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CANivore
User’s Guide
Revision 1.0

Cross The Road Electronics

www.ctr-electronics.com

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Table of Contents
1. Device description .....................................................................................................................................................5
1.1. Kit Contents ........................................................................................................................................................5
1.2. Features..............................................................................................................................................................6
1.3. Electrical Specifications ......................................................................................................................................7
1.4. General specifications ........................................................................................................................................7
1.5. LED States...........................................................................................................................................................8
2. Block Diagram ............................................................................................................................................................9
3. CAN FD Bus ................................................................................................................................................................9
3.1. Terminating Resistor ........................................................................................................................................10
4. CANivore Processor .................................................................................................................................................10
5. ESP32 Co-Processor .................................................................................................................................................10
5.1. Serial port .........................................................................................................................................................10
5.2. Wi-Fi .................................................................................................................................................................10
5.3. Bluetooth/BLE ..................................................................................................................................................10
6. Software ..................................................................................................................................................................11
6.1. Latest Documentation......................................................................................................................................11
6.2. Software stack-up.............................................................................................................................................11
6.3. Basic Setup .......................................................................................................................................................12
6.3.1. Basic Tasks – Field-upgrade ......................................................................................................................12
6.3.2. Basic Tasks - Naming the CAN bus ............................................................................................................12
6.3.3. Basic Tasks - Programmable Terminating Resistor ...................................................................................12
6.4. Windows PC .....................................................................................................................................................13
6.4.1. Windows PC - Device Manager .................................................................................................................13
6.4.2. Windows PC - Installation .........................................................................................................................13
6.4.3. Windows PC - Driver Uninstall / Reinstall .................................................................................................14
6.4.4. Windows PC – USB Known Issue...............................................................................................................15
6.5. Linux / SocketCAN ............................................................................................................................................16
6.5.1. Linux / SocketCAN - What is SocketCAN ...................................................................................................16
6.5.2. Linux / SocketCAN – Extensions................................................................................................................17
6.5.3. Linux / SocketCAN – Installation ...............................................................................................................17
6.6. Programming ESP32 .........................................................................................................................................17
6.6.1. ESP32 - Enable/Disable .............................................................................................................................17
6.7. Hardware Attached Simulation ........................................................................................................................18

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7. Wiring ......................................................................................................................................................................19
7.1. RoboRIO Wiring ................................................................................................................................................19
7.2. Hardware Attached Simulation Wiring ............................................................................................................20
7.3. Network Topologies .........................................................................................................................................21
8. FAQ ..........................................................................................................................................................................22
8.1. Is there a way to tell if the device is present/powered? ..................................................................................22
8.2 How do I tell CAN is connected? .......................................................................................................................22
8.3 How do I tell CANivore is powered?..................................................................................................................22
8.4 How do I tell CANivore is connected to USB? ...................................................................................................22
8.5 How do I field-upgrade the CANivore?..............................................................................................................22
8.6 What do I need to do to use this in FRC? ..........................................................................................................22
8.7 Do I need to install SocketCAN or USB-drivers on to the RIO to use this? ........................................................22
8.8 What happens if CANivore disconnects and reconnects during a match? .......................................................22
8.9 What happens if a non-FD device is connected to CANivore? ..........................................................................22
8.10 What is the ESP32 for? ....................................................................................................................................22
8.11 How can I program the ESP32? .......................................................................................................................22
8.12 How do I select a device on this CANivore’s bus? ...........................................................................................23
8.13 What is Hardware Attached Simulation? ........................................................................................................23
8.14 Connecting CANivore to my Windows Computer doesn’t show up in Tuner .................................................23
9. Mechanical Drawings...............................................................................................................................................24
10. Revision History .....................................................................................................................................................25

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TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS

It is our intention to provide our valued customers with the best documentation possible to
ensure successful use of your CTRE products. To this end, we will continue to improve our
publications, examples, and support to better suit your needs.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this document, or any CTRE product, please
contact support@crosstheroadelectronics.com

To obtain the most recent version of this document, please visit

www.ctr-electronics.com.

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1. Device description
The CTRE CANivore is a USB to CAN FD adapter, capable of providing a CAN FD network to a Windows PC or a
roboRIO-Linux. Each CANivore will allow you to add an additional CAN bus to the roboRIO and control supported
CTR Electronics devices from your robot project.

The CANivore provides the following advantages:

- Ability to add additional CAN Buses for supported CTR-Electronics devices to the FIRST-roboRIO.
- Ability to use CTR-Electronics devices by running robot application in Windows (desktop simulation +
actual hardware) when using FRC C++/Java.
- Use Phoenix Tuner to field-upgrade, configure, and test devices without a roboRIO.
- Exceed the bandwidth limitations of the existing native legacy CAN bus on the RoboRIO.
- Individually name CAN buses so software works every time regardless of boot-up order.
- Improve CAN bus wiring –no longer need to wire single bus to every corner of the robot.
- Onboard ESP32 for custom applications and access to Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/BLE.

1.1. Kit Contents

- 1 CANivore
- 1 USB A to C cable

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1.2. Features
• USB to CAN FD adapter for Windows and roboRIO-Linux for supported CTR-Electronics devices. (Note 1)
• Each CANivore adds an entirely new CANFD network to the roboRIO
• Can be used to control and update devices from a Windows PC
• Integrated ESP32 for wireless capabilities (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) and programmable control
• Windows PC use case does not require custom USB drivers
• CANivore kernel driver already included into NI roboRIO image.
• Ability to set custom name for each CANivore CAN bus
• Modern USB Type-C connector
• Includes a USB A-to-C cable – perfect for the FIRST roboRIO use case.
• Can be USB powered without requiring additional power wiring
• Can be powered from DC supply or battery (up to 28V) for standalone operation
• Can be powered by both USB and power connector for redundant power supply
• Reverse Input Power Protection
• Supports USB Hub
• Supports Hardware Attached Simulation for FRC C++/Java (FRC Simulation on desktop with actual
hardware)
• Polycarbonate housing prevents debris from entering inside device
• Voltage measurement of V+ and 5V rails
• CAN bus utilization measurement
• Multi-color LEDs for Status, Communication, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
• Reliable Weidmuller connector for power and CAN
• Robust bootloader and reliable field-upgrade (no physical button required, no “stuck states” that
requires user intervention)
• Wirelessly check, configure, and field-upgrade CANivore using roboRIO Wi-Fi and Phoenix Tuner.
• Wirelessly check, configure and field-upgrade attached CAN devices using roboRIO Wi-Fi and Phoenix
Tuner.
• Software-selectable termination resistor (120 Ω)

Note 1: A future design goal will be to include support for more common Linux platforms. The focus of the initial release was for FIRST
Robotics, but the CTRE CANivore kernel driver can be ported to other Linux systems.

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1.3. Electrical Specifications

Symbol Parameter Condition Min Typ. Max Unit
General Specs
Tamb Ambient -40 +85 °C
temperature
V+ Supply voltage 5.2 12 28.0 V
Weidmuller Powered Current Ratings
Isupp Supply Current DC supply 12.0V, No 36 40 mA
CAN
Isupp Supply Current DC supply 12.0V, CAN 29 32 mA
Connected, no traffic
Isupp Supply Current DC supply 12.0V, CAN 29 32 mA
Connected, ~50%
traffic
Isupp Supply Current DC supply 12.0V, CAN 78 98 mA
Connected, ~50%
traffic & ESP
broadcasting SSID
USB Powered Current Ratings
Isupp USB Current USB Supply 5.0V, No 63 78 mA
CAN
Isupp USB Current USB Supply 5.0V, CAN 46 60 mA
Connected, no traffic
Isupp USB Current USB Supply 5.0V, CAN 46 60 mA
Connected, ~50%
traffic
Isupp USB Current USB Supply 5.0V, CAN 150 200 mA
Connected, ~50%
traffic & ESP
broadcasting SSID
ESD Rating
ESD Protection Contact Discharge ±30 kV
ESD Protection Air-Gap Discharge ±30 kV

1.4. General specifications

Outside Dimensions 2.17” x 1.55” x 0.76”
Weight without cables 1.16 ounces (32.89 grams)
Supported Communication Protocols CAN FD
USB

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1.5. LED States

The CANivore features 2 tri-color LEDs (STAT & CAN) and 2 mono-color LEDs (Wi-Fi & BT).
LED Name Behavior Blink Style Description

STAT Red Double-Blink (Note 2) Device powered through V+/V-, but USB not plugged in.

Red Fast-Strobe (Note 3) USB plugged in, but no USB communication

(USB not enumerated or USB suspended)

Orange Double-Blink if V+/V- is not powered (Note 2) Good USB connection, CAN streaming is disabled

Green Fast-Strobe if V+/V- is powered (Note 3) Good USB connection, CAN streaming is enabled
TIP: Use this to confirm the V+/V- wiring!
Green / CANivore is in Bootloader.
Orange
Most likely device was unplugged during field-upgrade
(Note 4).

LED is never off – one of the two Use Phoenix Tuner to field upgrade latest CRF firmware
colors is always illuminated. file.

Alternatively, if CANivore already has application

firmware, disconnect all power sources, then re-
connect to cold-boot device.

Orange / CANivore has hardware damage

Red

Wi-Fi Green Blink (Note 1) Wi-Fi is enabled or ESP32 custom application is allowed
to use Wi-Fi
Off Wi-Fi is disabled

BT Green Blink (Note 1) Bluetooth is enabled or ESP32 custom application is

(Bluetooth) allowed to use Bluetooth
Off Bluetooth is disabled

CAN Solid Red LED is never off. Voltage too low for CAN bus.
(CAN bus) CAN communication may not be reliable
Red Double-Blink if termination is disabled (Note No CAN communication
2)

Orange Reserved for CAN 2.0b legacy mode

Fast-Strobe if termination is enabled. (Note 3)

Green TIP: Use this to confirm termination CAN FD active

setting!
Note 1: “Blink” means LED transitions between on and off slowly at a fixed rate.
Note 2: “Double-Blink” means LED transitions between on and off twice, then pauses.
Note 3: “Fast-Strobe” means LED spends very little time off. It will appear excited or mostly-on.
Note 4: If using USB features, ensure proper signal path between CANivore USB connector and the root USB
controller (including all the hubs and data/power connections in between).

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2. Block Diagram
The diagram below shows the organization of the CANivore peripherals.

3. CAN FD Bus
CAN FD is the next iteration of the CAN bus data link layer. The FD stand for Flexible Data-Rate, meaning that
portions of the frame is transmitted at higher data rates (up to 10Mbps). This means less bus time for more data.
Additionally, a single frame can now hold up to 64 data bytes.

This is critical for many reasons:

• Lower bus utilizations because of less frame overhead and higher bitrates.
• More devices before hitting maximum bus utilization.
• Less time spent designing how to split signals across multiple frames
• Larger frames mean potential firmware features that were not previously possible with CAN 2.0B.

More information on CAN FD is available at https://ctr-electronics.com/can-fd, including which CTR-Electronics

devices support it.

CANivore automatically configures the CAN bus network to be compliant with CAN FD. As a result, end-users do
not need to configure bit timing information.

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3.1. Terminating Resistor

Inside the CANivore is a 120Ω terminating resistor which can be software enabled. This setting defaults to ON,
and therefore can immediately be used to terminate one extreme end of the CAN Bus.

Note: The other extreme end must also be terminated with a 120Ω resistor. We recommend soldering a 120Ω
through hole resistor between the CANH (yellow) and CANL (green) wires at the extreme end of the bus.

4. CANivore Processor
At the center of the CANivore is a 120MHz Cortex M4F processor. This dedicated controller implements all USB
and CAN bus related features. This includes:
- Communication with CTR-Electronics CANivore-USB kernel driver
- Field-upgrade and other Phoenix Tuner features
- General configuration of the device (termination resistor, device-name, ESP32 enable/disable, etc.)

5. ESP32 Co-Processor
The CANivore features an ESP32WROOM32D as a co-processor for custom user code.
This processor was chosen because:
- Native support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth/BLE
- Popularity in the embedded systems and hobbyist community
- Increases the maximum potential long-term feature-set of the CANivore

The ESP32 is not necessary when using CANivore to add additional CAN buses for supported Phoenix devices, as
this is implemented by the CANivore core processor. However, the shared data bus between CANivore processor
and ESP32 allows for the potential to provide CAN bus features to customer user applications.

After the initial 2022 release of the product, examples will be posted for sending arbitrary CAN frames. Moving
forward, CTR-Electronics will be investing in the development of advanced ESP32-based features. As features are
added, more examples and documentation will be posted accordingly.

5.1. Serial port

When CANivore is USB connected to a PC, a virtual serial port will appear in the peripheral list. This serial port is
virtually connected to the serial inputs on the ESP32. This means that the software-tools that already exist for
updating and debugging the ESP32 will also work on CANivore. User will have to specify the COM port as they
would normally do with typical ESP32 breakouts.

5.2. Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) is integrated into the ESP32. The latest documentation can be found under the ESP32WROOM32D
resources provided by espressif.com.

5.3. Bluetooth/BLE
Bluetooth/BLE is integrated into the ESP32. The latest documentation can be found under the ESP32WROOM32D
resources provided by espressif.com.

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6. Software
Although this user’s guide primarily covers hardware-related aspects to the CANivore, outlining the software
interactions may be useful when first becoming familiar with the device.

6.1. Latest Documentation

Software-developers are encouraged to review the software documentation for the latest information, particularly
the “Phoenix Framework Documentation” section. However general software guidance is also provided below.

6.2. Software stack-up

Software stack-up below covers software-related interactions of the CANivore.

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6.3. Basic Setup

Basic tasks such as field-upgrade, device-naming, and configuration can be done with several configurations.

Software Tool Description Diagnostic Server Address (Note 1)

CANivore is connected to Windows PC via USB. “CANivore-usb”

CANivore connected to Windows PC via USB.
Phoenix Tuner User is running “Hardware Attached Simulation”. “localhost”
CANivore is connected to roboRIO. roboRIO: Team number / IP Address
Phoenix Tuner connected to roboRIO.

caniv Using SSH console with roboRIO NA

Note 1: The Diagnostic Server Address is specified in the “Robot Controller Install” tab of Phoenix Tuner.
Note 2: caniv is a command line tool in the roboRIO-Linux system.

See https://ctr-electronics.com/documentation for the latest information, particularly the “Phoenix Framework
Documentation” section.

6.3.1. Basic Tasks – Field-upgrade

Like other devices manufactured by CTR-Electronics, device firmware is stored in a CRF File. CRF is automatically
installed with Phoenix Framework and is also available for download on the CTR-Electronics website (CANivore
product page).

6.3.2. Basic Tasks - Naming the CAN bus

CANivore can be “named” by the user with a unique custom name. These impacts:
- The name of the device in Windows Device Manager
- The name of the device in Phoenix Tuner
- The name of the device when executing “caniv –list”
- The CAN bus name to pass into software objects in Phoenix API

This also allows developers to identify what devices are on what CAN bus.
CANivore supports custom names up to 32 standard ASCII characters.

Naming the CANivore can be done through the CTRE provided caniv tool or through Phoenix Tuner.

6.3.3. Basic Tasks - Programmable Terminating Resistor

The termination resistor can be turned on and off through the CTRE provided caniv tool or through Phoenix Tuner.

Note: Terminating resistor defaults to ON.

Termination mode can be confirmed in Phoenix Tuner and via the COMM LED.

Note: Measuring the termination resistance via ohmmeter is not possible when CAN bus is active. A software
button may be added in the future to allow for measuring resistance if the need arises.

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6.4. Windows PC
CANivore communication is done in a driver-less fashion. Meaning any modern Windows PC will enumerate the
CANivore, and report it as successfully connected in device manager.

Note: It is generally required that only one application can connect to a CANivore in Windows. However, when
desktop-simulating an FRC application, Phoenix Tuner still functions if the Diagnostic Server Address is set to
“localhost”. This allows for simultaneous use of Phoenix API (in the desktop robot application) and Phoenix Tuner
(diagnostics).

6.4.1. Windows PC - Device Manager

To confirm the CANivore is connected in Windows, perform the following steps:
1. Open Device Manager. This can be done with the shortcut “Win+R”, typing “devmgmt.msc”, and pressing
‘enter’.
2. Change Device Manager to view “Devices by container” & enable “Show hidden devices”. This makes it easier
to identify CANivores connected to the computer & shows any devices that Windows is hiding, such as a
misbehaving CANivore.

3. Navigate to your CANivore and right-click->Properties on the USB Composite Device that is under it. If you
have not renamed the CANivore, it will show as “CANivore Default Name”, otherwise it will be named
“CANivore <custom name>”.

6.4.2. Windows PC - Installation

There is no additional software installation beyond installing Phoenix Framework.
Phoenix Tuner and Phoenix Diagnostics Server already supports CANivore natively.

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6.4.3. Windows PC - Driver Uninstall / Reinstall

To uninstall the CANivore windows driver, perform the following steps:
1. Open Device Manager. This can be done with the shortcut “Win+R”, typing “devmgmt.msc”, and pressing
enter.
2. Change Device Manager to view by container & enable “Show hidden devices”. This makes it easier to identify
CANivores connected to the computer & shows any devices that Windows is hiding, such as a misbehaving
CANivore.

3. Navigate to your CANivore and right-click->Properties on the USB Composite Device that is under it. If you
have not renamed the CANivore, it will show as “CANivore Default Name”, otherwise it will be named
“CANivore <custom name>”.

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4. Navigate to “Driver” and click “Uninstall Device”. This will uninstall all the CANivore drivers from the
computer so that the next time CANivore is plugged in, it cleanly gets the new drivers.

This is everything necessary to uninstall a CANivore

6.4.4. Windows PC – USB Known Issue

In extremely rare circumstances, Windows may fail to completely enumerate the CANivore USB interface due to a
Windows-specific issue in the USB host stack. If this happens, Phoenix Tuner is unable to detect or communicate to
the CANivore despite it appearing in Device Manager. If this occurs, uninstall the CANivore driver, unplug the
CANivore, and plug it back in.

For this issue to occur:

- Must be the first time CANivore is inserted into a PC (or first insert after renaming CANivore).
- USB enumeration is interrupted without physically disconnecting the device (processor reset event).

These conditions typically cannot be reproduced by the end-user and are only known because of validation-testing
done by the CTR-Electronics team.

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6.5. Linux / SocketCAN

To support Linux-based systems, CTR-Electronics has elected to use SocketCAN for the CAN bus software interface.

6.5.1. Linux / SocketCAN - What is SocketCAN

SocketCAN is a commonly used set of drivers and networking stack that allows for sending/receiving CAN frames in
Linux. Because the roboRIO is a Linux system, we opted to bring SocketCAN into FIRST Robotics. In fact, CTR-
Electronics has supported SocketCAN with Phoenix Framework for years (particularly with industrial customers)
using various hobbyist style SocketCAN-USB products.

However, while supporting our industrial customers with SocketCAN, the list of problems we’ve encountered with
existing USB-to-CAN hardware solutions grew to such a degree that developing the CANivore became the only
solution to ensure a quality experience, in industry and in FIRST Robotics.

Some of those limitations are:

• No way to name each network to ensure network name is the same after booting up. User applications
must specify “can0” vs “can1” vs “can2”, and the numbers are not the same each time.
• SocketCAN hardware does not work on power up. They require configuration every time they are
inserted.
• Disconnect/reconnect events will cause CAN bus stream to stop.
• Poor quality firmware – lost frames,
• Field-upgrade not robust – devices rendered “bricked” or require button-on-boot recovery.
• Confusing LED sequences not tailored for troubleshooting wiring.
• Termination is often not selectable or requires mechanical jumper.
• Performance issues

CTRE-Electronics has solved these common problems by providing:

• CANivore USB-to-CAN Adapter
• Phoenix Framework (API supports picking CANivore by name)
• CANivore’s SocketCAN compatible kernel driver integrated into 2022 roboRIO Image.

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6.5.2. Linux / SocketCAN – Extensions

For robust operation in the FIRST use-case, the following extensions were implemented:

- CAN bit timings set via SocketCAN are not honored. CANivore will determine the correct bit timings
independently, ensuring they cannot be set incorrectly.
- CTR-Electronics kernel driver is part of the NI FRC 2022 image. If mid-season updates are necessary, they
will be installed via Phoenix Tuner.
- Console features such as candump are functional, however they can consume substantial CPU when printing
to the shell.
- Users should not “bring-up” CANivore networks via shell commands (“ifconfig” for example) or startup
scripts. Phoenix API library will do this for you. If you manually “ifconfig down” a CANivore bus, Phoenix API
will not re-initialize it for you.
- CANivore is rigorously tested with CTR-Electronics supported devices only. Use cases outside of this were not
considered for the initial 2022 release of this device.
- Phoenix API requires user to specify the CAN bus name when creating a software object for supported
devices like Falcon 500 or CANcoder. Developers may also use the socket CAN names such as “can0”, but
these may not be reliable when using more than one SocketCAN bus as the number-suffix may change with
each robot cold-boot. It is recommended to use the CANivore custom name instead.

6.5.3. Linux / SocketCAN – Installation

Custom CTR-Electronics kernel driver is part of the NI FRC 2022 image. If mid-season updates are necessary, they
will be installed via Phoenix Tuner.

There is no additional software installation beyond installing Phoenix Framework.

Phoenix Tuner and Phoenix Diagnostics Server already supports CANivore natively.

6.6. Programming ESP32

The emulated serial port provided by CANivore allows the existing ESP32 software tools to deploy to the CANivore.
Example software tools include:
- Espressif IDF (Visual Studio extension)
- ESP32 nanoFramework
- ESP32 Arduino
Note: Typically, user must specify the serial COM port when using these tools.

Examples and documentation for programming the ESP32 will be provided in future updates.

6.6.1. ESP32 - Enable/Disable

The ESP32 can be enabled or disabled via the CANivore Processor. This setting defaults to OFF.
This setting allows for:
- Basic power management features (turn off ESP32 to reduce current)
- Ability to comply with FIRST game rules if Wi-Fi/Bluetooth features must be enforced off. (See latest FIRST
rules for requirements).

Note: When using ESP32 software tools (Espressif IDF for example), CANivore will conveniently boot the ESP32
automatically. But if the persistent setting is still set to disable (as seen in Phoenix Tuner), ESP32 will not boot on
the next power cycle.

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6.7. Hardware Attached Simulation

In the FIRST Robotics space, “Simulation” refers to compiling an embedded robot application for the desktop PC,
thereby allowing testing on the local machine. Any underlying driver that requires interaction with hardware is
usually abstracted and re-implemented so that the behavior is as close as reasonably possible to actual hardware.

When the CANivore is directly connected to Windows PC (Note 1) via USB, there is opportunity to run with true
hardware, while still having the benefits of local testing and debugging on the host PC. This is referred to as
“Hardware Attached Simulation”.

With this mode of operation, users can:

- Control supported Phoenix devices with code running on their development PC, providing a better debugging
experience.
- Update or configure newly unboxed Phoenix devices (make sure to select “localhost” in Phoenix Tuner’s
Diagnostic Server Address).
- Use the same Phoenix Tuner features as though you were deployed on the roboRIO.

This is accomplished by modifying the Phoenix vendor json such

that, every “windowsx86-64” platform entry is moved to the
dependencies entries that already contain "linuxathena".

In other words, there should be “windowsx86-64” everywhere

you see “linuxathena”, and nowhere else.

A former json example will be provided in the future as manual

editing can be prone to error (forgetting to delimit with commas
is common).

Note 1: Supporting Linux desktop in future is possible. The CANivore USB kernel driver must be ported to Linux-x86-64.

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7. Wiring
The CANivore provides its own separate CAN FD bus. This means the CANivore should only be connected to the
host via the USB cable, and not through another CAN connection. Power can be supplied to the CANivore through
USB, or optionally through the V+ and V- Weidmuller ports. CAN is connected to CANH and CANL Weidmuller ports,
with yellow to CANH and green to CANL.

Common use cases are described in the sections below.

7.1. RoboRIO Wiring

This is the most common wiring configuration for use with an FRC robot. In this configuration, connect the
CANivore to the USB A port on the RIO with the supplied USB C Cable, the CAN FD devices through CANH and CANL
Weidmullers. Optionally add auxiliary power to the CANivore through the V+ and V- Weidmullers.

A diagram of the wiring is below for reference.

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7.2. Hardware Attached Simulation Wiring

The CANivore wiring schematic is slightly different in the Hardware Attached Simulation configuration. In this
configuration, the user can connect and control CAN FD devices while simulating robot code on their programming
laptop.

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7.3. Network Topologies

Since CAN FD is an extension of CAN 2.0, the wiring requirements are similar.
- CAN bus must still have 120Ω of termination at each extreme end. (Note 1)
- CAN bus stub lengths must be short (typical maximum of one foot).
- Daisy chaining still recommended as this reduces stub length to near zero.

In the past with CAN 2.0, teams with very short CAN buses may have been able to get some degree of success
without ensuring the above requirements are met, such as with star or ring topologies. However, as transmission
frequencies increase (such as in CAN FD), it is more important to ensure proper bus topology (daisy chain or short
stub lengths).

This is the reason CTR-Electronics incorporates true daisy-chaining (Note 2) in all modern CAN bus products.

Note 1: CANivore can act as one of the terminating resistors with its software-selectable terminating resistor.
Note 2: True daisy chaining means bridging the CANH and CANL lines within the product, and not inside a connector (critical failure point) or
inside of breakout far away from the devices.

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8. FAQ
8.1. Is there a way to tell if the device is present/powered?
To determine visually if the device is powered and functioning, check the built-in LED, see Section 1.5. LED States.

8.2 How do I tell CAN is connected?

The CAN LED displays the state with regards to CAN. See the LED table in Section 1.5. LED States.

8.3 How do I tell CANivore is powered?

The STAT LED displays the general status of CANivore. See the LED table in Section 1.5. LED States.

8.4 How do I tell CANivore is connected to USB?

The STAT LED displays the USB connection status of CANivore. See the LED table in Section 1.5. LED States.

8.5 How do I field-upgrade the CANivore?

Field-upgrading a CANivore can be accomplished either through the CTRE provided software Phoenix Tuner or
through caniv. See Section 6.3.

8.6 What do I need to do to use this in FRC?

Following the rules from the 2020 season, no device is allowed to emit wireless signals. This is accomplished by
configuring the ESP32 on the CANivore off using Phoenix Tuner. This is sufficient to meet the rules from the 2020
season. Additionally, FRC teams should always confirm what is considered “legal” per the latest FRC competition
rules.

8.7 Do I need to install SocketCAN or USB-drivers on to the RIO to use this?

No, every roboRIO image starting with the 2022 season comes with the necessary software to connect and use the
CANivore. If there is a mid-season update, Phoenix Tuner will be updated to provide it.

8.8 What happens if CANivore disconnects and reconnects during a match?

Phoenix software constantly monitors the status of every CANivore connected. If a CANivore disconnects during a
match, Phoenix will detect it and report the disconnect event to the Driver Station. On reconnection, Phoenix will
automatically configure the CANivore to resume operation. No custom scripting is necessary.

8.9 What happens if a non-FD device is connected to CANivore?

The non-FD device will send error frames which causes every device on the CAN bus to blip red. Removing the non-
FD device will resolve this.

8.10 What is the ESP32 for?

The ESP32 is a co-processor on the CANivore that allows the user to upload custom code for general use. This
feature will be expanded on in future updates.

8.11 How can I program the ESP32?

The ESP is programmable through the emulated serial port exposed through USB. For more information on the
ESP, see Section 6.6.

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8.12 How do I select a device on this CANivore’s bus?

Phoenix API supports an additional parameter for supported device constructors that allow the user to pass in the
CAN Bus name. If the name matches the name configured for the CANivore, Phoenix will interface to the CANivore
and use it to communicate to the constructed device.

8.13 What is Hardware Attached Simulation?

See Section 6.7.

8.14 Connecting CANivore to my Windows Computer doesn’t show up in Tuner

Check device USB LED to confirm connectivity, see Section 1.5. LED States.

If COMM LED is red, recheck all cabling in between CANivore connector and USB root hub (host controller).
If using a USB hub, rule it out by removing it and re-testing.

If COMM LED is healthy, check Device Manger (Section 6.4.1).

If device is present, then confirm the correct string is set in Phoenix Tuner for diagnostic server (Section 6.3).
This is how Tuner knows if you want to use a locally connected USB CANivore or a CANivore that is remote
connected to a roboRIO.

In the unlikely event that Windows failed to enumerate the CANivore correctly, a workaround is provided in
Section 6.4.4.

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9. Mechanical Drawings

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10. Revision History

Revision Date Description

1.0 21-Jan-2021 Initial Creation.

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