5. Hardware Setup

5.1. Connection Diagrams

Typical hookup diagrams show you at a glance how to physically connect your VividAN to a vehicle or bench network.

Figure 5: VividCAN DB9F to OBD-II connected to Vehicle or Bench Network

Figure 6: VividCAN Micro USB to PC connection to PC

Figure 7: Do not connect VividCAN to PC and Vehicle Network at the same time

Warning

Warning: Simultaneous connections of the “DB9F to OBD-II” in a vehicle or bench and the “Micro-USB for PC connection” to a PC may result in a voltage offset that may damage the unit. Only connect to one source at a time.

5.2. Power and Vehicle Network Connections

The VividCAN is powered by the DB-9F to OBDII or the Micro USB to PC cable connection depending on operation (programming or operating). Network connections to vehicles or test benches are made through the DB- 9F to OBD-II. CAN termination is integrated into the VividCAN and can be enabled from the Vspy3 Hardware Setup/neoVI Explorer software interface.

Warning

Warning: Simultaneous connections of the “DB9F to OBD-II” in a vehicle or bench and the “Micro-USB for PC connection” to a PC may result in a voltage offset that may damage the unit. Only connect to one source at a time.

5.3. PC Connection

Connect the Micro USB to PC cable to the USB port on the PC. A powered USB hub can be used to connect the VividCAN, but performance varies due to the quality of the hub and its ability to provide power. Make sure to use a high-power USB hub and test the hub with the VividCAN before use.

5.4. Vehicle Spy Software and the VividCAN Requirements

Install Vehicle Spy 3 that was shipped with your VividCAN or go to the Intrepid website (http://intrepidcs.com/products/ ) to download the latest version (3.8.2.99 or above is recommended)
VividCAN cannot go online in Vehicle Spy.
VividCAN user setups created in Vehicle Spy can be loaded into a VividCAN using the CoreMini scripting engine
VividCAN supports CoreMini up to 64KB in size (Vehicle Spy 3.8.2.xx and 3.8.3.xx)
Not all scripting commands, graphical panel widget and font sizes are supported in the vividCAN. Section 9.4 outlines the Graphical Panels supported and Section 9.9 lists Vspy scripting features supported..
VividCAN will sleep when no messages or touch inputs occur.
The unit uses < 1 mA when in sleep mode and only sleeps when a CoreMini is running and MicroUSB to PC is not connected.

5.5. Starting neoVI Explorer

5.5.1. Starting neoVI Explorer from within Vehicle Spy

This section introduces how to open neoVI Explorer from within Vehicle Spy:

Menu Item: Click the “Setup Menu” and then select “Hardware”.
Hardware Setup Button: Click the “Setup Hardware” button located in the main Vehicle Spy toolbar just under its menu (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Starting neoVI Explorer from within Vehicle Spy.

Note that you cannot start neoVI Explorer when Vehicle Spy is online (even if in simulation mode). If you attempt to do so, Vehicle Spy will prompt you to either go offline to launch neoVI Explorer or remain online with Vehicle Spy.

5.5.2. Starting neoVI Explorer as a Standalone Program

If you want to work with your VividCAN without opening Vehicle Spy, you can launch neoVI Explorer directly. First open the “Start Menu”, navigate to the IntrepidCS folder, then under the Vehicle Spy 3 or ICS API Install Kit subfolder, and select “neoVI Explorer” (Figure 9).

Figure 9: Starting neoVI Explorer directly with Vehicle Spy 3 installed.

5.5.3. Connecting to the VividCAN

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, but do see other Intrepid Control Systems’ devices, be sure to scroll down to look for it. If it is still not visible, either its drivers have not been installed correctly or it is not powered properly.

To manage your VividCAN , click on its entry in the navigation pane and then press the “Connect” button. After successfully connecting to the device, you will see a “thumbs up” icon next to the device’s name. Check marks icons will appear next to enabled networks in the explorer area on the left. You should also see a message in the message box on the right saying, “VividCAN Settings have been read”. The information in the upper right-hand part of the window is device-specific and described in Section 5.2. The screen as a whole should appear similar to that shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10: Typical neoVI Explorer window After initial connection to the VividCAN

Note

Note: The listed settings are updated when “Connect” is clicked. Any changes made before connecting to the hardware will be overwritten.

5.5.4. 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 the “Write Settings” button, 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, wiping out any modifications made in neoVI Explorer that had not yet been saved.

Settings are only saved to the device after “Write Settings” is clicked. Once clicked, the hardware configuration will be saved to the hardware. You can revert the settings shown in neoVI Explorer back to what is currently stored in the hardware using the “Read Settings” button.

5.5.5. Reloading Device Defaults

To return all settings to factory defaults, press the “Load Defaults” button. You will see messages in the message area telling you that defaults have been sent to the device and then read from it. The “Load Defaults” feature automatically performs the “Write Settings” button, so there is no need to write settings when using “Load Defaults”.

5.5.6. Disconnecting from the VividCAN

Press the “Disconnect” button after you are done with the device settings. This step is actually optional, because neoVI Explorer will disconnect from any connected devices when you exit the program.

5.5.7. Searching for Devices

If you attach new hardware to your PC after starting neoVI Explorer, press the “Search For Devices” button at the bottom left of the dialog box to prompt the program to scan for new hardware you can manage.

5.5.8. Exiting neoVI Explorer

Like any Windows program, you can close neoVI Explorer by clicking the “X” in the top right corner.

5.6. System Settings and Firmware Updates

The top two entries in the explorer window on the left side of neoVI Explorer contain system-wide settings that apply to all hardware devices and information related to firmware updates.

5.6.1. System Settings

Click here, and in the right-hand pane you will see four settings that you can enable or disable (Figure 11):

Enable Server: Not applicable with the VividCAN

Figure 11: NeoVI Explorer System Settings Pane

Enable Low Latency: Not applicable with the VividCAN
Enable Slave VNET Settings: Not applicable with the VividCAN.
Enable Auto Update: When enabled, both neoVI Explorer and Vehicle Spy will automatically update firmware. It is recommended to leave this check box checked. If this box is not checked, firmware must be updated manually. (See below for details.)

5.6.2. Updating Firmware

New versions of firmware are created regularly to implement new features and correct problems that have been identified.

If you have “Enable Auto Update” on—the firmware will be updated if there is a mismatch between the VividCAN and Vspy. It is recommended to keep this option enabled all the time. Mismatches in firmware can result in operational issues.

You will see dialog boxes on the screen showing you the progress of this operation, which takes only a few seconds; an example is shown in Figure12. The firmware version in red means the firmware in the hardware does not match the software. Black firmware versions mean everything is up to date.

Figure 12: Firmware Download Message Box.

If you do not have automatic updates enabled, you can control when your firmware is updated. When new firmware is available, you will be notified in the right hand pane as shown in Figure 13 on the next page. Simply press the “Manual Reflash” button to update the firmware. Again, you will see messages as the MCHIP firmware program is sent to the device, and a message will appear in the message box on the right to tell you that the process has completed. The “X” in the message below will reflect the device you are using.

Figure 13: neoVI Explorer Firmware Message Box and Manual Reflash Button.

5.7. General Settings and Product Details

Note that the settings needed for your application may not match the default settings. You can customize the settings to your exact needs. This section covers how to manage and fine-tune your VividCAN. These two areas of the VividCAN setup provide information about the device and allow you to perform a few basic maintenance tasks.

5.7.1. General Settings

After connecting to the device you will see basic information about it in the right-hand pane of the window (Figure 14):

The device’s serial number.
The firmware version is currently in the device and has an indicator if new firmware is available.
A message showing that the hardware license for the device was recognized.
A current readout of the VividCAN’s real-time clock.

Figure 14: NeoVI Explorer VCAN4-X General Settings

This information can be displayed again at any time by clicking the device serial number in the explorer navigation window on the left side of the screen or the “General Settings” entry immediately below it.

The versions of the MCHIP and CCHIP firmware for the VividCAN each will be shown in black if they match the firmware versions within neoVI Explorer and latest version in red if there is a mismatch indicating an update is needed.

There are four buttons on this screen.

“Load Defaults”: Loads the default factory

settings for the device. “Manual Reflash”:

Updates mismatched firmware manually.

“Read RTC”: Reloads the device’s internal time clock.

“Synchronize RTC”: Sets the device’s clock to the same value as that of the PC.

Note: Mismatches with the realtime clock is not uncommon. The neoVI Explorer software compares the clock setting within the VividCAN and the clock on the PC it is connected to. If the clocks differ, then the RED mismatch flag is set. Clicking the Synchronize RTC will reset the VividCAN’s clock to that of the PC.

5.7.2. Product Details

This area provides technical data on the VividCAN’s hardware and internal setup. Generally, you would need the product details of your device in order for a technician at Intrepid Control Systems to facilitate support or troubleshooting. You can use the “Copy To Clipboard” button to copy all of the information to the “Windows Clipboard”, so you can then paste it into an email or file.

5.8. Standard CAN Networks

Your VividCAN ships from the factory with default settings. Default settings to consider are:

Single CAN network set to HSCAN - enabled
Classical CAN mode set to 500 Kbps
CAN Termination disabled

This area of neoVI Explorer is used to select and configure the single CAN network in the VividCAN.

Figure 15: NeoVI Explorer CAN Group – HSCAN1 is enabled.

CAN channel characteristics can be configured using the controls in the right- hand pane; the default settings are shown in Figure 16.

Figure 16: NeoVI Explorer Standard CAN Parameters with Default Settings.

5.8.1. 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). Note: if disabled, data will not be recieved on this channel.

5.8.2. 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 the “Specify by Baud” is selected, then you can simply pick the baud rate from the pull down list. Specifying by baud rate is the default and is recommended except for advanced users with special requirements.

5.8.3. 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.

5.8.4. CAN Timing Settings

When “Specify by Baud” is deselected, the baud rate and sample point 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.