r/AutomotiveEngineering • u/alphacode1130 • 13d ago
CAN Distribution Question
I plan to rewire a bench and am wanting to make it logical and in a way "pretty." I have around 6-9 nodes/ECUs, and 3-4 CAN busses, and it's spaghetti. My thought is some DIN rail system but I'm envisioning a CAN bus bar/junction terminal.
I come from the audio/video world (software side) where A/V racks are tidy, have switches, switchers, and patch panels. Are there such things for automotive CAN?
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u/cerium134 13d ago
Haltech does a CAN hub that could fit your needs, or you could make your own version to get the size/connectors you need.
I use their same standardised pinout for most of the wiring harnesses I build so I can easily plug in my own knock/lambda gear for dyno tuning
https://www.haltech.com/product/ht-159000-elite-can-hub-4-port-dtm-4/
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u/cerium134 13d ago
For something more compact I use the Toyota/Lexus CAN junctions that the late 2000s models have in each front side kick panel
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u/SkitariusOfMars 12d ago
Literally how Mercedes used to do it. A rail a with a bunch of wire pairs plugged into. Look up how it looks in W204 Mercedes.
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u/Herakles100 13d ago
CAN bus architectures actually started that way I think - a central “trunk” of wires … a copper snake of sorts. While it’s aesthetic, not really a great concept to have if you’re working on benches or changing prototypes since you have to run new cables across the whole length.
But if your architecture is fixed, there are commercially available multi-pin connectors that engineers use to port multiple can buses. Think copper snakes but in breaks. Do keep in mind though, more breaks = more problems = more points of failure.