Upgrading Raymarine Instruments

kennyh

kennyh

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Hi all

I'm currently planning an upgrade of my instruments to new Raymarine kit and I've a couple of questions around interconnection of the devices.

I'm replacing a C120 Classic MFD and Analogue Radar (which I'm going to sell so PM me if it's of interest to you) with a new C125 and Quantum Radome. I've also currently got a ST60+ Tridata which I''m likely to replace with a i50 Tridata.

I may also fit a ECI-100 to get some engine data from my VP D4-260.

As far as connecting the new C125 to the new i50, can I just connect them directly together via a Seatalk ng cable? Would the power cable to the C125 then power the i50? Or, would I need to fit a Seatalk ng backbone and power the C125 and i50 from the network?

I'm guessing if I do want to fit a ECI-100 (to get engine data) then I will need to create a backbone anyway to get everything connected; I'm just trying to get the cheapest option re interconnection.

Finally, any suggestions on the best place to buy the required Seatalk ng cables; is it worth a trip to LBS to get a good deal on a Quantum Radime, cabling and a i50 (I've already bought the C125)?

Any thoughts?
 
I'm sure there will be some boat show offers, measure cable lengths then make a list of what you need and ask for an all in price for the lot. Some cables can be pricey so only get what you need.
 
The backbone needs to be powered from a 12v supply, some autopilots will also supply power, the I70 & P70 instruments I had on last boat were powered by the stng cables, there's no power connections other than if a stand alone display in which you use the stng power cable direct to display.
 
kennyh said:
Hi all



Finally, any suggestions on the best place to buy the required Seatalk ng cables; is it worth a trip to LBS to get a good deal on a Quantum Radime, cabling and a i50 (I've already bought the C125)?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I bought a Raymarine digital radar system at LBS year before last. After trolling around the various stands Cactus Navigation were the cheapest on the day.
No connection just someone who is very tight.
 
You can't "just connect" with an ng cable; you need to build a mini ng backbone. The backbone requires 12v power supply and it WILL then power small instruments that are connected to spurs off the backbone (contrary to what Spannerman writes above)

Ng is nmea2000 with special raymarine connectors, so that they can charge you a fortune. By going the raymarine route you have pretty much caused yourself to have to buy the most expensive interconnect cabling possible. All other manufacturers use much cheaper (but just as good) generic n2k cabling
 
As jfm says, the Seatalk NG network will power small instruments - most of the current range do not have separate power inputs. It will not power larger devices like plotters, autopilots or AIS. Equally, most of the large devices do not provide power to the NG network - you need to do that via a power adaptor connected directly to the NG backbone.

Also, as jfm says, Seatalk NG cabling is usually more expensive than the generic NMEA2k equivalents. If you already have a NG network installed in the boat, that probably does not matter. If you have to start from scratch, then most Raymarine kit seems to come with a short NG cable and it may make sense to cut off the plug from one end, replace it with a NMEA2k connector (easily purchased) and install an NMEA2k backbone using generic hardware.
 
Thanks all

You beat me to the update.....

As JFM and Maby have noted, I now understand that MFD's require their own dedicated power and the backbone likewise requires its own dedicated power. The i50 will be powered via the backbone.

Thankfully my boat is not as big as Larry's (see other thread about "Musashi"), despite me previously working 16 years at Oracle, so my cabling requirements are not extensive and after a friendly chat with a marine electronics engineer I've managed to get the Seatalk ng cabling I need for £100.

My final question is around installing a Raymarine ECI-100 engine data interface.

There is a specific interface cable supplied by Raymarine for the VP D series (in my case for my D4-260 with EVC-C).

I've not managed to track down info on where that interface cable is connected into the VP EVC network. So does it connect to the HCU (Helm Control Unit) or via Y-splitter on the instrument spur, or is there a dedicated port somewhere else (on the engine ECU for example)?

Thanks for any advice!
 
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