Need NEMA help

So I did try to read up n this but it gave me a headache…

I have a Raymarine C70 MFD ( I know, I know) that I would like to talk to my Vesper XB-8000.

The MFD has an unused NEMA 0183 port and the Vesper has an unused NEMA 2000 port.

Is connecting them as simple as getting a converter and putting it between the two units?

John

PMF1984 said:

Is connecting them as simple as getting a converter and putting it between the two units?

Click to expand...

No.

Totally different things. Not sure what else you have, but some 0183 devices can pass data through, allowing you to daisy chain.

Setup a NMEA 2000 small network. Use a starter kit, here is an example:
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Yach...s=nmea+2000+starter+kit&qid=1631887590&sr=8-4





Once that is setup, use one of these to integrate your 0183:
https://www.yachtd.com/products/nmea0183_gateway.html

I have the Raymarine C70 hooked up by Seatalk to a Raymarine depth finder. The vesper unit is connected by WiFi to my laptop and tablet, but I will be switching the laptop connection to USB to ease internet searches while underway.

I also have a connection to a vhf that gives the vhf location info, I’ll have to track that down. But that is a NEMA 0183 connection.

I have an old Simrad AP, I’ll look today to see if it is connected to the MFD.

What I want out of this is to have my depth info sent to the Vesper, which will then WiFi it to my tablet.

My primary nav app is AquaMap Master and the depth info will be part of my tracks. Along with date and time I can use the info to tell me to not try the same route at low tide.

PMF1984 said:

I have the Raymarine C70 hooked up by Seatalk to a Raymarine depth finder. The vesper unit is connected by WiFi to my laptop and tablet, but I will be switching the laptop connection to USB to ease internet searches while underway.

I also have a connection to a vhf that gives the vhf location info, I’ll have to track that down. But that is a NEMA 0183 connection.

I have an old Simrad AP, I’ll look today to see if it is connected to the MFD.

What I want out of this is to have my depth info sent to the Vesper, which will then WiFi it to my tablet.

My primary nav app is AquaMap Master and the depth info will be part of my tracks. Along with date and time I can use the info to tell me to not try the same route at low tide.

Click to expand...

The bi directional gateway (you will need one for each 0183 device and a NMEA 2000 port for each) I linked will allow them all to see each other. I too have a mix like you. I got it all talking to each other in order to use OpenCPN on a windows 10 tablet. I have a USB to NMEA 2000 adapter to hookup to the tablet.

A quick glance at the c70 marketing doc, says it already supports nmea 2000. So you should already have an an n2k port on the c70 unit. Just get a n2k starter kit, so you can connect both units via n2k. The Vesper also has 0183 output in the power cable connections.

I’m assuming your boat does not already have a n2k network. If it does, you likely just need a tee and a cable between units.

Henry and Ghost,

Thanks for replies.

I’m missing some details on my current setup. Let me get down to boat to see what I have exactly.

John

I don't believe the C70 supports AIS data on the NMEA 2000 port. But I'm almost certain it supports 0183 input from a Vesper 8000, I had an E120 set up that way for years (E and C are very similar). I think you can just use 0183 out from the Vesper into the C, you will need to set the 0183 port to 32K baud as that is what AIS requires.

OK, so I had a look at the boat. The boat does not have a NEMA 2000 network.

The Vesper power/data link is tied to the Standard Horizon VHF-DSC

The Vesper NEMA 2000 and USB port are unused.

The i40 depth finder has a 3 prong Seatalk connector on the back that goes directly to the positive and negative bus bars. The third wire is unattached.

The C70 has an open NEMA0183 port and an open DSM port.

The tablet connects to Vesper via WiFi

The PC connects to the Vesper via WiFi or USB

I want to connect the depth sounder to the Tablet via the Vesper

Use one of these:


https://www.thegpsstore.com/Marine-...-SeaTalk-Ng-to-NMEA-2000-Adapter-Cable-Female


Then use the NMEA 2000 starter kit.

HTurner said:

Use one of these:


https://www.thegpsstore.com/Marine-...-SeaTalk-Ng-to-NMEA-2000-Adapter-Cable-Female


Then use the NMEA 2000 starter kit.

Click to expand...

As far as the cable for depth sounder you may need the other sex.


To help explain, read this:


https://panbo.com/finally-raymarine-seatalk-ng-to-nmea-2000-backbone-adapters/

Henry,

Thanks for all the advice.

Will make a drawing of what I’m doing then order.

PMF1984 said:

Henry,

Thanks for all the advice.

Will make a drawing of what I’m doing then order.

Click to expand...

So I was able to get what set out to do, get the depth info to my Vesper, which shoots it by wifi to my Ipad. But I have another problem.

I got a SeatalkNG converter and hooked it to a NEMA2000 backbone. Attached to the Seatalk converter is my depth finder on a Seatalk line and my C70 on a Seatalk2 line. My NEMA2000 backbone is attached to my Vesper XB8000.

My problem is with communication between my laptop and the Vesper unit using the PC based Open Captain navigation sofytware.

I can get location and AIS info to the laptop from the Vesper using the wifi connection. But I cannot establish a connection though Open Captain on the USB port to carry the location and AIS info.

The laptop does talk to the Vesper unit through the USB port using the Vesper configuration software, so it's not a physical connection issue.

There has got to be some setting (baud rate maybe?) that I am missing in Open Captain. Tried internet searches, but could not seem to ask the right question.

Are you sure that configuration is supported? I don't know that it isn't, but WiFi from the Vesper to OpenCPN works well, why not use that?

Using the WiFi to communicate between lap top and Vesper requires that I chose the vesper as my WiFi provider and thus lose my internet connection through my netgear nighthawk.

You may need something like the Actisense NGT-1

I checked out the antisense, thanks for that. I have a support request into Vesper to see what they say.

PMF1984 said:

Using the WiFi to communicate between lap top and Vesper requires that I chose the vesper as my WiFi provider and thus lose my internet connection through my netgear nighthawk.

Click to expand...

If I remember right, on my Vesper WatchMate I was able to connect my vesper to my boats WiFi network, so my computer could still connect to the boats WiFi and not have to connect to the vesper directly.

Vesper had me set the baud rate to 38400. Works like a charm.

Thanks for all the help on the system integration.

PMF1984 said:

Using the WiFi to communicate between lap top and Vesper requires that I chose the vesper as my WiFi provider and thus lose my internet connection through my netgear nighthawk.

Click to expand...

Can the Vesper not act a client to the netgear's SSID? Connect everything through that. Pg 8 of their installation guide seems to indicate it can act as a Wifi client.

https://downloads.vespermarine.com/docs/XB_InstallGuide_20171017-web.pdf

Their owners manual seems to show how:
https://support.vespermarine.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001774395#h_01EG2HD2GW87BPZZ0ZPHVP0S60

That and setting the Vesper to a static address would aid in making sure anything else that expected to get data from it would always be able to use the same address. If your netgear supports it you could also configure a DHCP lease on the nighthawk to always provide the same address to the Vesper, more or less accomplishing the same thing.

Bill and others who suggested the signal from my Vesper going through my nighthawk, thanks for these thoughts/suggestions.

I’ll look at this when I next get a chance (as in stuck for a day because of the weather.)

There are some nav systems that depend on hosting their own IP network range (aka subnet). Most chart plotters require this, but usually only for a wired setup. This to make sure all their other devices (like radar, ais, etc) all get their idea of IP addresses and ranges. It's sort of stupid, but that's how they feel it should be.

But for Wifi, I've yet to find a vendor implementation of a wifi access point setup that didn't suck. You wouldn't think they'd be able to get it so horribly wrong.. but they do.

This presents complications if you want your boat wifi to have both cellular (or other) internet connectivity AND have a link to the chart plotter network. It can be done but depends on having a router setup that accepts making a second LAN wired connection. Many of the factory setups don't make it easy or straightforward.

But that's not what's being asked here, I just mention it as an aside if assumptions are being made about making that sort of thing happen.

The Vesper 8k has NMEA0183 ins/outs. You can't just use those?

My NEMA 0183 connection is used for the power source and connecting to the DSC VHF.

PMF1984 said:

My NEMA 0183 connection is used for the power source and connecting to the DSC VHF.

Click to expand...

0183 is not used for power. A connector that also has 0183 might also have pins for power, but they're unrelated. According to it's manual there's both input and output 0183 in that 10-pin connector, along with power and support for an external alarm.

If you have need to deliver or receive 0183 data from more than one device then you need to use an external device that can combine them. This was a common 'thing' back in the days before 0183, but it wasn't without a lot of hassles, due to vendors being inconsistent in how they handled 0183.

At a certain point it becomes a lot less torment in both time and money to get things onto the NMEA-2000 bus rather than jumping through 0183 hoops.

Bill,

Sorry if I misstated my current configuration. The Vesper has a power/data port. I hooked the power wires to the electrical distribution system and some of the data wires to my Standard Horizon DSC VHF.

I have installed a NEMA2000 backbone and connected it to a SeatalkNG (which is the same thing as NEMA2000 but with a different pin arrangement.) converter

The Vesper is connected this through the NEMA2000 port, and my RayMarine legacy instruments are connected to the SeatalkNG converter

Your Vesper is sending data to your VHF, talkers can have multiple listeners
(grey and yellow wires). So your Vesper should also be able to also talk to your MFD. And unless you're using it for something else the 8k should be able to receive data from your MFD (green and white)

PMF1984 said:

My NEMA 0183 connection is used for the power source and connecting to the DSC VHF.

Click to expand...