I’m wondering if this featherwing will work on the new boron. Would it work out of the box or would it need work?
http://skpang.co.uk/catalog/canbus-featherwing-for-esp32-p-1556.html
That link says that it includes demo code but I do not see any on that page. Because it says it was made specifically made for a esp32 dev board I would say you would need to port their demo which is probably a significant task. Just guessing without seeing that code.
The other significant question is whether the new ParticleMesh devices have CANbus support like the STM32F10… capability in the Photon and Electron?
I have not looked at the microprocessor datasheet, but we should be able to investigate now.
[edit: just looked now]
This product specification makes no mention of CANbus. This could be disappointing, unless I am not searching in the right place.
The other question would be if Particle brought that functionality (assuming it was there) out to the feather pins and if the DeviceOS supports it?
There is no support for CAN on the mesh devices (Nordic nRF52840). The Nordic module doesn’t implement CAN, whereas the STM32F2xx does.
If you need CAN, the best option is probably a CAN to SPI converter, like the MCP2515.
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@rickkas7, Thanks Rick for confirming that.
@travlytle, I took a quick glance at that featherwing in your original post. The firmware and library used appear to be specific to the ESP32, at least the description leads to that understanding. It looks like the ESP32 has some level of hardware support for CANbus as the transceiver is wired directly to the ESP32. I think you would have to modify that featherwing to add in something like the MCP2515 as suggested. You would also have to port the code to the Nordic chip.
[EDIT: This assumes that ParticleMesh is not needed, based on our discussion in the Carloop community.]Although a bit more expensive in hardware, the easiest way to get going would be with the Photon plugged into a Carloop. The hardware support of the STM32F2xx plus the Carloop library means you can dive right into your application without having to write libraries or port code.
Yes but the photo is 3G which will be ended at the end of 2019. I’m ordering the following to see if I can get it to work:
http://skpang.co.uk/catalog/microchip-mcp2517fd-can-fd-breakout-board-p-1544.html
Would be interesting to hear how I should go about implementing it. I see there is spi access in the development docs, but should this be implemented at a lower level? And if so how?
I am not sure what you mean by that.
The future of the RedbearDuo is uncertain with Redbear Labs ending support in 2019 (since you use 2019 in your post); but with no firm commitment from Particle what they intend to do with it.
The Photon (is that the 'photo' from your post?) is WiFi, not cellular. The Photon is being continued and is not affected by the introduction of Mesh; I need to search for that announcement.
The Electron is the one that comes in 2G and 3G versions. The Electron is being continued as far as I know. Depending on where you live, 3G may still be the latest and greatest option per this post:
The newer E-Series also provides more cellular modem options compared to the Electron.