5. The neoVI Explorer Configuration Utility
5.1. Starting and Using neoVI Explorer
The neoVI Explorer utility allows you to connect, manage and configure all of your Intrepid Control Systems hardware. It is available as an integrated feature of Vehicle Spy, and as a standalone program. This section will describe general features and the basics of using neoVI Explorer, so you will understand the utility when we get into settings specific to your device.
5.1.1. Starting neoVI Explorer from within Vehicle Spy 3
There are several ways to open neoVI Explorer from within VSpy. These are the most common ways since they are accessible at all times:
Menu Item: At the top menu bar, under Setup, select Hardware
Setup Hardware Button: Click the button located in the main Vehicle Spy toolbar just under its menu (Figure below).
Note
neoVI Explorer cannot be launched when Vehicle Spy is online (even in simulation mode). If you attempt to do so, VSpy will prompt you to either go offline and launch neoVI Explorer, or remain online and return to Vehicle Spy.
5.1.2. Starting NeoVI Explorer as a Standalone Program
If you want to work with your device without opening Vehicle Spy, you can launch neoVI Explorer directly. neoVI Explorer will be located at
C:\Program Files (x86)\Vehicle Spy 3\neoVI3GExplorer.exe
5.2. Interfacing with Your Device
5.2.1. Connecting to Your Device
When neoVI Explorer loads, it will start up with the first hardware device it can find selected in the menu pane on the left. You should see your device listed here, along with its serial number. If you don’t see the device you wish to connect to, but see other Intrepid devices, be sure to scroll down to look for it. If it is still not visible, this means its drivers have not been installed correctly, it is not powered properly, or there is a problem with the USB connection. After double checking your setup, click Search For Devices located at the bottom of the device selection panel. Sometimes it may take a few seconds for your device(s) to register.
To manage your device, click on its entry in the navigation pane (if it is not already highlighted) and then select Connect. After successfully connecting to the device, you will see a “thumbs up” icon next to the device’s name, and check marks will appear next to currently-enabled networks in the explorer area on the left. You should also see a message in the message box on the right saying “<Your Device and Serial Number> settings have been read”. This tells you that neoVI Explorer has loaded the current settings from the unit.
The screen as a whole should appear similar to the screen shown below (but note that the device and version number shown below may be different).
5.2.2. Device Configuration
Writing and Reloading Settings
To avoid potential problems, neoVI Explorer will not save any changes to device parameters until you instruct it to do so. This is done by pressing Write Settings which will update the parameters within the firmware in your device. If you make changes you do not want to keep, pressing the Read Settings button will reload the settings stored in the device, undoing any modifications made in neoVI Explorer that had not yet been saved.
Reloading Device Default Settings
To return all settings to factory defaults, press Load Default Settings. This is convenient if many changes have been made, and you want to start over. Note that pressing this button loads and saves the settings, so you do not need to press Write Settings. You will see messages in the message area telling you that defaults have been sent to the device and then read from it.
Disconnecting from the device
Press the Disconnect button to tell neoVI Explorer that you are done working with the device. This step is optional, because neoVI Explorer will disconnect from any connected devices when you exit the program.
Exiting neoVI Explorer
You can close neoVI Explorer by clicking the “X” in the top right corner, or by pressing Alt+F4 on windows.
5.3. System Settings and Firmware Updates
The top two entries on the left panel of neoVI Explorer contain system-wide settings that apply to all hardware devices and information related to firmware updates.
5.3.1. System Settings
In the top branch of the tree in the right pane of neoVI Explorer you will see several settings that you can enable or disable.
Enable Server
Turns on the neoVI Server feature, a background program that allows your hardware to be used by multiple applications at the same time.
Enable Low Latency
This is an advanced setting for applications where fast response is needed after transmission.
Enable Auto Update
When enabled, both neoVI Explorer and Vehicle Spy will automatically update each device’s firmware. If this box is not checked, firmware must be updated manually. (See 5.3.3 for more details about updates)
Network Adapter Server
This is a feature that is used with Intrepid products having Ethernet ports. With This feature enabled, the Ethernet ports on your Intrepid hardware will enumerate as network interfaces in the operating system of your host computer. This server can be started and stopped in this window. There is also a checkbox to configure the server to start after booting your computer.
5.3.2. Available Firmware
This is an informational page that shows which firmware versions are available in this version of neoVI Explorer for various Intrepid products. Note that some devices have multiple firmware programs that control different aspects of their operation; You normally won’t need to look in this area, because as we’ll see in the next section, neoVI Explorer shows you the current and available firmware versions for your device when you connect to it.
5.3.3. Automatic and Manual Firmware Updates
Essentially, firmware is the software that runs hardware and is required to enable many capabilities of your device. New versions of firmware are created regularly by Intrepid’s engineers to implement new features and correct problems that have been identified.
If you have Enable Auto Update on—which is the default, and is recommended—then you don’t need to worry about firmware updates. Each time you connect to your device in neoVI Explorer or go online with it in Vehicle Spy, the firmware will be checked, and if a newer version is available, the device will automatically be updated. If you do not have automatic updates enabled, you control when your firmware is updated. When new firmware is available, you will be notified on the initial connection screen, as shown below. Simply press the Manual Reflash button to update the firmware.
Warning
While your device may appear to operate with incompatible firmware, proper and reliable operation cannot be guaranteed unless the version of firmware matches what is listed in Vehicle Spy
5.3.4. Bootloader Mode
You can enter bootloader mode in neoVI explorer by clicking Manual Reflash in the General Settings tab (See 5.4.1) on the left panel after connecting to your device. This is necessary when the text below Firmware Versions is colored red. You can also hold the A2B and CAN/LIN buttons at the same time; the RAD-A2B will enter bootloader mode after holding for a few seconds. Note that if you hold down the buttons to enter bootloader mode, you will still need to open neoVI explorer to load the drivers to begin flashing the device.
If you remove power from the device while the device is in bootloader mode the device will stop flashing and will disconnect from neoVI explorer. When you repower and plug your device into your PC it will enter bootloader mode.
If the device does not show up in the left panel when you reconnect, click Search For Devices, this will refresh the devices pane and search for your device. If the device still does not connect, removing power while in bootloader mode may have caused a fault in the hardware. If it connects but does not begin reflashing the device right away check the messages box to see if any errors occur.
If assistance is needed for this situation please contact Intrepid’s support department, you can find information regarding how to contact support at the end of this manual or on the back of your device.
5.3.5. The Firmware Update Process
During the firmware update process, the device will be placed into bootloader mode, indicated by all LEDs on the top label flashing synchronously. Normal LED flash patterns will resume when the update is complete and the device reboots. You will see a dialog box on the screen showing you the progress of the firmware update operation. You will also see messages in the message box on the right side of neoVI Explorer as the firmware program is sent to the device. When the process is complete the dialog box will disappear and another message will appear in neoVI Explorer to confirm that the update has finished. If you receive any error messages or experience any other problems updating your device’s firmware, please contact Intrepid for assistance.
Warning
Please take heed of the warning on the firmware update dialog box: leave the device connected and powered on for the entire firmware update process to avoid possible problems with the device.
5.4. General Settings and Product Details
These two areas of the device’s parameter setup provide information about the device and allow you to perform a few basic maintenance tasks.
5.4.1. General Settings
After connecting to the device you will see basic information about it in the right-hand pane of the window:
The device’s serial number.
The firmware versions currently in the device, and an indication if new firmware is available.
A message showing that the hardware license for the device was recognized.
A current readout of the device’s real-time clock.
This information can be displayed again at any time by clicking the device’s name in the explorer navigation window, or General Settings.
The version(s) of the firmware for the device will be shown in black if it matches the firmware version within neoVI Explorer. If not, the current version and the newest available version will be shown in red to notify you that an update is available. (See the previous section for more about the update process.)
There are three buttons on this screen:
Manual Reflash
See 5.3.3.
Read RTC
Display the internal clock on the RAD-wBMS
Synchronize RTC
Set the device’s clock to the same value as that of the PC
5.4.2. Product Details
This is an informational area that provides technical data on the device’s hardware and internal setup. You will generally only need this if requested by Intrepid in order to facilitate support or troubleshooting. You can click Copy To Clipboard to copy all of the information to the Windows Clipboard, so you can then paste it into an email or file.
5.5. RAD-A2B Port Configurations
This section provides information about neoVI Explorer settings specific to the RAD-A2B.
5.5.1. CAN
RAD-A2B has 2 channels of CAN/CAN-FD, where two of those are dedicated to ISO 11898 Dual wire CAN physical layers (TJA1043T). ISO 11898 is considered high speed, real time control and multiplexing for use cases of road vehicles. The software is switchable between ISO CAN FD and non-ISO CAN-FD versions. You can make these changes after connecting to the device through neoVI Explorer.
This area of neoVI Explorer is used to enable, disable and configure the two standard dual wire CAN networks in the RAD-A2B. Each channel has an entry under the CAN group (which cannot be clicked itself). The current status of each channel is shown next to its name; a green checkmark indicates that the channel is enabled, while a red X means it is disabled.
DW CAN 01/CAN 02
Enabled
Place a checkmark in this box to enable the channel, or clear the checkmark to disable it. When disabled, all of the other parameter controls are disabled (grayed out).
Specify by Baud
This is a master control that determines whether the operation of the channel is controlled by a numeric baud rate, or is calculated from lower-level timing parameters. When checked, the Baud Rate and CAN FD Baud Rate drop-down boxes are enabled and the various TQ, Sync and BRP-1 entries are disabled. When unchecked, this is reversed.
Specifying by baud rate is the default, and is recommended except for advanced users with special requirements.
Baud Rate
When Specify by Baud is selected, choose a baud rate for the channel from the drop-down box below. The default value is 500000.
CAN Timing Settings
When Specify by Baud is deselected, the operation of the CAN channel is based on these five settings: TQ SEG1, TQ SEG2, TQ Prop, Sync, BRP-1. These settings are for advanced users and normally should be left at their default values
Mode
The operating mode of the channel:
Normal: Normal operation (default)
Listen Only: This channel only receives messages, with no transmissions, and also no error frames generated nor acknowledgments sent
Bit Rate Calculator
Click this button to launch the Intrepid Bit Timing Calculator
CAN FD
Enabled
Check this box to enable CAN FD on the RAD-A2B. This enables the RAD-A2B to automatically adjust message size and transmission rates. This should be enabled for CAN FD-supported ECU’s.
ISO
ISO is used in CAN FD to increase robustness in the network by verifying messages that are sent and received. ISO is enabled by default and should only be disabled in special cases.
Baud Rate
When Specify by Baud is selected, choose a baud rate for the data phase of CAN FD messages. The default value is 2000000.
Timing Settings
When Specify by Baud is deselected, use these settings (TQ SEG1, TQ SEG2, TQ Prop, Sync, BRP-1) for the data phase of CAN FD messages. These parameters are for advanced users and normally should be left at their default values.
5.5.2. CAN Termination
CAN Termination is a built-in feature included with your RAD-A2B. You can select CAN Termination for DW CAN 01 (CAN Channel 1) and DW CAN 02 (CAN Channel 2) to have the RAD-A2B include the 120Ω resistors needed for CAN in your circuit.
5.5.3. LIN
The RAD-A2B has 1 x LIN channel, this channel has full support for LIN 1.X, 2.X and J2602. LIN Bus Monitor Mode identifies errors: Sync Break Error State and Length, Sync Wave Error, Message ID parity, TFrameMax/ Slave Not Responding, Checksum Error and Transmit Bit Errors, which operates at the same time as the LIN Master. You can also simulate a LIN bus slave simnulation with or without a .LDF file.
This section of the RAD-A2B explorer tree allows you to enable, disable and configure the LIN channel. As with the CAN channels, a green checkmark indicates that the channel is enabled, while a red X means it is disabled.
LIN 01
Enabled
Place a checkmark in this box to enable the channel, or clear the checkmark to disable it. When disabled, all of the other parameter controls are disabled (grayed out).
Baud Rate
Select a baud rate for the channel; the default is 10417.
Mode
This option is not currently used and should be left at the default of Normal Mode.
Master Resistor On
Enable this option for the RAD-A2B to act as the Master on the specified LIN bus.
Advanced Options
Click this checkbox to reveal two additional options:
Master Slave Interval: The time between the Master ID and the first Slave byte, in bits (default 0).
Verbose Error Reporting: When checked, break errors and other error messages from the LIN driver are displayed.
5.5.4. Time Sync ICS Hardware
If multiple ICS devices are being used to log networks in parallel, the internal clocks used to timestamp the logged traffic can be synchronized in order to provide time-aligned logs. The following screen is used to configure this clock synchronization.
The devices synchronize using a private CAN network between them. This means no other DUTs or ECUs should be connected to this private CAN network. Each device must be configured from this screen to select which CAN network should be used for synchronization as well as if it is the clock master for all of the loggers or it is a clock slave.
Note
Exactly one device needs to be configured as a Clock master when synchronizing clocks between multiple ICS loggers. The rest of the devices should be configured as clock Slaves
5.5.5. Reporting
This setting enables the reporting of the RAD-A2B SoC (State of Charge) temperature.
5.5.6. A2B
The RAD-A2B has a 1 x A2B monitor and 1 x A2B emulator which transmits and receives node data. A2B works with Intrepid’s Vehicle Spy 3 software to display live data, control frames, I2C data, real-time audio measures and supports the ability to capture streams. This device copies A2B bus traffic and decodes A2B superframes and A2B errors.
This area of the neoVI Explorer is used to enable, disable, and configure the A2B Monitor settings. As with the CAN channels, a green checkmark indicates that A2B monitoring is enabled while a red X means it is disabled.
A2B Monitor
Enabled
Place a checkmark in this box to enable A2B monitoring, or clear the checkmark to disable it. When disabled, A2B traffic will not display in Vehicle Spy even if the RAD-A2B is online.
Node
Determines the functionality for the RAD-A2B on the device. Currently, the only Node setting is Monitor; however, the ability to emulate Nodes will be supported in future Vehicle Spy versions.
TDM Mode
Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) is a method of compressing multiple channels into one common channel. The different TDM modes refer to the number of channels used for Upstream and the number of channels used for Downstream. The maximum number of channels A2B can accommodate is 32 for Upstream and 32 for Downstream, so 32 is the default. If experiencing A2B Receive Overflow Errors, the TDM is too large for the network and should be decreased.
Channel Size
Determines the size of the frame sent across the common channel. A2B channel size is restricted to 32-bit when operating in monitor mode.
Channel Offset (0-31)
Channel Offsets can be programmed on Upstream or Downstream channels to exclude certain channels that are being received.
A2B Node Settings
Enabled
Place a checkmark in this box to enable A2B Node, or clear the checkmark to disable it. When disabled, A2B traffic will not display in Vehicle Spy even if the RAD-A2B is online.
Node
Determines the functionality for the RAD-A2B on the device. Currently, the only Node setting is Main
TDM Mode
Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) is a method of compressing multiple channels into one common channel. The different TDM modes refer to the number of channels used for Upstream and the number of channels used for Downstream. The maximum number of channels A2B can accommodate is 32 for Upstream and 32 for Downstream, so 32 is the default. If experiencing A2B Receive Overflow Errors, the TDM is too large for the network and should be decreased.
Channel Size
Determines the size of the frame sent across the common channel. A2B channel size can be 16-bit or 32-bit for Main/Sub nodes.
Channel Offset (0-31)
Channel Offsets can be programmed on Upstream or Downstream channels to exclude certain channels that are being received.
5.6. Network Enables
Network Enables displays a list of networks available on all Intrepid devices. When looking through this tab you will see many networks that may not be compatible with this device. If any non compatible networks are enabled simply select the check box to prevent any possible errors in your data.
The RAD-A2B includes the networks listed below
DW CAN 01
DW CAN 02
LIN 01
A2B 01 (A2B Monitoring)
A2B 02 (A2B Emulation) [Supported in future Vehicle Spy Versions]
Ethernet
5.7. Performance Tests
The following test can be used to measure the bandwidth and latency between ICS hardware and its host computer. If you suspect you have a problem with either of these, our customer support would be happy to help resolve it. Reference the last section of this document for contact information.
5.8. ISO15765-2
This value is added to the received Inner Frame Spacing for USDT frames transmitted from CoreMini. This is a shift amount where each increment represents 6.4µs.
