Kvaser Memorator Light User's Guide
Copyright 2001-2011 Kvaser AB, Mölndal, Sweden
http://www.kvaser.com
Last updated Thursday, 28 April 2011
The information contained herein is believed to be accurate in all respects at the time of publication. Kvaser AB cannot 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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1 About this manual
This manual is intended for use with the Kvaser Memorator Light. It contains a description of
the hardware’s operation and general instructions for connecting the device to a computer.
The file extraction software for the Kvaser Memorator Light is called the Kvaser Memorator
Tools and is described in detail and available in the software’s online help.
Kvaser Memorator Light device described in this manual.
Device
Product Number
Kvaser Memorator Light HS
733-0130-00513-6
2 Table of Contents
Kvaser Memorator Light User's Guide ...................................................................................1
1 About this manual .............................................................................................................2
2 Table of Contents ..............................................................................................................2
3 Introduction ........................................................................................................................3
3.1 Welcome to Kvaser Memorator Light ...........................................................................3
3.2 Major features of Kvaser Memorator Light ...................................................................3
3.3 Kvaser Memorator Tools ..............................................................................................4
4 Kvaser Memorator Light Hardware .................................................................................4
4.1 Hardware installation ....................................................................................................4
4.2 USB connector .............................................................................................................4
4.3 CAN channel ................................................................................................................5
4.4 Power supply ................................................................................................................5
4.5 Flash disk .....................................................................................................................5
4.6 LED indicators ..............................................................................................................6
5 How to use the Kvaser Memorator Light ........................................................................8
5.1 Use as a logger ............................................................................................................8
5.2 Kvaser Memorator Tools ..............................................................................................8
5.3 Troubleshooting ...........................................................................................................8
6 Appendices ........................................................................................................................9
6.1 System requirements ...................................................................................................9
6.2 Technical specifications ...............................................................................................9
6.3 Disk capacity ................................................................................................................9
6.4 CAN connector .......................................................................................................... 10
6.5 Updating the firmware ............................................................................................... 10
6.6 Required driver version ............................................................................................. 12
6.7 CAN bus termination ................................................................................................. 12
6.8 CAN bus silent mode ................................................................................................ 13
6.9 CAN bus autobaud .................................................................................................... 13
6.10 CAN bus overrun ................................................................................................... 13
7 Legal acknowledgements .............................................................................................. 14
7.1 Usage warning .......................................................................................................... 14
7.2 EMC compliance statement ...................................................................................... 15
7.3 WEEE compliance statement.................................................................................... 15
7.4 RoHS compliance statement..................................................................................... 15
7.5 Patents, copyrights and trademarks ......................................................................... 15
8 Document revision history ............................................................................................ 16
Kvaser Memorator Light User's Guide 3(16)
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3 Introduction
3.1 Welcome to Kvaser Memorator Light
Figure 1. Kvaser Memorator Light
The Kvaser Memorator Light is an advanced portable CAN data logger. The device features
two CAN message buffers that are used as ring (FIFO) buffers. One buffer logs all messages
on the bus. The other buffer logs approximately 1000 messages before and 1000 messages
after any error frame.
When a ring buffer is full, it is automatically overwritten from the beginning. An external LED
indicates when either of the ring buffers is being overwritten.
The Memorator Light automatically determines the correct CAN bus signaling rate, removing
the need for configuration -- just plug and play.
Also, the Memorator Light has a built-in flash disk that cannot be accidentally lost, misplaced,
or mixed up with other disks.
3.2 Major features of Kvaser Memorator Light
Fully compatible with J1939, CANopen, NMEA 2000® and DeviceNet.
Quick and easy plug-and-play installation.
Pre-configured data logging.
Data logger with two fixed-size ring buffers – one for all messages, and one for error
frames with pre- and post-trigger buffers.
Supports both 11-bit (CAN 2.0A) and 29-bit (CAN 2.0B active) identifiers.
Each CAN message time-stamped with a 2 microsecond resolution.
Runs in silent mode – logs bus traffic without interference.
One high-speed CAN channel fully compliant with ISO 11898-2:2003 for signaling
rates of 10 kbps to 1 Mbps.
Automatically adjusts to the CAN bus signaling rate (autobaud feature).
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Fixed internal disk size of 1 GB.
One Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connection with signaling rates up to 480 Mbps. The device
automatically adjusts to USB 1.1 slots with signaling rates to 12 Mbps.
Power supplied through the CAN bus or the USB bus.
Small, light plastic housing with dimensions (W x L x H) approximately 46 x 115 x 22
mm (1.8 x 4.5 x 0.9 inch) – easy to tuck away (e.g. in a vehicle during a test drive).
Built-in real time clock (calendar) with battery backup.
Logger status indicated with four externally visible LEDs.
Boots up in 250 milliseconds or less.
3.3 Kvaser Memorator Tools
Easy to use data extraction tool.
Also used for optional configuration of Kvaser Memorator Light.
File manager for organizing and converting log files to a variety of formats, including
CSV, ASCII, MDF and Matlab formats.
4 Kvaser Memorator Light Hardware
This section describes the CAN channel, power supply, LED indicators, and other aspects of
the hardware.
4.1 Hardware installation
The Kvaser Memorator Light may be inserted into any USB socket on a host computer. The
device does not need to be powered-off before being inserted or removed. Note that the
correct version of the Kvaser driver and firmware must be installed for the Memorator Light to
communicate properly with a host computer. The firmware may be downloaded and installed
directly onto the Memorator Light and the driver installed on the host computer. For additional
information on upgrading the firmware, see section 6.5, ―Updating the firmware‖.
The Kvaser Memorator Light delivery package contains:
Kvaser Memorator Light
Software and Driver CD containing drivers for Windows, the Kvaser Memorator Tools
program, and the Kvaser Memorator Light User's Guide
USB cable
For more driver installation information, see the driver and hardware installation guide at
http://www.kvaser.com.
4.2 USB connector
Kvaser Memorator Light comes with a standard USB type ―B‖ receptacle connector that may
be connected to a computer with any high quality USB 2.0 certified cable. The maximum USB
cable length is 5 meters (approx. 16.5 ft.), however if a longer cable is needed, a USB hub or
a USB extension cable with built-in hub may be used. By daisy-chaining up to 5 hubs, a
cable length of 25 meters (approx. 83 ft.) can be used if needed.
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4.3 CAN channel
The standard Kvaser Memorator Light has one CAN channel as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. CAN Channel Connector of the Kvaser Memorator Light
4.4 Power supply
The Kvaser Memorator Light can be powered from the CAN side or from the USB side.
NOTE: Kvaser does not recommend supplying power on both the CAN side
and the USB side simultaneously.
The device does not have internal galvanic isolation, therefore supplying power on both sides
at the same time may damage the device unless both power sources have the same electric
ground potential.
Operating the Kvaser Memorator Light in logger mode requires power to be supplied from the
CAN side. The device does not function as a logger when powered from the USB connection.
When power is supplied on the CAN side, use pin 9 for V+ and pin 3 for ground as shown in
Figure 4. The recommended supply power should be in the range of 6 V to 35 V DC although
the device can tolerate an input voltage up to 48 V DC. The power requirement is
approximately 1 W (maximum).
When extracting data from the device or when performing flash disk maintenance, power
should only be supplied through the USB side.
4.5 Flash disk
The disk in the Kvaser Memorator Light is permanently installed inside the device and cannot
be replaced by the user.
CAN channel
connector
USB device
connector
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4.6 LED indicators
The Kvaser Memorator Light is equipped with four LED indicators. The following tables
describe the status functions of the LEDs.
Table 1. LED indicators.
LED
General meaning
PWR (Green)
Power and general status.
CAN (Yellow)
Status for CAN channel
ERR FR (Amber)
Error frames, and FIFO status
ERR (Red)
Indicates temporary or permanent errors.
Figure 3. LEDs on the Kvaser Memorator Light.
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Table 2. LED indicator status functions.
CAN bus status
CAN emitting short flashes:
Receiving CAN messages on the CAN channel
CAN blinking and ERR blinking red:
The CAN channel is error passive
CAN blinking slowly and ERR blinking slowly red:
The CAN channel is bus off
ERR FR emitting short orange flashes:
Receiving Error frames on the CAN channel
PWR constant green:
Autobaud successfully completed. The device is logging to the disk.
PWR flashing 50/50 (circa 1 Hz):
Autobaud in progress
PWR flashing green, ERR constant red:
Error. Using the device as a CAN interface is not supported by the hardware.
FIFO status
ERR FR constant orange:
One or both of the FIFOs (ring buffers) are full and are being overwritten.
Logger error conditions
ERR constant red with one yellow flash:
CAN overrun
ERR constant red with two yellow flashes:
(this error code is not used)
ERR constant red with three yellow flashes:
Configuration file missing or corrupt
ERR constant red with four yellow flashes:
Disk error
ERR constant red with five yellow flashes:
Internal error; please contact support
Logging status
PWR constant green:
Autobaud successfully completed -- the device is logging to the disk
Connected to the Kvaser Memorator Tools
“Running lights”:
The device is communicating with the tool
ERR FR blinking amber:
Disk activity such as formatting
Other blink patterns
PWR emits a flash every few seconds; the other LEDs are dark:
No USB communication. Check USB cables and communication. Unplug the device and
reconnect it after a few seconds. Check that the device driver is installed correctly. Try
a different USB port.
PWR flashing, ERR constant red:
Firmware configuration error. This should not normally happen. Please contact support.
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5 How to use the Kvaser Memorator Light
The Kvaser Memorator Light is preconfigured at the factory and needs no further
configuration. The Kvaser Memorator Tools may be used to reinitialize the disk if necessary.
5.1 Use as a logger
When using the Kvaser Memorator Light as a CAN data logger, power is supplied through the
CAN connector while connected to the CAN bus as shown in Figure 4.
Logging begins immediately after the autobaud process has completed.
If everything is OK, the green PWR LED is constantly illuminated. When CAN
traffic is detected, the CAN LED flashes.
5.2 Kvaser Memorator Tools
The tool is required for two tasks:
1. To extract logged data
2. To clear or reinitialize the built-in disk
For further information about the Kvaser Memorator Tools, please refer to the program’s
online help.
5.3 Troubleshooting
Use ―Kvaser Hardware‖ in the Control Panel to verify that the computer is in
communication with the Kvaser Memorator Light. Read the firmware version. If
the firmware version is all zeroes, there is a communication problem.
Verify that the disk is formatted. If in doubt, reformat using the Kvaser
Memorator Tools and download a new configuration.
If Kvaser Memorator Tools fail to connect to the device when extracting data,
verify that the Kvaser Memorator Light is in configuration mode when using the
tool. The LEDs should flash in a ―running light‖ fashion when communication is
established.
If the LEDs are flashing or glowing, compare the pattern with the specified LED
indicators in Table .
If the LEDs are not flashing or glowing at all, check the power supply.
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6 Appendices
This section contains technical information about Kvaser Memorator Light and its connectors.
6.1 System requirements
USB interface: Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface for optimum results, however the device
performs very well with a USB 1.1 interface.
6.2 Technical specifications
Table 3. Kvaser Memorator Light Technical specifications.
CAN channels
1 (CAN 2.0A and 2.0B active).
CAN transceivers (HS)
SN 65HVD251 (Compliant with ISO 11898-2:2003)
CAN signaling rate
10 kbps to 1 Mbps
Timestamp resolution
2 μs
Error frame detection
Yes
Autobaud
Yes
Computer interface
USB 2.0. Supports Hi-Speed (HS) at 480 Mbps. Compatible with USB
1.1 at 12 Mbps.
Power consumption
~ 5V and 130mA if powered from the USB and ~ 850mW if powered
from the CAN bus.
External CAN power
Pin 9 (V+) and pin 3 (GND) on the CAN channel (Figure 4).
Minimum operating voltage 6.2 V DC (cold start) and 5.6 V DC (during
operation).
Maximum recommended operating voltage 35 V DC.
Absolute maximum input voltage 48 V DC.
Software requirements
Windows XP or later. (For other operating systems, see Kvaser
web or contact Kvaser support.)
Hardware configuration
Done by software (Plug & Play).
Dimensions (W x L x H)
46 x 115 x 22 mm (1.8 x 4.5 x 0.9 inch)
Operating temperature
-40 ºC ... +85 ºC
Weight
142 g including cables and connectors.
Storage temperature
-40 ºC ... +85 ºC
Relative humidity
0% ... 85% (non-condensing.)
6.3 Disk capacity
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Each logged CAN message occupies 24 bytes on the disk. The disk is divided into two equalsized parts: one for the error frames with pre- and post-trigger buffers and one that logs all
CAN messages.
The disk size is 1 GB, so the ―log all‖ portion of the disk accommodates approximately
20,000,000 messages. At 500 messages per second, this means that slightly more than 11
hours are recorded before the FIFO buffer wraps and begins overwriting the beginning data.
6.4 CAN connector
The Kvaser Memorator Light has one CAN channel. The CAN channel connector is the 9-pin
male D-SUB connector shown in Figure with the pin-out described below in Table .
Figure 4. The D-SUB pin numbers of the CAN connector.
Table 4. D-SUB pin configuration of the CAN connector
The CAN connector has the following pin configuration.
(Auto-reset fuses protect pins 2, 3, 7 and 9.)
D-SUB pin number
Color code
Function
1
N/A
Not connected.
2
Green
CAN_L
3
Brown
GND
4
Orange
Not connected.
5
Black
Shield
6
N/A
Not connected.
7
Red
CAN_H
8
N/A
Not connected.
9
Yellow
Power supply to the device.
Note: Always connect the ground pin on the D-SUB to the ground of your CAN
bus.
6.5 Updating the firmware
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Connect the Kvaser Memorator Light to a computer with the USB cable. Double-click on the
file ―update.exe‖ provided in the firmware update files. (The Kvaser Memorator Tools can also
update the Kvaser Memorator Light firmware directly. See the online help for more
information.) A small application opens where the device is listed as shown in Figure 5. If the
device is not listed, check that the unit is connected properly. Select the device to program
and click the Next button.
Figure 5. Firmware update, select device.
Click on the Start Upgrade button to begin the programming. The programming takes
approximately 20 seconds. The progress is printed on the screen, and typically looks like the
display in Figure 6.
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Figure 6. Screenshot from the firmware update program.
No error messages should appear. If an error message does appear, try to
disconnect and reconnect the device, then perform the operation again.
To verify that the firmware is updated:
Double-click on ―Kvaser Hardware‖ in the Control Panel. Select ―Kvaser Memorator
Light‖ in the tree view to the left, and click on the channel. The firmware revision
information appears in the right half of the window.
6.6 Required driver version
Driver (CANLIB) version 4.1 is required to use the Kvaser Memorator Light.
6.7 CAN bus termination
Every CAN bus must be terminated with a 120 Ω resistor at each end of the bus. The Kvaser
Memorator Light does not contain a CAN bus terminator because the inclusion could cause
severe disturbance to a system which is already terminated correctly.
For laboratory or testing use, the exact value of the termination resistors is not always critical.
Sometimes a single terminator is sufficient. However, for production proper termination is
essential. If error frames are detected on the bus, check the termination first.
To save a lot of trouble, always terminate the CAN bus properly.
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6.8 CAN bus silent mode
The Kvaser Memorator Light is always in silent mode on the CAN bus.
The Kvaser Memorator Light never transmits CAN messages, error frames, or
acknowledgement bits on the bus. Therefore, two other nodes must exist on the CAN bus that
are actively sending and receiving messages and are not in silent mode.
There must be at least two active nodes on the CAN bus, other than the
Kvaser Memorator Light.
6.9 CAN bus autobaud
The Kvaser Memorator Light features autobaud on the CAN bus. This means the device
listens to CAN bus traffic and automatically adapts to the signaling rate being used. The
signaling rate cannot be set manually since autobaud is always active.
If the Kvaser Memorator Light fails to adapt to the signaling rate, use the Kvaser Memorator
Tools to adjust the autobaud process. The tool provides standard signaling rate tables for
various higher layer protocols. Select the appropriate table for the higher layer protocol being
used.
The autobaud process requires CAN bus traffic to work and does not work on a quiescent
CAN bus. When adjusting the signaling rate, a number of CAN messages are always missed.
As soon as the correct signaling rate is detected, which typically takes around 20 ms, the
Kvaser Memorator Light begins logging.
The status of the autobaud process is displayed by the LED indicators as shown in Table .
6.10 CAN bus overrun
Under extremely heavy load with high signaling rates and long bursts of messages, the
Kvaser Memorator Light may lose messages. This loss is a rare occasion, and if such a loss
occurs the setup displays a notification message when the file is extracted. Several of the file
formats that support this feature also indicate when the overrun occurred. (See the help
section in Kvaser Memorator Tools for details about file formats.)
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7 Legal acknowledgements
7.1 Usage warning
WARNING FOR ALL USERS
WARNING! - USE OF THIS DEVICE MUST BE DONE WITH CAUTION AND A
FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE RISKS!
THIS WARNING IS PRESENTED TO INFORM A USER THAT OPERATION OF
THIS DEVICE MAY BE DANGEROUS. USER ACTIONS CAN INFLUENCE THE
BEHAVIOR OF A CAN-BASED DISTRIBUTED EMBEDDED SYSTEM, AND
DEPENDING ON THE APPLICATION, THE CONSEQUENCES OF
IMPROPER ACTIONS COULD CAUSE SERIOUS OPERATIONAL
MALFUNCTION, LOSS OF INFORMATION, DAMAGE TO EQUIPMENT, AND
PHYSICAL INJURY TO THE USER 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 NONACTIVITY 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, A USER 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 IS TO BE APPLIED, MAY
USE THE DEVICE.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PRODUCT MAY BE INTEGRATED AS A
SUBSYSTEM INTO HIGHER-LEVEL SYSTEMS. FOR THESE APPLICATIONS,
KVASER AB HEREBY DECLARES THAT KVASER AB'S WARRANTY SHALL BE
LIMITED TO THE CORRECTION OF DEFECTS, AND KVASER AB HEREBY
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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-LEVER
SYSTEM, WHICH MAY BE DEFECTIVE.
THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS A RECHARGEABLE LI-ION BATTERY THAT MUST
BE DISPOSED OF PROPERLY. IT MAY EXPLODE IF DAMAGED, SHORTCIRCUITED OR EXPOSED TO FIRE.
7.2 EMC compliance statement
EMC Tests
The equipment has been tested for compliance with the EN 50 081-2:1993 (emission) and the
EN 61000-6-2:1999 (immunity) standards.
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 is required to correct the
interference at their own expense.
7.3 WEEE compliance statement
This product is sold in compliance with the directive 2002/96/EC of the European
Parliament on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE.)
7.4 RoHS compliance statement
This product is manufactured in accordance with directive 2002/95/EC on the Restriction of
the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS.)
7.5 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.
MagiSync is a trademark of Kvaser AB.
DeviceNet is a trademark of Open DeviceNet Vendor Association, Inc.
NMEA 2000® is the registered trademark of the National Marine Electronics Association, Inc.
The products described in this document are protected by U.S. patent 5,696,911.
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8 Document revision history
Revision
Date
Changes
1
2009-01
Original revision
2
2009-02-26
Final updates for release.
3
2009-08-03
Language and minor technical adjustments (CPU information
removed)
4
2009-09-25
Kvaser Memorator Light Setup Tool is now known as Kvaser
Memorator Tools. Changed battery type to Li-Pol in section 7.1.
5
2009-10-19
Updated pictures of firmware update.
6
2011-01-14
Updated supported OS list
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