USB type “A” connector.
3.3 CAN
The Kvaser BlackBird v2 offers different CAN connectors depending on the model.
A 9-pin D-SUB or a 16-pin OBDII connector. See Section 5.2, CAN connectors, on
Page 14 for details about the different connectors.
3.4 Power supply
The Kvaser BlackBird v2 can be powered from the CAN side or from the USB side.
The device automatically switches between the CAN (primary) and the USB
(secondary) power supply, reducing the power drain on a laptop’s battery.
To operate the Kvaser BlackBird v2 as a wireless CAN interface, you must supply
power on the CAN side. To use the device as a USB CAN interface or to configure
the device, power on the USB side is sufficient.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 8 (21)
Figure 2: LEDs on the Kvaser BlackBird v2
3.5 LED indicators
The LED indicators have somewhat different meaning depending on how your
Kvaser BlackBird v2 is being used – as a CAN interface or a wireless interface.
Table 2 on Page 8 describes the general purpose of each LED.
LED General meaning
CAN (Yellow) Status for CAN channel.
INFO (Orange) General Information.
ERROR (Red) Indicates temporary or permanent errors.
WLAN (Blue) WLAN status.
POWER (Green) Power and general status.
Table 2: LEDs on the Kvaser BlackBird v2
The ERROR LED indicator can give more information about the cause of failure.
ERROR LED Signal Auxiliary Signal General Meaning
Blink CAN LED blinks CAN channel is in error passive mode
Slower blink CAN LED blinks CAN channel is bus off
Short flash - Error frame detected
Table 3: ERROR LED Indicator Signals
A steady light on ERROR LED is used to indicate a variety of situations. Check the
other LED signals to identify the issue.
LED Signal bursts General Meaning
INFO 1 short blink CAN overrun
INFO 5 short blinks Major error
INFO 6 short blinks WLAN failure
POWER continuous fast blink Software problems: configuration, parameters, firmware
Table 4: LED interpretation when ERROR LED gives a steady light.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 9 (21)
4 How to use the Kvaser BlackBird v2
4.1 Initial network setup
The easiest way to get started is to use the Kvaser Wi-Fi Pairing Tool to pair your
Kvaser BlackBird v2 with a host PC that supports Wi-Fi Direct.
1
Connect the Kvaser BlackBird v2 to a free USB port on your PC or externally
powered USB hub and start the Kvaser Device Guide, which was installed together
with the drivers and can be found in the Windows Control Panel.
Figure 3: Right click on the Kvaser BlackBird v2 in Kvaser Device Guide and select
“Pair via Wi-Fi” to start Kvaser Wi-Fi Pairing Tool.
There are some basic configurations that you can change while configuring the
Kvaser BlackBird v2, these are available on the configuration tab in the Kvaser
Wi-Fi Pairing Tool (see Figure 4 on Page 10) and include setting the Geographical
Region.
Start the pairing process by clicking the “Pair Device and PC” button under the
Status tab in the Kvaser Wi-Fi Pairing Tool. The complete configuration process
may take 40 seconds to complete, and during that time both the host PC and
Kvaser BlackBird v2 will be configured, and the connection will also be tested.
1
For more information about how to set up a WLAN connection to the Kvaser BlackBird v2, see
the Kvaser BlackBird Getting Started Guide.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 10 (21)
Figure 4: Some configurations are available under the Configuration tab in the
Kvaser Wi-Fi Pairing Tool.
Note that some PC firewalls may interfere with the automatic
detection of the newly configured Kvaser BlackBird v2 and needs
to be turned off to complete the last step, “Waiting for device to
respond via Wi-Fi”.
Now that the Kvaser BlackBird v2 has been successfully paired with the host PC,
you should remove the Kvaser BlackBird v2 from the USB port and apply power to
the CAN connector instead. The device will now turn up as a “Remote” device
inside the Kvaser Device Guide, see Figure 7 on Page 12.
For information about how to set up a WLAN connection to the Kvaser BlackBird
v2, see the Kvaser BlackBird Getting Started Guide.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 11 (21)
Figure 5: In the Kvaser Wi-Fi Pairing Tool, click “Pair Device and PC” to start the
pairing sequence.
Figure 6: The Kvaser Wi-Fi Pairing Tool have successfully configured our Kvaser
BlackBird v2.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 12 (21)
Figure 7: The Kvaser BlackBird v2 is marked as (Remote) to denote that it is now
connected via Wi-Fi.
4.2 Use as a USB CAN interface
To use the Kvaser BlackBird v2 as a USB CAN interface; connect the unit to a free
USB port on your PC or USB hub.
When used as a USB CAN interface, the POWER LED will be
illuminated and the CAN LED will emit short flashes when CAN
messages are transmitted and received.
4.3 Use as a Wireless CAN Interface
To use the Kvaser BlackBird v2 as a Wireless CAN interface, supply power through
the CAN connector and disconnect the USB connector. For more information about
how to set up a WLAN connection to the Kvaser BlackBird v2, see the Kvaser
BlackBird Getting Started Guide.
When used as a Wireless CAN interface, the POWER LED will
be illuminated and the CAN LED will emit short flashes when
CAN messages are transmitted and received. When the WLAN
LED is constantly illuminated, the BlackBird is connected as a
CAN interface and the wireless communication is stable.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 13 (21)
4.4 Troubleshooting
Use “Kvaser Device Guide” in the Control Panel to verify that the computer can
communicate with the Kvaser BlackBird v2. If the firmware version shown is all
zeros, there are communication problems. If the LEDs are not flashing or do not
light up at all, check the power supply.
For further troubleshooting, see the trouble shooting section in
the Kvaser BlackBird Getting Started Guide.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 14 (21)
5 Appendices
In this section you will find technical information about the Kvaser BlackBird v2 and
its connectors.
5.1 Technical data
In Table 5 you will find the Kvaser BlackBird v2’s technical specifications.
CAN Channels 1 (CAN 2.0A and 2.0B active).
CAN Transceivers TJA1051T (Compliant with ISO 11898-2)
CAN Controller Built into the processor
CAN Bit Rate 40 kbit/s to 1 Mbit/s
Time stamp resolution 25 µs
Error Frame Detection Yes
Error Frame Generation Yes
PC interface Supports USB 2.0 HiSpeed at 480 Mbit/s. Compatible with USB 1.1
at 12 Mbit/s and with USB 3.0 at 480 Mbit/s.
Wireless communication WLAN 802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz, (infrastructure and ad hoc-mode)
Wireless security WPA2 / WPA / WEP128 / WEP64
External power Allowed operating voltage 9–40 V DC. Maximum input voltage
48 V DC.
Power consumption Typical values are: 370 mA if powered from the USB (~5 V). 4.2 W for
single channel powered from the CAN bus.
Hardware configuration Done by software (Plug & Play).
Software requirements Windows (XP with SP3 or later). (For other operating systems, see
Kvaser web or contact Kvaser support.)
Dimensions 30 x 190 x 20 mm
Weight 165 g including cables and connectors.
Operating temperature −40◦C to +70◦C
Storage temperature −55◦C to +90◦C
Relative Humidity 0 % to 85 % (non-condensing.)
Table 5: Technical Specifications.
5.2 CAN connectors
Kvaser BlackBird v2 devices that use the 9-pin D-SUB connector (see Figure 8 on
Page 15) have the pinning described in Table 6 on Page 15.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 15 (21)
Figure 8: The D-SUB 9 connector pin numbers
D-SUB pin number Function
1 Not connected
2 CAN_L
3 GND
4 Not connected
5 Shield
6 Not connected
7 CAN_H
8 Not connected
9 Power supply to the device
Table 6: Configuration of the 9-pin D-SUB
Kvaser BlackBird v2 devices that use the 16-pin OBDII plug (see Figure 9) have
the pinning described in Table 7.
Figure 9: OBDII Connector
OBDII pin number Function
4 GND
6 CAN_H
14 CAN_L
16 Power supply to the device
Table 7: OBDII pin configuration (showing only connected pins)
5.3 CAN bus termination
Every CAN bus must be terminated with a 120 Ohm resistor at each end of the
bus. The Kvaser BlackBird v2 does not contain any CAN bus termination, because
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Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 16 (21)
their inclusion could cause severe disturbance in a system which is already
correctly terminated.
For laboratory or testing use, the exact value of the termination resistors is not
always critical. Sometimes a single terminator is sufficient. For production, proper
termination is essential. If you see error frames on the bus, you should check the
termination.
To save yourself a lot of trouble, always terminate the CAN
bus properly.
5.4 Updating the firmware
For the Kvaser BlackBird v2 to communicate with the host computer, compatible
versions of the Kvaser CANlib (including driver) and firmware must be installed.
Read the Release Notes carefully.
The latest versions of firmware and drivers can be downloaded for free at
www.kvaser.com/download.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 17 (21)
6 Disposal and Recycling Information
When this product reaches its end of life, please dispose of it
according to your local environmental laws and guidelines.
For information about Kvaser’s recycling programs, visit:
http://www.kvaser.com/en/kvaser/recycling-policy.html
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 18 (21)
7 Legal acknowledgements
7.1 Usage warning
WARNING FOR ALL USERS
WARNING! - YOUR USE OF THIS DEVICE MUST BE DONE WITH CAUTION AND A FULL
UNDERSTANDING OF THE RISKS!
THIS WARNING IS PRESENTED TO INFORM YOU THAT THE OPERATION OF THIS DEVICE
MAY BE DANGEROUS. YOUR ACTIONS CAN INFLUENCE THE BEHAVIOR OF A CAN-BASED
DISTRIBUTED EMBEDDED SYSTEM, AND DEPENDING ON THE APPLICATION, THE
CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR IMPROPER ACTIONS COULD CAUSE SERIOUS OPERATIONAL
MALFUNCTION, LOSS OF INFORMATION, DAMAGE TO EQUIPMENT, AND PHYSICAL
INJURY TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS. A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS OPERATING
CONDITION IS PRESENT WHEN THE FOLLOWING TWO CONDITIONS ARE
CONCURRENTLY TRUE: THE PRODUCT IS PHYSICALLY INTERCONNECTED TO A REAL
DISTRIBUTED EMBEDDED SYSTEM; AND THE FUNCTIONS AND OPERATIONS OF THE
REAL DISTRIBUTED EMBEDDED SYSTEM ARE CONTROLLABLE OR INFLUENCED BY THE
USE OF THE CAN NETWORK. A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS OPERATING CONDITION MAY
RESULT FROM THE ACTIVITY OR NON-ACTIVITY OF SOME DISTRIBUTED EMBEDDED
SYSTEM FUNCTIONS AND OPERATIONS, WHICH MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS PHYSICAL
HARM OR DEATH OR CAUSE DAMAGE TO EQUIPMENT, DEVICES, OR THE SURROUNDING
ENVIRONMENT.
WITH THIS DEVICE, YOU MAY POTENTIALLY:
• CAUSE A CHANGE IN THE OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM, MODULE, DEVICE,
CIRCUIT, OR OUTPUT.
• TURN ON OR ACTIVATE A MODULE, DEVICE, CIRCUIT, OUTPUT, OR FUNCTION.
• TURN OFF OR DEACTIVATE A MODULE, DEVICE, CIRCUIT, OUTPUT, OR
FUNCTION.
• INHIBIT, TURN OFF, OR DEACTIVATE NORMAL OPERATION.
• MODIFY THE BEHAVIOR OF A DISTRIBUTED PRODUCT.
• ACTIVATE AN UNINTENDED OPERATION.
• PLACE THE SYSTEM, MODULE, DEVICE, CIRCUIT, OR OUTPUT INTO AN
UNINTENDED MODE.
ONLY THOSE PERSONS WHO:
(A) ARE PROPERLY TRAINED AND QUALIFIED WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF THE
DEVICE,
(B) UNDERSTAND THE WARNINGS ABOVE, AND
(C) UNDERSTAND HOW THIS DEVICE INTERACTS WITH AND IMPACTS THE FUNCTION
AND SAFETY OF OTHER PRODUCTS IN A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM AND THE APPLICATION
FOR WHICH THIS DEVICE WILL BE APPLIED, MAY USE THE DEVICE.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU CAN INTEGRATE THIS PRODUCT AS A SUBSYSTEM INTO
HIGHER-LEVEL SYSTEMS. IN CASE YOU DO SO, KVASER AB HEREBY DECLARES THAT
KVASER AB’S WARRANTY SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE CORRECTION OF DEFECTS, AND
KVASER AB HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY OVER AND ABOVE THE
REFUNDING OF THE PRICE PAID FOR THIS DEVICE, SINCE KVASER AB DOES NOT HAVE
ANY INFLUENCE ON THE IMPLEMENTATIONS OF THE HIGHER-LEVEL SYSTEM, WHICH
MAY BE DEFECTIVE.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 19 (21)
7.2 EU Regulatory Compliance
Company Name:
Postal address:
Postcode:
City:
Telephone number:
E-mail address:
Product:
EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC)
We
Kvaser AB
Aminogatan 25
431 53
M¨olndal
+46 31 886344
sales@kvaser.com
declare that the DoC is issued under our sole responsibility and belongs to the following product:
Kvaser BlackBird v2
Object of the declaration (identification of apparatus allowing traceability):
Product: Kvaser BlackBird v2
Type: 73-30130-00671-3
The object of the declaration described above is in conformity with the relevant Union harmoni-
sation legislation:
Chemical substances (REACH) Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006
Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU
RoHS recast Directive 2011/65/EU
Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2012/19/EU
The following harmonised standards and technical specifications have been applied:
Title, Date of standard/specification:
EN 300 328 (2016-11 (2.1.1)) EN 301 489-1 (2016-11 (2.1.1))
EN 301 489-17 (2016 (3.1.1)) EN 50581 (2012)
EN 62 311 (2008)
EN 60 950-1 (2006 + A11:2009 + A1:2010 + A12:2011 + A2:2013)
Signed for and on behalf of:
M¨olndal
Place of issue
2017-07-07
Date of issue Claes Haglund, Supply Chain and Quality director
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 20 (21)
7.3 USA
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates,
uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause
harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the
interference at his/her own expense.
7.4 Patents, copyrights and trademarks
All trademarks are the property of their respective owner. Windows is a registered
trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Reader are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
DeviceNet is a trademark of Open DeviceNet Vendor Association, Inc.
NMEA 2000 is the registered trademark of the National Marine Electronics
Association, Inc.
For information about Kvaser related CAN patents, see www.kvaser.com/patent.
The products described in this document are protected by U.S. patent 5,696,911
and 7,100,042.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
Kvaser BlackBird v2 User’s Guide 21 (21)
8 Version history
Version history for document UG_98105_blackbird_v2:
Revision Date Changes
4.0 2014-01-31 First public release.
4.1 2014-03-08 Restructuring chapters
4.2 2014-04-15 Renumbered pages
4.3 2015-01-08 Minor update
4.4 2015-08-11 Minor textual changes
4.5 2016-02-04 Minor textual changes
4.6 2017-01-09 Added link to patents
4.7 2018-01-29 “Kvaser Device Guide” has replaced “Kvaser
Hardware”
4.8 2018-05-07 Minor textual changes
5.0 2018-09-11 Added chapter Initial network setup, updated device
table, textual changes.
Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden — www.kvaser.com
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