Configuring the Air Bridge with the Kvaser Air Bridge Utility CLI
While the Kvaser Air Bridge Light HS is not able to be reconfigured, there are two ways to configure a Kvaser Air Bridge. The first method is via the Kvaser Air Bridge Utility CLI (Command Line Interface). This is a Windows application that allows the Air Bridge to be configured via the command prompt. This application comes packaged with the Kvaser SDK and can be found on the Downloads page.
Preparing our Device
In order to communicate with the Air Bridge we will need a CAN bus and a CAN-to-USB interface. Remember that the Air Bridge will need to be powered via the CAN bus. For this demonstration, we will be using the Kvaser Leaf v3 for our CAN-to-USB interface and the Kvaser T-Cannector v2 for our powered CAN bus. Lastly, our Air Bridge one-to-any will be the Kvaser Air Bridge M12.
Once the CAN bus is set up and the Leaf Light is plugged into the PC, open the command prompt and navigate to the folder containing the Utility CLI application (airbridge-utility-cli.exe). Once there, run the command airbridge-utility-cli.exe -h to see a list of commands available in the CLI.
Configuring Role
The Kvaser Air Bridge can be assigned one of two roles; master or slave. The default role each unit is shipped with is slave so in order to establish a connection between two Air Bridge one-to-any devices, at least one will need their role reassigned to master. To change the role, in the command prompt, we will once again run the Utility CLI, but this time using the following commands.
To set role as master: airbridge-utility-cli.exe -ch 0 -c -D -R -SRFR MTo set role as slave:
airbridge-utility-cli.exe -ch 0 -c -D -R -SRFR S
This will assign the role to the connected device. To check that the parameter is set correctly, enter the command airbridge-utility-cli.exe -ch 0 -c -D -R -LP to list the parameter for review.
Configuring the Pairing Codes
The Kvaser Air Bridge one-to-any allows for custom pairing domain codes. This feature can be used for creating private domains to prevent interference from Air Bridge one-to-any devices operated by other organizations. To do this, simply configure a new master seed by typing the command airbridge-utility-cli.exe -ch 0 -c -D -R --Set_RF_Master_Seed xxxx and airbridge-utility-cli.exe -ch 0 -c -D -R --Set_RF_Slave_Seed yyyy replacing “xxxx” and “yyyy” with your four-digit master and slave seeds. The master and slave seeds will then be used to generate the pairing codes the Air Bridge one-to-any uses to communicate with other Air Bridge one-to-any devices. For security, it is not possible to see the master and slave seeds once it is set with commands like the List Parameter command used above to review the device role.