Harwa Limited · CANsignal Suite
What “based on CiA 301” means here
CiA 301 is the CANopen application layer and communication profile. In this software that shows up as an Object Dictionary you can search, an SDO client, and PDO mapping for TPDO and RPDO. Those are the services the screens implement. Harwa Limited is a registered trademark user of CANopen®. That registration is not membership and it is not a test result.
The software is a Windows application from Harwa Limited. It speaks the services engineers use on a CANopen network.
The current release is Classical CAN. CAN FD is planned and is not in this release. The name CANopen FD® appears only because it is a registered trademark of CAN in Automation (CiA) e.V., which is stated in the footer.
Object Dictionary, SDO, and PDO
The Object Dictionary can be searched, favourited, and read with Read All while a node is connected. EDS and DCF import gives the dictionary names and default values from the device file. You can export an EDS from the dictionary as well.
The SDO client reads and writes objects on a connected node. That is the service for parameters that are not mapped into process data: a store command, a device identity, a configuration value that changes rarely.
PDO mapping covers TPDO and RPDO, shows the bit budget, and can export a DCF. Mapping can be written to the node when the project is connected. The PDO monitor then shows the process data moving on the bus, separate from the SDO client.
LSS and the rest of the network
The LSS wizard runs Fastscan, Configure Node-ID, Configure Bitrate, and Store. It is the layer-setting path for a node that still needs an address or a bitrate. It does not report a test result.
Network Explorer scans the bus and lists vendor, product, heartbeat, and an EDS match when a file is loaded. The heartbeat monitor watches those heartbeats. Bus utilization splits traffic into PDO, SDO, EMCY, and heartbeat so a busy bus is visible as a mix, not as one counter.
Network Diagnostics writes findings that name the node and a next step. Bus Health is the summary view. These are diagnostic screens in the same project as the configuration screens. A walk-through of SDO and PDO is in the guide linked below.
Who this CANopen master software is for
It fits a small team that needs to bring up a node, map PDOs, set a node-ID, and see whether the network is quiet or noisy, on a Windows PC. Light is $800 once. Professional is $1,400 once. The 28-day trial needs internet for the session.
Professional adds EDS validation, compare, quality, and the compliance dashboard, plus device commissioning, Dashboard Builder, Python Studio, and CAN AI. Validation does not edit the file. Light already includes the Object Dictionary, SDO client, PDO mapping, LSS wizard, and the network screens.
The feature list is the checklist for what this Windows application includes: Classical CAN simulation, monitoring, and CANopen® configuration.
A configuration session from an empty project
Open a project and import the EDS or DCF before you connect, so the Object Dictionary is named. Connect with Virtual CAN to rehearse the screens, or with a compatible USB-CAN adapter when the node is powered. Read All fills the live values. The SDO client is the screen for one object rather than the whole dictionary.
Map the TPDOs and RPDOs you intend to use and watch the bit budget. Write the map only when the node is connected and you mean to change it. Export a DCF so the map is saved with the project. The PDO monitor confirms the values afterwards. When the node still has no node-ID, or the bitrate is wrong, use the LSS wizard: Fastscan, then Configure Node-ID or Configure Bitrate, then Store.
Finish in Network Explorer and Network Diagnostics, in the same project. The scan lists vendor and product as the node reports them. A finding names that node and a next step. Heartbeat and bus utilization stay beside the configuration screens. That is the configuration and diagnostic loop this CANopen tool is built to cover.
Questions engineers ask
Does CiA publish CANsignal Suite?
No. It is a CANopen® configuration and diagnostic tool based on CiA 301. Harwa Limited is a trademark user. CiA does not publish it and has not assessed it.
Which CANopen services are in the software?
Object Dictionary with EDS and DCF import, an SDO client, PDO mapping and a PDO monitor, an LSS wizard, and network diagnostics. The current release is Classical CAN.
Where do the vendor and product names come from?
No. Network Explorer shows the vendor and product fields the node itself reports.