question

uguraladag avatar image
uguraladag asked

Why Victron uses terminator in cerbo gx ?

Why is the Cerbo Gx using an ethernet terminator, isn't this a very old standard?

cerbo gx
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1 Answer
dansonamission avatar image
dansonamission answered ·

Its not ethernet, its for terminating the CAN bus. At the end of line CAN bus requires a 120 ohm resistor.

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uguraladag avatar image uguraladag commented ·

It is used in RJ45 connector, cat5, Cat6 ethernet connection. CAN Bus is the same expression. Terminator with 120 ohm resistor is a very old technology, it is not used in today's connections.

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jeanmarie avatar image jeanmarie uguraladag commented ·
Yes but as said by @dansonamission, RJ45 is just a connector with 8 pins, it's not because it becames the standard in the ethernet connection that it can only be used for ethernet.


For standardisation reason, and many other inverter brands done the same, Victron choose those RJ45 plug for their canbus network, but canbus is a totally different bus than ethernet is and yes, it only has 2 wire + ground and it requires a termination resistor to work properly.


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uguraladag avatar image uguraladag jeanmarie commented ·

I researched CanBus, its full meaning is described as follows.


CANbus (Controller Area Network bus) is a communication protocol that provides data communication between electronic control units. This protocol allows different systems in vehicles (eg engine control, braking system, transmission control, instrument panel, etc.) to communicate with each other.


CANbus is a widely used communication standard in the automotive industry and Solar systems. It provides fast and reliable data sharing between different control units in the vehicle. Data transmission is done in data packets and these packets are transmitted in order of priority. In addition, CANbus is a multi-point communication system to provide multiple information flows.


CANbus consists of two lines for data transmission: CAN-High (CAN-H) and CAN-Low (CAN-L). Differential signals are used on these lines, providing a more noise-tolerant communication. CANbus allows multiple controllers to communicate with each other, usually on a single data line.


The advantages of CANbus include high speed data transmission, low cost, low power consumption and flexibility. It also provides reliable communication thanks to its error detection and correction capabilities. Therefore, it is a widely used communication protocol in the automotive industry and other industrial applications.

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kevgermany avatar image kevgermany ♦♦ uguraladag commented ·

That's a functional overview. It does not define cabling requirements. From Wikipedia:


ISO 11898-2, also called high-speed CAN (bit speeds up to 1 Mbit/s on CAN, 5 Mbit/s on CAN-FD), uses a linear bus terminated at each end with 120 Ω resistors.



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uguraladag avatar image uguraladag kevgermany ♦♦ commented ·

Thank you very much for your comment.

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