No. 12 - September 11, 2026
A word from the CiA Managing Director
Last chance to submit an abstract for the 19th international CAN Conference (iCC): Deadline is September 15. The conference is scheduled on March 3 to 5, 2027. It takes place in Tutzing close to Munich (Germany).
This conference is also the CiA’s 35th birthday event. On March 5, 1992 the nonprofit international users’ and manufacturers’ group has been officially established by eight members according to German regulations. Today, CiA counts far more than 700 members.
From the beginning, CiA members have developed technical documents specifying CAN-related higher-layer protocols and recommendations for the physical layer design. In the last couple of years, CiA members jointly specified the CAN XL (extended data-field length) data link layer and the CAN SIC XL (signal improvement capability) physical layer. Both specifications have been submitted for international standardization to ISO. In the meantime, ISO 11898-1:2024 (CAN data link layer and physical coding sublayer) and ISO 11898-2:2026 (CAN high-speed physical medium attachment sublayer) have been published. These documents comprise CAN CC (classic), CAN FD (flexible data rate), and CAN XL data link layer protocols respectively CAN HS (high-speed), CAN FD, CAN SIC, and CAN SIC XL PMAs with and without low-power mode and selective wake-up capabilities.
The related conformance test plans (ISO 16845-1 and ISO 16845-2) have been updated and will be released, soon. Additionally, CiA members are specifying the conformance test plan for CAN FD light nodes, featuring the high bit-rate mode (CiA 604-5). It is intended, to submit this document also to ISO, before the next maintenance cycle of ISO 16845-1.
CiA plans a series of one-hour webinars on CAN XL. These free-of-charge webinars explain in some detail the CAN XL ecosystem. This includes also the recently released CANsec specification (CiA 613-2). The webinar series starts in November and continues in the next months. For details and registration, please visit the CiA website.
CAN Newsletter magazine
The September issue focusses on CAN FD. Besides CAN FD product news, there are also some articles about the CAN FD physical layer design. Of course, there are other topics in this issue, including CANopen-related articles and reports about CAN engineering. Regular columns such as “standards and specifications”, “facts & figures” as well as “latest news” are in the 48-page magazine, as well. You can download the complete publication in PDF format or you can do this also article-wise.
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CiA webinar: Functional safety for CAN-based networks
In a one-hour webinar on November 02 (start 13:00, UTC+1), CiA presents the current status and expected extensions of the EN 50325-5 (CANopen Safety) standard, discusses key aspects of safety and security, and addresses functional safety considerations for embedded AI (artificial intelligence). In addition, it introduces existing safety solutions for different CAN generations and highlights challenges for current and future safety applications.
Registration for the free-of-charge webinar is obligatory. Presentation language is English.
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Open-source protocol stack confirms with CiA 417
The CANoopen protocol stack by CiA member Xyntos (CH) is written in C++17 and released under the Apache License 2.0. The CANopen Lift profile COB-ID scheme and helpers for mapping the virtual I/O of lift devices are part of the stack. Ready-to-build samples for STM32 microcontrollers demonstrate a CiA 417 call panel and the matching call controller.
Beneath the lift profile sits a complete CiA 301 implementation, supporting NMT (network management), heartbeat, and SDO (service data object), PDO (process data object) as well as MPDO, SYNC, TIME, EMCY, and LSS (CiA 305) services. The stack also features the NMT boot procedure (CiA 302-2). The object dictionary can be generated from an EDS file (CiA 306) with the included Eds2Od tool. The stack is target-independent and uses no dynamic memory allocation. A CiA 401 (modular I/O device) sample is included, as well.
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CAN applications in Vietnam
The CAN Newsletter editors plan to write a feature about “CAN in Vietnam”. The Vietnamese economy has gained some strength in the last couple of months. The editing team is interested in application-oriented information, locally developed CAN products, and local CAN product suppliers (including distributors). If you have any related information, please forward it to pr(at)can-cia.org.
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Greenhouses and vertical farms
In ISO/TC 347/WG 2, CEA (controlled environment agriculture) control systems will be standardized. This includes also the communication between CEA functional entities (e.g., for atmospheric supplementation, fertilization, heating/cooling, humidification, irrigation, lighting, and ventilation). One of the network technology candidates is CANopen. This means, suppliers of sensors, actuators, and controllers for smart greenhouses, vertical farms, chamber farms, and (semi-)automated high tunnels/hoop houses are invited to contribute to the ISO 34173 series. CiA staff can represent interested CiA members in the ISO meetings and inform them in detail about the progress of standardization.
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News ticker
+++ The CiA booth at Innotrans 2026 in Berlin (September 22 to 25) is in hall 27 (stand 290). +++ CiA has assigned CANopen vendor-IDs to Astra (Italy), Concert Space (Brazil), EKT Battery (U.S.A.), Rapiscan Systems Limited (Great Britain), and Simtek (U.S.A.). +++ ISO 25200 (Data parameter specification for body application units in commercial vehicles) has passed successfully the DIS (draft international standard) ballot with some comments. +++ The new CiA member Baker Hughes (UK) utilizes CAN primarily through its sensor division as well as in downhole drilling tools and turbomachinery control systems. +++ (hz and of)
SPS 2026: CAN(open) products on CiA panel wall
The SPS (Smart Production Solutions) trade show takes place from November 24 to 26 in Nuremberg (Germany). Interested members can present their products on the CiA stand (5-410). CiA product panels are linked to an entry in the CiA Product Guides, which prolongs visibility of presented products after the trade show.
Booking of panels is possible using this formular by October 16, 2026.
Advertisement in CAN Newsletter magazine
The quarterly-published magazine can be downloaded free of charge from the CiA website. The information is available in PDF format as a whole issue or as single articles. More than 20 000 subscribers of the three-weekly CAN Community News (CCN), especially interested in CAN technology, are informed about the latest publications in the magazine. Printed versions of the CAN Newsletter are distributed on trade shows and dedicated CiA events.
In addition to editorial contributions, it is possible to advertise your products in the magazine. Closing date for advertisement orders of the December issue is the October 23, 2026.
CiA activities
- CiA education and information events
- Charged online seminars
- Charged in-house seminars
- Free-of-charge CiA webinars
- CiA groups
- CiA trade shows
New CiA members since the last CCN
- Baker Hughes Energy Technology (GB)
- Concert Space (BR)
- Miunske (DE)
- Simtek (US)
- Subsea Craft (GB)
CiA has 743 members (September 11, 2026)
Editors: Olga Fischer, Holger Zeltwanger (responsible according to the press law)
Advertising: Birgit Ruedel (responsible according to the press law)
CAN in Automation (CiA) e. V.
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