CARcorder for FlexRay, CAN, LIN and K-Line

Product Status  Product Announcement (Dates on request)

The CARcorder is a universal, automotive diagnostics and logging unit. It supports all relevant bus systems in vehicles and can be extended with optional hardware extensions for multimedia buses and wireless interfaces. With its two processors, the unit enables loss-free, synchronous logging of all connected buses.
The software provided runs on the PC and is used to create measurement configurations, to download them to the unit, to read out the measurement results in the form of logging data and, where necessary, to convert them into the required target format. It is also possible to carry out an update on all function blocks of the unit.


Logging unit

The logging unit is based on an embedded PC with 520 MHz. The logging application is executed on Windows CE. Real-time data logging of the fieldbuses is ensured via a separate fieldbus controller. The unit is configured via USB stick or Ethernet.

All fieldbuses are connected to the unit via LEMO© connectors. The necessary terminating resistors can be enabled via software. The received data is time-stamped uniformly for all inputs with an accuracy of 1 µs for FlexRay and CAN. If more than one unit is used (measurement clusters), they can be synchronized via IEEE 1588.

The unit has integrated power management and can therefore reduce its power consumption in deep sleep mode to below 10 mW. The wake-up of the unit is done with the first valid CAN message, which is also logged. Due to the low power consumption, the unit does not need a fan.


Configuration software

The logging unit can be configured with convenient PC-based configuration software. This tool is also used to define diagnostic jobs and trigger conditions.

The fieldbuses are configured by importing description files (CANdb, FIBEX, A2L, ODX). This also ensures the high level signal interpretation. An open XML format for customized configuration is also supported.

The triggers and filters are defined via a scripting language. An editor supporting syntax highlight and syntax check makes programming considerably easier and helps to reduce errors. The scripting language is compiled via an integrated code generator and transmitted to the CARcorder. This ensures high performance of the unit in case of many parallel trigger conditions. Several measuring tasks can be active simultaneously.






Trigger conditions can be defined based on:

• signals from received messages and diagnostic data
• system variables (terminal 15, A/D inputs, ...)
• timers, counters
• constants, variables (stored during sleep mode)
  

It is possible to combine several trigger conditions via operators.

Diagnostic jobs can be defined for specific control units via drag-and-drop menu. The diagnostic jobs comprise reading of error memory, measurement data blocks and information memory. The code is generated from the job definition and executed after being downloaded to the logging unit.

The recorded data can be uploaded to the configuration tool or transmitted to USB storage media. The compressed data can be converted to other formats for further processing/analysis (IXXAT Tracefile, ASCII, Vector BLF). The configuration tool can be easily extended to further formats.


Diagnostic and transport protocols

The CARcorder supports a large number of diagnostic and transport protocols. These are available as loadable DLL's and can be installed on the unit if required. With this process it is possible to extend the functional scope of the unit by adding further protocols without having to replace the logging unit in the future .

Current diagnostic protocols/standards:

• TP2.0 (CAN)
• ISO 15765-2 (CAN)
• ISO 14230-2 (K-Line)
• KWP2000
• UDS
  

Current measurement protocols:

• CCP (CAN)

IXXAT may implement other protocols on request.


Unit versions

The CARcorder is available in two versions. The full feature version has the complete range of functions and can be extended with additional options. The basic version does not have FlexRay support and only provides four CAN interfaces. This version is not extendable.


Technical specifications

• Main processor: Marvell XScale PXA270, 520 MHz 
• 32 MByte Flash
• Up to 256 MByte SDRAM
• Replaceable compact flash card with up to 16 GB memory
• WinCE 5.0 operating system 
• 6.5 V to 40 V power supply with reverse polarity and surge protection
• Power consumption in sleep mode < 200 mW
• Power consumption in deep sleep mode < 10 mW
• Battery discharge protection
• UPS for 10 secs. (motor start)
• Energy storage to flash the last recording (terminal 15 off, operation without terminal 30)
• Wakeup via the bus systems and external devices
  

Interfaces

• 1 x FlexRay 10 Mbit/sec. 2 channels
• 6 x CAN ISO 11898-2 (high speed) max. 1 Mbit/sec.
  Alternatively: 4 x CAN ISO 11898-2 & 2 x CAN ISO 11898-3 (low speed ) max. 125 kbit/sec.
• 4 x LIN (slave)
• 1 x K-Line
• 4 x RS232 with hardware handshaking
• 8 x digital in/out
• 4 x analog in (10 bit, 5 V)
• 1 x trigger input and output
• 1 x external wake-up
• 1 x Ethernet 10/100Base-T
• 3 x USB 2.0 (host/slave/OTG, 480 Mbit/sec.)
• Serial port for external control unit
• LED displays for the device status
  

Options

• Remote control with display, microphone and audio output
• WLAN
• MOST
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• GPS

Contents of delivery

• CARcorder (basic or full feature version)
• Power supply cable
• Ethernet cable
• Compact flash memory card
• Configuration tool
• Manual

Order number