1. Open your trial

Download the ZIP on the Windows computer you intend to use.
Right-click it and choose Extract All.
Open simCAN.exe from the extracted folder, following your organization's software policy.
Choose Start 7-Day Trial on the splash screen and enter your email. Scenario notes are optional.

The app needs an internet connection for trial activation. A signed, machine-bound trial license opens the full workbench.

Already evaluating?

Keep this guide open beside simCAN. The app starts with a VehicleSpeed example, so you can try the first run without importing a file.

For an editable workbook, use the separate 12-second, 0–50 km/h starter sample. It includes Excel, a matching example DBC, and instructions.

Download the sample workbook

Open the full user guide

2. Complete your first dry run

Use the example in a fresh workbench. If you already have a scenario open, save your work first; these instructions do not require replacing it.

Keep Dry run checked in CAN Hardware. Select the example VehicleSpeed signal. Its default profile runs from 0 to 80 over 6 seconds, holds until 16 seconds, then returns to 0 at 20 seconds. Choose CAN → Validate Scenario. Review the console result. Resolve validation errors before starting. Choose CAN → Start Transmit. With Dry run checked, the console labels the run DRY RUN and frames DRY. Open View → Signal Viewer to inspect the changing computed VehicleSpeed value. Choose CAN → Stop Transmit. The example repeats until stopped. You have now exercised the scenario workflow without sending frames to a physical CAN bus.

0 of 4 steps checked.

Check steps after completing them. Your checklist stays in this tab and is not proof of a hardware test.

Dry run is a software check. It does not establish adapter compatibility, receiver behavior, bus health, or wire timing. Use an independent CAN analyzer for wire-level evidence.

3. Evaluate your own scenario

Start with your files

Use File → Load DBC... to load the approved DBC revision, or File → Import Excel Scenario... for a saved scenario.
Review the enabled signal list. Remove or disable the example signal before preparing your own bench traffic.
Check identifiers, scaling, signal ranges, channel, frame format, and bitrate. Validate and run in Dry run first.

Move to an isolated bench

Confirm the adapter model, firmware, driver/backend, and channel for your exact setup. A listed backend is not a verified hardware result.

Connect only to an authorized, isolated bench with correct termination. Uncheck Dry run only when ready for live traffic. Check CAN sends a test frame when Dry run is off.

Adapter setup guide · Bench readiness checklist

Resolve common setup blockers

The app stays on the splash screen

The workbench requires a valid trial or paid license for this Windows machine. Check your connection, confirm you chose Start 7-Day Trial or Activate Online, and copy the exact activation error. If the trial has already been used or expired, a fresh email does not create a new machine trial. Contact support for help with an unexpected activation result.

I cannot see my CAN adapter

You can finish Dry run without an adapter. For live use, check the adapter's Windows driver and the selected backend/channel. A serial adapter needs the correct COM port; a gs_usb adapter uses a device index. Use the app's Driver Setup guide and vendor documentation. Do not replace drivers for unrelated USB devices.

My signal does not move

Select an enabled signal, inspect its time/value points, and open View → Signal Viewer during a Dry run. The main plot shows the planned profile; the viewer shows computed values. Check the console for validation errors and confirm that transmit started.

Dry run works, but the receiver does not respond

Dry run does not test the physical path. Stop transmission and check bus assignment, bitrate, standard/extended identifiers, Classic CAN/CAN FD, termination, and the receiver's required messages. Verify traffic with an independent analyzer before attributing the result to timing or receiver logic.

Windows shows an unknown publisher

The current v0.5.0 executable is not digitally signed with a trusted code-signing certificate. If your organization requires signed software, ask its IT team before evaluating this release. Use only simulatedsignals.com downloads and compare the SHA256 hash. Matching hashes establish file integrity, not publisher trust.

simCAN_windows.zip
B438FE7A5EC14FC3451C0A6E8C2FB105E21962BF6EE6D4E0FDECC2481A106A34

simCAN.exe inside the ZIP
C1127924275E3055463F1634C5C4D7011BDBF7C2B4A813BCBF35F201BF022AF6

Get help with the right context

Build a short setup note to include in a support email. These choices stay in your browser until you choose to share the note.

Where are you stuck? Adapter/backend

Email support@simulatedsignals.com with the note and the error text you can share. For activation issues, add the trial/order email and Machine ID from the splash screen. Do not send activation keys, license files, or proprietary DBCs and logs.

Keep using simCAN after the trial

Evaluate your required workflow and hardware before buying. The introductory license is $499 once for one Windows bench computer, with machine-bound perpetual activation.

Buy simCAN — $499 Review license details

After purchase, use Activate Online on the same Windows machine and enter the activation key delivered to your purchase email.

Software license · Refund policy · Support policy

Your first repeatable CAN scenario starts here.