Technical Report

CiA 303-1
Version 2.0.1

Device and network design

Part 1: CANopen physical layer

February 27, 2023

© CAN in Automation (CiA) e. V.

 Device and network design – Part 1: CANopen physical layer

Foreword
CAN in Automation (CiA) e. V. is a nonprofit users’ and manufacturers’ group. The work of
preparing CiA technical documents is normally carried out through a CiA technical group (e.g.
Interest Groups or Special Interest Groups). Each CiA member, interested in a subject for that
such a group has been established, has the right to be represented on that group.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance
are described in the CiA rules. This document was drafted in accordance with editorial rules
similar to those used by ISO and IEC.

CiA draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document can involve the
use of (a) patent(s). CiA takes no position concerning the evidence, validity, or applicability of
any claimed patent rights in respect thereof. CiA lists reception of notice of patents and
associated license declarations in the CiA patent database (www.can-cia.org/s/patents).
However, implementers are cautioned that this cannot represent the latest information . CiA
shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and
does not constitute an endorsement. CANopen, CANopen FD, CANsec, and CiA are
European Union trademarks which are registered by CiA e. V.; CAN XL is a trademark of
Robert Bosch GmbH. The use of them is permitted for CiA members. Registered parties may
use CANopen and CANopen FD. More detailed terms for the use of these European Union
trademarks are available from CiA.

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when otherwise stated in writing the copyright holder and/or other parties provide this
document “as is” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not
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CiA is committed to use inclusive language in its specifications and technical reports. CiA
documents are going to be updated with the inclusive terms. A listing of inclusive terms and
terms they substitute is provided in the CiA house style document downloadable from the CiA
website (www.can-cia.org/s/housestyle).
NOTE Please visit the CiA website for the most recent version of this document.

This version replaces version 2.0.0. The main changes are as follows:

- minor editorial improvements.

CiA 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm,
without permission in writing from CiA at the address below.
CAN in Automation e. V.
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Phone.: +49-911-928819-0
Url: www.can-cia.org
Email: [email protected]

2 © CiA 2023 – All rights reserved

 Device and network design – Part 1: CANopen physical layer

Introduction
In order to establish a reliable CAN interconnection, it is necessary to consider different
device and network design aspects. The recommendations given in this document are
dedicated for use in CANopen networks. This includes some general design guidelines on
wiring harness (cables, connectors, topologies, and location of termination resistors).

Through the years, CiA has recommended the pin-assignment for many kinds of connectors,
which have been published in previous versions of this document. In order to generalize these
recommendations, CiA has moved the pin-assignment recommendations to the CiA 106
document, which is not more related to classic CANopen only.

© CiA 2023 – All rights reserved 3

 Device and network design – Part 1: CANopen physical layer

Contents
1 Scope ......................................................................................................................... 5
2 Normative references ................................................................................................... 5
3 Terms and definitions ................................................................................................... 5
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms .................................................................................... 5
5 AC and DC parameters ................................................................................................ 5
5.1 Bus cable and termination resistors ..................................................................... 5
5.2 Stub cable .......................................................................................................... 6
5.3 CAN ground and galvanic isolation ....................................................................... 7
5.4 External power supply ......................................................................................... 7

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 Device and network design – Part 1: CANopen physical layer

1 Scope
This document provides device and network design recommendations for the CANopen
physical layer. Additionally, it provides guidelines for selecting cables for use in CANopen
systems.

2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition
of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

AN 96116:1996, Application note PCA82C250/251 CAN Transceiver, NXP

CiA 106, Connector pin assignment recommendations

ISO 11898-2, Road vehicles - Controller area network (CAN) - Part 2: High-speed medium
access unit

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in the CiA terminology
database (https://www.can-cia.org/groups/cia-glossary-of-terms/) and the following apply.

3.1
bus cable
cable terminated at both ends by termination resistors

3.2
stub cable
short branch of a bus cable not terminated by a resistor and connected to the CANopen
device

3.3
T-connector
T-shape electric connector with three connection points for a bus cable

3.5
trunk cable
backbone of the bus cable without stub cables

Additionally, ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the
following addresses:

⎯ ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/

⎯ IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/

4 Symbols and abbreviated terms

For the purposes of this document, the following symbols and abbreviated terms apply.

AC alternating current
DC direct current
SJW resynchronization jump width

5 AC and DC parameters
5.1 Bus cable and termination resistors
The bus cables, connectors, and termination resistors should match regarding the impedance.
Impedance mismatches cause reflections, which can lead to communication errors. The stub
cable should be as short as possible. The socket connector may be powered. The plug
connector should not be powered; this is the reason why most devices are equipped with plug
connectors. The CANopen devices can be connected to the network either directly to the T-

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 Device and network design – Part 1: CANopen physical layer

connector or with a stub cable. T-connectors provide an easy removal of a CANopen device
without disrupting network operation.

Table 1 shows some recommended values for CANopen networks with less than 64 nodes
(source: Table 4 and Table 5 in AN 96116:1996).

Table 1 – Recommended values for CANopen networks

Bus length [m] Bus cable a Termination Bit rate [kbit/s]

b
resistance [Ω]
Length-related Cross-section
resistance [mΩ/m] [mm 2]
0 to 40 70 0,25 to 0,34 124 1000 at 40 m
40 to 300 <60 0,34 to 0,6 150 to 300 ≤500 at 100 m
300 to 600 <40 0,5 to 0,6 150 to 300 <100 at 500 m
600 to 1000 <26 0,75 to 0,8 150 to 300 <50 at 1 km
a
Recommended cable parameters: 120 -Ω impedance and 5-ns/m specific line delay.
b
The wire cross-section for stub cables should be between 0,25 mm 2 and 0,34 mm 2.

Besides the cable impedance, the actual impedance of the connectors should be considered,
if calculating the voltage drop. The transmission resistance of one connector should be in the
range of 2,5 mΩ to 10 mΩ.

AN 96116:1996 recommends the following values:

- minimum dominant value V diff.out.min = 1,5 V,

- minimum differential resistance R diff.min = 20 kΩ,
- requested differential input voltage V th.max = 1,0 V,
- minimum termination resistance R T.min = 118 Ω.
Table 2 recommends the maximum wiring length given for different bus cables and different
number (n) of connected bus nodes (source: Table 6 in AN 96116:1996).

Table 2 – Maximum wiring length

a b
Wire cross- Maximum length [m] Maximum length [m]
section
[mm 2] n = 32 n = 64 n = 100 n = 32 n = 64 n = 100

0,25 200 170 150 230 200 170

0,5 360 310 270 420 360 320
0,75 550 470 410 640 550 480
a
safety margin of 0,2 m
b
safety margin of 0,1 m

If driving more than 64 nodes using bus length of more than 250 m, the V CC supply voltage for
the ISO 11898-2 transceiver should have an accuracy of 5 % or better. The minimum supply
voltage should be at least 4,75 V when driving a 50-Ω load, i.e. 64 nodes, and at least 4,9 V
when driving a 45-Ω load i.e. 100 nodes.

5.2 Stub cable

As a rule of thumb, the following relation should be used for a single stub cable length l u
(source: AN 96116:1996):
𝑡𝑃𝑅𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐸𝐺
𝑙𝑢 < [1]
50∙𝑡𝑝

with the specific line delay per length unit t p = 5 ns/m and the time of the propagation segment

𝑡𝑃𝑅𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐸𝐺 = 𝑡𝑆𝐸𝐺1 − 𝑡𝑆𝐽𝑊 [2]

Additionally, the cumulative stub length l ui should be calculated with the following formula:
6 © CiA 2023 – All rights reserved
 Device and network design – Part 1: CANopen physical layer

𝑡𝑃𝑅𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐸𝐺
∑𝑛𝑖=1 𝑙𝑢𝑖 < [3]
10∙𝑡𝑝

This leads to a reduction of the maximum stub cable length by the sum of the actual
cumulative stub cable length at a given bit rate. If the above recommendations are met, then
the probability of reflection problems is considered to be low.

5.3 CAN ground and galvanic isolation

In complete galvanically-isolated CANopen networks, the CAN ground signal should be
carried in the cable line. It should be connected at only one point to the CAN ground potential.
If one CANopen device with a not galvanically-isolated interface is connected to the network,
the connection with the CAN ground potential is given. Therefore, only one device with a not
galvanically-isolated interface should be connected to the network.

The network designer is responsible to guarantee that the common mode rejection of the
transceivers has still reached the upper limit.

5.4 External power supply

The output voltage at the optional power supply should be +18 V DC < V CC + < +30 V DC in order
to enable the use of +24-V DC power supplies.

© CiA 2023 – All rights reserved 7