CANchecked MCE18 User manual

MCE/CFE18 Manual

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Content
1 Description and scope of delivery ................................................................................................ 3
2 Connection of the plugs ............................................................................................................... 5
3 Updating with the CANchecked Updater...................................................................................... 7
4 Connecting to the DSS.................................................................................................................. 8
4.1 Settings/Default stream ....................................................................................................... 8
4.2 LiveData ............................................................................................................................. 10
5 Connection Guides ..................................................................................................................... 11
5.1 Haltech............................................................................................................................... 11
5.2 ECUmaster.......................................................................................................................... 14
5.3 MaxxECU and others .......................................................................................................... 14
6 FAQ ............................................................................................................................................ 15
6.1 Does the MCE18 come pre-configured ............................................................................... 15
6.2 My inputs influence each other .......................................................................................... 15
6.3 Unable to connect to DSS ................................................................................................... 15
6.4 How to Choose the Right Offset, Multiplier, Divider and Resolution .................................. 15
6.5 How do I connect speed inputs?......................................................................................... 15
6.6 How do I change the Can Bus settings? .............................................................................. 15
6.7 Can I put 12V on the DIN .................................................................................................... 15
6.8 Supports the MCE18 29 bit can IDs..................................................................................... 16
6.9 At what rate is the data recorded? ..................................................................................... 16
7 Document Changelog ................................................................................................................. 17

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1Description and scope of delivery
Thank you for purchasing your MCE18. With the CANchecked Multifunction Can Bus Extension, you
can feed additional sensors to your Can Bus and thus serve as an Input/Output Expander. The MCE18
does not have an internal mapper and places the measured sensor voltages directly on the data bus.
This manual applies equally to its sister product, the CFE18.
There are three versions of the MCE18, some of which differ in terms of functionality and pinout. The
safest way to find out which version you own is to take a look at the revision number on the back of
the board. To do this, loosen the four screws that hold the back plate, then remove the board and
read the revision on it.
In Chapters 2 you will find the assignment of the revision number to the variant of the MCE18. For
version 3 devices, this is engraved on the case (V3).
This guide explains how to operate and handle your MCE18. In addition to connecting and updating,
this guide also covers the connection and operation of our "Device Setup Software" (DSS).
In the box you will not only find the MCE18, but also the following items are included:
•The Quickstart Guide
•one AMP Superseal connector (TE 4-1437290-0)
•36x AMP Superseal pins for self-crimping 1.0 20AWG (TE 3-1447221-4)
•Three 2.54 mm jumpers
Your MCE18 itself has a status LED, an AMP Superseal connector and a MicroUSB port on the board
(version 3). This is not accessible without disassembling the unit and usually does not have to be used
by the customer. The MicroUSB on the board is redundant to the USB pinout of the AMP connector,
which all versions have.
The digital inputs can optionally be equipped with an internal pull-up resistor (20-50 kOhm). The
setting is done in the DSS. You can find more information about this in chapters 4.
On the back of the board you can attach three jumpers (by default they are not mounted).
Jumper 1: Can Bus Termination 120 Ohm (all versions)
Jumper 2: AIN 1 (all versions), AIN 2 (V1 and V2 only) 1 kOhm
Jumper 3 AIN 6 (all versions), AIN 7 (V1 and V2 only) 1 kOhm
Terms associated with the MCE18 are shown in italics in this guide for better understanding.

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The following illustration shows the dimensions of the MCE18.

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2Connection of the plugs
To operate your MCE18, only four wires are needed:
•12 volt on-board voltage, ideally ignition plus -> Pin 1
•Vehicle Mass -> Pin 2
•Can High (CanH) -> Pin 26
•Can Low (CanL) -> Pin 27
The wires of CanH and CanL always act as twisted wires in order to minimize interfering signals.
Version
from revision
Pinout
1
0.7 –0.7a
ATTENTION: some MCE18
version 1 have mounted the
connector partially twisted
by 180 degrees, here the
release tab points
downwards.
The pinout is to be read as if
the tab were up.
2
0.8 –0.8a
ATTENTION: Pinout identical
to V3, only A6 and A7 are
swapped.
Firmware: CFE18v0.8XX
3
0.8b –present
Firmware: MCE18v0.9XX
The MCE18 has analog inputs (AIN –analog input), digital inputs (DIN –digital input) and digital
outputs (AUX –auxiliary output). The inputs are placed on the Can bus as 0-1023 ADC values. An
internal mapping of the values has not yet been implemented.
The power supply to operate the analog sensors can also be realized directly via the MCE18. During
operation, 5V is applied to the corresponding pins, and you can obtain the sensor ground via the "S-
GND". The maximum current of 0.5 amps should not be exceeded.

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Verification and setup are done through the DSS.
The DSS must be downloaded and installed for use. The download is free of charge at
https://www.canchecked.de/downloads-category/dss-display-setup-software/. The DSS is available
for Win32, Win64 and MacOS.
The following manual only partially covers V1 devices. These can NOT be connected to the DSS. V2
and V3 devices can be connected to the DSS without any problems.

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3Updating with the CANchecked Updater
The MCE18 can be flashed with the CANchecked MFD15 Updater from our website. Before running
the updater, the driver must be installed properly.
The driver can be downloaded from the Siliconlabs website:
https://www.silabs.com/developers/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers
The update file and updater can be downloaded from our website:
MCE18 - Multifunction Can Bus Extension > Displays for Engine Management (canchecked.de)
To connect the MCE18 to the PC via USB, the 4 wires of a USB cable must be pinned into the
Superseal connector. As of board revision 0.8b, there is a redundant microUSB port on the board. To
get to it, the MCE18 must be disassembled.
With this pinout you can pin the USB cable to the Superseal connector yourself:
Illustration 1: USB Cable Colors
•Red: USB 5V -> Pin 5
•Green: USB Data+ -> Pin 6
•White: USB Data -> Pin 7
•Black: USB GND -> Pin 8
Once the MCE18 is properly wired and plugged in, it will appear as a COM port in Windows Device
Manager as well as in the Updater. If this is not the case, please check the COM port and make sure
the driver is installed successfully. For the update process, it is important that the MCE18 is only
powered via USB and does not get 12V.
Once you have started the updater, the baud rate should be set to 125000. Click on "Select Flash
Hexfile" to select the previously downloaded hex file. Then, you need to click on "Start Bootloader".
Now the software connects to the MCE18, as soon as the button turns green, you have to press the
"Program Flash" button. Now the "Progress" bar runs through. After clicking on "Exit Bootloader" you
can disconnect the device and you are done with the update.

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4Connecting to the DSS
You can configure your MCE18 via the DSS.
You can download the DSS free of charge from our website at www.canchecked.de/dss/. This is
available for both PC and Mac. On our website you will find a quick guide on how to download and
install it. You can also find the driver you need for Windows 7 here. Once you have installed the DSS,
you can run it, you should be able to see the following home screen and click on the CANchecked
logo to get to the selection field of the device to be connected.
Illustration 2: DSS Startup
Here you click on the selection field for addon (below) and now you will get to the tab overview. If
you are not yet connected, only the Connection tab is available. To connect, click on the
corresponding COM port and then press "connect". After a successful connection, the following tabs
are available:
•Connection
•Settings
•Live Value
4.1 Settings/Default stream
After you have connected your MCE18 to the DSS, you can configure the settings for the Can
Transmit under Setup. Here you can find the MCE18 settings and the configuration of the standard
protocol.

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You can set the transfer rate, the Can Bus speed, and the addresses for sending and receiving the Can
Bus messages. As always, the Can Bus speed is identical in ECU and MCE18. In the following table you
will find the exact addresses of the individual inputs and outputs in the standard protocol.
Byte
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
TX
Base
ID
AIN0
0-1023
AIN1
0-1023
AIN2
0-1023
AIN3
0-1023
TX
Base
ID +1
AIN4
0-1023
AIN5
0-1023
AIN6
0-1023
AIN7
0-1023
TX
Base
ID +2
AIN8
0-1023
Bit
masked
DIN0-7
Bit
masked
AUX1-3
internal
Temp
version
TX
Base
ID +3
FreqIn1
0-60000
FreqIn2
0-60000
FreqIn3
0-60000
FreqIn4
0-60000
Furthermore, you can also configure the 20-50 kOhm software pullups for the digital and analog
inputs in Settings. You can switch between OFF and ACTIVE.
If the internal pull-up is activated, the digital input should be switched to ground. If it is not activated,
the input can be switched to 5 or 12V. The "HIGH" state corresponds to a 1 on the Can bus.
Furthermore, under the item AIN smoothing you will find the possibility to calm your analog inputs.

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Under Frequency Input you can change some inputs to a frequency input. The maximum input
frequency is 65kHz. You can adjust the damping in different levels.
4.2 LiveData
Under the LiveData tab you will find the current measured values and statuses of your inputs and
outputs. By clicking on the + icon, you can expand the individual inputs and outputs to view the
values.

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5Connection Guides
5.1 Haltech
Please activate the Haltech Box to be emulated in the DSS:
•IO-A - 4 analog inputs, 4 switching inputs (ON/OFF), 3 switching outputs (ON/OFF)
•IO-B - 4 analog inputs, 4 switching inputs (ON/OFF), 3 switching outputs (ON/OFF)
•IO-A+B - 8 Analog Inputs, 4 Switching Inputs (ON/OFF), 3 Switching Outputs (ON/OFF)
Furthermore, you must set the CAN bus speed to 1 Mbit/s, as usual with Haltech.
In the table below you will find an assignment of the MCE18 pins to the pins of the IO boxes.
MCE18 Pin
IO-A
IO-B
IO-A+B
A0
AV1
AV1
IO-A AV1
A1
AV2
AV2
IO-A AV2
A2
AV3
AV3
IO-A AV3
A3
AV4
AV4
IO-A AV4
A4
-
-
IO-B AV1
A5
-
-
IO-B AV2
A6
-
-
IO-B AV3
A7
-
-
IO-B AV4
A8
-
-
-
D0
DP1
DP1
IO-A DP1
D1
DP2
DP2
IO-A DP2
D2
DP3
DP3
IO-A DP3
D3
DP4
DP4
IO-A DP4
D4
-
-
IO-B DP1
D5
-
-
IO-B DP2
D6
-
-
IO-B DP3
D7
-
-
IO-B DP4
AUX1
DPO1
DPO1
IO-A DPO1
AUX2
DPO2
DPO2
IO-A DPO2
AUX3
DPO3
DPO3
IO-A DPO3
D6 Frequency*
DP1 freq
DP1 freq
IO-A DP1 freq
*D6 Frequency: The duty cycle is still determined by the digital input (ON/OFF)

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Then it continues in the Haltech NSP software. Here are the steps to be taken:
In the drop-down menu, activate the port to which the IO box will be connected.
Then select the expander box you want to emulate (use the same setting as in the DSS).

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Then all you have to do is check whether your Haltech ECU correctly recognizes the MCE18 as an
expander (Status: connected, Firmware: 1.23.0).

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5.2 ECUmaster
Please activate the Can Switchboard V3 in the DSS. As always, the Can Bus speed is identical in ECU
and MCE.
With the Can Bus Data Format version 3, the EMU supports more analog inputs via Can Bus. Up to 8
analogue inputs can be sent to the control unit. To do this, please activate the ECM switch board in
the EMU software under "CAN, Serial". To do this, please tick the box and select "CSB V3 0x640" as
the CSB type. Furthermore, the checkmarks for the individual AINs must be set. As usual, all changes
are written to the ECU using the "make permanent" button.
5.3 MaxxECU and others
Please enable the standard protocol in the DSS. As always, the Can Bus speed is identical in ECU and
MCE.
All further steps to use the MCE18 with your MaxxECU can be found in the MaxxECU Help:
https://www.maxxecu.com/webhelp/can-external_devices-canchecked_mce18.html.

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6FAQ
In this chapter, recurring questions are collected, and solutions are offered.
6.1 Does the MCE18 come pre-configured
The MCE18 comes with our standard configuration. This is described in chapters 4.1 described. It is
possible to change these default values with the DSS.
6.2 My inputs influence each other
With versions 1 and 2, it can happen that unused analog inputs change with changes to adjacent
inputs. This behavior is normal. If this is not desired, it can be avoided by wiring the unused inputs to
ground.
6.3 Unable to connect to DSS
If you can't connect your MCE to the DSS despite wiring the USB correctly, there could be two other
reasons. The first cause is the lack of the appropriate driver. You can find the information about this
in chapters 4. If the driver is up-to-date and the COM port is correctly detected, the cause is probably
different. Cause two: The firmware on your MCE18 is outdated and does not yet support a DSS
connection. In this case, an update of your firmware is necessary. The corresponding steps are
described in chapter 4 described.
6.4 How to Choose the Right Offset, Multiplier, Divider and Resolution
The analog inputs provide 10bit resolution and thus values from 0 to 1023. The value must be
converted in the control unit. All values are "unsigned little endian"
Example 1:
Value to display: AIN1 Voltage 0-5V
Can ID: 0x700 Byte0+1 Multiplier: 5; Divisor: 1023; Offset: 0
or
Multiplier: (5/1023=) 0.004887585533; Divisor: 1; Offset 0
Example 2:
Value to be displayed: AIN7 TCC01 Thermocouple Converter Type K 0-1250 Degree Celsius
Can ID: 0x702 Byte6+7 Multiplier: 1250; Divisor: 1023; Offset: 0
or
Multiplier: (1250/1023=) 1.2218963832; Divisor: 1; Offset: 0
You are also welcome to download and use our tool: https://www.canchecked.de/updater/maxxecu-
sensor-calculation.xlsx
6.5 How do I connect speed inputs?
The connection of speed inputs is not provided on the MCE18. It does not have any frequency inputs.
6.6 How do I change the Can Bus settings?
Changing the Can Bus settings is done via the DSS. The detailed process is described in chapter 4.1.
6.7 Can I put 12V on the DIN
With the CFE18, no 12V may be added to the digital inputs. The digital inputs of the MCE18 are 12V
protected from variant 3 on.

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6.8 Supports the MCE18 29 bit can IDs
An integration of 29 bit Can IDs has not yet taken place.
6.9 At what rate is the data recorded?
Different sampling rates are possible on the MCE18. You can adjust the frequency from 5 to 250 Hz.
A sampling rate of 50 Hz is recommended to minimize the Can Bus load.
6.10 How to connect a Flexfuelsensor
Connect the flex fuel sensor with the signal to DIN 6. Ground and 5V can be taken directly from the
MCE18. An external resistor is not necessary, it is sufficient to activate the internal pull-up under
Settings. A frequency of 50 Hz corresponds to 0% ethanol. A frequency of 150Hz is 100% ethanol. The
multiplier for the conversion is 1 and the offset is -50. Reading out the temperature is not supported.

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7Document Changelog
Rev 1.0 –initial Version for Firmware 0.9