Thread: Com wire
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Unread 08-01-2016, 11:45
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RyanN
AKA: Ryan Nazaretian
FRC #4901 (Garnet Squadron)
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Re: Com wire

AndyMark provides it, and it looks very similar to this cable, with the Mississippi State University AVTC team uses in their vehicles for CAN communication. It's probably the best CAN cable you can get.

However, in my experience, it's a pain to strip that oil-resistant insulation off. I often would try to strip it and end up cutting the insulation off the internal wires. YMMV

CTR Electronics also provides it. It's uninsulated, which makes it really easy to strip the wires. I would recommend this over the AndyMark stuff because it's easier to use.

Our team just bought some off of eBay.

Big thing to look for in CAN is if it's twisted. CAN uses differential signaling for communication, meaning one wire goes logic low while the other wire goes logic high. What this does is allow the CAN controllers to detect signaling errors do to electromagnetic interference (EMI), and attempt to resend the message. Sources of EMI? Motors, overhead lights, static, bad crimps, solar flares... you name it!

Next biggest thing to look for is the size. All the CAN connectors use Weidmuller Connectors, which can accept wire from 16AWG to 24AWG. All the above wire will work.

Can you twist it yourself? Sure! I've done this before by taping up the ends in a drill and spinning it for a while. Number of turns per meter does matter in the real world, but for our application, anything will probably work. I've seen teams just run normal wires, untwisted, and have it work fine.
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Last edited by RyanN : 08-01-2016 at 22:22. Reason: See Don's response below.