A desktop application for exploring, debugging, and recording CAN / NMEA 2000 bus traffic received via python-can. Currently only tested with the Waveshare USB-CAN-A adapter.
- Verify what a bus is and isn't transmitting
- Discover and reverse-engineer proprietary or obscure manufacturer messages
- Record traffic persistently across sessions, including through crashes
- Python 3.11+
- A supported CAN adapter: Waveshare USB-CAN-A, or maybe any adapter supported by python-can (
slcan,gs_usb,pcan,socketcan) - A live NMEA 2000 bus (default bitrate: 250 kbps)
pip install -e .
Or with uv:
uv pip install -e .
canboat_explorer
Settings are written to canboat_explorer.ini at the project root on first run. Session logs are saved to data/ next to the project root.
| Tab | Description |
|---|---|
| Raw CAN | All incoming frames. Time view (newest first) or accumulated view grouped by Arb ID, PGN+SA, or PGN. |
| NMEA 2000 | Assembled NMEA 2000 messages including fast-packet reassembly. Time and accumulated views. |
| Network | Device tree — one node per source address. Shows TX/RX PGN lists, observed traffic, collision markers, product info, and address negotiation events. Devices silent for >60 s are dimmed. |
| Decoded Values | Live signal values decoded via the nmea2000 library. 3-level tree (PGN → SA → qualifier variant) with update rates and message history. |
Frames are written to data/session.canlog on receipt, before any UI processing. The file survives crashes and is reopened automatically on the next start.
- Save as — export the current session to a named
.canlogfile - Open — load a saved file for offline browsing
- Clear — discard the current session (requires confirmation)
Configure the interface type and port via Settings in the toolbar. The connection uses NMEA 2000's standard 250 kbps CAN bitrate.