CAN communication using S32K3X4EVB T-172 Board

[kolyanimohanto]

I am using S32K3X4EVB T-172 Evaluation Board on S32DS v3.4

Can you let me know the step-by-step procedure on how to implement CAN communication (sending and receiving data) from one board to any other different board like -

     a) which debugger to use?

     b) is there any CAN analyzer software required to be installed in system?  (CANoe  hardware is available with me in the lab)

     c) is external Free MASTER tool also needed to be used? (also, how to get started with the Free MASTER tool)

    d) how to check the output whether successful communication is established or not

[Julián_AragónM]

Hi @kolyanimohanto,

I see you've posted a similar question in the forum (FlexCAN receive and send data using S32K3X4EVB T-172 - NXP Community), I will try to answer all your questions through here instead.

a) You can use either the OpenSDA USB or JTAG/SWD connections included in the EVB. The PEMicro debugger you mentioned in the other community post will probably work well. Just double check the support for S32K family directly from PEmicro. Along with recommendations from our website below you could also take a look on third party providers’ website:

• https://www.segger.com
• http://www.lauterbach.com
• http://www.pemicro.com
• https://www.pls-mc.com

Also, I could point out to some other solution of production programming (direct programming of MCU over ZIF socket):

• https://www.elnec.com

b) & c) In order to get an output from the CAN transceiver, you need either two nodes (boards) in the bus or the board connected to a CAN tool. I see you were referring to the S32K344 FlexCAN_Ip TX/RX/EnhanceRXFIFO example, the descripton specifies "This demo application requires two boards, or single board connected with CAN tool." Once you have this setup ready, you will be able to see the messages with the connected tool or with any analyser. 

c) No, FreeMASTER is not needed. FreeMASTER is used for real-time debug monitor and data.

If there are any additional questions, please let me know,

Best regards,
Julián

[kolyanimohanto]

Hello Julián,
Thanks for replying.
I have some more doubts related to CAN implementation which is:

1) How to know that the CAN program is getting flashed on the S32K3X4EVB T-172 Evaluation board?
2) When the program is built and debugged in S32DS, how to send data/signal to the CAN tool to analyze the data is being processed or not? (this is when the connection is between S32K344 Evaluation board and CAN tool)
3) If we require a DBC file for the CAN tool, how to generate that from the S32DS project?

Please help me with these above-mentioned questions.
Thanks & Regards
Kolyani

[Julián_AragónM]

Hi @kolyanimohanto

1) You can always debug and run the program step by step to confirm functionality. You can also refer to the console to see if the connection and program was flashed successfully:

2) Once the program is running, you can connect to the can bus through J32 (CAN_OUT) and send or receive messages with the CAN analyzer. You may need to refer to your specific analyzer's documentation for configuration. Since the example uses callback to receive messages, you can monitor a breakpoint in the flexcan0_Callback function. 

3) I believe S32DS does not support DBC files. I suggest also going over Vector's documentation: Vector Tools To Generate an EDS or DBC File for a CANopen Device - KnowledgeBase - Vector Support.

Best regards,
Julián

[kolyanimohanto]

1. Can I use BUS MASTER for CAN interfacing with S32DS using S32K3X4EVB T-172 Board?

2. How should I configure the CAN tool with S32DS so that transmitting and receiving can happen?

3. Can SavvyCAN also be used for CAN interfacing?



Which one would be better for CAN? BUS MASTER or SavvyCAN?

[Julián_AragónM]

Hi @kolyanimohanto,

1. I am not familiar with the BUS MASTER software, but it should be enough to configure the bit rate, sample point, etc... and communicate with the EVB. If it supports the same CAN protocol, it can communicate.

2. The community example (Example S32K344 FlexCAN_Ip TX/RX/EnhanceRXFIFO test S32DS3.4 RTD200 - NXP Community) already configures transmit and receive. You can also look in the community for additional example codes already posted (such as: Solved: How to use FlexCAN_Ip in S32K344 - NXP Community).

3. Same as answer 1.

I don't think there is a "better" one in this case if only communication is needed, I recommend comparing the features between these SW and use the most apt one depending on your application/testing needs. 

Best regards,
Julián