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AHS36 / AHM36 SAE J1939 explanation and example commands for PCAN View
Article No: KA-09938
Version: 1.0
Subject to change without notice
AHS36 / AHM36 SAE J1939 explanation and example commands for PCAN View
Related Products
AHS/AHM36
Table of Contents
Introduction: SAE J1939 & 29-Bit Identifier SAE J1939 is a CAN-based protocol for commercial vehicles and mobile machines. Unlike standard 11-bit CAN, J1939 uses 29-bit identifiers to embed not only the Parameter Group Number (PGN), but also priority, addressing, and - for broadcast messages - group extension. This ensures:
Deterministic, prioritized transmission
Unique point-to-point and broadcast addressing
High flexibility (up to 65 536 PGNs, dynamic address and parameter configuration)
Bits
Field
Description
3
Priority
Arbitration (0 = highest priority)
1
Reserved
Always 0
1
Data Page
PGN extension
8
PDU Format (PF)
PGN high-byte; 0–239 = uses DA, 240–255 = group extension
8
PDU Specific (PS)
Destination address (DA) or group extension
8
Source Address (SA)
Transmitter address
PCAN-View Example Commands
Function
ID (hex)
DATA (8 Byte)
Comment
Receive Pos./Speed/Status
– (Rx filter)
–
PGN 0xFFE0 – broadcast from encoder
Set Preset to 500
18 EF E0 01
02 C8 04 00 F4 01 00 00
Write Preset (Idx 200=0xC8) → value 500
Read Preset value
18 EF E0 01
01 C8 04 00 00 00 00 00
Read Preset
Read Steps per Rev
18 EF E0 01
01 82 04 00 00 00 00 00
Read Steps/Rev (Idx 130=0x82)
Set Steps per Rev = 4096
18 EF E0 01
02 82 04 00 00 10 00 00
Write Steps/Rev → 4096
Read Measuring Range
18 EF E0 01
01 83 04 00 00 00 00 00
Read Measuring Range (Idx 131=0x83)
Set Measuring Range = 8 388 608
18 EF E0 01
02 83 04 00 00 80 00 00
Write Measuring Range → power-of-2 requirement
Read Speed Unit
18 EF E0 01
01 84 04 00 00 00 00 00
Read Speed-Unit (Idx 132=0x84)
Set Speed Unit = RPM
18 EF E0 01
02 84 04 00 03 00 00 00
Write Speed-Unit → 3 = RPM
Set Direction = CCW
18 EF E0 01
02 81 01 00 01 00 00 00
Write Direction (Idx 129=0x81) → 1 = CCW
PGN 0xFFE1 cycle 10 ms
18 EF E0 01
02 8C 04 00 0A 00 00 00
Write PDU-Time (Idx 140=0x8C) → 10 ms
PGN 0xFFE1 cycle 1 s (1000 ms)
18 EF E0 01
02 8C 04 00 E8 03 00 00
Write PDU-Time → 1000 ms
Notes:
Extended Frame: always enabled.
ID structure: Prio → high-nibble (18 for prio 6), PF=EF, PS=E0 (DA), SA=01 (PCAN).
Indices & defaults: see encoder operating manual.
Prerequisites for a Valid 29-Bit Identifier
To ensure the encoder reliably recognizes and executes your commands, the identifier must meet these criteria:
Extended Frame – J1939 uses only 29-bit IDs. (In PCAN-View: check “Extended”)
Priority (3 bit) – Any value 0…7 (commonly 6 or 7 for config PGN 0xEF00).
Reserved / Data Page (1 + 1 bit) – Reserved = 0, Data Page = 0.
PDU Format (PF, 8 bit) – 0xEF (239 dec) → Proprietary A PGN 0xEF00.
PDU Specific (PS, 8 bit) – Destination Address (DA) = current encoder address (factory default 0xE0). – If Address Claim changes it, use the new DA.
Source Address (SA, 8 bit) – Any 1…253 (0 and 255 reserved). – Used only for sender identification, not for command validation.
PGN – With DP=0, PF=0xEF, PS=DA always equals 0xEF00.
Data Bytes (8 bytes)
Byte 1: Message-ID (01=Read / 02=Write)
Byte 2: Parameter index
Byte 3: Parameter length (04 for 32-bit, 01 for 8-bit, etc.)
Byte 4: Error code (00 when sending)
Byte 5–8: Parameter value (little-endian)
Keywords: AHS36 AHM36 SAE J1939 Commands PCAN-View example
