Softing Automotive selects Kvaser U100 as Vehicle Communication Interface for after-sales service diagnostics

Kvaser AB has announced that Softing Automotive Electronics GmbH has recommended the Kvaser U100 CAN/CAN FD to USB interface as its preferred vehicle communication interface (VCI) to pair with Softing TDX, a diagnostic test development suite that enables the servicing and repair of road-vehicles and mobile machinery. Softing Automotive provides diagnostic and test solutions for electronic control units and vehicle systems.

Kvaser AB, experts in CAN interface and data logger design, developed the Kvaser U100 CAN/CAN FD to USB interface as a VCI for the entire vehicle lifecycle. Robust and with reinforced galvanic isolation, the U100 represents a ground-up redesign of Kvaser’s popular rugged Leaf CAN to USB interfaces to respond to a wider incidence of higher voltage environment in automotive, marine, industrial, heavy-duty vehicle and heavy industries.

“The Kvaser U100 will be used to request diagnostic data from the vehicle or machine’s electrical system for fault identification, localisation and repair, and for ECU software updates or reprogramming. Stable, fast and reliable, it is the perfect fit for Softing TDX”, said Peter Subke, Softing Automotive’s Director of Business Development. He added: “The extremely rugged housing, IP67 rating and reinforced galvanic isolation make this ideally suited to hard, aftersales environments, yet with the stand-out performance that is increasingly expected of VCIs today.”

Lars-Berno Fredriksson, President of Kvaser AB commented: “Softing Automotive Electronics and Kvaser AB have a long history of working together, participating in an open ecosystem of CAN hardware and software. Kvaser is best known for high-performance CAN interfaces that are used in CAN system design, and we have extensive experience supplying VCI for production and after-sales. The Kvaser U100 series unites these requirements. Combined with Softing’s TDX, automotive and machine OEMs can rely on a highly reliable, secure diagnostics toolchain for service and repair.”

Comprehensive diagnostic and troubleshooting routines are typically time-consuming and costly to build for OEMs, and even more so for sector start-ups. TDX enables customisable diagnostic tester solutions to be created and maintained through a toolbox that follows a DESIGN, MANAGE, WORK workflow. Based on the Qt modeling language (QML), known for its suitability for user interface design across platforms, TDX’s underlying diagnostics and operating logic are implemented via OTX scripts. Ease of use is ensured by templates and the ability to import existing data and processes.

As a long-term Kvaser Technical Associate (TA), Softing’s products were compatible with prior versions of Kvaser’s hardware TDX support. With the release of TDX v2.5 in December 2021, Softing Automotive integrated the U100 drivers into its software eco-system, creating a combined workshop licence and VCI package for a one-stop purchase that is entirely ‘plug and play’.