Connecting Instruments to a computer

[Croak]

As you can connect a gps to a laptop to make a chart plotter, can you connect all the other instruments to it ,wind, depth guage,auto pilot etc, so they can all talk to each other.

With a couple of web cams you could sail the boat from below, or with an internet connection it could be a great way to sail for those who get seasick .

Seriously though. is there such a system or software.

 

[nimbusgb]

Yes! and no! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

It all depends on what instruments you have and what you want to do. The manufacturers are all stuck in the 20th century and are each convinced that their proprietary systems are the only way to go. Open systems would make the customer able to pick and choose, mix and match, the best of breed would tend to survive and the bad bits of kit would sink.( I ought to have this little rant saved as a text file )

A list of what you have and what you are trying to do would allow a better response to your query.

 

[wooslehunter]

You can do anything if you throw cash at it.

If all the instruments output NMEA, then there are a couple of ways. NMEA can only have one "talker" on a link but many "listeners". So, connecting a GPS to the VHF, computer, autopilot etc, although not ideal, is OK. The GPS is the only talker. Connecting all the instruments to a single link shouldn't be done as there will be occasions when more than one talker will try to talk at the same time. Some people do it and accept data loss. It also puts additional stress on the electronics for which it's not designed. The more talkers, the more chance of contension. Therefore either use a NMEA multiplexer or a serial to USB converter for each instrument. the former cuts down on the wiring & serial to USB converters can be a pain.

If the instruments output something else, then there's a problem. If it's Raymarine Seatalk, then you can get a converter that converts everything into NMEA & then have one connection to the PC. Not sure what others do.

As for software, being a cheapscate, I've used free Seaclear. It can show wind & log data although I've never tried it. Consult other software manuals to see what they will do.

 

[Refueler]

Yes you can - but as you get deeper in - you find that mixing manufacturers or brands gets more difficult. raymarine are masters at that ! HSB and Seatalk systems ....

Lowrance are advanced into the NMEA 2000 bus and that is possibly a route to look at.

NMEA 0183 is fairly universal - but needs a central unit to bring in and sort info. Usually a plotter designed to take info and display.

You can buy head units - speed, wind, depth already in NMEA 0183 or 2000 for integration into Plotter , PC systems. Personally unless you have a vessel with ample space, plenty of onboard power - it's academic for many.

It is an interesting subject, a concept that will eventually grow I reckon once the world sorts out a decent PC system to withstand our environment. People will say - Toughbook ... ITX .... etc. But having already with another tried to develop a truly marine-proof system - they do NOT exist.

There is another aspect that creates hell in the connecting business ... so many versions of so-called same NMEA data ... and I do not mean versions 0183 v2 ... 0183 v1.2 etc. I mean supposedly of same version number. One company will add a letter or prefix to a sentence ID ... or a $ / & sign to the data sent ... preventing another co's unit from using the data. Myself and another were involved in stripping extra letters / signs from NMEA data to get older uinits to work ... partial success only.

I have an Autopilot control unit. It is designed to take NMEA XTE sentence and pulse the Autohelm to steer designed course. Great. But it uses correct original pure NMEA 0183 sentences, unfortunately no-one outputs pure 0183 anymore, the extra sign in the XTE sentence kills it.

Good idea ..... trouble is not in manufacturers interest to support. They want you to buy units ...

 

[rogerdog]

It can be done as many have said - however the more systems you connect together the more careful you need to be with isolating them in case of a fault condition - if they are simply connected and one instrument decides to continually 'talk' then the whole bus is jammed without some sort of lockout of that unit. In addition an electrical fault suddenly attempts to use the bus as a current path - more things melt without fuses or (ok worst case) lightning strike (or nearby) the EMP will happily induce a hugh current into your system and all the instraments will feel the force of nature.

I like discrete unconnected systems -so I don't have to think about common mode failure and start doing all the bits needed to ensure statistical reliability.


Yes an interesting idea (and as said can be done) - but would not want physical contact and would want to still have all the units with their own display.


got ask why would you want to - what is the benefit ?

 

[Richard10002]

"got ask why would you want to - what is the benefit ?"

Probably because "we" can /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif, and it is interesting.

I looked at all this when I got Rogue, and settled for just a chartplotter system on the laptop, with no bells and whistles - it all started to look too complicated and expensive, and there would be even more wires all over the shop.

 

[Refueler]

Which is why you use optical NMEA connection when you start to get "seriously" wired up !

 

[rogerdog]

Yes I can see that Richard - used to have my heating etc at home controlled by a computer that I could access from work etc..... but have learnt that such hi tec solutions are great fun to build, and interesting when they work -but have a lovely habit of going wrong in ways you did not expect or predict and are then a so and so to fix (or an interesting academic challenge) depending on what they control and if there is a 'manual override' / backup system

 

[rogerdog]

agree 100% with Refueler - if you are serious with this, fibre optic (or wifi etc) for electrical isolation and some form of active hub connecting system to isolate any 'data storm' style failure of a device