The device will be seen by the PC as a USB-serial adapter so the tuning programs will work as before (but you'll have to enable CAN commands). However, since the adapter will be plugged in the PC, the only USB bus exposed to interference will be the USB connector and the traces on the board and the wires going to the ECU will be the CAN bus wires (twisted pair). As the CAN bus protocol is designed to handle a noisy environment at the transport layer, the communication should be more reliable than using a USB or RS-232 cable.
Also, since the board uses the well proven FTDI chip, the drivers will be available for all platforms and it will be possible to use the FTDI API to increase the speed. This will require collaboration with the tuning software designers.
I also intend to develop a CAN bootloader for the MS2 and MicroSquirt module that will allow the use of the CAN bus to load new code making the serial port redundant. However, that will require reprogramming the CPU using a BDM but I will be offering this service for the people who purchase the adapter. I still have to make sure this can be made to fit in the reserved flash area of the CPU but based on my experience with the I/O Extender, it should be feasible.
So here are a few pictures of the first prototype. The hardware, as seen in the pictures, works but the firmware still needs some work.




Jean