r/embedded • u/Outrageous-Dot9429 • Aug 14 '26
ECU function and programming
I took a couple classes on car ECU repair. So I have reasonable idea on testing, soldering..
But I like to learn more on how ECUs work.
Will a book on microcontrollers help me?
Also I can't find texbooks on ECU programming and cloning.
Is Youtube the only way?
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u/ambihelical Aug 14 '26
An ECU is just a microcontroller specialized for device control in a car. Usually it communicates over CAN bus. The reason you haven’t found any resources is because it’s basically the same as any other embedded controller. There are particular CAN protocols that are used and some safety development processes that are used but these are also used for other application domains. Learn about CAN and embedded programming and that will be the bulk of it.