Introducing the Kvaser U100, the new reference in rugged CAN interface design

Mölndal, Sweden – 6th April, 2021

Kvaser AB today unveiled the Kvaser U100, a robust, single-channel CAN/CAN FD to USB interface with reinforced galvanic isolation. Compatible with J1939, CANopen, NMEA 2000® and DeviceNet, this is the first of a range of interfaces suited to rugged applications in automotive, marine, industrial, heavy duty vehicle and heavy industries.

“The U100 involved a ground-up redesign of our popular rugged Leaf CAN to USB interface to respond to a wider incidence of higher voltage environments and new cost-of-ownership and sustainability criteria from OEMS,” states Ludvig Wallander, Director of Product Development for Kvaser AB.

“Support feedback suggested that customers with harsh environmental requirements chose entry level products over high-end, rugged versions because of the price difference,” Wallander continues. “The Kvaser U100 represents a significant achievement in terms of value to the end-user, with features such as higher temperature range and CAN-FD compatibility now available at a much lower cost.”

With enhanced protection of its own electrical circuits, a vibration, shock and drop-proof housing and high-quality cabling, the Kvaser U100 establishes a new reference in CAN interface design. Connected to a system with different electrical potentials, the Kvaser U100 mitigates the risk of disturbance caused by current leakage to measurements on the system under test. Able to withstand voltage stress over a much longer timescale than equivalent interfaces, the Kvaser U100 is both electrically and physically robust.

Innovations include two highly-visible LED bars showing CAN traffic status: busload, error frames and overrun. The U100 also features a robust connector with inverted strain release that handles more force than previous models when pulled or bent. PC- or CANbus- side cable replacement can be carried out by an authorised Kvaser party without compromising IP67 integrity, reducing cost over the product’s lifecycle and enabling fast delivery of custom configurations.

The Kvaser U100 (EAN 73-30130-01173-1) has a 9-pin D-SUB connector. Other members of the product line with J1939-13 Type II (01266-0), M12 (01267-7) and OBD-II (01268-4) connectors will be available soon.

 Key features of the Kvaser U100

• Supports CAN FD, up to 8 Mbit/s (with correct physical layer implementation)
• Electrical robustness: Reinforced galvanic isolation, design validated with 5000 VAC RMS applied for 60 seconds
• Physical robustness: IP67 rated, rugged housing; −40 oC to +85 oC
• DB-9 connector
• Intuitive LED UI
• 20,000 msg/s, each time stamped with a resolution of 100 μs
• Supported on Windows and Linux (incl. SocketCAN)
• Compatible with J1939, CANopen, NMEA 2000® and DeviceNet
• Fully compatible with applications written for other Kvaser CAN hardware with Kvaser CANlib

3rd-Party Software Support

The Kvaser U100 is supported in a number of Kvaser Technical Associate software packages:

• Accurate Technologies (ATI)
  • VISION
  • CANLab
• emotas:
  • CANopen DeviceExplorer
  • CANopen UpdateManager
  • CANinterpreter
  • CANopen
  • J1939 stack
• MathWorks
  • MATLAB Vehicle Network Toolbox (Coming Sept 2021)
• MeasX
  • DASYlab
• Michael Eisele
  • XTM
• Udoka Electronics
  • Sumac

More information about the Kvaser U100 (EAN 73-30130-01173-1), including full performance and technical specifications, can be found at www.kvaser.com/u100.

The Kvaser U100 can be ordered directly from Kvaser or through one of the company’s authorized sales representatives.