CAN and LIN Protocols
Both the Controller Area Network (CAN) and Local Interconnect Network (LIN) protocols were created for the automotive market. CAN was designed as a high reliability and speed protocol (up to 1 Mbit/s) for the harsh environment of the car electrical bus. LIN was later added as a simple low-cost alternative for the control of non-critical modules on a vehicle. Both find occasional applications in lighting.
Many of the PIC18F, PIC24H, PIC32 microcontrollers, and dsPIC® DSCs include a complete CAN serial interface. The MCP25XX series of peripheral interfaces include several CAN transceiver and CAN I/O expander devices. All PIC® microcontroller devices offering an EUSART module (PIC18F devices and most recent PIC16F devices) offer direct support for LIN bus connectivity with auto-baud rate detection and specific low power features.
Automotive Ambient Lighting Module Reference Design (Part number: APGRD004)
The Automotive Ambient Interior Lighting Module Reference Design demonstrates MCU-based control of RGB LED devices. This module can be controlled remotely by a master body controller via a LIN bus. These modules are offered in a very compact form-factor board and are comprised of a PIC12F615 MCU, an MCP2021 LIN transceiver/voltage regulator, and RGB LED. LIN commands are interpreted by the module to control color mixing (16,383 colors) and intensity (1,023 levels). The kit ships with four modules to assign as lighting zones in a LIN or J2602 network. These modules can also be used in conjunction with the APGDT001 LIN Serial Analyzer to quickly create a working LIN network straight out of the box.
- PIC32MX1/2/5 Starter Kit (Part number: DM320100)
- The PIC32MX1/2/5 Starter Kit provides you with an easy and cost-effective option to rapidly develop CAN, USB and General Purpose applications using PIC32 MCUs.
- PICDEM CAN-LIN 1, 2, and 3 Demonstration Boards (Part Number: DM163011)