Wiring Concepts¶

This page explains the general wiring philosophy used when integrating IOcan into a vehicle or bench setup.
The goal of IOcan is to act as an intelligent gateway between two different communication environments:

• the vehicle side, which contains the engine ECU, driver inputs, and other vehicle systems
• the transmission side, which contains the transmission control unit and transmission-specific components

IOcan connects these environments and translates signals between them.
For detailed pin assignments see: CAN Gateway Pinout

System Architecture¶

In a typical installation, IOcan sits between the vehicle electronics and the transmission.

Vehicle systems (ECU, driver inputs)
            │
            │ CAN
            │
        IOcan
            │
            │ CAN
            │
      Transmission control unit

The device manages communication between these two environments and ensures that the transmission receives the signals it expects.

CAN Network Separation¶

IOcan provides four independent CAN interfaces.¶

These are typically divided into two functional groups:

Network	Typical Purpose
CAN1 / CAN2	Transmission-side networks
CAN3 / CAN4	Vehicle-side networks

Vehicle Side¶

The vehicle wiring is usually connected to CAN3 or CAN4.
Typical vehicle-side devices include:

• engine ECU
• body modules
• dashboard
• driver input devices
• auxiliary controllers

These networks contain signals originating from the vehicle environment.

Transmission Side¶

The transmission and related components are normally connected to CAN1 and CAN2.
These networks are dedicated to communication with the transmission control unit and transmission-related devices.
Separating the vehicle and transmission networks allows IOcan to:

• translate signals between protocols
• filter or modify messages
• emulate missing vehicle modules

Driver Input Devices (Shifters)¶

Driver input devices can be connected on either side of the system depending on the type of shifter used.
IOcan is capable of emulating transmission shifter communication, which allows non-standard input devices to be used.

Non-Standard Shifters¶

Examples include:

• paddle shifters
• sequential shifters
• CAN-based keypads (for example Blink Marine keypads)
• custom switch panels

These devices should normally be connected to the vehicle side of IOcan.

Driver input device
        │
        │
    Vehicle side CAN
        │
        │
       IOcan
        │
        │
Transmission CAN

IOcan processes the driver input and generates the appropriate OEM shifter commands for the transmission.
This allows almost any input method to control the transmission.

OEM Shifters¶

If the original shifter designed for the transmission is used, it should normally be connected to the transmission side CAN network.
In this configuration the shifter communicates directly with the transmission control unit, while IOcan supplies the remaining vehicle signals required by the transmission.
This approach preserves the original communication behavior between the shifter and transmission.

Power Architecture¶

IOcan manages the power sequencing of the transmission.
The recommended power wiring is as follows.

IOcan Power¶

IOcan should be connected directly to battery power.

Vehicle battery (KL30)
        │
        │
      Fuse
        │
        │
       IOcan

Connections:

Signal	Purpose
KL30	constant battery supply
KL31	ground
KL15	ignition / wake-up signal

KL15 is used to activate IOcan and enable CAN communication.

Transmission Power¶

The transmission should be powered through IOcan.

Battery
   │
   │
 IOcan
   │
   │ KL30B
   │
Transmission

Connections:

Signal	Source
Transmission power	KL30B OUT from IOcan
Transmission wake-up	Wakeup output from IOcan

The integrated power switch inside IOcan controls the transmission power supply and ensures proper startup and shutdown behavior.

Shifter Wake-Up Power¶

The wake-up signal for the shifter should normally be separate from the transmission wake-up signal.
Recommended configuration:

IOcan digital output → shifter wake-up
IOcan wake-up output → transmission wake-up

Using separate wake-up lines avoids unintended interactions between the shifter and the transmission.
Sharing the same wake-up line can interfere with the integrated transmission bench flasher functionality.
For this reason, a dedicated digital output from IOcan should be used to power or wake the shifter when required.

Summary¶

Typical wiring arrangement:

Component	Connection
Vehicle CAN networks	CAN3 / CAN4
Transmission CAN networks	CAN1 / CAN2
IOcan power	KL30 and KL31
IOcan wake-up	KL15
Transmission power	KL30B from IOcan
Transmission wake-up	IOcan wake-up output
Non-OEM shifters	vehicle side
OEM transmission shifters	transmission side

This architecture allows IOcan to isolate the transmission communication network from the vehicle network while translating signals between the two environments.