Haltech releases Generic CAN (GCAN) beta for Nexus ECUs and dashes

Free user-programmable CAN (up to 30 frames/200 signals) for Nexus T1/T2, S2/S3, R3/R5, Plug-ins and iC-7/uC-10, via NSP 1.48+ and ECU firmware 1.36. Elite ECUs are excluded.

Haltech has introduced Generic CAN (GCAN), a feature that lets users define their own CAN (Controller Area Network) bus messages on supported Nexus ECUs and dashes, both sending and receiving. Haltech had long published its ECU broadcast format, but until now owners were limited to that fixed stream and Haltech's list of pre-built integrations. With GCAN, a Nexus can be set up to speak the message format another device expects.

High Performance Academy's (HPA) write-up highlights practical uses: keeping a factory instrument cluster working after an ECU swap, talking to third-party transmission controllers such as the Turbolamik unit used in ZF 8HP swaps, reading CAN sensors, keypads and tyre pressure systems, pulling wheel speed or brake data from factory modules, and building custom streams for loggers or series-mandated timing systems. Users still need to know each message's identifier, byte layout and scaling; GCAN does not decode unknown networks.

GCAN is free on the Nexus T1, T2, S2, S3, R3, R5, all Nexus plug-in ECUs and the iC-7 and uC-10 dashes. The Elite range is excluded because its memory is full, and the Nexus Rebel instead gets a second CAN port with pre-configured vehicle CAN options. Each device supports up to 30 frames and 200 signals. It requires Nexus Software Programmer (NSP) 1.48 or later with firmware 1.36 for ECUs or 2.36 for dashes. It was first offered as an opt-in beta; Haltech's own page now describes it as fully released.