🔌 Multi-Protocol Synchronization: Overcoming the Challenges of CAN, ARINC and Ethernet Communication in a Single Test System
In modern industrial and avionics environments, test systems must communicate with a wide range of devices using different protocols: CAN, ARINC 429 and Ethernet, to name the most common.
However, synchronizing these heterogeneous data streams in a single validation environment is a true technical challenge.
At Neosoft, we develop integrated solutions that guarantee temporal consistency and reliable communication, even within complex architectures.
1. Multiple Protocols, Different Constraints
Each industrial or avionics protocol has its own communication logic:
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CAN (Controller Area Network): a robust serial protocol widely used in automotive and industrial applications.
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ARINC 429: an avionics protocol with precise, unidirectional transmission but limited bandwidth.
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Ethernet: a universal high-speed standard ideal for large data transfers and supervision.
The challenge arises when a single system must:
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exchange data across these different buses,
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synchronize them in time,
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and ensure functional coherence between incoming and outgoing signals.
2. The Challenges of Real-Time Synchronization
The key to an effective multi-protocol system lies in temporal synchronization.
Without precise clock alignment, signals from different buses become impossible to correlate, compromising test validity and making deviations difficult to diagnose.
The main challenges include:
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⏱️ Latency: each protocol introduces its own timing delays.
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🔄 Clock alignment: the need for a shared time reference (e.g., PXI, IEEE 1588 PTP, GPS).
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🧩 Bandwidth management: especially on Ethernet networks with high traffic.
Neosoft implements architectures where each acquisition or communication module is locked to a global time reference to ensure perfect synchronization across all protocols.
3. A Unified Software Architecture to Manage Complexity
To efficiently orchestrate multi-protocol communication, a centralized software layer is essential.
Our engineers rely on NI tools such as:
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VeriStand, for real-time management, synchronization and I/O configuration
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LabVIEW, to develop custom communication modules (CAN, ARINC, Ethernet drivers)
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TestStand, for test automation and sequence execution
This modular approach enables simultaneous control over multiple protocols while maintaining a clear, scalable and maintainable architecture.
4. Application Example: Validating an Avionics Controller
In a typical project, Neosoft integrated a test system capable of communicating simultaneously over:
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a CAN bus (sensor and actuator simulation),
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an ARINC 429 bus (standardized avionics exchanges),
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and an Ethernet network (data collection and supervision).
Thanks to synchronization using PXI Timing & Synchronization Modules and software configuration under VeriStand, it was possible to correlate events across all protocols with sub-millisecond precision.
Result: faster, more reliable, and fully traceable validation.
5. Benefits of Neosoft’s Integrated Approach
Neosoft’s multi-protocol integration offers clear advantages:
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🧠 Coherent and traceable signals across multiple buses
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⚙️ Flexible architecture ready for hardware and software evolution
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🚀 Real-time performance with mastered synchronization
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🔧 Simplified maintenance with unified software interfaces
Our solutions allow engineers to focus on analysis and validation rather than dealing with inter-protocol communication complexity.
Conclusion
Multi-protocol synchronization is no longer a luxury but a necessity for modern test systems.
By combining the power of NI platforms, Neosoft’s integration expertise and a rigorous real-time approach, it is now possible to ensure reliable and coherent testing—even in the most complex architectures.
Our teams design test benches where CAN, ARINC and Ethernet coexist seamlessly, paving the way for a new generation of intelligent, synchronized validation systems.
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