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Designing CAN Keypad and Display Controls Drivers Actually Want to Use

A vehicle control architecture can be electrically sound and still feel unusable if the driver interface is an afterthought. For EV and hybrid teams, the gap between "the CAN network works" and "the driver trusts the controls" is usually closed with two components: a keypad that gives instant tactile feedback, and a display that confirms what the system is actually doing. EMB Power has supported UK and EU engineering teams — from early-stage start-ups to established automotive OEMs — through exactly this step, pairing New Eagle's Raptor control modules with CAN keypads and VeeCAN displays to get intuitive controls into a vehicle quickly.

Why CAN Is the Right Backbone for Keypads and Displays

Controller Area Network (CAN) is the standard way to connect a general control module (GCM), keypad and display without running a dedicated wire for every function. A single twisted pair carries commands and status for the whole cluster of devices, which keeps harnesses lighter and makes it straightforward to add, remove or reassign a function in software rather than in copper.

  • Less wiring mass: one CAN pair replaces dozens of discrete signal wires.
  • Software-defined changes: reassigning a button or display field is a configuration change, not a rewire.
  • Built-in diagnostics: CAN's error handling and bus-off behaviour make faults easier to detect and isolate than on point-to-point wiring.

The Three Building Blocks: Controller, Keypad, Display

A keypad-and-display interface is only as good as the control module coordinating it. EMB Power typically builds this around three components, all supplied and supported in the UK and EU exclusively through EMB Power as New Eagle's partner:

Raptor GCM70 General Control Module

The Raptor GCM70 (SKU GCM-5634M-070-1759) is a general-purpose automotive control module built around an NXP/Freescale MPC5634M processor, housed in a 70-pin connector shell — which is where the "70" in its everyday name comes from, not its I/O count. The module provides 22 inputs and 19 outputs (41 I/O channels in total) across two CAN 2.0B channels, runs on 8–32 VDC, and is rated for automotive-harshness environments. It is this module that carries the vehicle logic — powertrain management, lighting, safety interlocks — and translates keypad presses into vehicle behaviour.

Powerkey CAN Keypads

For the physical control surface, EMB Power supplies the Powerkey range of CAN keypads (built on Blink Marine hardware, including the PKP-3500-SI and PKP-2600-SI families), which are IP67-rated, CANopen-compliant to Device Profile 401, and configurable with custom iconography and per-key illumination. That IP rating matters for anything mounted on a dash or armrest in a vehicle that sees water, dust or UV exposure over its service life.

Raptor VeeCAN Displays

For driver feedback, the Raptor VeeCAN range (128 through 800) gives engineering teams a rugged, automotive-grade graphical display for state-of-charge, fault codes, drive-mode confirmation and custom graphics. A mid-sized unit such as the VeeCAN 320 is a common fit for a dash-mounted status display in an EV delivery or light commercial application, with onboard microSD logging for field validation.

A Practical Integration Sequence

Start with the architecture, not the wiring. Map every driver interaction — drive mode, lighting, demist, hazard, pre-charge — and group it by how often and how urgently the driver needs it. Assign each function a CAN message ID before a single wire is cut, and keep the bus topology linear rather than star or ring, with 120 Ω termination at both ends; keeping runs well within the cable length your target bit rate supports gives you margin for later expansion rather than chasing intermittent bus errors after the fact.

Once the architecture is set:

  • Wire with automotive-grade, shielded cable where CAN runs near motors or battery cabling, and keep keypad and display power on a clean supply separate from high-EMI loads.
  • Define the CAN database first — every keypad button and display field gets a unique CAN ID and payload structure before any logic is written.
  • Program in Raptor-Dev, New Eagle's Simulink-based development environment (delivered in the UK and EU through EMB Power), to drive keypad LED states, update VeeCAN screens and encode the control logic that responds to each input.
  • Bench-test before vehicle install, using a CAN interface such as the Kvaser Leaf Light R v2 (an IP65-rated USB-to-CAN interface) to monitor bus traffic, inject faults and confirm message timing before anything goes near a harness.

A Worked Example: GCM70 With a Keypad and VeeCAN Display

Consider an EV delivery van programme prioritising driver simplicity. A Raptor GCM70 coordinates drivetrain, safety and accessory signals. A Powerkey keypad, laser-etched with five icons — Eco, Sport, Headlights, Demist, Hazard — sends each press as a CAN message with its own configurable backlight state. A VeeCAN 320 display shows live drive-mode state and fault reporting, and logs vehicle behaviour to microSD for evidence-based validation during fleet trials. Using Raptor-Dev, an engineering team can move from bench prototype to in-vehicle testing in weeks rather than the months it typically takes to hand-write embedded code for the same function set.

Where EMB Power Fits In

EMB Power is the exclusive UK and EU partner for New Eagle's Raptor and OpenECU toolchain, and supplies the Raptor control modules, Powerkey keypads and VeeCAN displays that make up this kind of interface as a single, supported source. That matters in practice: one point of contact for hardware, firmware tools, cable assemblies and engineering support reduces the project risk and lead time that comes from sourcing a control stack across multiple suppliers — and gives UK and EU teams a local point of contact for the integration work itself, from CAN database design through harness fabrication to in-vehicle commissioning.

Next Steps

If your team is scoping a CAN keypad and display interface for an EV or hybrid programme, talk to EMB Power's engineering team about a Raptor GCM70, Powerkey keypad and VeeCAN display configuration suited to your platform.