National Instruments 321372C-01 User Manual

CAN

Getting Started with Your CAN

™

Hardware and the NI-CAN
Software for Windows NT

Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT

January 1998 Edition

Part Number 321372C-01

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© Copyright 1997, 1998 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

Important Information

Warranty

The CAN hardware is warrant ed against defects in material s and workmanship for a per io d of one year from the date
of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace
equipment that proves to be defective dur ing the war ranty period . This war ranty in cludes pa rts and labor .

The media on which you receive National Instruments software are warranted not to fail to execute programming
instructions, due to defects in materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment, as evidenced
by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace software media that do not
execute programming instructions if National Instruments receives notice of such defects during the warranty period.
National Instruments does not warrant that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted or error free.

A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the factory and clearly marked on the outside
of the package before any equipment will be accept ed for warranty work. National Instru ments will pay the shippi ng costs
of returning to the owner parts which are covered by warranty.

National Instruments believes that the informatio n in this manual is accurate. The docume nt has been ca refully review ed
for technical accurac y. In th e even t that te ch nical o r typograp hic al errors exis t, Nation al Inst ruments rese rves th e right to
make changes to subsequent editions of this document without prior notice to holders of this edition. The reader should
consult National Instruments if errors are suspected. In no event shall National Instruments be liable for any damages
arising out of or related to this document or the information contained in it.

XCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN

E

ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
BY FAULT OR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT THERETOFORE PAID BY THE
CUSTOME R
OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF

National Instruments will apply regardless of the form of action, whether in contract or tort, including negligence.
Any action against National Instruments must be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues. National
Instruments shall not be liable for any delay in performance due to causes beyond its reasonable control. The warranty
provided herein does not cover damages, defects, malfunctions, or service failures caused by owner’s failure to follow
the National Instruments installation, operation, or maintenance instructions; owner’s modification of the product;
owner’s abuse, misuse, or negligent acts; and power failure or surges, fire, flood, accident, actions of third parties,
or other events outside reasonable control.

ATIONAL INSTRUMENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, USE OF PRODUCTS

. N

ATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS

, N

Copyright

Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopyi ng, recordi ng, st oring in an info rmation ret riev al syste m, or translating , in whole or in part, wit hout
the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.

USTOMER’S RIGHT TO RECOVER DAMAGES CAUSED

. C

. This limitation of the liability of

,

Trademarks

CVI™, LabVIEW™, natinst.com™, and NI-CAN™ are trademarks of Nati onal Instr um ents Corpo r at ion.
Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

WARNING REGARDING MEDICAL AND CLINICAL USE OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS

National Instruments products are not designed with components and testing intended to ensure a level of reliability
suitable for use in treatment and diagnosis of humans. Applications of National Instruments products involving medical
or clinical treatment can create a potential for accidental injury caused by product failure, or by errors on the part of the
user or application des igner. Any us e or ap plica tion of Na tiona l Instrum ents pr oducts for or inv olving m edi cal or clin ica l
treatment must be performed by properly trai ned and qualifi ed medic al pe rsonne l, and al l tra ditiona l medic al safegu ards,
equipment, and procedu res that are appropriate in the particula r situation to prevent serious injury or dea th should al ways
continue to be used when Natio nal Instrume nts products are being use d. National In struments prod ucts are N OT intended
to be a substitute for any form of establis hed process, procedure, or e quipment us ed to monit or or safeguard human heal th
and safety in medical or clinical treatment.

FCC/DOC Radio Frequency Interference Class A Compliance

This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in strict accordance
with the instructions in this manual, may cause interference to radio and television reception. Classification
requirements are the same for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Canadian
Department of Communi cations (DOC). This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the
following two regulatory agencies :

Federal Communications Commission

This equipment has bee n tested and found to compl y wi th t h e l im i ts for a Cla s s A digital device, pursua nt
to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are de signed to provide reasonable protection agai nst ha rm ful
interference when the equipment is operate d in a commercial environment. This equipm ent 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 communicati ons. Operation of this equi pment in a
residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the use r w il l be required to correct the
interference at his own expense.

Notices to User: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by National Instruments could void

If necessary, consult Nation al Instruments or an experien ced radio/television tech nician for additional
suggestions. The following bookl et prepared by the FCC may also be hel pful: Interference to H o me
Electronic Entertainment Equipment Handb ook. This booklet is available from the U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington , DC 20402.

the user’s authority to operate the equipment under the FCC Rules.
This device complies with the FCC rules only if used with shielded in te rfac e cables

of suitable quality and construction. National Instruments used such cables to test
this device and provides them for sale to the user. The use of inferior or nonshielded
interface cabl es co ul d void the user’s authority to operate the equ ip men t under the
FCC rules.

Canadian Department of Communications

This Class A digital appar at us meets all requirements of th e Canadian Interference -Causing Equipment
Regulations.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur
du Canada.

Contents

About This Manual

How to Use the Manual Set.............................................................................................ix

Organization of This Manual................................................ ...... .....................................x

Conventions Used in This Manual...................................................................................xi

Related Documentation....................................................................................................xii

Customer Communication...............................................................................................xii

Chapter 1
Introduction

How to Use This Manual.................... ...... ...... ....................................... ..........................1-1

What You Need to Get Started........................................................................................1-2

CAN Hardware Overview .............................. .................................................................1-2

NI-CAN Software Overview...........................................................................................1-3

Optional Programming Tools ..........................................................................................1-4

Chapter 2
Installation and Configuration

Install the NI-CAN Software...........................................................................................2-1

Installing for Windows NT 3.51........................................................................2-1

Installing for Windows NT 4.0..........................................................................2-1

Install the CAN Hardware ...............................................................................................2-3

Install Your PCI-CAN or PCI-CAN/2 ..............................................................2-3

Install Your PCMCIA-CAN or PCMCIA-CAN/2............................................2-5

Connect the Cables............................................................................................2-6

Configure the NI-CAN Software.....................................................................................2-6

Chapter 3
Verify the Installation

Chapter 4
Begin to Use the NI-CAN Software

Using the NI-CAN Software............................................................................................4-1

General Programming Considerations.............................................................................4-2

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National Instruments Corporation v Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT

Contents

Appendix A
Uninstall the Hardware and Software

Uninstalling the CAN Hardware from Windows NT......................................................A-1

Uninstalling the NI-CAN Software from Windows NT..................................................A-1

Appendix B
Cabling Requirements

Connector Pinouts ...........................................................................................................B-1

Power Supply Information for the CAN Ports................................................................B-3

Bus Power Supply Requirements....................................................................................B-4

Cable Specifications........................................................................................................B-5

Cable Lengths..................................................................................................................B-5

Maximum Number of Devices........................................................................................ B-6

Cable Termination...........................................................................................................B-6

Cabling Example.............................................................................................................B-7

Appendix C
Troubleshooting and Common Questions

Missing CAN Interface in the NI-CAN Configuration Utility........................................ C-1

Troubleshooting Diagnostic Utility Failures...................................................................C-1

Resource Errors.......................................................... ...... .................................C-1

NI-CAN Software Problem Encountered .........................................................C-2

Missing CAN Interface.....................................................................................C-2

CAN Hardware Problem Encountered..............................................................C-2

Common Questions.........................................................................................................C-2

Appendix D
Specifications

Appendix E
Customer Communication

Glossary

Figures

Figure 2-1. Add/Remove Programs Properties Dialog Box......................................2-2

Figure 2-2. NI-CAN Software Setup Screen.............................................................2-3

Figure 2-3. Installing the PCI-CAN........................................................................... 2-4

Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT vi

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National Instruments Corporation

Tables

Contents

Figure 2-4. Inserting the PCMCIA-CAN...................................................................2-5

Figure 2-5. CAN Interface That Is Working Properly...............................................2-7

Figure 2-6. Resources Dialog Box for the PCMCIA-CAN.......................................2-7

Figure 2-7. NI-CAN Settings for the PCI-CAN/2 .....................................................2-8

Figure 3-1. NI-CAN Diagnostic Utility after Testing................................................3-2

Figure A-1. Add/Remove Programs Properties Dialog Box.......................................A-2

Figure A-2. NI-CAN Uninstallation Results...............................................................A-3

Figure B-1. Pinout for 9-Pin D-Sub Connector..........................................................B-1

Figure B-2. Pinout for 5-Pin Combicon-Style Pluggable Screw Terminal................B-2

Figure B-3. PCMCIA-CAN Cable..............................................................................B-2

Figure B-4. PCI-CAN/2 Power Source Jumpers ........................................................B-3

Figure B-5. Power Source Jumpers ....................................... ..... ................................B-4

Figure B-6. Termination Resistor Placement .............................................................B-6

Figure B-7. Cabling Example.....................................................................................B-7

Table B-1. Power Requirements for the CAN Physical Layer for

Bus-Powered Versions ............................................................................B-4

Table B-2. ISO 11898 Specifications for Characteristics of a CAN_H and

CAN_L Pair of Wires..............................................................................B-5

Table B-3. DeviceNet Cable Length Specifications..................................................B-5

Table D-1. PCI-CAN and PCI-CAN/2 Hardware Characteristics.............................D-1

Table D-2. PCMCIA-CAN and PCMCIA-CAN/2 Hardware Characteristics ..........D-2

Table D-3. CAN Port Characteristics for Bus-Powered Ports...................................D-2

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National Instruments Corporation vii Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT

About This Manual

This manual contains instructions to help you install and configure the
National Instruments CAN hardware and the NI-CAN software for
Windows NT. The National Instruments CAN hardware supported under
Windows NT includes the PCI-CAN, PCI-CAN/2, PCMCIA-CAN, and
PCMCIA-CAN/2.

This manual assumes that you are already familiar with Windows NT.

How to Use the Manual Set

Getting Started

Manual

Novice

Users

NI-CAN

User Manual

for Windows 95

and Windows NT

Application

Development

and Examples

Installation and

Configuration

Experienced

Users

NI-CAN Programmer

Reference Manual

for Win32

Function

and Object

Descriptions

Use this getting started manual to install and configure your CAN hardware
and the NI-CAN software for Windo ws NT.

Use the NI-CAN User Manual for Windows 95 and Windows NT to learn
the basics of CAN and how to develop an application program. The user
manual also contains debugging information and detailed examples.

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National Instruments Corporation ix Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT

About This Manual

Use the NI-CAN Programmer Reference Manual for Win32 for specific
information about each NI-CAN function and object, such as format,
parameters, and possible errors.

Organization of This Manual

This manual is organized as follows:

• Chapter 1, Introd uction, explains how to use this manual, lists what
you need to get started and optional equipment you can order, and
briefly describes the CAN hardware and the NI-CAN software for
Windows NT.

• Chapter 2, Installation and Configuration, describes how to install
and configure the CAN hardware and the NI-CAN software for
Windows NT.

• Chapter 3, Verify the Installation, describes how to verif y the hardware
and software installation.

• Chapter 4, Begin to Use the NI-CAN Software, helps you get started
with the NI -CAN software for Windows NT.

•AppendixA, Uninstall the Hardware and Softwar e, describes how
to uninstall the CAN hardware and the NI-CAN software from
Windows NT.

•AppendixB, Cabling Requirements, describes the cabling
requirements for CAN interfaces.

•AppendixC, Troubl eshooting and CommonQuestions, describes ho w
to troubleshoot problems and answers some common questions.

•AppendixD, Specifications, describes the physical characteristics of
the CAN hardware, along with the recomm ended operating conditi ons.

• Appendix E, Customer Communication, contains forms you can use to
request help from Nati onal Instruments o r to comment on our products
and manuals.

•The Glossary contains an alphabetical list and a description of terms
used in this manual, including abbreviations, acronyms, metric
prefixes, mnemonics, and symbols.

Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT x

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National Instruments Corporation

About This Manual

Conventions Used in This Manual

The following conventions are used in this manual:

» The » symbol leads you throu gh nested men u items and dialog box op tions

to a final action. The sequence File»Page Setup»Options»Substitute
Fonts directs you to pull down the File men u, select the Page Setup item,
select Options, and f inally select the Substitute Fonts option from the last
dialog box.

This icon to the left of bold italicized text denotes a note, which alerts you
to important information.

!

bold

bold italic Bold italic text denotes a note or caution.
CAN hardware CAN hardware refers to the PCI-CAN, PCI-CAN/2, PCMCIA-CAN, and

italic

monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should literally enter

monospace italic

This icon to the left of bold italicized text denotes a caution, which advises
you of precautions to take to avoid injury, data loss, or a system crash.

Bold text denotes the names of menus, menu items, parameters, d ialo g
boxes, dialog box buttons or options, icons, windows, Windows NT tabs,
or LEDs.

PCMCIA-CAN/2 in cases where the material applies to all the interfaces.
Italic text denotes emphasis, a cross reference, or an introduction to a key

concept. This font also denotes text for which you supply the appropriate
word or value, such as in Windows 3.x.

from the keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax
examples. This font is also used for the proper n ames of disk d ri ves, p aths,
directories, progr ams, su bprog rams, s ubrouti nes, d e vice n ames, functio ns,
operations, variables, filenames, and extensions, and for statements and
comments taken from program code.

Italic text in this font denotes that you must su pply the appropriate words
or values in the place of these items.

paths Paths in this manual are denoted using backslashes (\) to separate drive

names, director i es, fol ders, and files.

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National Instruments Corporation xi Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT

About This Manual

Related Documentation

The following document s contain informat ion that you may f ind helpful as
you read this manual:

• ANSI/ISO Standard 11898-1993, Road Vehicles—Interchange of

Digital Information—Controller Area Network (CAN) for High-Speed
Communication

• CAN Specification Version 2.0, 1991, Robert Bosch Gmbh.,
Postfach 500, D-7000 Stuttgart 1

• CiA Draft Standard 102, Ve rs io n 2.0, CAN Physical Layer for

Industrial Applications

• DeviceNet Specification, Volume 1, Version 2.0, Open DeviceNet
Vendor Association

• Microsoft Windows NT User’s Guide, Microsoft Corporation

Customer Communication

National Instruments wants to receive your comments on our products
and manuals. We are interested in the applications you develop with our
products, and we want to help if you have problems with them. To make it
easy for you to contact us, this manual contains comment and configuration
forms for you to complete. These forms are in Appendix E, Customer

Communication, at the end of this manual.

Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT xii

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National Instruments Corporation

Introduction

This chapter explains how to use this manual, lists what you need to get
started and optional equipment you can order, and briefly describes the
CAN hardware and the NI-CAN software for Windows NT.

How to Use This Manual

1

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

User Manual and

Programmer Reference

Manual

Gather What You Need

to Get Started

Install the Software

Install the Hardware

Configure the Software

Verify the Installation

Passes?

Yes

Review Programming

Considerations

Write Application Program

No

Troubleshooting

Appendix

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National Instruments Corporation 1-1 Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT

Chapter 1 Introduction

What You Need to Get Started

Make sure you have all of the following items before you attempt to install
the hardware and software:

❑ Windows NT 3.51 or later installed on your computer
❑ One of the following CAN interfaces, which is included in your kit:

PCI-CAN
PCI-CAN/2
PCMCIA-CAN
PCMCIA-CAN/2

❑ The following 3.5 in., high-density (1.44 MB) disks, which are

included in your kit:

NI-CAN Software for Windows 95 and Windows NT (Disk 1)
NI-CAN Software for Windows 95 and Windows NT (Disk 2)

❑ PCMCIA-CAN cable, which is included in your kit, if you have a

PCMCIA-CAN or PCMCIA-CAN/2

❑ CAN interface cables that meet the requirements in Appendix B,

Cabling Requirements

CAN Hardware Overview

The National Instruments CAN hardware supported under Windows NT
includes the PCI-CAN, PCI-CAN/2, PCMCIA-CAN, and
PCMCIA-CAN/2

The PCI-CAN and PCI-CAN/2 are completely software configurable
and compliant with the PCI Local Bus Specification. With a PCI-CAN
or PCI-CAN/2 boa rd, you can make yo ur PC-compatible computer with
PCI Local Bus slots communicate with and control CAN devices.

The PCMCIA-CAN and PCMCIA-CAN/2 are Type II PC Cards that are
completely software configurable and compliant with the PCMCIA
standards for 16-bit PC Cards. With a PCMCIA-CAN card or
PCMCIA-CAN/2 card, you can make your PC-compatible notebook with
PCMCIA sockets communicate with and control CAN devices.

The PCI-CAN and PCMCIA-CAN interfaces each have one CAN port. T he
PCI-CAN/2 and PCMCIA-CAN/2 interfaces each have two CAN ports.

Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT 1-2

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National Instruments Corporation

CAN interfacing is accomplished using the Intel 82527 CAN controller
chip. The PCI-CAN physical layer fully conforms to the ISO 11898
physical layer specification for CAN and is optically isolated to 500 V.
PCI-CAN boards are available with two physical connector types: DB-9
D-Sub and Combicon-style pluggable screw terminals. PCMCIA-CAN
cables include both a DB-9 D-Sub and a Combicon-style pluggable screw
terminal. The CAN physical layer on PCI-CAN cards can be powered
either internally (from the card) or externally (from the bus cable power).
The power source for the CAN physical layer for each port is configured
with a jumper. T here are two cables available for the PCMCIA-C AN cards.
In one cable the CAN physical layer is powered internally (from the card).
In the other cable the CAN physical layer is powered externally (from the
bus cable power). The CAN hardware supports a wide variety of transfer
rates up to 1 Mb/s.

All of the CAN hardware uses the Intel 386EX embedded processor to
implement time-critical features provided by the NI-CAN software. The
CAN hardware communicates with the NI-CAN driver through on-board
shared memory and an interrupt.

NI-CAN Software Overview

Chapter 1 Introduction

The NI-CAN software includes a native, 32-bit multitasking Windows NT
kernel driver.

The NI-CAN software for Windows NT supports the concurrent use of
multiple types of CAN hardware. For e xample, you can commun icate with
CAN devices through both a PCI-CAN and PCI-CAN/2 in the same system
at the same time. The NI-CAN software is fully integrated into the
Windows NT operating system. It is configurable through the W indows NT
Control Panel and uni nstalla ble through the Add/ Remov e Progr ams applet
of the Control Panel.

The NI-CAN software, along with the CAN hardware, transforms your
computer into a CAN interface with complete communications and bus
management capability. The NI-CAN software includes the following
components:

• Firmware (runs on embedded Intel 386EX)

• Device driv er

• Diagnostic test utility

• Configuration utility

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National Instruments Corporation 1-3 Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT

Chapter 1 Introduction

• Language interface libraries for Microsoft Visual C/C++ 2.0 or later,
LabWindows/CVI 4.0 or later, and LabVIEW 4.0 or later

• Example programs that use NI-CAN functions

Optional Programming Tools

Your kit includes the NI-CAN software for Windows NT. In addition,
you can order the LabWindows/CVI or LabVIEW software from Nat ional
Instruments.

LabWindows/CVI is an interactive ANSI C development environment for
building test and measurement and instrument control systems. It includes
interactive code-gener ation tools and a graphical editor for building custom
user interfaces. It also includes built-in libraries for IEEE 488.2, VXI,
RS-232 control, and plug-in da ta acquisition. When you order
LabWindows/CVI, you also get hundreds of complete instrument drivers,
which are modular, source-code programs that handle the communication
with your instrument so that you do not have to learn the programming
details.

LabVIEW is a complete programming environment that departs from the
sequential nature of traditional programming languages and features a
graphical programming environment. It includes all the tools needed for
instrument control, data acquisition, analysis, and presentation. LabVIEW
also includes an extensive instrument driver library.

For more information about LabWindows/CVI and LabVIEW, contact
National Instruments.

Getting Started with CAN for Windows NT 1-4

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National Instruments Corporation