UART and CAN Test Tools

A comprehensive collection of test utilities for UART/serial and CAN bus communication on Linux systems.

⚠️ AI-Generated Code Disclaimer

This project was developed with assistance from Artificial Intelligence tools.

While the code has been reviewed and tested, users are advised to:

• ✅ Review and understand the code before deployment in production environments
• ✅ Thoroughly test the tools in your specific environment
• ✅ Use caution when testing on critical systems or hardware
• ✅ Report any issues or bugs encountered

The tools are provided as-is for testing and development purposes. Users assume full responsibility for their use.

Overview

This project provides three test tools for debugging and testing serial communication interfaces:

• comm_test (Recommended) - Integrated tool supporting both UART and CAN interfaces
• uart_test - Standalone UART/serial interface tester
• can_test - Standalone CAN bus interface tester

Features

• ✅ Support for UART and CAN interfaces
• ✅ Configurable timeout and transmission intervals (millisecond precision)
• ✅ Auto-configuration for CAN interfaces (no manual setup required)
• ✅ Real-time data transmission/reception display
• ✅ Graceful exit with Ctrl+C signal handling
• ✅ Cross-platform support (x86 and ARM architectures)

Requirements

Build Requirements

• GCC compiler (for x86)
• ARM cross-compiler (for ARM builds): arm-linux-gnueabihf-gcc

Runtime Requirements

• Linux kernel with CAN support (for CAN tools)
• Root/sudo privileges (for CAN interface configuration)

Building

Native Build (x86)

# Build all tools
make

# Clean build artifacts
make clean

# Install to /usr/local/bin
make install

ARM Cross-Compilation

# Build ARM versions
./build_arm.sh

# Or use Makefile directly
make -f Makefile.arm
make -f Makefile.arm clean

# Strip debug symbols and reduce size
make -f Makefile.arm strip

# Create deployment package
make -f Makefile.arm package

Usage

comm_test (Integrated Tool)

The comm_test tool combines UART and CAN testing capabilities in one unified interface.

Basic Syntax

./comm_test -t <type> -d <device> -m <mode> [options]

Common Options

• -t <type>: Interface type - uart or can [required]
• -d <device>: Device name - e.g., /dev/ttyAS3 or can0 [required]
• -m <mode>: Operation mode - 0 for receive, 1 for send [required]
• -i <timeout>: Read timeout in milliseconds (default: 1000ms)
• -l <interval>: Send interval in milliseconds (default: 100ms)
• -h: Show help information

UART-specific Options

• -b <baudrate>: Baud rate (default: 115200)
  • Supported rates: 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200, 230400, 460800, 500000, 576000, 921600

CAN-specific Options

• -c <canid>: CAN ID in hex or decimal (default: 0x123)

Examples

UART Receive Mode:

# Basic receive mode
./comm_test -t uart -d /dev/ttyAS3 -m 0

# Custom baud rate and timeout
./comm_test -t uart -d /dev/ttyS0 -m 0 -b 9600 -i 5000

# USB serial adapter
./comm_test -t uart -d /dev/ttyUSB0 -m 0 -b 115200 -i 2000

UART Send Mode:

# Basic send mode
./comm_test -t uart -d /dev/ttyAS3 -m 1

# Fast send (50ms interval)
./comm_test -t uart -d /dev/ttyAS3 -m 1 -b 115200 -l 50

# Slow send (2 second interval)
./comm_test -t uart -d /dev/ttyAS3 -m 1 -b 115200 -l 2000

CAN Receive Mode:

# Listen for all CAN frames
./comm_test -t can -d can0 -m 0

# Long listening session (10 second timeout)
./comm_test -t can -d can0 -m 0 -i 10000

# Real-time monitoring (no timeout)
./comm_test -t can -d can0 -m 0 -i 0

CAN Send Mode:

# Send standard CAN frame (ID=0x123)
./comm_test -t can -d can0 -m 1

# Custom CAN ID (hex)
./comm_test -t can -d can0 -m 1 -c 0x456 -l 100

# Custom CAN ID (decimal)
./comm_test -t can -d can0 -m 1 -c 300 -l 200

# High-speed send (10ms interval)
./comm_test -t can -d can0 -m 1 -c 0x100 -l 10

Standalone Tools

uart_test

Simple UART tester with fixed parameters.

# Receive mode
./uart_test -d /dev/ttyAS3 -b 115200 -m 0

# Send mode (fixed 2 second interval)
./uart_test -d /dev/ttyAS3 -b 115200 -m 1

can_test

Simple CAN tester with fixed parameters.

# Receive mode
./can_test -d can0 -m 0

# Send mode
./can_test -d can0 -m 1 -i 0x123 -l 100

CAN Interface Setup

Automatic Configuration (Recommended)

comm_test automatically configures CAN interfaces on startup:

1. Brings down the interface
2. Configures bitrate to 500Kbps
3. Brings up the interface

Note: Automatic configuration requires root privileges.

Manual Configuration

If you prefer to configure manually:

# Load CAN kernel modules
sudo modprobe can
sudo modprobe can_raw

# Configure CAN interface (e.g., can0 at 500Kbps)
sudo ip link set can0 type can bitrate 500000
sudo ip link set up can0

# Verify interface status
ip -details link show can0

Deployment to ARM Devices

Cross-Compilation

./build_arm.sh

Transfer to Device

scp build_arm/comm_test root@<device-ip>:/usr/local/bin/

Run on ARM Device

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/comm_test
comm_test -t uart -d /dev/ttyAS3 -m 1 -b 115200

Output Format

UART Mode

• Receive: <device> 接收[bytes]: <data>
• Send: <device> 发送[counter]: <data>

CAN Mode

• Receive: <device> 接收[bytes]: ID=0xXXX DLC=N 数据: XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX
• Send: <device> 发送: ID=0xXXX DLC=N 数据: XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX

Signal Handling

All tools support graceful exit via:

• Ctrl+C (SIGINT)
• kill command (SIGTERM)

Resources are properly cleaned up on exit.

Project Structure

.
├── comm_test.c       # Integrated UART/CAN test tool
├── uart_test.c       # Standalone UART test tool
├── can_test.c        # Standalone CAN test tool
├── Makefile          # Native build configuration
├── Makefile.arm      # ARM cross-compilation configuration
├── build_arm.sh      # ARM build script
└── build_x86.sh      # x86 build script

Comparison

Tool	Features	Recommended For
comm_test	✅ Most comprehensive ✅ Single tool for both interfaces ✅ Fully configurable ✅ Bilingual interface	Daily use - all scenarios
uart_test	Simple, fixed parameters	Basic UART testing only
can_test	Simple, fixed parameters	Basic CAN testing only

Recommendation: Use comm_test for most scenarios. It provides the most complete functionality and best user experience.

License

This project is provided as-is for testing and development purposes.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.