Raymarine Seatalk hs network , cable info needed

[ReneJK]

Does anyone know if the PIN connections of Raymarine's Seatalk hs network cable is the same as an ordinary network cable thats used to connect PC's ?

I am trying to have a DSM300 talk to an E90w or C140w to verify everything works before installation but it doesnt seem to work


What I have now is a DSM300 (no transducer fitted) direct to the E90w or C140w but neither one of the plotters 'sees' the DSM 300, either with a normal ethernet cable or with a X-over cable , no go

I tried to put the Seatalk hs network switch in between first , with normal ethernet cables (and with X-over cable) but again , no go . the LED's on the Seatalk switch wont even light up (= no network packages and no network detected) when I put the ethernet cable in and the plotters will not see the DSM 300 . Tested the raymarine hs network switch with a normal router and is all OK

The DSM 300 LED blinks orange a few times when connecting to power (no transducer connected) , then blinks green regularly= no network detected

So my question is :
Are the Raymarine Seatalk ethernet cables wired differently from normal 'straight' or 'x-over' network cables and do I need to order the Raymarine original cables for testing / troubleshooting , or does someone know how they're wired (if differently) and has a pin connection schematics for me so I can continue testing the set up before installing

 

[ReneJK]

This is from the DSM300 manual , I assumed that the cross over coupler could be left out when you use a 'cross over' network / ethernet cable and the set up with the network switch doesnt work either

 

[Malish]

Have you asked Raymarine? Via their website they are prompt in replying to specific questions like this.
For my own two penn'th I could be wrong but seatalk hs is an NMEA 2000 system which is very different to a standard PC ethernet connection.

 

[ReneJK]

I will try asking through their website , thanks

Undoubtedly NMEA 2000 is different from Ethernet but from my point of view the data packets still travel through (copper) wires and the copper really doesnt matter what it transports , it will pass NMEA 2000 with the same ease as Ethernet or 12v for that matter but I hoped it would connect to the same wires. But I will ask them !

 

[JerryHawkins]

Standard CAT5

I have a DSM 300 connected to an E120 and all works fine. I'm using a standard 4-port switch rather than the extortionately priced Raymarine branded one. If you don't use a switch, then you need a cross-over cable or coupler. My switch is not IP rated, but then its in a protected location. The HS cables are indeed standard CAT5 (shielded variety) cables. The only thing I found was that I had to use Raymarine-specific cables (the shortest/cheapest I could get) for the connections at the DSM300 and E120 and then use ordinary CAT5S cables for the longer runs (connected to the Raymarine cables with standard CAT5S couplers). There is something odd about the sockets in the Raymarine units which means that a standard CAT5 plug doesn't seem to seat correctly; perhaps this is what you're finding?

Another thing - the E120 and network switch need to be powered on first so that when the DSM300 'boots up' it can 'see' the E120. If I power on the DSM300 then the switch it doesn't work.

 

[iangrant]

E80 to Laptop

I had the raymarine nav software on my laptop and connetd to the E80 with a shielded cat5e cable - no work - then used a standard crossover cable (well I stripped the wires and crossed TX and RX +/- s - pins 1-2 and 3-6) and it worked straight away

sounds like one of the peices of kit faulty

Oh and BTW most ethernet switches these days are auto sensing i.e. the will work out the TX and RX pairs.

Make sure the pairs are right on the cable in that pins 1-2 are a pair and 3-6 are a pair or it won't work.

Alos make sure you use shielded cable and be careful where it's routed in the boat, don't run the cables in parallel with VHF,


Ian

 

[ReneJK]

Thanks Jerry & Ian
Exactly what I was looking for, not what I was hoping for
and guess what ? I did a rtfm and the pin layout is in the user manual as well , I should have known
Now to seek further whats going on and which piece of kit is faulty , if any, and I am ordering 1 original Raymarine OEM cable for testing purposes , approx 50GBP for a 1.5 meter cable ! . . talk about extortionately priced

 

[ReneJK]

I never posted how this ended, ...

well everything works now and the 'trick' is to use Raymarine ethernet cables !
the "Screw in" end on the plotter and DSM300 doesnt make any contact with normal RJ45 cables, it does work with the proprietary Raymarine cable

 

[nw04jen]

I agree that the rj45 adapters do not fit easily - its a ridiculously tight fit - i have used existing cabling between 2 working C120Ws and changed the MFDs for GS125s and it will not work - I have green lights both ends of the data cable if / when I insert switch and 1 thru 8 on a Cat5 tester with adapters for raynet (OEM) - doesnt work
throw a spare CAT5 cable I have at home over the side and into both adapters and works fine? - am at a complete loss - used passthrough RJ45s which all give 1-8 thru tester and steady green light if plugged into a 'switch', then connect it all up thru rj45 to raynet adapter and MFDs cant see sh~t - ....makes no sense so now have to run a new bloody cable thru the boat which is a job for a small dwarf that works weekends in cirque de soleil...