For engineers, students, and hobbyists exploring in-vehicle networking systems, the SAE J1939 protocol stands as an essential standard—particularly within heavy-duty and off-road vehicles. What makes it even more accessible is the availability of a fully functional, free-of-charge SAE J1939 protocol stack designed specifically for the Arduino platform. This powerful tool is provided with the book SAE J1939 ECU Programming & Vehicle Bus Simulation with Arduino by Wilfried Voss, offering readers not just theory, but a working solution they can implement and expand upon immediately.
This book demystifies the complexities of vehicle bus systems, guiding users through the process of building their own J1939-capable ECUs and simulators using affordable hardware such as Arduino Uno and Mega 2560 boards. Whether you’re prototyping a diagnostic tool or simulating traffic for testing, this guide serves as both a learning tool and a development reference.
CAN Bus and SAE J1939: A Quick Foundation
SAE J1939 is a higher-layer protocol that operates on top of the Controller Area Network (CAN) physical layer. It standardizes communications between Electronic Control Units (ECUs) in heavy-duty and commercial vehicles. What sets J1939 apart is its extensive use of Parameter Group Numbers (PGNs), multi-packet data transport capabilities, and its role in critical applications such as engine diagnostics, vehicle telematics, and fleet management.
Understanding J1939 usually requires familiarity with low-level CAN Bus operation, but this book compresses that learning curve significantly by building upon Arduino’s approachable development environment.
Arduino as a J1939 Simulation Platform
The book showcases how Arduino, with minimal hardware investment, can become a competent J1939 node or simulator. Using readily available CAN Bus transceivers such as the MCP2515-based shields, users can build their own J1939 networks to simulate vehicle behavior, monitor PGNs, or create diagnostic tools.
The beauty of Arduino lies in its flexibility and vast user community. For J1939 newcomers, Arduino’s low barrier to entry accelerates learning and experimentation. For seasoned developers, it becomes a fast prototyping tool.
ARD1939: A Protocol Stack that Works Out of the Box
The centerpiece of this book is the ARD1939 protocol stack, which is included free of charge. Developed in C for use with the Arduino IDE, this stack implements the essential layers of the SAE J1939 protocol:
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Address Claiming (SAE J1939/81)
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Transport Protocols, including BAM and RTS/CTS (SAE J1939/21)
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PGN transmission and reception, with source address filtering
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Diagnostics and simulation utilities
This stack is not only usable in real-world projects—it is easily extendable. The book walks the reader through the implementation and customization process, offering both explanations and working sketches.
Practical Projects and Code Examples
A major strength of the book is its hands-on approach. It doesn’t stop at protocol theory—it dives into real code. Sample sketches and detailed walkthroughs cover tasks such as:
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Creating and sending custom PGNs
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Listening to the CAN Bus and logging J1939 messages
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Simulating vehicle parameters such as engine speed, fuel level, and temperature
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Building a J1939-to-USB gateway for PC interaction
Each example builds upon the previous, making it possible to assemble a fully functional J1939 simulation environment on your workbench.
Limitations and Hardware Considerations
While Arduino offers an excellent learning and prototyping platform, there are constraints. The limited SRAM of the Arduino Uno restricts message buffering, which can be a concern for more complex J1939 applications. The Mega 2560, with significantly more memory, is recommended for large payloads or extensive PGN catalogs.
The book also addresses potential timing limitations and how to handle them effectively. These real-world insights are critical when moving from experimentation to deployment.
Who Is This Book For?
This book is ideal for:
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Engineers building in-house diagnostic tools or simulation testbeds
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Educators and students learning CAN Bus and J1939 fundamentals
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Hobbyists creating homebrew vehicular data applications
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Developers transitioning from classical CAN to more structured protocols like J1939
What it provides is not just knowledge, but a solid development foundation. The free protocol stack alone is worth the read, and with the practical code samples, you’re looking at a launchpad for custom applications.
Final Thoughts
SAE J1939 ECU Programming & Vehicle Bus Simulation with Arduino doesn’t just explain how J1939 works—it shows you how to use it. By combining theory, code, and working protocol stacks, this book empowers its readers to turn Arduino into a full-featured J1939 tool for simulation, diagnostics, and development.
Whether you’re integrating with OEM hardware or building your own ECU prototypes, this guide gives you everything you need to get started—with no expensive commercial stacks or obscure documentation required. More information…
SAE J1939 Starter Kit and Network Simulator
Our JCOM.J1939 Starter Kit and Network Simulator is designed to allow the experienced engineer and the beginner to experiment with SAE J1939 data communication without the need to connect to a real-world J1939 network, i.e., a diesel engine. It may sound obvious, but you need at least two nodes to establish a network. That fact applies especially to CAN/J1939, where the CAN controller shuts down after transmitting data without receiving a response. Therefore, our jCOM.J1939 Starter Kit and Network Simulator consists of two J1939 nodes, namely our jCOM.J1939.USB, an SAE J1939 ECU Simulator Board with USB Port.
The jCOM.J1939.USB gateway board is a high-performance, low-latency vehicle network adapter for SAE J1939 applications. The board supports the full SAE J1939 protocol according to J1939/81 Network Management (Address Claiming) and J1939/21 Transport Protocol (TP).
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