CAN FD cable specification

The nonprofit CAN in Automation (CiA) association with more than 650 member-companies has released the CiA 601-6 specification. It specifies requirements and test methods of mechanical and electrical parameters for cables to be used in CAN FD networks.

In general, the specification refers the ISO 6722 series standardizing single-core cables for 60 V to 600 V in road vehicles. In the CiA document, there are specified for example bending radius and twist-rate. Additionally, impedance tolerance, specific cable delay, insertion loss, and ohmic DC-resistance per length are given. The symmetry of cable by means of transverse conversion loss is specified for different frequencies. The 7-page document includes an annex recommending ohmic DC resistance values for different network lengths. The released specification is part of the CiA 601 series, which can be subscribed annually.