M12 ISOBUS Lite Cable, IP67 Waterproof

Q: What is the minimum order?

For prototypes the floor is 5 pcs and lead time is 3 working days. Production orders begin at 500 pcs and ship 14 working days after sample sign-off.

Overview

An M12 ISOBUS Lite cable is the short, inexpensive link in an agricultural bus: the connection between a tractor and the implement behind it, or between an implement controller and the solenoids on a sprayer boom. The pin assignment follows the ISOBUS Lite convention used on ISO 11783-2 implement buses. It is a smaller and less expensive connector than the full nine-pin ISOBUS inlet, which is why it has spread through section control, boom valves and the lighter implements that do not justify the full interface.

Key Specifications

Connector series	M12, A-coded, 4 or 5 positions
Bus system	CAN based implement bus, ISOBUS Lite pin assignment per ISO 11783-2 (confirm against your equipment)
Overmould material	TPU (pending supplier datasheet)
Seal material	FKM (pending supplier build sheet)
Jacket properties	UV stabilised and chemical resistant (pending material declaration)
Ingress rating	IP65 / IP67 / IP69K quoted in competitor data, pending test reports
Temperature range	-25 to +85 C class (pending supplier datasheet)
Standard lengths	1.5 / 3 / 10 / 15 m, other lengths on request
Versions	Straight / right-angle cordsets, panel receptacles
Typical uses	Tractor to implement CAN, section control, boom valves, sprayer harnesses

The environment is the specification

Agriculture is harder on a connector than most factories. The same assembly sees direct sun for a season, fertilizer and pesticide residue, diesel and hydraulic oil, dust, mud, stone impact, continuous vibration from the implement frame, and a pressure washer at the end of the week. A jacket that would last a decade indoors will crack in a field in two seasons if it is not UV stabilized, and an overmold that lets water wick along the conductors kills a CAN segment in a way that looks like a controller fault.

ISOBUS Lite pin assignment

CAN needs two conductors and a common reference, and the bus is only as good as its termination. The table below is the arrangement most implement makers work to, and it still has to be checked against your tractor and your implement.

Pin	4-position	5-position	Note
1	CAN_H	CAN_H	Twisted with pin 2, 120 ohm nominal pair
2	CAN_L	CAN_L	Twisted with pin 1
3	ECU_GND	ECU_GND	Dedicated controller return, isolated from chassis
4	ECU_PWR	ECU_PWR	Clean positive supply for the implement ECU
5	–	Shield or TBC_PWR	Confirm against your implement and the ISO 11783-2 edition

Confirm the assignment against the applicable edition of ISO 11783-2 and against the two machines you are joining before you order a production quantity. This is the single most common source of rework in this category.

Why the pinout is where projects go wrong

Two problems come up repeatedly. The first is a cable built to the wrong pin assignment, which works on the bench and fails when the implement is hitched to a different tractor. The second is a shield left floating at one end, which turns the harness into an antenna next to a sprayer pump. Send us the pinout of both ends and tell us where the screen is bonded; CAN bus is tolerant of a lot, but not of a bus that is unterminated or a shield that is floating at both ends.

Coding family, with a field bias

Implement makers mix codings across a machine, so it helps to have the whole family in front of you before you standardize.

Code	Contacts	Job	Voltage class	Field note
A	3 to 12	Sensors, actuators, implement CAN	30-250 V	The coding ISOBUS Lite sits on
B	4 to 5	PROFIBUS-DP	60 V	Rare on implements
C	3 to 6	AC power	250 V AC	Legacy AC actuators
D	4	100 Mbit/s Ethernet	60 V	Cameras and ISOBUS display links
X	8	10 Gbit/s Ethernet	60 V DC	Not used on implements
L	4+FE	24 V DC power	63 V DC	Section control supplies
T	2 to 4	DC power	63 V DC	DC motor drives
K	4+PE	Three-phase AC	630 V AC	Workshop equipment, not the field
S	2+PE / 3+PE	Single-phase AC	630 V AC	Rare on implements
M	5 to 6	Servo power with brake	630 V AC	Rare on implements
P	4	EtherCAT P	60 V	Not used here
Y	8 (4+4)	Power plus Fast Ethernet	50 V	Emerging on smart implements

Implements get hitched to different tractors, so the pin assignment and the keyway both have to match the fleet. The coding side is set out in the two-page reference in the download center, which covers every M12 letter and its usual pole counts.

Where it is used

Tractor to implement CAN links on lighter implements and trailers
Section control solenoid blocks and boom valve manifolds
Sprayer boom harnesses where the run is long and the fluid exposure is constant

Ratings pending confirmation

Ingress ratings covering IP65, IP67 and IP69K, a temperature range of -25 to +85 C, and the standard lengths of 1.5, 3, 10 and 15 meters are taken from published competitor data for comparable agricultural M12 cordsets, not from a verified datasheet for our part. Pressure washing is the one that most often gets overstated: surviving a rinse and surviving a hot high pressure wash are different tests. Ask us which one the part is rated for and we will supply the report or say that we do not have it.

Typical applications for this M12 ISOBUS Lite cable

Tractor to implement CAN on seeders, spreaders and light tillage tools
Section control solenoid blocks that shut off rows on the headland
Sprayer boom valve manifolds with long runs and constant fluid exposure
Implement ECU power and ground where a full nine-pin inlet is not justified

How to specify your build

Positions – 4 or 5, and the pin assignment on both ends.
Tractor and implement makes, if you have them.
Length and how much of it flexes in service.
Shielding, and where the screen is bonded.
Exposure – fertilizer, pesticide, diesel, hydraulic oil, UV.
Quantity, prototype or production.

Workmanship and testing

M12 ISOBUS Lite builds are made to IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 workmanship inside an ISO 9001 system, over a 32 to 12 AWG range. No M12 assembly is boxed before continuity and pinout are confirmed, and seal checking is quoted whenever an ingress rating is on the drawing.

Every production run can ship with RoHS and REACH declarations and the electrical report agreed at quotation; see certifications and material declarations. UL styles and other named approvals are built to drawing: we source to the style you specify and document it, rather than asserting a listing we do not hold. This assembly is built on the four lines covered under cable assembly and wire harness production, with nothing in the build handed to an undisclosed subcontractor. More background: our industrial automation work. Tooling is quoted separately, cut in-house rather than brokered out, and owned by you.

Custom builds and ordering

For M12 ISOBUS Lite builds, prototypes run from 1 to 50 pcs with a 3 working day turnaround; volume orders begin at 500 pcs and ship 14 working days after approval. Tooling not already held adds around 10 working days. M12 builds go out under your part number and labeling, and material certificates and first-article reports are on offer.

Related M12 and harness assemblies

Full range: circular M8 and M12 cable assemblies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ISOBUS Lite the same as the nine-pin ISOBUS inlet?

No. It is a smaller, less expensive interface for implements that do not justify the full nine-pin connector, and it carries the same CAN based bus over fewer contacts.

Which pin carries CAN_H?

Most implement makers put CAN_H and CAN_L on the first two positions, but it has to be confirmed against your tractor, your implement and the ISO 11783-2 edition you work to.

Do I need a 5-position version?

Only if your implement uses the fifth contact for the screen or the terminating bias supply. Otherwise a 4-position build is the common choice.

What is the minimum order?

For M12 ISOBUS Lite builds, prototypes run from 1 to 50 pcs with a 3 working day turnaround; volume orders begin at 500 pcs and ship 14 working days after sample sign-off.

Will it survive a pressure wash?

Surviving a rinse and surviving a hot high pressure wash are different tests. Tell us which one you need and we will confirm the rating or say we do not have the report.

M12 ISOBUS Lite Cable for Tractor to Implement CAN