KCAN Firmware Tools

kcan_fw_tool reads hardware and firmware information, controls built-in termination on supported devices, switches firmware and changes device mode. kcan_fw_upgrade performs firmware upgrades.

Important

• Devices with firmware earlier than 8.x.x do not support Linux firmware upgrade or firmware switching. Use the Windows firmware tool instead.
• If a device enters boot mode unexpectedly, disconnect and reconnect it.

Tools

• kcan_fw_tool: firmware information, termination, firmware switching and device-mode operations
• kcan_fw_upgrade: automatic or manual firmware upgrade

Interactive Menu

sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 menu

╔════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║   KCAN Factory Mode Tool - Main Menu       ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║  1. Get Firmware Version                   ║
║  2. Get Termination Status                 ║
║  3. Set Termination ON (120Ω)              ║
║  4. Set Termination OFF                    ║
║  5. Switch firmware (specify address)      ║
║  6. Switch to next firmware                ║
║  7. Set Device Mode (by channels)          ║
║  0. Exit                                   ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Read Firmware Version

sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 version

Example:

[INFO] Getting firmware version...
=== Firmware Version ===
  Version: 8.5.2
  Build Date: 2026-03-26
=== BL Version ===
[INFO] Getting bootloader version...
  Version: 0.0.2.1
========================

Firmware Upgrade

Automatic

sudo kcan_fw_upgrade can0 auto

Select Installed Firmware

# List firmware under /usr/lib/firmware
sudo kcan_fw_upgrade lsfw

# Upgrade by listed firmware name
sudo kcan_fw_upgrade can0 KH-UCANFD-xxx.enc

Upgrade from a Path

sudo kcan_fw_upgrade can0 /usr/lib/firmware/KH-UCANFD-xxx.enc

The upgrade process sends the device to bootloader mode, waits for the USB mass-storage interface, copies the firmware, unmounts it, waits for the device to restart, and verifies the new version.

Keep USB power stable throughout the operation. Do not unplug the adapter until the tool reports successful completion.

Built-In Termination

These commands require hardware that supports software-controlled termination.

# Read status
sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 term-get

# Enable 120 Ω termination
sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 term-on

# Disable termination
sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 term-off

Example:

$ sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 term-get
[INFO] Getting termination status...
Termination resistor: OFF
$ sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 term-on
[INFO] Setting termination resistor: ON
Termination resistor set to: ON (120Ω)

Switch Firmware

The switch-app and next-app command names are retained for command-line compatibility; they switch CANmeleon firmware.

# Switch to the firmware at address 0x40000
sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 switch-app -a 0x40000

# Switch to the next firmware
sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 next-app

Wait for USB re-enumeration before opening the target CAN software.

Change Device Mode

# One channel: FD
sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 device-mode -c 1

# Two channels: FDPRO
sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 device-mode -c 2

# Four channels: KCAN_X4
sudo kcan_fw_tool can0 device-mode -c 4

Help

sudo kcan_fw_tool -h