USBCAN analyzer does not work

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Hi there,

And Welcome hereā€¦

So your analysis of the
Seeed Studio 114991193 USB to CAN Analyzer is spot on. The behavior youā€™re seeingā€”intermittent data loss and malformed frames on older firmware (0264) versus stability on newer firmware (8134) strongly points to a buffer management or timing bug in the earlier versionā€™s firmware.
Upgrading firmware on these specific low-cost Seeed adapters is difficult:

  • No Official Tool: Seeed Studio typically does not provide a public user-facing firmware update utility for the adapter
    Most users encountering firmware-level bugs on these units are forced to replace them with the newer versions (like your 8134 units) or switch to higher-end hardware if long-term stability at high bus loads is required.

If you cannot replace the faulty units immediately, you can try these workarounds:

  1. Reduce VCP Baud Rate: :backhand_index_pointing_left: :wink: While counter-intuitive, setting the VCP to a lower standard speed (like 115200 or 921600) sometimes forces the host driver to use different polling intervals, which can occasionally stabilize ā€œfragileā€ firmware.
  2. Increase Inter-frame Gap: If you have control over the CAN source, adding even a few microseconds of delay between the 10 burst messages may prevent the internal buffer from overflowing.
  3. Use the Latest Software: Ensure you are using the latest version of the USB-CAN Analyzer tool from GitHub, which includes some protocol optimizations.

HTH
GL :slight_smile: PJ :v:

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PS always buy driectly from Seeed if you want to make sure you dont get an old device.. What da?

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Thanks for the informative and speedy reply.

I appreciate your information on workarounds but my 10 message test scenario was just a first contact trial. The ultimate CAN bus bandwidth requirements of my project will be significantly higher also with multiple CAN sources.

Should I find the 8134 version holds up under a more representative test I take on board cgwaltneyā€™s comment below about buying direct. Iā€™m in the UK so not quite so easy, but I will see if they offer international shipping.

2 Likes
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Did you check out this unit>

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Thanks for the suggestion.

A nice simple device like the USB CAN analyzer is perhaps the ideal solution to my needs, connecting a PC to a CAN bus. However if it canā€™t work reliably I may well be looking to a solution using the board you suggest along with one of the XIAO boards.

1 Like
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Hi there,
So , That is a SOLID recommend with the correct ESP32 or MCU with the TWAI controller Peripheral built in
I find this info to be pertinentā€¦
Nearly all modern ESP32 microcontrollers support the CAN bus protocol through an integrated controller called the Two-Wire Automotive Interface (TWAI). While they have the controller built-in, you will still need an external transceiver (e.g., SN65HVD230) to convert the signals for the physical CAN bus. :backhand_index_pointing_left: :star_struck: the seeed board.

ESP32 Variants with Native CAN Support

, C5, C6):

  • ESP32-C3
    : Supports one TWAI controller.
  • ESP32-C5

/

ESP32-C6
: These newer variants include two integrated TWAI controllers, allowing for dual-bus communication without external SPI controllers.

  • ESP32-P4
    : The high-performance, non-wireless variant features three integrated TWAI controllers From my early testing the C5 is packing the big punch now so , S3 before that.

HTH
GL :slight_smile: PJ :v:

You also take note the 2Mbit speed is over the standard spec on the bus side , but CAN-FD may be more to the app, Iā€™m testing for robotics and thatā€™s the new standard. :+1:
Seeed should be looking at a Dual Bus device with the C6 and send the competition packing :grin: