Obtaining Seatalk 1 data wirelessly?

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cobolt

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Hi All,

I'm hoping one (or some) of you electronics wizards can help me out in coming up with the best solution for this.

On our boat, we have a Raymarine Seatalk 1 (and HSB2) network which links :

ST60 instruments
GPS antenna (via SeatalkNG to Seatalk converter)
RL80 CRC Chart plotter at nav station
RL70 CRC Chart plotter at helm
ST6000 autopilot head and S3 course computer.

We then have a NMEA output to the DSC VHF (i'm not sure from where this originates).

We also had a HSB2 to PCMCIA adaptor which worked on an old laptop with RayTech software. The data for this came out of a Raymarine PC Interface box, which is now spare. There was also a separate serial cable NMEA feed just containing high speed heading data which I guess came straight from the fluxgate/course computer.

I would like to have a wireless connection so I can use iNavX on an iPad, and Maxsea on a laptop with all possible data streamed to it (and route info from it)

I've been looking at the Brookhouse iMUX-ST which allows for direct connection of Seatalk bus. Here is a list of the sentences it translates to NMEA0183 and then transmits wirelessly : http://brookhouseonline.com/seatalk.htm

Now my question is, would that system allow routes to be exported from those programs into the chart plotters?

Second question, is it best to connect Seatalk directly to the iMUX, or should I connect the iMUX to the NMEA outputs from the spare Raymarine PC Interface box?

The iMUX seems to translate 18 sentences, whereas the documentation for the Raymarine Seatalk PC Interface box would indicate around 40 possible sentence translations.

Alternatively, has anyone got a better solution to this? Considering we have a Seatalk PC Interface box, with PC RS232 output/input already....is there such thing as a serial --> wifi adaptor which would achieve the same thing without the need for a muxer?

Sorry for long post, but look forward to any help!

Thanks, Ben
 
cobolt said:
Now my question is, would that system allow routes to be exported from those programs into the chart plotters?
Click to expand...
From Brookhouse blurb
:
4. An auto-pilot can be controlled by the iPad or chart plotter in “track-mode” (GPS mode) via the same port. This function is not available for iPhone and iPod touch.

5. Waypoints can be created in iNavX on the iPad and transferred via Wifi to a computer or chartplotter (iPad only).
Click to expand...

That implies (to me: could be wrong) bi-directional communication by the multiplexer with the control limitation in iNavX. No harm in checking with the manufacturers though.

cobolt said:
Second question, is it best to connect Seatalk directly to the iMUX, or should I connect the iMUX to the NMEA outputs from the spare Raymarine PC Interface box?
Click to expand...

Two boxes may be extra power and certainly more string and points of failure than one. If the iMUX seems to work ok without the Raymarine box, flog the latter to part-fund the former. If the brookhouse box doesn't convert something you want you'll soon know about it. There's an argument to say that the Raymarine box might be more efficient in operation because they have more knowledge of the nuances of the protocol: The list of sentences looks like the list everyone referencing the Thomas Knauf documents translates, which might imply Brookhouse's knowledge is not based on info from officially licensing seatalk-1 (although that's a total guess and could be utterly wrong). However that wouldn't justify the extra complication for me.

OTOH if you keep the raymarine box you greatly expand the list of alternatives.
cobolt said:
Alternatively, has anyone got a better solution to this? Considering we have a Seatalk PC Interface box, with PC RS232 output/input already....is there such thing as a serial --> wifi adaptor which would achieve the same thing without the need for a muxer?
Click to expand...

Take your pick from the many threads on this :-) e.g.:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?376686-IPAD-AIS

I believe the shipmodul miniplex is another alternative to the brookhouse if you want to do seatalk conversion in a commercial wireless mux:
http://www.shipmodul.com/en/miniplex-2wi.html

No personal experience of either product but they are the two I see mentioned most in the nmea-over-wifi-with-seatalk-conversion context
 
aurelrica@yahoo.com send me amail and i'll give you a 55usd solution of an wifi from boat to anny wifi device... now i'm tryng to make a remonte control app from android to this wifi for steering the raymarine autopilots... untill now I managed to steer +1 degree with pilot engaged manualy... i do not know all the sentences...
 
Have a look at http://www.shipmodul.com/en/index.html Their multiplexers can read Seatalk data and they have a wifi version.

"The new MiniPlex-2Wi transports NMEA data wirelessly to your iPad, iPhone, laptop or any other WiFi enabled device. "

In my case, I don't use their wifi multiplexer but have a USB2 version. This feeds data from multiple sources including Seatalk to an old Acer notebook via usb, which runs Navmonpc (a free download) The notebooks's Ethernet port feeds a standard wifi router which then broadcasts the data thoughout the boat. (the notebook doesn't have wifi)
(Navmon can act as a network client or server)

I have a Dell toughbook laptop with a daylight viewable touch screen display which runs Navmon as a client so I can use Belfields Chartplotter and Polarview wirelessly in the cockpit.
 
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Neither of which are any use to the OP as he wants to transmit Seatalk data so would need a Seatalk to nmea converter. The shipmodul Miniplex-wifi does it all and more.
 
if you're using a pc with open cpn you can send the route directly from the pc to steer the pilot, and inavx also work directly... and all wireless... youimentioned a seatalk to pc tonmea converter from raymaryne... all you have to do is connect the wifi to the converter...
 
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the one I've showed toyou get's the alimentation from 9-45v, with a automotive grade stabilisation circuit... those from amazon are 5v... i know that it costs like 3 euro a 12v to 5 adaptor but more things are inside the boat....
now I have a question for you: how nmea sentence $GPAPA should be for steering only from the magnetic compass?
 
ok guys wee have the autopilot remonte controll tru the wifi directly from android phone... a tcp program that costs 2 euro with personalisation of the buttons to send the commandas..... and all send to seatalk tru the setalk to nmea interface from gadget pool.de with 6 lines more in the software... the guy from gadgetpool is realy availeble and has nice gadgets... no advertising intended...
it might be a chinese tcp interface but it does alot for the money... i'm playng with it and more i see the more it does, now i'm using it as web tcp remonte controll to turn on and off appliences for my house...
 
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