Remote CAN/LIN Diagnostics in Bus Fleet via WiFi Data Logger

What problem did you solve?

We needed a way to speed up our diagnostics of intermittent issues. Before we started using the CANedge2 we had to send a service technician to the bus depot where the faulty bus was stationed. Here, the technician would have to plug in a data logger on the CAN/LIN network where the fault appeared.

We then had to wait until the bus driver notified us that the fault re-appeared. Next, the technician had to drive back to retrieve the data logger, extract the data and analyse the enormous data volumes to try to find what caused the issue.

Finally when the diagnosis was done and the necessary parts where delivered to make the reparations, the technician had to drive there for a third time to fix the issue.

How did you solve it?

Now, we simply plug in a CANedge2 to the problematic CAN/LIN network - and when the bus driver notices the problem again we are notified.

We can then easily log in to CANcloud and download the relevant log files to perform our diagnosis. Thanks to the very precise real-time clock timestamping of the CANedge2, we can quickly isolate relevant periods for efficiency.

Further, we are also able to filter which messages we want to record (and at which frequency), which allowed us to reduce the file size by 90%. This makes it financially viable to send all log files via 4G to our S3 bucket - and drastically reduces the amount of data a service technician has to go through during diagnostics. We can also update the configuration of the CANedge2 over-the-air, allowing us to easily switch settings for different deployments remotely.

What benefit has this led to?

The CANedge2 lets us speed up our diagnostics of intermittent issues. It elevates our efficiency and reduces the amount of drive time necessary from service technicians - from 3 trips to 1-2 trips. This lets service technicians spend more time making diagnoses and repairing busses, drastically improving the speed at which we can get faulty buses up and running again.

Why did you choose the CANedge2?

The CANedge2 is a very compact, yet powerful data logger with an enormous amount of configuration options - allowing us to completely customize it to our needs. It is also very reasonably priced and and comes with powerful free software tools like CANcloud and asammdf. Also, the fact that we can log 2 x CAN/LIN while in parallel powering a 3G/4G USB WiFi router via the 2nd port is a big advantage for us.

Note: The CANedge3 now enables 3G/4G transfer natively.

   — Rinus Vuylsteke (and team), Diagnostic Engineer