Wind speed / direction transducers

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bedouin

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Does anyone know if there is any possibility of using the wind transducer from one system with another?

The masthead unit from my Navico Corus system is getting unreliable and spares are no longer available, but I don't want to have to replace the entire set up.

I imagine the wind speed at least is probably just the same sort of magnet / reed switch as a log transducer so in theory it should be possible to fit another unit.
 
I think it is unlikely although possible. (Typical evasive answer!) You are right that they are all simple devices and work on the same principle and most seem to output NMEA but the sentences output are not all the same it seems. I could never make anything else work with my old Cetrek one when the transducer went although it says NMEA input on the terminals. Other bright "sparkies" will tell you why I am sure.
 
Re: Spare masthead unit...

Unfortunately replacing the whole unit is not a good option as they don't make compatible units any longer and if I were to replace the wind without the other instruments I would lose some of the integration functions that I find useful.
 
Re: Spare masthead unit...

I read the forum in flat mode so my replies don't always get attached to the right message /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks for the tips - I will try them tomorrow
 
Re: Spare masthead unit...

You are right of course. I had forgotten that the Wind instrument does not need a dedicated display, so it must be outputting the sentences itself.

The question is then can I find the specification for the CAN bus protocol so that I can write an interface?
 
Hi,
This reply comes a bit delayed, but the question is still of interest.

Did you ever find out about the Corus bus protocol? Rumours are that the Corus protocol served as a kind of pre-runner of NMEA200 and is partly compatible, but I have had not heard or found anything substantial that supports this. By nature, the CAN-bus protocol is based on a very robust set of rame rules that allows various sources to talk to even more listeners. The question is how the Navico engineers coded the information. Unfortunately, I don't have a CAN - USB converter here, otherwise one could do some eavesdropping...

Cheers,

The Longkeeler
 
bedouin said:
Does anyone know if there is any possibility of using the wind transducer from one system with another?

The masthead unit from my Navico Corus system is getting unreliable and spares are no longer available, but I don't want to have to replace the entire set up.

I imagine the wind speed at least is probably just the same sort of magnet / reed switch as a log transducer so in theory it should be possible to fit another unit.
Click to expand...

The bad news is I doubt very much if anything other than Navico will work. I assume you are looking for an ATM600/1
The good news is Tom-La-Mers from the "US of A" can both fix, or sell you reconditioned Navico instruments, and transducers.
I have had a few dealings with him, and he is ace.
I can send you his e-mail address if you like, but I know he takes an extended cruise in the summer, so it may be a winter job.
 
KREW2 said:
The bad news is I doubt very much if anything other than Navico will work. I assume you are looking for an ATM600/1
The good news is Tom-La-Mers from the "US of A" can both fix, or sell you reconditioned Navico instruments, and transducers.
I have had a few dealings with him, and he is ace.
I can send you his e-mail address if you like, but I know he takes an extended cruise in the summer, so it may be a winter job.
Click to expand...

You've just replied to a 6 year old post! Always worth looking at the post date.
 
Bedouin was talking about writing his own translation software, probably for something like the Arduino or Raspberry Pi. I just odered an CANbus analyzer and will check what the Navico boxes are telling each other. Won't surprise me if it's plain NMEAish.

Cheers from the Baltic Ocean (tm).
 
BalticLongkeeler said:
Bedouin was talking about writing his own translation software, probably for something like the Arduino or Raspberry Pi. I just odered an CANbus analyzer and will check what the Navico boxes are telling each other. Won't surprise me if it's plain NMEAish.

Cheers from the Baltic Ocean (tm).
Click to expand...

Again, this was a 6 year old post - it predates Raspberry pi!
 
bedouin said:
The question is then can I find the specification for the CAN bus protocol so that I can write an interface?
Click to expand...

OK, replace the RPi with a PIC, Atmel or similar, or even with a Z80 or something from that time (Millions of Z80s were the brain in the legendary Gameboy...)

And I saw that "Bedouin" was online today when I posted that reply, but maybe it's better to send him a PM, granted...
 
Navico Corus repairs

BalticLongkeeler said:
Hi,
This reply comes a bit delayed, but the question is still of interest.

Did you ever find out about the Corus bus protocol? Rumours are that the Corus protocol served as a kind of pre-runner of NMEA200 and is partly compatible, but I have had not heard or found anything substantial that supports this. By nature, the CAN-bus protocol is based on a very robust set of rame rules that allows various sources to talk to even more listeners. The question is how the Navico engineers coded the information. Unfortunately, I don't have a CAN - USB converter here, otherwise one could do some eavesdropping...

Cheers,

The Longkeeler
Click to expand...

Contact tlam45387@aol.com Tom has completed several repairs for me on various Navico Corus displays. He does a great job!
 
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