Driver Software Synchronizes Data Between CAN And DAQ

July 10, 2000

Engineers and scientists seeking to synchronize data between controller area network (CAN) in-vehicle data frames and analog/digital signals from any National Instruments' DAQ interface can now use NI-CAN 1.4 driver software. It lets National Instruments CAN boards send and receive synchronized information through the DAQ interfaces across the company's real-time system integration (RTSI) bus. With RTSI, a single interface card can control one or more slave devices for synchronized applications.

NI-CAN software is packaged with the company's hardware. Together, they transform a standard computer into a CAN interface with complete communications and bus-management capabilities. The software includes a device driver, a diagnostic test utility, a configuration utility, example programs that use NI-CAN functions, firmware, and language-interface libraries for National's Measurement Studio and LabView.

CAN is a digital data-communications network originally developed as an efficient low-cost solution for industrial, medical, embedded, and portable applications. It serves producer-consumer data transmission and multimaster capabilities using desktop, industrial, and portable computers.

National Instruments, 11500 N. Mopac Expwy., Austin, TX 78759-3505; (512) 794-0100; www.natinst.com.

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About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.