Analog to NEMA 2000 using the CX5003

[sjcare]

1982 Ford Lehman 120s. I purchased the CX5003 from Amazon, it was $130 I didn't want to spend $600 on Actisense plus I think you have spend another $$$ for a USB cable to calibrate. Any, I've been pouring over lots of forums and the internet to find any installation instructions, I can't seem to find any details. The ones that come with the unit don't really give you any instructions.
Has anyone installed one of these? Just wondering if you can use them with dual helm senders? Can you wire them in tandem with your existing gauges? Also there is a 12v pin and ground, do those have to be connected to a 12v source? I thought the unit draws its pwr from the NEMA 2000 network (Garmin MFDs upper and lower helms)? Any insight will be helpful.

 

[tpbrady]

It’s probably similar to the Noland RS-11. The 12v should be wired to an ignition switched voltage source and the black to ground. The other ports are connected to the gauges at the helm. Most use push on connectors and you can find adapters on Amazon for two push on connectors from one on Amazon. Some ports may only be useful for a single function, such as a tach input. Others may be generic in which case you will have to label them in the setup software. In the setup, there might be two settings to start calibration, the first is key on without the engine running. The next is the engine running and inputting the value from the analog gauge. Basically it interprets voltage coming from a sensor (e.g. oil pressure) and translates to the digital equivalent of the gauge.

I was considering trying one of those after my 12 years old RS11 wouldn’t work after sitting for 9 years. Let me know how it goes.

Tom

 

[sjcare]

Ok, thanks for that advice. I'm going to dive into it. I will post an update.

 

[Satch]

I think you are right. I am guessing that the unit gets its power from the NMEA bus, which carries both power (12V) and ground.

The inputs are all voltages relative to boat ground. It is not uncommon (in other, non-marine applications) to have a instrument (signal) ground separate from the power ground, so I suspect the GND inputs are the signal gounds that would strap to the engine chassis or whatever is the return on the boat. Presumably the inputs are high impedance (don't draw significant current), so they can just measure the voltage difference between the input and the signal ground rather than to the power ground in the NMEA bus.

The other thing I picked up from researching similar units is that there are apparently two different resistance ranges commonly used for boat tank level sensors, one I think is Japanese and the other is rest of world, or some such. Just know that the sensors on your boat have to match the resistance ranges (in ohms) quoted on the data sheet. It should be easy to pull one of your tank sensors out, hook it up to a ohmmeter, and run the float up and down to see what the range is on yours.

BTW, the same unit is supposedly available from alibaba.com for $70 and free shipping: Cx5003 Dual Channel Nmea2000 Converter /n2k Converter - Buy Nmea2000 Converter,N2k Converter,Nmea Product on Alibaba.com

 

[sjcare]

Update! So after messing with the CX5003 for days trying to get it to work with no luck I sent it back to Amazon. I purchased the Noland Engineering RS11 - CANbus Engine Data Converter. The instructions were clear, installation was easy. The calibration was pretty simple. So it works very well so far. It was 4x the cost but all in all worth it and I would highly recommend this route. I'm hesitant to start pulling out gauges, I'm sure I will eventually.

The one issue I didn't really anticipate was the lack of real estate on my garmin chart plotter. I have a GPSMAP 942xs plus on the lower helm and the upper helm. By the time you put the chart, sonar, camera on the screen there isn't any room for engine data. So I thought I will just use active captain app and put it on my tablet. No luck, the active captain app only mirrors the main helm. Does anyone know if there are any cheaper 2nd screen alternatives? I'm guessing that would mean I would need to buy a Raspberry Pi with NEMA 2000 connection to grab the data and put it on a screen.

I would appreciate any input on a potential solution. I'm starting to feel like Garmin has enough of my $$$$$$$$.

 

[Gdavid]

There are generic display screens you can tie into your nmea2000 backbone to show whatever data you want to see on the network. I've never used one but would be curious on how they work, I see one on ebay for under $300. Much cheaper option than a Garmin, Simrad, etc option which rund about $900.

 

[sjcare]

There are generic display screens you can tie into your nmea2000 backbone to show whatever data you want to see on the network. I've never used one but would be curious on how they work, I see one on ebay for under $300. Much cheaper option than a Garmin, Simrad, etc option which rund about $900.

I can't find any, do you have a link?

 

[Gdavid]

I can't find any, do you have a link?

I have no experience with this item at all, it was just something I noticed when thinking about digitizing my guages.

IS10 NMEA 2000 Digital Touch Screen Gauge (R&S) | eBay

2.8” LCD touch screen. Straightforward dash mounting for a flush fit. Efficient power consumption.

ebay.us

 

[Mjohnson]

If you search YouTube there's a couple guys that tried that style of analog to nmea converter. None That I saw had good luck or longevity out of the cheaper units. I installed a RS-11 was more expensive, but simple install and calibration. Mine has been in for about 4 months and has about 15hrs of use with no problems.

 

[GB42-424]

If you're wanting a more customizable and very reliable and robust system I can share the code/configuration I developed for my boat using OPTO22 hardware and a CAN converter. Basically, analog voltage to digital input modules, a few relay modules for alerting, and a CAN converter to send the data and over-limit warnings over CAN/NMEA 2000 to my MFD. I also have a Windows computer for additional display, logging, and limit setting.