Using CAN DevicesΒΆ

CAN has many advantages over other methods of connection between the robot controller and peripheral devices.

  • CAN connections are daisy-chained from device to device, which often results in much shorter wire runs than having to wire each device to the RIO itself.

  • Much more data can be sent over a CAN connection than over a PWM connection - thus, CAN motor controllers are capable of a much more expansive feature-set than are PWM motor controllers.

  • CAN is bi-directional, so CAN motor controllers can send data back to the RIO, again facilitating a more expansive feature-set than can be offered by PWM Controllers.

For instructions on wiring CAN devices, see the relevant section of the robot wiring guide.

CAN devices generally have their own WPILib classes. The following sections will describe the use of several of these classes.