NMEA 2000 has been working well on Gizmo this summer, making it easy to get heading, wind, depth, GPS, and more to all the MFD systems I've been testing. AIS over N2K has some issues, but then again the Garmin VHF 200 is good evidence of what's possible. However, I've just begun to explore how NMEA 2000 can integrate Gizmo's engine, tanks, batteries, and other non-navigational systems. A few weeks ago, for instance, I plugged an Albatross demo case into the boat's backbone to see how data from those three Analog Adaptors above would display...
Actually I like to slice bread myself these days, but, man-o-man, Maretron's latest gift to the world of NMEA 2000 is one brilliant invention. N2KBuilder -- which is free, and downloadable right now -- would be handy if it just let you easily mock up a proposed network. But it does much, much more than that. As you drag and drop cables, connectors, and devices, the software keeps an eye on total cable lengths, amperage loads, and the resulting voltage drops, and alarms you if you're over the limits. It also keeps track of backbone integrity and plug genders, and all the while builds a system database from which it can produce various valuable reports, and even a bill of materials (BOM)...
Breeze Pleeze has received nearly half of her new NMEA 2000 backbone, actually two of them, and I thought I would describe the thinking behind my network design.
I love this photo. It may look messy, but not only is one man's fine N2K+++ yacht system being tested here, but the standard itself is getting explored, possibly to the benefit of many boaters. This is Kees Verruijt's attic somewhere in the Netherlands and, as explained on his new Yacht Electronics blog, that Commodore PET is the "PC" he first learned programming on back in 1979. The rest of the gear is going on Merrimac II, a Stadship 56 now under construction that Kees and his family have obviously put a lot of thought into. Kees wants to extend the usefullness of his NMEA 2000 data system, even to his iPhone, and he's had to go to some serious trouble to do so...
I have no idea why Bob Congdon, former U.S. Sales Manager for B&G, is now working for Euro Marine Trading, the U.S. distributor for NKE...and I question the ravings at Sailing Anarchy on the subject. But I do know this: In Miami, when Bob talked about how well NKE's about-to-debut Regatta Processor would compare to B&G's offerings, there was a distinct glint in his eye. Well, above is the Regatta showing off at Strictly Sail Pacific last month and here is the pitch...
I'm once again way behind on testing borrowed products, and my apologies to all manufacturers involved. The Airmar PB200 Weather Station above is a case in point. I mentioned how well it feeds NMEA 2000 data to the lab network back in February, and Dan Corcoran shared his beta testing experience before that, but there's a lot more to say. For instance, I didn't really understand how it delivered both NMEA 0183 and 2000 data -- did it use one of the various junction boxes available to translate from one protocol to the other? -- until I got my hands on the sample. Now I know that the PB200 flat out does it all! ...
Sigh, that's my first NMEA 2000 network, circa Spring 2005, when there wasn't much more than Maretron to hang on it, and not many boaters were interested anyway. Now many more N2K devices have joined these on the lab's snaking backbone (and there are many others I'd like to try), N2K is an active topic on Panbo forums and elsewhere, and the network for my maybe-new Gizmo boat is going to be a serious undertaking. The Standard has come a long way, and methinks it's time to reveal a little drama that went down along the way. Yes, those gray Micro cables and the yellow powertap did incur drama, even soap opera...
Many readers have commented on my Sailing with an Airmar PB200 entry. I enjoyed reading and responding to comments, and offer this diagram in response to some questions about mounting the PB200. The diagram above (click to enlarge) shows the parts unassembled, and then assembled on the masthead, along with an alternate "Plan B" my yard came up with before installation in the event my masthead was too crowded. (Credits to Jeff Willis at Willis Marine in Huntington, NY.)
Garmin had a working GPSMap 640 at FLIBS, and I found a couple of nice surprises on it. One is that it does AIS plotting, which wasn’t even mentioned on the press release. More important really is the improved touch screen interface. Notice the status labels on the big buttons above; in cases where the only choice is on/off, like Tide/Currents, just tapping the button changes the status. Which beats the hell out of the norm on most Garmin marine units, i.e. tap (or soft key, or Enter) for another screen, choose between on or off, go back to original screen. On the 640, it’s one tap instead of three (or four, if you don’t have touch or soft keys).
