Adding camp slot to a Raymarine RL70c plus. Possible?

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Chiliblue

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I have an old raymarine radar plotter setup on my boat. With the display mounted in to the starboard cockpit bulkhead. I currently have a monochrome RL70 plus display but have stumbled across a colour RL70 plus which I believe has the ability to overlay radar on the chart (a feature the mono version lacks).

However it doesn't have the cmap slots...although it has a ribbon cable behind the backing plate. It was used as a second display. They both are hsb2 but I really don't want to run a second display, So Is it possible to plug in the cmap slot module from my mono in to the colour RL70?

Thanks in advance.
 
Chiliblue said:
I have an old raymarine radar plotter setup on my boat. With the display mounted in to the starboard cockpit bulkhead. I currently have a monochrome RL70 plus display but have stumbled across a colour RL70 plus which I believe has the ability to overlay radar on the chart (a feature the mono version lacks).

However it doesn't have the cmap slots...although it has a ribbon cable behind the backing plate. It was used as a second display. They both are hsb2 but I really don't want to run a second display, So Is it possible to plug in the cmap slot module from my mono in to the colour RL70?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Ask John in Raymarine service. A very helpful guy and he can probably help.

(I guess a camp slot goes with a limp ribbon cable?:o)
 
Chiliblue said:
I have an old raymarine radar plotter setup on my boat. With the display mounted in to the starboard cockpit bulkhead. I currently have a monochrome RL70 plus display but have stumbled across a colour RL70 plus which I believe has the ability to overlay radar on the chart (a feature the mono version lacks).

However it doesn't have the cmap slots...although it has a ribbon cable behind the backing plate. It was used as a second display. They both are hsb2 but I really don't want to run a second display, So Is it possible to plug in the cmap slot module from my mono in to the colour RL70?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

The RL70C can indeed display charts, either loaded from a hsb2 networked plotter or from an optional card module.

If there is a unused narrow ribbon cable (see photo of my RC530, which shares much of the internal makeup) coming up from the CPU board on the left side of the display, you've got all you need. Remove the blanking plate, attach the card module (make sure the seals are intact) and fasten it with the four small screws. Then hook the ribbon cable up to the back of it and done.

I'm not sure all firmware versions will work though and you may need an update, which is hard to find these days and probably means having a dealer do it, or talking one into borrowing you his upgrade card (which plugs into the card reader you just installed).

IMG_3490.jpg
 
Interesting. I've got an E80 Classic on the helm and an older RL70C at the nav table but never managed to get it to display the Navionics charts loaded into the E80. Shows all the GPS and other nav data though. What am I missing?
 
Saguday said:
Interesting. I've got an E80 Classic on the helm and an older RL70C at the nav table but never managed to get it to display the Navionics charts loaded into the E80. Shows all the GPS and other nav data though. What am I missing?
Click to expand...

No idea - I don't have an E80, so I know nothing about it, but it's a different generation from the Pathfinder series (which I recently got to know intimately).

I don't see an hsb2 (ARCnet) connector on the E80, only a SeatalkHS (Ethernet) one, so I don't think it can be networked with the Pathfinder series (which in turn has only hsb2 but not SeatalkHS). Or do you get the radar overlay on the chartplotter in the cockpit?

Edit: The GPS and other instrument data would be coming over Seatalk1, which is low bandwidth and cannot be used to carry radar or chart data.
 
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Yngmar said:
The RL70C can indeed display charts, either loaded from a hsb2 networked plotter or from an optional card module.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for this, indeed the ribbon cable is there behind the backing plate. Will have a go over the winter but will check the firmware before then. This was a skip retrieve with the owner permission. He had just tossed a rl70 and a rl80 both working.
 
Yngmar said:
No idea - I don't have an E80, so I know nothing about it, but it's a different generation from the Pathfinder series (which I recently got to know intimately).

I don't see an hsb2 (ARCnet) connector on the E80, only a SeatalkHS (Ethernet) one, so I don't think it can be networked with the Pathfinder series (which in turn has only hsb2 but not SeatalkHS). Or do you get the radar overlay on the chartplotter in the cockpit?
Click to expand...

Yes I get the radar overlay on the E80 and I believe it's possible to do it on the RL70C as well but wanted to slave the RL70C to the E80 rather than faff around with the radar wiring. I must have gone through all this 9 years ago when I updated it all but I'm doing another update now and trying to work out if I could get this working. Either that or buy a small eS for the helm, move the E80 to the nav table and sell on the RL70C, which is still a fine and usable unit and has the nav card slot too (I'm just loathe to buy the same set of chart cards twice).
 
Saguday said:
That's criminal - I sold the previous (even older) B&W RL70 when I upgraded our boat and got £2-300 for it.
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Oh a full functioning gas stove and other bits followed. I am waiting for the mast and winches?.

I paid £200 for my rl70 plus mono so I was very excited when mid conversation the old owner said he had just thrown a colour one in the skip. He didn't mention the rl80 plus that has obviously spent it's life on the chart table and was in mint condition. He even left the cmap chart in it.... Bizarre.
 
Saguday said:
Interesting. I've got an E80 Classic on the helm and an older RL70C at the nav table but never managed to get it to display the Navionics charts loaded into the E80. Shows all the GPS and other nav data though. What am I missing?
Click to expand...
I thought the RL70CRC only worked with C-MAP charts.
 
Correct. Just trawled through all the manuals again to refresh my memory - C-MAP NT only on the RL70C, Navionics only on the E80. That would do it. The modern ones seem to be able to handle both formats and more.

I only ever used the Navionics charts on the E80 for nav, RL70C was just a sort of instrument repeater and general display.
 
Yngmar said:
T
I'm not sure all firmware versions will work though and you may need an update, which is hard to find these days and probably means having a dealer do it, or talking one into borrowing you his upgrade card (which plugs into the card reader you just installed).

IMG_3490.jpg
Click to expand...

As I had a few minutes and might find time to remove the mono plotter from the bulk head this week, I have powered up the rl80 and rl70 to see what is what.

RL80c plus has a card reader and is on v4.11 the RL70c plus without the card reader is on v3.20. I will go have a look at the firmware change log to see what is what but do you happen to know what would be the best firmware version for the rl70c after I drop in the cardreader from the rl70 mono?

Even better if you happened to have any contacts I could borrow the cmap firmware card from that would be really helpful.

Thanks
 
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Chiliblue said:
As I had a few minutes and might find time to remove the mono plotter from the bulk head this week, I have powered up the rl80 and rl70 to see what is what.

RL80c plus has a card reader and is on v4.11 the RL70c plus without the card reader is on v3.20. I will go have a look at the firmware change log to see what is what but do you happen to know what would be the best firmware version for the rl70c after I drop in the cardreader from the rl70 mono?

Even better if you happened to have any contacts I could borrow the cmap firmware card from that would be really helpful.
Click to expand...

4.11 is the last and best of the Pathfinder firmwares and that's the one you should try to get.

Alas, I have no source for firmware cards either. Do share if you find one.
 
Yngmar said:
4.11 is the last and best of the Pathfinder firmwares and that's the one you should try to get.

Alas, I have no source for firmware cards either. Do share if you find one.
Click to expand...

Ironically, my rl70 mono and the rl80 both have v4.11

So having swapped over the card reader to the rl70c plus, it is still just coming up with the radar displays. so either the firmware is an issue, I have managed to connect things wrong or I have to perform a reset to enable the chart plotter screens.

Anyone got any ideas?

Tom
 
Chiliblue said:
Ironically, my rl70 mono and the rl80 both have v4.11

So having swapped over the card reader to the rl70c plus, it is still just coming up with the radar displays. so either the firmware is an issue, I have managed to connect things wrong or I have to perform a reset to enable the chart plotter screens.

Anyone got any ideas?

Tom
Click to expand...

Have exactly the same thing ?
Radar ovrlay and depth sounder but not charts on second display.
 
Chiliblue said:
what firmware, my rl70c plus is on v3.20
Click to expand...

Spoke to Raymarine service, the unit my have its identity locked as it was bought as a slave display, they said they would update the firmware and unlock for me. Will drop the unit in tomorrow for update as I wait and will get back to you with the result.
 
OK, quick trip to raymarine service centre in Fareham. Simon, flashed the rl70c+, that I added the cmap slot to, from v3.20 to v4.11 and changed the identity to plotter/radar. All good and working now as a plotter. They didn't charge me.
 
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