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Status LED

Hardware version

CANBench Duo v1.1 — Fabricated prototype, sole built unit. V1.1 is electrically identical to the V1.2 schematic refresh but predates the InvenTree symbol-library migration; the schematic component metadata reflects legacy SCADYS naming. Testing and bench validation reference this V1.1 hardware.

Other versions: v1.2 — schematic refresh (next version)

A single RGB LED on the top extrusion communicates the supply-chain health of the CANBench Duo. There is no MCU, no firmware, no software — each colour falls out of the rail relationships in the protection chain, so what you see is the true state of the hardware at that instant.

State table

IndicatorConditionWhat to do
OffNo bench-supply voltage at the SRC banana pairCheck the bench supply is on and wired to the SRC banana pair (front faceplate, RED to SRC+, BLACK to SRC−).
GreenCorrect polarity, normal operationProceed with measurement. LISN delivers the filtered supply to the DUT bananas (J1 / J3) and the M12 N2K connector (J10).
BlueQ2 protection FET not fully conducting — typically because F1 has blownPower the bench supply down. Remove the DUT. Replace F1 (Littelfuse Nano2 Slo-Blo 5 A, in the 154 series holder). If Blue persists with no DUT attached and a fresh fuse, suspect Q2. Investigate the DUT for an over-current condition before reconnecting.
RedReverse polarity at the SRC pair (V_BLACK > V_RED)Power the bench supply down. Reverse the SRC cables to the correct RED-to-SUPPLY+, BLACK-to-SUPPLY− orientation.

Brief Blue flash at power-on is benign

A brief Blue flash for a few ms at supply turn-on is normal. Q2's gate-bias divider takes a few RC time constants to bring Q2 fully ON, and during that interval the V(SUPPLY+) − V(VSS+) gap momentarily exceeds the LED state-encoder's threshold. The LED settles to Green once Q2 reaches full conduction.

If the Blue persists (does not settle to Green within ~ 100 ms), treat it as a fault per the state table above.

Troubleshooting flow

  1. LED is Off but the bench supply is on and the wiring looks right.

    • Check the SRC banana sockets for a loose or oxidised contact.
    • Verify the bench supply is actually delivering voltage at its output terminals (use a multimeter at the SRC banana pair).
    • If voltage is present at SRC and the LED is still off, the LED's own bias circuit may have failed — escalate to engineering.
  2. LED stays Red after reversing the cables.

    • Confirm the cable polarity at both ends — sometimes only the bench-supply end gets swapped while the banana end stays reversed.
    • Multimeter at the SRC banana pair: SRC+ should read positive relative to SRC−.
  3. LED stays Blue after replacing the fuse and removing the DUT.

    • The fuse has likely blown again under no load, or Q2 is faulty.
    • With the bench supply OFF, check F1 for continuity (multimeter, fuse out of holder).
    • If F1 is intact, Q2 is the next suspect — escalate to engineering.
  4. LED is Green but the DUT shows no supply at its connector.

    • The LED reports the protection-chain state, not the DUT-side voltage. Measure VDUT directly at the DUT banana pair (J1 / J3).
    • If VDUT is absent despite Green, suspect a wiring fault between the DUT banana pair and the DUT, or an open in the LISN filter ladder (rare — would also affect the noise floor).

Engineering rationale

For the circuit topology, component values, and the reasoning behind the four-state encoding, see Power Indicator LED in the Circuit Design section. The state table on this page is the operator-facing summary; the circuit-design page is the engineering source of truth.

For a fast lookup of the state table without context, see Quick Reference → LED States.