Adafruit
Adafruit CAN Pal - CAN Bus Transciever
The Adafruit CAN Pal is a CAN bus transceiver breakout for microcontrollers that have a native CAN peripheral. It converts 3.3V logic-level CAN TX/RX signals...
The Adafruit CAN Pal is a CAN bus transceiver breakout for microcontrollers that have a native CAN peripheral. It converts 3.3V logic-level CAN TX/RX signals to the differential signalling required for the CAN bus. This is a transceiver only — it does not include a CAN controller, so your microcontroller must have built-in CAN support.
Compatible chips with native CAN peripherals include ESP32, ESP32-S2, and ESP32-S3 (Espressif calls this interface TWAI), SAME51, STM32F405, and Teensy 4. Check your board's documentation to confirm CAN support and that the RX/TX pins are accessible.
Key Features
- TJA1051/T3 Transceiver – Supports 3.3V–5V logic for use with modern microcontrollers
- 5V Charge Pump – Generates clean 5V for the transceiver from 3.3V power; no separate 5V supply needed
- 3.5 mm Terminal Block – Quick access to CAN High, CAN Low, and ground
- 120 Ohm Termination – 2× 60 ohm resistors in series with onboard switch for easy activation/removal
- Simple Wiring – Just connect CAN TX, CAN RX, power, and ground
Also Available
- Adafruit CAN Bus BFF – CAN controller + transceiver for QT Py / Xiao (SPI interface, no native CAN needed)
- Adafruit CAN Bus FeatherWing – CAN controller + transceiver for Feather boards (SPI interface, no native CAN needed)
Ideal For
- ESP32-based CAN bus projects using TWAI
- Robotics and sensor networks
- Automotive and industrial CAN interfacing
- Projects using microcontrollers with native CAN peripherals
Package Contents
- 1× Adafruit CAN Pal transceiver (assembled)
- 1× 3.5 mm terminal block
- 1× Header strip
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- breakout
- A breakout is a small circuit board that makes a tiny or hard-to-solder component easier to connect to with standard pins. It matters because this OLED module can be wired into a microcontroller project without needing to solder directly to the display’s fine contacts.
- CAN bus
- CAN bus is a reliable two-wire communication network originally designed for vehicles and now common in machinery and robotics. It matters when you need multiple controllers or devices to share status and control messages in a noisy electrical environment.
- ESP32
- ESP32 is a family of microcontroller modules with built-in wireless features such as Bluetooth and WiFi. Knowing this product uses an ESP32-based module helps explain how it provides wireless serial communication and firmware update features.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a chip that runs your program and controls connected inputs and outputs. For this product, it is the part that reads buttons and sensors, drives the display and speaker, and communicates over Bluetooth.
- SPI
- A fast serial communication bus often used for displays, memory cards, and sensors. It matters because SPI devices need specific pins for clock and data, plus a separate chip-select line for each device.
- Terminal block
- A connector used to join wires together in a neat, removable, or serviceable way. For this product, it helps split one power input into several outputs without soldering.
- UART
- UART is a simple serial connection that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, often labelled TX and RX. It matters because this module is designed to replace a wired UART cable with a wireless link while keeping the same serial data format.
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