FYI,

Thought I would make this application available for those interested in Automotive CAN technologies. This application is being used for a CAN technologies class I am teaching at a fortune 100 company.

It is a relatively simple teaching CAN bus simulator. It performs these primary functions.

1. Emulates an Ignition Start Command
Once you click the Start Engine button, it will begin to display CAN message just as a real connected car would.

2. Emulates an Ignition Off Command:
This will stop CAN messages from sending, just as a connection to a real car would.

3. Emulates an Accelerator Pedal: This is not unlike a real car when the ignition is on, car is running and you press the accelerator pedal.

However, unlike a real car, I made this function available when the ignition is off for teaching purposes. I did this so that it would be easier for students to figure out what CAN messages are being sent to the bus when the accelerator and/or brake pedal are applied.

4. Emulates a Brake Pedal:
See # 3 above.

5. Search for CAN Commands:
You can search for specific CAN commands by issuing the CAN Message ID and the CAN Message length. The secret here is you need to capture the CAN message IDs from the read outs when clicking the accelerator and brake pedals, or when ignition is on, in order to get the specific CAN Message IDs, data length, etc.

For the purpose of the demo, I use C1 and 1C as valid message query ids that will return CAN messages. I will show an example below.

CAN Identifier : 96
Data Frame: FF FF FF FF C1 FF FF FF

Entering this into the Send a CAN Command to the Can Identifier and Data Frame fields, combined with clicking the Send Command, will return CAN Messages relative to the CAN query request.

Here is the link to download:
http://computer-logic.us/

Click on the Products Page and look for Can Bus Simulator. Click on the picture to download the java application and save to your computer..

Please Note: You will need Java 8 Runtime installed on your computer to use this application.

 

What would you use this for?

 

Just for learning CAN bus technology, which is the centralized internal network and messaging for how all vehicles work and all sensors work and communicate within the vehicle.

 

Have no idea what a CAN Bus is, but for those that do, hopefully it will be a useful thing to download.

 

CAN is the communication technology used in autos, the CAN "bus" is how it communicates.

<edit> A friend of mine designs CAN interpreters for diagnostics on his cars. He uses the signals sent to capture data for tuning purposes.

That is very cool, thanks for sharing.

 

You're welcome..

Not everyone will be interested and use it, but for those who want to know how the DIC actually works and how the signals between the various car components work and share information, should prove a useful learning tool.

BTW, thanks for explaining CAN. Could not have said it better myself!

 

My company is contracted to do Application and Penetration Testing for the major auto manufacturers, both US and International. We have a ton of hardware and software that we have built and bought, as well as bench kits that the major autos send us so we can exchange code and bug fixes back and forth.

We have "triggers" like:
-induce flat tire
-induce ABS brake failure
-induce understeer/oversteer
-induce loss of traction
-etc. etc.
...and we test that the reactions that the ECM & CanBUS provide are as programmed, and can not be compromised. It's some pretty awesome stuff when you think about it.

I don't do the hands-on stuff anymore, but am part of the spec'ing and business development aspects.

Connected cars and 'smart-cars' are awesome. But if your GPS recognizes that your automobile is approaching 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue from the West; and "decides" to turn off the brakes, accelerate (through the bollards), and gradually turn left through Lafayette Square...
...you have now turned a connected car into a terrorist weapon via what we call IOT or, Internet of Things. This is akin to literally turning a car into a "timebomb".
Don't think for a minute these things are not possible either.
No, not on a C5, but any of the modern cars that are all computer controlled with human inputs; absolutely so.

 

I used to work at BiAmp and they use CAN as a way to send uncompressed audio signals over network cabling for distributed audio systems. It works great for things like airports where you can have 1000's of feet of cable from signal generator to speaker.

 

I wish, I love pen testing, it was a hobby long before it became part of my job.

It's one of those "You are better off not knowing..." situations. Kinda like when you work in the banking industry.

 

Totally agree with you and of course what you are describing is certainly not even remotely covered by this simple Introduction to CAN application. This app is only intended as an introductory teaching tool.

You are spot on about security concerns. OEMS are struggling to come up with better security models around CAN and at the same time comply with the current and evolving SAE/ISO standards.

As the industry moves forward in the Connected Car / IoT space, there has to be a modification of these current standards and the ability to allow OEMS to tightly provide security constraints and authentication. At the same time, aftermarket providers will need the ability to register and identify with these new security provisions. Private/Public certificates will have to be issued on a continual basis and revoked as necessary, OTA and through DLCs.

BTW, great discussion. Would not mind an off-line discussion with some of you posting here. Seems like we have a great deal of knowledge on this subject within this forum!