It's time for me too add an N2k to USB gateway to my toolbox, I'll be using it to setup N2k devices and for troubleshooting existing networks. I'm looking for likes/dislikes on the available products. Cost is a factor, but I want something that works well and is portable, to be used mobile with a Netbook.
Here are the competitors so far:
1) Maretron USB-100
2) Airmar WS2-USB (cheaper, but will it work with Maretron's N2k Software?)
Are there others? What have people liked/disliked about each?
At least one more to consider, Aaron, is Actisense's NGT-1, supposedly very close to shipping:
http://tinyurl.com/avg6e5
I look forward to competition in this niche, and especially to the promised Gateways that will let PC developers interface to N2K networks without having to endure the expensive certification process.
But for the time being N2KAnalyzer is a good troubleshooting tool, and I doubt that it will work with anything but Maretron's USB100 Gateway, which is a proven product.
Thanks for the quick reply Ben, it seems like the Maretron USB-100 is the way to go for the time being.
Out of curiosity, have you had the Airmar WS2-USB on your bench yet?
The Airmar Gateway isn't quite shipping yet, but I'm hoping to check it out soon.
For those curious:
http://www.blueheronmarine.com/Detail.bok?no=6513
The Maretron unit is very limited for anything but reading the N2K bus. Appendix A of the Users Guide gives a list of what N2K messages are translated into their 0183 counterparts. However, the USB100 is limited in what you can send *from* NMEA 0183 USB to NMEA 2000.
129283 – Cross Track Error
129284 – Navigation Data
129285 – Route/WP
It would be nice to be able to detect that you've rounded the weather mark and to switch the displays to DW. Or that you turned on the motor and to switch on the motor displays. Things like that. Yes, that would require support from the Simrads and Furunos.
The manuals/specs for the Airmar aren't out yet. The Airmar supports Mac OS X! Yea! That said, this product has been almost released since "10th Nov 2006."
The main documented function of the Maretron USB100 is to translate NMEA 2000 PGNs into NMEA 0183 sentences, and vice versa. Which is for the benefit of all the PC charting programs that only understand 0183 data. I've used it with programs like Nobeltec VNS and Rosepoint Coastal Explorer and the it works well, even with quite a few sensors active.
But that's not all the USB100 can do. When you use it with N2KAnalyzer or N2KView, the gateway is passing thru everything on the N2K bus (I'm pretty sure) and is capable of sending PGNs back down the bus (which is why you can configure Maretron gear using N2KAnalyzer). 0183 is not involved.
Quite a while ago NMEA told me about an initiative called an "Intelligent Gateway" that sounded wonderful, but I haven't heard anything more about it since:
https://www.panbo.com/archives/2007/10/n2k_intelligent_gateway_updated_1020.html
I was also looking at the Actisense's NGT-1. It appears to be a promising unit if it can indeed put data from old 0183 instruments onto the NMEA2000 bus. This would also allow hobbyists to build a 0183 sensor and have it displayed on NMEA2000 displays. I wonder if it will be also limited insofar as what PGNs it can route to the NMEA2000 bus.
Airmar says another month or so.
I have used the Maretron gateway last summer with Maxsea and Raymarine ST70 displays. It worked well going from N2K to 0183. But it does not translate that many 0183 sentences to N2K.
There is a lot of info that I would have liked to get out of Maxsea and my 0183 sensors that I could not get to the N2K side.
I have the Maretron USB100 gateway and cannot run it with Vista 64. I'm working with Maretron on updating the driver; They are cooperative but slow. Do not know anything about the the Airmar, but will call them to ask.
I gather that the certification of a gateway that can be used to set up parameters on N2K sensors would be more complicated because of a requirement for firewall features, to prevent errant change messages from affecting other sensors. But it would really be useful to installers. Is the Actisense going to be bidirectional? for setup messages?
Sandy, Kees wrote this for you:
Yes the Actisense is going to be bidirectional, and they will apparently offer some sort of SDK for software developers; at least that's what they promised me. This was in November at METS. Their product has still not been released though. Weird that it should take so long.
Setup messages are proprietary to the manufacturer of the target system. For example a Simrad product will use different messages than a Maretron.
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Kees, The forum broke after you posted this comment, and apparently it has something to do with your log in. I was even able to restore the battery thread that was driving us nuts a couple of weeks ago. I works fine...as long as your comment remains unpublished. Very wierd, and nothing personal, but please don't post on the Forums until we figure it out (email me and I'll post). Your posts on the blog work fine.
I tried to order Actisense's NGT-1, but no luck - it doesn't appear to be shipping. I am presently using my NN3D MFD as a 0183 to 2000 converter - it works okay (the latest firmware fixes some bugs), but I would be nice to be able to convert this data when they are off (I am on a sailboat and power is an issue)...
I have Vista 64 and am using Maretron's USB100 with CE 2009. See my April 23rd entry above. Vista 64 REQUIRES Microsoft certified drivers (Vista 32 does not). I could not install the USB100 driver because it is not yet certified. Maretron worked with me and produced a driver that ran, but is not yet certified; by pressing F8 upon boot and picking the option called "disable the driver integrity enforcement" (phrasing is close) one can install Maretron's latest 64 bit, non-certified driver. The F8 option must be used every boot-up.
The Actisense NGT-1-USB is now shipping and I have ordered one. The datasheet is pretty skimpy so the only way to really see what it can do is buy it. Reportedly there are dlls provided which will allow 2-way exchange of NMEA 2000 data. No mention of 0183.
Grahame,
There are two Actisense products: the NGT-1 which is N2KUSB and the NGW-1 which is N2KN0183.
The NGT-1 only does N2K, and is useful with software that supports it. It does not come with software that converts N2K to/from N0183. In terms of the Actisense website: "The Actisense NGT-1 has not been designed to work directly with standard NMEA 0183 software. If NMEA 2000 to NMEA 0183 translation is required, the Actisense NGW-1 has been designed for this operation."
At the moment I know of three software packages that can be used with the NGT-1:
* Expedition (charting software for sailors)
* Airmar WeatherCaster
* my text-mode N2K analysis programs.
The last two are Free of Charge.
Hope this helps,
Kees
Hello,
I have ordered a PB200 with a WSC15 cable. I have ordered the mrtAT10 - Maretron NMEA 2000 /NMEA 0183 Bridge but have been told that I need to order a special cable that converts from Simnet to NMEA. Should I instead have ordered the Maretron USB100?
Kees,
You can add Rose Point Navigation's " Coastal Explorer" to the list of navigation software that is approved to work with the Actisense NGT-1.
There are additional files that must be added to the Coastal Explorer Program folder and these can be obtained from their support dept.
Actisense NMEA Reader software will work with the NGT-1 to display all N2K data on the bus.
It is available for free here:
http://www.actisense.com/HTML/Support/Software%20updates/index.php
Also displays NMEA 0183 sources.
I've finally started to test the NGT-1 and it seems like some N2K PGN messages are not yet understood by the reader, like rudder angle. Am I confused?
Not all PGN's are enabled by default. You need to add messages to the Rx PGN list using the test project software we sent you. Contact [email protected] if you need details on how to do this.
Alternatively NMEA Reader will set the NGT-1 to 'Read all' mode in the next release due by the end of the month (assuming no emergency bug fix releases are needed first).
The Official list of software compatible with the NGT-1 can be seen here:
http://bit.ly/softwarepage
Joe mentioned earlier the trouble of driver signing being required by 64 bit versions of windows. Our USB products fall foul of this too, we do have a work around. It's rubbish though! Just going to have to accept paying Microsoft to certify the drivers, an unpleasant additional cost a small business doesn't need, at least we got the MAC drivers sorted finally.
Will post here when signed windows drivers are available.
yay!
Signed Windows drivers are now available for Actisense products including Win7 x64: http://www.actisense.com/HTML/Support/Software%20updates/index.php
Thank you for the drivers....hopefully Maretron will get theirs done soon.
Grahame,
Looking at getting one of the Actisense NGT-1-USB units. I am looking for something I can connect to a NEMA 2000 network and then to a PC and write my own software and listen to the data coming from the devices and display it.
Does the NGT-1-USB add a com port to your computer? If so what happens if you configure HyperTerminal to connect on that com port, do you get readable data displayed on the screen?
If you want to use the data yourself, then the best bet is to try Kees Packetlogger software:
http://yachtelectronics.blogspot.com/search/label/packetlogger
Jon
I ordered an Actisense NGT-1-USB yesterday along with Garmin NMEA 2000 cables & tees to create a network on a boat (Bayliner 3218) new to me. This will connect to a laptop w/Windows 7 and, temperarily, be my lower station chart plotter/fuel monitor display. Has anyone tested this gateway in a network yet? Like what others experience with this product has been.
Also, installed a Garmin 740s chart plotter, GMR18 HD radar & (2)GFS 10 fuel sensors. Look forward to launching a week from Friday to try everything out!
Jud, I've used the NGT-1-USB quite a lot, without problems. And Actisense keeps improving the NMEA Reader software you can use with it to diagnose your new data system. Make sure to get the latest updates.
The Actisense site also has a list of PC charting programs that will work with the NGT-1, though that doesn't necessarily mean they can understand every standard message on the backbone yet. For instance, I'm not sure that any of them know how to display or make calculations on fuel flow data.
I publish the list of PGNs MacENC supports via the Actisense NGT-1..
http://www.gpsnavx.com/html/nmea.html#N2K
I haven't seen the Coastal Explorer USB NMEA 2000 device discussed. Is there any advantage to this unit or should I save $100 and get the Actisense NGT-1-USB?
thanks
Frank
I've used the Actisense NGT-1. It worked fine until it got wet. After that the wind instruments stopped working and the brand new chart plotter died. I suppose it could be a coincidence but when I see an electronic device with water inside it's case I tend to think it's the root of all problems. Disconnected the NGT-1 and replaced the chart plotter and have had no more problems.