3. A Tour of RAD-A2B Hardware

Let’s now take a short tour of the RAD-A2B’s hardware. We’ll examine the device from all sides, showing its external components and explaining what each does. This will help you become more familiar with the unit so set up comes easier then you will be ready to configure and use your device.

3.1. Case Design

The RAD-A2B is enclosed in a sturdy black-anodized metal case. The device has been designed and tested for in-vehicle use, and is operational in a temperature range from -40°C to +85°C.

Connectors and ports are often a point of failure with hardware devices. To ensure that the RAD-A2B provides you with years of reliable service, Intrepid has ruggedized the physical interfaces on the device by using reinforced metal connectors.

To further protect the device against bumps and drops, the RAD-A2B has blue-colored rubber bumpers on both ends. These bumpers are removable, but there is no need to do this under normal circumstances, and we recommend that you leave them in place.

The bottom of the RAD-A2B contains useful reference information, including the device serial number, pinouts of its A2B and DB-9 connectors, and Intrepid’s contact information.

3.2. Left Side Interfaces and Connectors

The left side of the RAD-A2B contains 3 components: device

  • 12V DC barrel jack (left)

  • DB-9 Male Connector (middle)

  • A2B I/O (right)

3.2.1. Barrel Jack

The RAD-A2B can be powered using a DC barrel jack. For more information on power consumption, see 2.3.1.

3.2.2. DB-9 Male Connector

The RAD-A2B has 2 CAN/CAN-FD channels that can be accessed using a DB9 following the pin layout below. This device also has 1 LIN channel that can also be accessed using a DB9. The pinout can also be found on the back of the RAD-A2B.

pin

1

LIN 01

2

DWCAN 01L

3

GND

4

DWCAN 02 L

5

GND

6

GND

7

DW CAN 01 H

8

DWCAN 02 H

9

V BATT

3.2.3. A2B Interface

RAD-A2B has 1 x A2B monitor and 1 x A2B emulator dual port. This port is used for an iGrid to Pigtail cable [optional] (ICS Part no. IG-F16-PT-0.4-CABLE) to interface with the A2B network. This cable is included with your RAD-A2B.

The connector receptacle measures 18mm x 11.05mm x 8.2mm, and the pinout can be found below. Currently, only the MONITOR_P and MONITOR_N A2B channels can be used, but Node emulation will be supported in future Vehicle Spy 3 versions.

pin-a2b

1

GND

2

GND

3

GND

4

CHB N

5

GND

6

CHB P

7

GND

8

GND

9

MONITOR OUT P

10

GND

11

MONITOR OUT N

12

CHA P

13

MONITOR IN P

14

CHA N

15

MONITOR IN N

16

GND

3.3. Right Side Interfaces and Connectors

The right side of the RAD-A2B has 2 components: device-right

  • RJ45 (Ethernet) Port (left)

  • USB-B Port (right)

3.3.1. RJ45 (Ethernet) Port

The RAD-A2B has 1 Gigabit Ethernet (1000Base-T) port for use with DOIP, XCPoE and more. This Ethernet Port can only connect to other 1000Base-T devices; however, 1000Base-T connections can be converted to 10/100Base-T using a media converter (i.e. Intrepid’s RAD-Moon 2). The Ethernet port also has an LED at the bottom left and bottom right corner.

Green Link LED (Bottom Left)

This LED indicates that a valid link has been established between your device and another 1000Base-T Ethernet device. If this LED does not light up, there may be an invalid connection with the wire or the ethernet port may be dysfunctional; contact Intrepid support if needed.

Orange Activity LED (Bottom Right)

This LED flashes when traffic is passing in either direction over the attached Ethernet cable. If no traffic is passing through the cable, the LED will not light up.

Note

In normal operation you should see the Link LED always on, and the Activity LED flashing at a variable rate, with faster flashing meaning that more data is being transferred.

3.3.2. USB 2.0 Interface

This USB port serves as the connection to a host computer for configuration and data transfer. The RAD-A2B has an isolated USB 2.0 (240Mb/s) interface. This interface supports RP1210 and will support J2534 in future versions of Vehicle Spy. RP1210 is used for reprogramming and analyzing communication in heavy duty vehicles. Likewise, J2534 is a standard for communication between a computer and a vehicle. This makes the RAD-A2B a passthrough device for all kinds of ECUs.

3.4. Membrane LED Display and Keypad

The membrane contains 10 LEDs that provide immediate visual feedback about the status of the device, and two keypad buttons that can be used to toggle the indicator mode and for other functions.

_images/image41.png

Keypad Buttons and LEDs

There are two keypad buttons on the RAD-A2B’s top membrane: one that says A2B in blue near the top left, and one that says CAN LIN in white near the bottom right. Pressing either button changes the meaning of the 8 LEDs. Whichever button’s LED is flashing signifies the meaning of the other 8 LEDs.

3.4.1. A2B (Blue Button)

When pressed, “activates” the blue set of LED labels: each LED corresponds to the blue label above the LED. The meanings of the labels are described below from left to right, top to bottom. When the blue button is pressed, the top row of LEDs is used for statuses for Node Emulation (supported in future versions of Vehicle Spy), and the bottom row of LEDs is used for statuses for Monitor Only Mode.

Label

Description

A2B

  • Flashing Orange when the Blue set of labels is “activated” (See above) but the RAD-A2B is not connected to a computer

  • Flashing White when the Blue set of labels is “activated” (See above) and the RAD-A2B is connected to a computer but offline in Vehicle Spy 3

  • Alternating Blue and Green when the Blue set of labels is “activated” (See above) and the RAD-A2B is online in Vehicle Spy 3

  • Flashing Magenta when the Blue set of labels is “activated” and the RAD-A2B is running but not connected to a computer (standalone)

  • Off when the CAN ETH button is flashing. If neither LED is flashing, the device is not powered

Status

For use with A2B Node emulation. Supported in future updates

Activity

Error

A

General purpose, user-programmable

Status

Displays the status of the A2B network when the RAD-A2B is set to Monitor Only. A Green LED indicates that bus bias (failsafe) is running which means the setup is configured correctly. A Red LED indicates Reverse Polarity which means the setup is configured incorrectly. Often, a Red LED indicates the wires are plugged in backwards and can be fixed by reversing them.

Activity

Supported in future Vehicle Spy versions

Error

B

General purpose, user-programmable

3.4.2. CAN LIN (White Button)

When pressed, “activates” the white set of LED labels: each LED corresponds to the white label below the LED. The meanings of the labels are described below from left to right, top to bottom.

CAN and LIN LED Meanings

For networks, different colors indicate different statuses:

  • Green: Device is transmitting messages on this channel.

  • Blue: Device is receiving messages on this channel.

  • Red: Device is detecting errors on this channel.

It is possible for more than one LED component to be lit, producing the following results:

  • Green+Blue (Cyan): Device is transmitting and receiving on this channel.

  • Green+Red (Yellow): Device is transmitting and detecting errors on this channel.

  • Blue+Red (Magenta): Device is receiving and detecting errors on this channel.

  • Green+Blue+Red (White): Device is transmitting, receiving and detecting errors on this channel.

Label

Description

CAN/LIN

  • Flashing Orange when the White set of labels is “activated” (See above) but the RAD-A2B is not connected to a computer

  • Flashing White when the White set of labels is “activated” (See above) and the RAD-A2B is connected to a computer but offline in Vehicle Spy 3

  • Alternating Blue and Green when the White set of labels is “activated” (See above) and the RAD-A2B is online in Vehicle Spy 3

  • Flashing Magenta when the White set of labels is “activated” (See above) and the RAD-A2B is running but not connected to a computer (standalone)

  • Off when the CAN ETH button is flashing. If neither LED is flashing, the device is not powered

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CoreMini Script active

DW CAN 01

Status of CAN Channel 1, see above

DW CAN 02

Status of CAN Channel 2, see above

LIN 01

Status of LIN Channel 1, see above

C

General purpose, user-programmable

D

E

F

3.4.3. Miscellaneous LED Indicators

  • The A2B button will flash yellow when the RAD-A2B is connected to power but not a computer

  • The A2B button will flash white once the RAD-A2B is offline and has successfully connected to power and a computer

  • All 10 buttons will flash red when the RAD-A2B is in bootloader mode

  • During an update, all 10 buttons will flash blue while the ZCHIP is being sent firmware, while the ZCHIP is being flashed, all 10 LEDs will be solid green. For more information on updates see 5.3.3.

_images/status_LED.png

3.5. Analog Devices Accessories

Descriptions and pinouts for many Analog Devices that support A2B can be found in the Quick Start Guide. After you complete the software setup (Section 4), you can find the the Quick Start Guide at

C:\AnalogDevices\ADI_A2B_Software-Relx.x.x\Docs\

Brief descriptions of a few of the most common Evaluation Boards have also been included below. The current version of A2B uses AD2433 devices.

3.5.1. EVAL-AD2433WG1BZ Board

This Transceiver Evaluation Board is a blue board that can connect to any type of audio using a Male to Male 3.5mm Aux cord. This board is powered with a standard AC 12-V adapter power supply. This board converts audio data from the Aux port to A2B data. The A2B wiring goes into the J7 port and taps into the RAD-A2B which has a channel that receives and transmits data. This board generally acts as a Sub Node in this setup.

3.5.2. EVAL-AD2433WD1BZ Board

This Receiver Evaluation Board is a green board that receives data from the interface board and stores the A2B network schematics. This board is also powered using a standard AC 12-V power supply. The A2B wires must be in the P2 slot if you wish for this board to be the Sub Node; however, if you wish to make this board the Main Node you must plug the A2B wires in the P3 slot located directly to the right of the P2 slot.

3.5.3. EVAL-AD2433WC1 Board

This Transceiver Evaluation Board is equipped with a digital silicon microphone. When powered, this evaluation board transmits all audio detected by the microphone. This board is powered directly by the A2B connection; therefore, no external power is necessary. This board is added to an A2B network in series by plugging the incoming traffic to the in (J7) port of the board and and continues the A2B connection through the out (J8) port.