We at Copperhill have invested a great deal of time and effort to document everything related to the JCOM1939 Monitor software.
However, it pains us to admit that we are not perfect, and we may miss some questions or insights.
Nevertheless, before contacting us for support, please take the time to read the documentation, as it may answer most of your questions.
Documentation
- JCOM1939 Monitor User Manual…
- How to download and install/update the JCOM1939 Monitor Software for Windows…
- Update the JCOM.J1939 Gateway Firmware…
Quick Troubleshooting Tips
The question we see the most comes from users who are sure they have connected everything correctly but don’t see any data traffic. Our tip: Go to the Filter section in the software and check the Filter All option. The JCOM.J1939 gateway (USB or Bluetooth version) utilizes PGN filters to control the data traffic between the SAE J1939 network and the PC. The Filter All option allows all PGNs to be displayed, but you can also define which PGNs you want to see. Again, all this is documented in the user manual, and you save time by reading it.
Things get a bit trickier when it comes to the hardware connection. Many users connect our gateway directly to a diesel truck and are disappointed by not seeing any data. To make an extremely important point (based on our experience): 99% of all reported problems were related to insufficient or wrong wiring. That being said, please be prepared and know where you need to connect. Check twice and even more.
Another issue may be the connection of termination resistors. If you connect to a fully functioning network, you don’t need to be concerned with termination resistors (the emphasis on network, meaning at least two nodes connected to each other). If you connect to a single J1939 device, please ensure that both nodes have a termination resistor. Otherwise, there may be unpredictable consequences.
Furthermore, when you connect to a single device and you don’t see any data being exchanged, please ensure that the other device is not set to Listen-Only (Silent) Mode. In this case, the node is a passive participant and will not be recognized by other J1939 nodes.
For more detailed information, see our post Troubleshooting J1939 Address Claim Issues.
And before you start working with the JCOM1939 Monitor…
We’re coming back to reading: Our post A Beginner’s Guide to SAE J1939 Embedded Software Development contains some valuable information, not only for developers but everybody who wants to see solid results from monitoring and analyzing SAE J1939 data traffic.
A Comprehensible Guide to J1939 is the first work on J1939 besides the SAE J1939 standards collection. It provides profound information on the J1939 message format and network management combined with a high level of readability.
The information in this book is based on two documents of the SAE J1939 Standards Collection:
- J1939/21 – Data Link Layer
- J1939/81 – Network Management
This book is an attempt to create an enjoyable and readable J1939 reference for everybody. The information provided in this book is, besides the SAE J1939 Standards Collection, based on publicly available information such as, but not limited to web sites and printed literature as well as contributions by engineers familiar with Controller Area Network and the J1939 protocol. The information in this book, while based on the J1939 standard, is not a reproduction of any copyrighted SAE document. More Information…
