Yes we CAN! Not just a presidential election slogan, it’s an enthusiastic exclamation of being able to communicate with the Vectrix electric motorcycle to a laptop using the CAN-BUS system.
I finally got the two to talk. All it took was buying the correct (over-priced in my opinion…) adapter and correct drivers.
I purchased a Grid Connect USB-CAN adapter and cable to go with it. Once I had the software loaded on my laptop, I headed over to where I’m working on the Vectrix and set up the computer. Of course I still couldn’t connect to the Vectrix right away, so I visit the V is for Voltage forum once again to figure out what the trick was. User “Kocho” had posted a link to the correct driver for the adapter. Once I downloaded and installed it, the adapter worked!
I’m now able to talk to the Vectrix, although frankly, I’m not sure all of what I’m looking at. In the Scooter Diagnostic software, I could see the pack voltage and some other information, but nothing that struck me as instantly useful. For example, I’ve heard that as the original cells go bad, they tend to heat when charging, but in the temperatures listed I didn’t see any single number that was significantly higher than any other.
I was fun to see some of the other info listed, and the charting feature looks pretty useful as well. Also, does anyone know what “VPE” means in the upper right corner of the Summary screen? I have no idea.
Stay charged up!
-Ben
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Great post Ben, can us huge! You are opening the door to be able to conversions on newer vehicles that depend on the can communication to operate properly. My current build, a 1985 Fiero does not need can but I am sure that eventually I will need to become familiar with the can communication protocol just to get the lights to turn on.