Recent content by Marlin Prowell

That table is original from Ericson. Ours is like that, only our starboard half is even longer. It is the same length as the port side, which makes it difficult to get into the port settee when the starboard leaf is folded down. The starboard leaf is easily removed. Ours is stored in our...

I did not catch that the Raymarine backbone device in your diagram that connects the ST4000+ to the NMEA 2000 bus was actually a gateway. It looks just like a regular SeatalkNG backbone but with an odd yellow connector. I thought it was only a backbone, but it is actually a gateway that...

I cannot read the small print for the box supplying power to the SN01, but, in my cursory look at the documentation, it seems the SN01 gets its only power from the NMEA 2000 bus, and not from an external source. There is a hack that you can try if you can physically split your NMEA 2000 network...

I continued the gateway discussion in post #6 here.

In this post, You have your ST4000+ connected via the Seatalk connector to the NMEA 2000 bus. You cannot do that. Raymarine has four(!) versions of Seatalk, all different. Seatalk or Seatalk1, a three wire oblong connector Seatalk2, a five wire chunky connector SeatalkNG, a six wire M16-like...

I realize that I did not make a distinction that is important to this discussion. The NMEA bus has power and ground wires that can supply a small amount of current to devices. I’m suggesting that the NMEA bus power connection be a separate circuit from your instruments circuit breaker. Put a...

Without knowing your equipment list in detail, I cannot answer this with certainty, but I don’t see why you cannot keep your NMEA bus powered all the time using a separate fused circuit. This will also keep all the transducers that take power from the bus also permanently powered on, which seems...

If you have anything attached to the NMEA 2000 backbone that does not also have a separate power connection, like a depth sounder, then the device is definitely drawing power from the backbone. It may not be much, but is enough to drain the battery over time. I have the NMEA backbone power...

We have an E34 with the original anchor pan. We have 250 feet of 5/8” nylon 3 strand and 70 feet of 5/16” chain. It all fits in the locker along with a danforth anchor. The rode is snaked back and forth, not just piled in a heap, but everything fits with room to spare.

I like a good puzzle, and your network setup is a great one. I’ve been thinking about your revised wiring. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will work. You need to set the baud rate for the Cortex NMEA0183 TX lines to 38,400 to be able to transmit AIS information to the C80. The C80 can handle...

Three of us gave short 15 minute talks on different topics at the last rendezvous. I talked about NMEA network fundamentals. I talked about the basic concepts behind NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000, how you connect various devices to create a network, and why you would want to do that. There are plenty...

In NMEA 0183 networks, there are talkers and there are listeners. An example of a talker is a depth sounder or an anemometer. An example of a listener is a tiller pilot. A NMEA 0183 network, you typically connect one talker to one listener. Of course there are exceptions, but typically one...

@bgary There’s a lot of subtle NMEA 0183 stuff in your diagram — NMEA 0183 V1 and NMEA 0183 V2. I understand all that stuff and have considered writing up a blog post about NMEA networks that covers these differences and why you wired your network the way you did. What Garmin model is your...

I like the True North heater because it cannot tip over, regardless of how much the boat is knocked around in a gale. I also keep all countertops and seat cushions cleared of items that might fall, so nothing is going to fall on top of the heater. Plus the electrical panel circuit will trip and...

Here in Bellingham, Whatcom Country, we have single digit temperatures and record low temps. We’ve had ice in the marina other times, but not this time because the high winds. If the wind stops it may freeze pretty solid. I’ve use a Caframo Dehumidifier but I also have a TrueNorth heater with...