Actisense NMEA 2000 User manual

Technical Accuracy
To the best of our knowledge the information contained in this document was
correct at the time it was produced. Active Research Ltd cannot accept liability
for any inaccuracies or omissions.
The products described in this manual and the specications thereof may be
changed without prior notice. Active Research Ltd cannot accept any liability
for differences between the product and this document. To check for updated
information and specications please check actisense.com.
Active Research Ltd will not be liable for infringement of copyright, industrial
property rights, or other rights of a third party caused by the use of information
or drawings described in this manual.
Product Guarantee
This product comes with a three year ‘return to base’ guarantee. If you suspect
that the unit is faulty please refer to the Troubleshooting Section of the User
Manual before contacting support.
It is a requirement of the guarantee that all installations of electronic equipment
follow the NMEA 0400 specication. Any connection to a battery or power
supply must meet the mandatory essential safety requirements that may be
imposed by local regulatory agencies.
Actisense products are intended for use in a marine environment, primarily for
below deck use. If a product is to be used in a more severe environment, such
use may be considered misuse under the Active Research Ltd guarantee.
Important Notices
The device to which this manual relates complies with the Electromagnetic
Compatibility requirements according to EN60945. The unit should always
be used in conjunction with appropriately approved, shielded cable and
connectors as per NMEA 0400 to ensure compliance. A declaration of
conformity is available for download at www.actisense.com.
If the device to which this manual relates is to be installed within ve metres
of a compass, please refer to the ‘Compass Safe Distance’ section in the
‘Technical Specications’ table available on the Actisense website.
Trademarks and Registered Trademarks
Actisense®and the Actisense logo are registered trademarks of Active Research
Limited (Ltd). All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
The NMEA®name and NMEA logo are copyright held by the NMEA. All uses in
this manual are by permission and no claim on the right to the NMEA name or
logo are made in this manual.
Fair Use Statement
The contents of this manual may not be transferred or copied without the
express written permission of Active Research Ltd.
Copyright © 2017 Active Research Ltd. All rights reserved.
NMEA 2000
to PC Gateway
Quick Start Guide
NGT-1
Product Registration
Please register your product via the online form at http://actisense.com/
support/prodreg.html.
Your product package includes a unit serial number. The serial number is six
digits long and can be found below the barcode on the label. Your registration
will assist Actisense Support to link your product to your details, simplifying any
future assistance you may require.
Product Disposal
Please dispose of this product in accordance with the WEEE Directive.
The product should be taken to a registered establishment for the disposal of
electronic equipment.
Issue1.01
Active Research Ltd
21 Harwell Road
Poole
Dorset
UK, BH17 0GE
Tel: [phone]
Email:[email protected]
Web: www.actisense.com
Introduction & Features
The Actisense NGT-1 makes it possible to send and receive NMEA
2000®data safely between a PC and an NMEA 2000®network. This
creates the possibility of feature rich software applications replacing
or complementing dedicated hardware such as a Multifunction Display
(MFD) or Chart Plotter.
The freely available diagnostic software (NMEA Reader) from Actisense
uses the NGT-1 to display all devices active on the network and all of the
data messages owing between them. The powerful set of tools that NMEA
Reader offers the user can instil a better understanding of the network and
help diagnose potential network issues.
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Powering the NGT-1
ISO Variants:
All ISO variants of the NGT-1 receive their power supply when connected to a
correctly powered NMEA 2000 backbone. The backbone must also be correctly
terminated using NMEA 2000 approved, 120 Ohm termination resistors. Refer
to the “Connecting to an NMEA 2000 Network” section for more information.
USB Variants:
All USB variants will be powered by the PC/laptop USB connection once the
USB drivers have been successfully installed. Depending on the settings of the
PC/laptop that the NGT-1 is connected to, the latest Actisense USB drivers will
install automatically from Windows update. If this does not happen, the same
USB driver les are available on the CD that is included in the box with the NGT-
1 or from the NGT-1 ‘downloads’ web page.
ISO Variant USB Variant
Connnecting to an NMEA 2000 Network
The illustration below provides an example of the minimum requirements for
an NMEA 2000 network. The horizontal cable joining the T-pieces is not always
needed in reality as a backbone can be formed by simply connecting T-pieces
directly to each other. The cable connecting a device to a T-piece must not
exceed 6 metres as dened in the NMEA 2000 specication:
Conguring the NGT-1
The Application that is being used with the NGT-1 is responsible for conguring
the NGT-1 for each session when it opens up the COM port to the NGT-1. The
end user should not need to congure anything, and any manual conguration
could be lost.
If the “Tx PGN Enable List” inside the NGT-1 is manually changed those
changes may well be overwritten when starting up the software and it congures
the NGT-1 to what it knows it needs. Furthermore, if the software in use isn’t
actually sending the manually enabled PGNs to the NGT-1, nothing will appear
on the network. If software has been designed to transmit a PGN it should set
up the NGT-1’s “Tx PGN Enable List” accordingly to allow those PGNs to be
transmitted on the NMEA 2000 network.
NMEA 2000 Pin Out
The diagram below illustrates the standard wiring colours used by all NMEA
2000 devices (like the NGT-1):
Connnecting to a SeaTalkNG Network
Raymarines SeaTalkNG network uses exactly the same data as a standard
NMEA 2000 network. The only difference is the physical network connections.
To connect any standard NMEA 2000 device (like the NGT-1) to an STNG
network, simply use an NMEA 2000 to STNG adapter cable (product code:
STNG-A06045) between the device and the STNG network.
Connnecting to a PC/laptop
The diagram below illustrates how to connect the loose wires from any ISO
variant NGT-1 to a serial cable (DB9F). If the PC/laptop does not have a serial
port, a USB-serial converter will also be needed.
LED Behaviour
There are 2 LEDs inside the NGT-1, one on the PC/laptop side, one on the
NMEA 2000 network side. On start up, these LEDs will ash alternately and very
quickly for 2 seconds.
The primary function of the NGT-1 LEDs is to indicate reception of NMEA 2000
PGN data and the reception of PC/Serial data. If no data is present, both LEDs
will ash once every 10 secs (for rmware v2.210) or 5 secs (for rmware v2.500+).
This could be a result of incorrect wiring or a lack of data available to the NGT-1.
If any irregular behaviour is observed, please consult the NGT-1 User Manual
(available on the CD provided or NGT-1 ‘downloads’ web page) or visit the
Actisense Support Centre which can be accessed using the main menu on the
Actisense website.
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Backbone
T-Piece Terminator
Instrument
Drop
Power T
NMEA
2000
Device
COMPUTER
NGT-1
Do not
connect
Personal
Computer
( 9 PIN 'D'
RS232
Port)
RX
Pin 2
GND
Pin 5
TX
Pin 3
Arrows indicate
direction of data ow
NGT-1
CAN Network
NET COM
Shield
NET HI
NET LO
NET SUP
NMEA 2000 Drop Cable
Wire Colour NMEA 2000 PCB Label
Shield/Screen Shield SHIELD
Blue Net Low NET LO
White Net High NET HI
Black Net Common NET COM
Red Net Supply NET SUP
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