CAN-dbc Symbolic Triggering and Differential Active Probes for Oscilloscopes

18 September 2013 – Agilent Technologies introduced CAN-dbc symbolic decoding and triggering in its InfiniiVision 4000 X-Series and all Infiniium Series oscilloscopes, along with two differential active probes that are ideal for automotive measurement applications, including Controller Area Network serial buses. CAN buses are used extensively for control and sensor monitoring in automotive applications as well as a broad range of industrial and medical equipment applications.

For years, oscilloscopes have been the primary measurement tools used by automotive and industrial engineers to debug and verify the signal integrity of the CAN bus physical layer. With the new CAN-dbc symbolic decoding and triggering capability in Agilent’s oscilloscopes, engineers now have the ability to trigger and view messages and signals symbolically by importing an industry-standard .dbc file that defines their specific networks.

 “The plus for the InfiniiVision 4000 X-Series scope is that it can display a particular CAN message symbolically, along with the associated waveform,”  said Brian S. Czuhai, P.E., Robert Bosch LLC. “So, if I have a noisy CAN bus or node, I can now see the physical-layer waveform time correlated with the symbolically decoded message. This will allow me to test and debug my system faster.”

CAN is based on differential signaling, and the new active probes offer differential support for physical-layer signals on this bus. The new N2818A 200-MHz bandwidth differential active probe with Agilent’s AutoProbe interface has a high-input impedance of 1 MΩ and low-capacitive loading of just 3.5 pF, which is ideal for CAN bus measurement applications. The new N2819A differential active probe provides 800-MHz bandwidth for higher-bandwidth measurement applications in automotive ECUs. Agilent also offers probes with long cable and high-temperature measurement capability, which often are required for automotive environmental testing.

www.agilent.com/find/9000_CAN/