Actisense NMEA NGW-1-ISO User manual

NMEA Conversion Gateway
Install/User Manual
For all variants:
NGW-1-ISO
NGW-1-ISO-AIS
NGW-1-STNG
NGW-1-USB
Issue 3.0

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
Contents
Software Updates ........................................................................................................................... 4
Powering the NGW-1...................................................................................................................... 4
ISO Variants: ...................................................................................................................................................4
USB Variants: ..................................................................................................................................................4
Connnecting to an NMEA 2000 Network ...................................................................................... 5
NMEA 2000 Pin Out ........................................................................................................................................5
Connnecting to a SeaTalkNG Network ......................................................................................... 5
Connnecting to NMEA 0183 Devices ............................................................................................ 6
Connnecting to a PC/laptop .......................................................................................................... 6
LED Behaviour and Troubleshooting ........................................................................................... 7
Changing Firmware........................................................................................................................ 8
Conguring using NMEA Reader.................................................................................................. 9
Connecting the NGW-1 to NMEA Reader .......................................................................................................9
Changing the Baud rate...................................................................................................................................9
Selecting PGNs for Conversion.....................................................................................................................10
Special ARL P-codes.....................................................................................................................................10
Tech Tips from our Support Team .............................................................................................. 10
Using the NGW-1 with waypoints..................................................................................................................10
Multiple sources of NMEA 0183 data ............................................................................................................10
NGW-1 Prioritisation of NMEA 2000 Talkers .................................................................................................11
Difference between NGW-1 and NGT-1 ........................................................................................................11
NGW-1 Product Order Codes........................................................................................................................13

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
Important Notices
Trademarks and registered trademarks
Actisense® and the Actisense logo are registered trademarks of Active Research Limited. 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 Limited.
Copyright ©2017 Active Research Ltd. All rights reserved.
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 contact Active Research Limited.
Active Research Limited 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 registration
Please register your product via the online form on www.actisense.com.
Your product package includes a unit serial number. Your registration will assist Actisense Support to link
your product to your details, simplifying any future assistance you may require.
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 Guide section of this document.
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 Limited guarantee.
Product installation and operation
This product must be installed and operated in accordance with the instructions provided. Failure to do so
could result in personal injury, damage to your boat and/or poor product performance.
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.

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
About
The Actisense NGW-1 NMEA 2000 Gateway is the easiest way to link between a boats old and new data
networks. The NGW-1 can convert NMEA 0183 data into NMEA 2000 data and vice-versa.
The NGW-1 is available to purchase in a variety of options:
NGW-1-ISO is the standard option. With an opto-isolated input and ISO-Drive output for direct NMEA 0183
device bi-directional connection.
NGW-1-ISO-AIS is the NMEA 0183 AIS option that enables the conversion of NMEA 0183 AIS data
to its equivalent in NMEA 2000. This provides an ‘out of the box’ solution for quick installation with no
conguration required.
NGW-1-USB is the NMEA 0183 USB (1.1 and 2.0) interface for bi-directional connection to a PC for use
with NMEA 0183 software.
Every option of the NGW-1 is available with the SeaTalkNG to NMEA 2000 adaptor Cable - STNG-A06045.
The SeaTalkNG to NMEA 2000® adaptor cable (STNG-A06045) is not available as a standalone product
and must be bought as part of a bundle.
Please go to the ‘Downloads’ page of the Actisense website to see the up to date list of conversions the
various congurations can handle.
The Actisense NMEA Reader software utility allows the NGW-1 user to view and understand (in detail) the
translated NMEA 0183 sentences output by an NGW-1 directly.
Soware Updates
The NGW-1 units have built-in rmware which is held in ‘ash’ memory, allowing quick and easy upgrades
using the latest NGW-1 ActiPatch.
Actisense recommends that the NGW-1 rmware is kept up to date. The rmware version currently
installed on the NGW-1 can be checked on any NMEA 2000 MFD capable of displaying all devices that are
active on the NMEA 2000 network. Simply check this number against the latest version number on in the
downloads section of the Actisense website.
Powering the NGW-1
ISO Variants:
All ISO variants of the NGW-1 receive their power supply when connected to a correctly powered
NMEA 2000 backbone. The backbone must also be correctly terminated to allow connected devices to
communicate. 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 NGW-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 NGW-1 or from the
NGW-1 downloads web page.

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
Connnecting to an NMEA 2000 Network
The illustration below provides an example of the minimum requirements for an NMEA 2000 network. If an
NMEA 2000 network is not currently installed, Actisense has a variety of Starter Kits available.
The horizontal cable illustrating the backbone 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:
Backbone
T-Piece Terminator
Instrument
Drop
Power T
NMEA
2000
Device
NMEA
0183
Network
NMEA 2000 Pin Out
The diagram below illustrates the standard wiring colours used by all NMEA 2000 devices (like the NGW-1):
NGW-1
NMEA 2000
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
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 NGW-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.

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
Connnecting to a PC/laptop
The diagram and table below illustrate how to connect the loose wires from any ISO variant NGW-1 to
a serial cable (DB9F). If the PC/laptop does not have a serial port, a USB-serial converter will also be
needed.
Connnecting to NMEA 0183 Devices
The diagram and table below illustrate how to connect the loose wires from any ISO variant NGW-1 to the
TX/RX terminals of any NMEA 0183 Talker/Listener.
NGW-1
Do not connect
NMEA
Listener/In
NMEA
Talker/Out
B/-
A/+
B/-
A/+
GND
TX
GND
RX
/
/
/
/
NMEA 0183 DEVICE
Arrows indicate direction of data ow
Wire Colour Label Connnects To
Black IN B / - Talker OUT B / - / GND
Red IN A / + Talker OUT A / + / Data
Blue OUT B / - Listener OUT B / - /
GND
White OUT A / + Listener OUT A / + /
Data
Shield /
Screen ISO GND Not Connected
COMPUTER
NGW-1
Do not
connect
PC 9 PIN
RS232 Port
RX
Pin 2
GND
Pin 5
TX
Pin 3
Arrows indicate
direction of data flow
Wire Colour Label Connnects To
Black IN B / - GND (Pin 5)
Red IN A / + TX (Pin 3)
Blue OUT B / - GND (Pin 5)
White OUT A / + RX (Pin 2)
Shield /
Screen ISO GND Not Connected

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
Behaviour Solution
USB only: The LEDs do not
light The USB driver has not been installed correctly.
The NMEA 2000 LED does
not ash when the NMEA
2000 network is active
Check that the NGW-1 is connected to the NMEA 2000 network and
that the NMEA 2000 network is operational.
Conrm that the PGN messages are available on the network (using
an Actisense NGT-1 or similar device) and that the required PGNs are
supported on the latest NGW-1 Conversion List.
The NMEA 0183 LED does
not ash when connected to
an NMEA 0183 Talker
Check that the NGW-1 is connected correctly to the NMEA 0183 device
and that the same Baud rate has been set on both devices.
Both LEDs ash together,
once every 10 seconds
Indicates that the NGW-1 is powered but no data is received from either
connection. If valid data should be present and converted by the NGW-
1 on one or both inputs, refer to the two rows above.
The LEDs ash alternately
very fast (4 times per
second). This sequence
repeats continuously
Indicates that the NGW-1 has lost its Firmware, please connect the unit
to the latest NGW-1 Actipatch and re-install the Firmware.
LED Behaviour and Troubleshooting
There are 2 LEDs inside the NGW-1, one on the NMEA 0183 side, one on the NMEA 2000 side. On start
up, these LEDs will ash alternately and very quickly for 2 seconds.
The primary function of the NGW-1 NMEA 0183 LED is to indicate reception of a valid NMEA 0183
sentence. The NMEA 2000 LEDs main function is to indicate reception of a PGN on the NGW-1
conversion list. It is normal for the NMEA 0183 LED to ash faster than the NMEA 2000 LED due to the
smaller bandwidth available to NMEA 0183.
If the NGW-1 is not receiving any data on either side, both LEDs will ash together every 10 seconds. This
could be a result of incorrect wiring, mismatched baud rates or a lack of data available to the NGW-1.
If any irregular behaviour is observed, please consult the video in the Actisense Support Centre or the table
below.
Technical Support and the Returns Procedure
All installation instructions and any warnings contained in this manual must be followed before contacting
Actisense technical support. If the troubleshooting guide did not help resolve the problem and an error
persists, please contact Actisense technical support to help trace the issue before considering the return of
the product. If Actisense support concludes that the NGW-1 unit should be returned to Actisense a Returns
Number will be issued by the support engineer.
The Returns Number must be clearly visible on both the external packaging and any documentation
returned with the product. Any returns sent without a Returns Number will incur a delay in being processed
and a possible charge.

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
Changing Firmware
Both the standard and AIS versions of NGW-1 rmware can be installed in any hardware variant. The
NGW-1 downloads web page contains a list of options that allows the device name to display accurately
on an NMEA 2000 network device list. All standard versions operate in the same way and all AIS versions
operate the same way regardless of the name.
Here’s how to change the rmware:
Locate and download the required ActiPatch from the Actisense website. For example, if you have an
NGW-1-STNG and you wish to enable AIS conversions, you will need “NGW-1-STNG-AIS v2.420 ActiPatch
Setup”
To connect your NGW-1 (ISO Variants) to a PC (to update its rmware) you have the following options:
1. Wire a D-type 9-pin connector to your NGW-1’s NMEA 0183 port (you can connect that directly to
the NGW-1 terminals inside the case if that is more convenient), and then connect to a standard “USB to
Serial” adapter cable if your computer does not have an RS232 port on it. Please refer to “Connnecting to a
PC/laptop” on page 6.
2. You might want to consider our Actisense DB9-F and USB-1 products if do not have cables already.
3. For a quick and easy connection, use our Actisense USG-2 product for direct wiring to the NGW-1’s
terminals whilst keeping your PC safe with 1500 volts of isolation.
You can use the USG-2 as a safe way to connect any NMEA 0183 signal to your PC so it is great as an
NMEA 0183 diagnostic tool when used with our freely available NMEA Reader software
Note that with the ISO variants of the NGW-1, power needs to be present on the NMEA 2000/SeaTalkNG
side of the NGW-1 for the PC connection to be powered and active. The USB variants are powered once
the latest USB drivers have been successfully downloaded and installed.
With the NGW-1 connected to your PC, select the correct COM port for your NGW-1 from the drop down
menu in the Actipatch you just downloaded.
Click on the ‘Program’ button when it goes green and you will see the progress bar indicating the
installation of the rmware to your NGW-1.
When the installation is completed successfully, the ‘Patch ID’ box and ‘Device ID’ box will contain identical
information.

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
Configuring using NMEA Reader
In the majority of cases, conguration of an NGW-1 is not required as it communicates at the standard
4800 baud rate for NMEA 0183 devices (38400 for the AIS rmware) by default. All available conversions
are enabled by default so the only conversion related conguration option is to reduce the number of
conversions carried out by the NGW-1. Checking extra boxes in the PGN enable lists in NMEA Reader that
weren’t initially checked will have no effect.
All available conversions being enabled on the NGW-1 should not cause conicts as NMEA 0183 devices
are usually good at recognising data that they don’t require and ignoring it. NMEA 2000 is also very good at
handling data.
If you still wish to congure the NGW-1, this can be done using the freely available NMEA Reader.
Connecting the NGW-1 to NMEA Reader
Connect the NGW-1 to the PC (refer to “Connnecting to a PC/laptop” on page 6) and run the NMEA
Reader program. Select the port number the Baud rate for the NGW-1. The default Baud rate for the NGW-
1 is 4800 with the standard Firmware and 38400 with the AIS Firmware. NMEA Reader will attempt to
communicate with the NGW-1. Once successful the ‘Hardware Cong’ tab will become available and the
green LED indicator next to the Baud selection will ash.
Note: You must open the port at the Baud rate the NGW-1 is congured to use, there is no auto Baud
feature.
Changing the Baud rate
At the bottom of the ‘Hardware Cong’ tab there is a ‘Port Cong’ section. Under ‘Serial Baud Rate’ there
are 2 drop down boxes, one of which is disabled. Select the new Baud rate you require for the device and
click ‘Apply’. The new setting will be sent to the NGW-1 which will reboot. NMEA Reader will re-open the
connection at the new Baud rate.
It is not possible to congure the inputs and outputs of the NGW-1 to operate at separate baud rates.
Note: Do not make any other conguration changes when setting the Baud rate. Some changes may be
lost when setting the new Baud rate.
Note: Only the USB variant of the NGW-1 is capable of Baud rates above 115200. Do not change the Baud
rate of the other varients to above 115200. Doing so may prevent the NGW-1 from communicating and may
require the return of the unit.
Selecting PGNs for Conversion
NB: If making more than a few changes to the enabled conversions in the NGW-1, you will need to
temporarily increase the Baud rate. Remember to change it back when nished.

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
As a quick description: Using NMEA Reader, you can choose which PGN’s are received (Rx) or transmitted
(Tx) by the NGW-1. For example, turning off PGN 127251 from the “Rx PGN Enable List” will stop all ROT
sentences appearing on the NMEA 0183 output of the NGW. However, turning off PGN 128267 from the
“Rx PGN Enable List” will stop both DPT and DBT sentences appearing on the NMEA 0183 side of the
NGW. There is currently no way of choosing DPT or DBT, you can only get or stop both.
The “Tx PGN Enable List” works in a similar way, DBT and DPT are used to generate PGN 128267
you cannot choose data from one sentences and not the other. Please refer to the NGW-1 Conversion
List document to fully understand the relationship between the NMEA 2000 PGN and the NMEA 0183
Sentences.
For full instructions on how to use NMEA Reader, please refer to the NMEA Reader & EBL Reader User
Manual. In the manual it shows the hardware conguration option as a window, however with the latest
edition of NMEA Reader it is a tab that can be selected at the bottom left side of the NMEA Reader window.
Special ARL P-codes
he Active Research Ltd P-codes option turns on or off the special Actisense system status sentences from
the 0183 output. The default is the ‘permanently disabled‘ to conserve output bandwidth. Once you have
selected the new behaviour click ‘Apply’.
Using the NGW-1 with waypoints
If you want to use the NGW-1 with NMEA 0183 waypoint names, they have to be purely numeric – e.g. a
valid waypoint name is “73”, an invalid name is “waypoint 73” in order for the NGW-1 to correctly convert
it to NMEA 2000. This is because NMEA 2000 waypoint names can only be numeric (at their lowest level).
Converting NMEA 2000 waypoint names to NMEA 0183 is simple as they will automatically use the numeric
value dened in NMEA 2000.
Multiple sources of NMEA 0183 data
Unfortunately it is not possible in any NMEA 0183 networking situation to connect the output of more than
one Talker to the input of one or more Listener/s. To convert data from more than one NMEA 0183 Talker to
NMEA 2000 you have two choices.
1. Use an NMEA 0183 multiplexer like the Actisense NDC-4 to combine the output of the two Talkers.
Then use an NGW-1 to convert the output from the NDC-4 to NMEA 2000.
2. Use a dedicated NGW-1 for each NMEA 0183 Talker.
We always recommend number two as multiplexing can become complicated and the cost for one NDC-4
and an NGW-1 is approximately the same as the cost for three NGW-1’s.
Tech Tips from our Support Team

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
NGW-1 Prioritisation of NMEA 2000 Talkers
When there is more than one device of the same type (like a GPS) on the NMEA 2000 network, the
NGW-1 will use the data from the highest priority (lowest source address) device on the bus. If the device
that you wish to use as the primary data source for the NGW-1 claims a lower source address than the
device(s) you do not wish use, everything will be ne, the NGW-1 will convert the data from your preferred
device. If a device you’d rather use as a secondary Talker for the NGW-1 claims a lower source address
then unfortunately there is no easy way to change this. The rst step would be to try changing the device
instance of the secondary Talker to ‘instance 1’ (leaving the primary at ‘instance 0’).
To change an NMEA 2000 device instance, rst of all the device manufacturer must have enabled this
feature in the device rmware. Once you know the device instance can be changed, you will need an
Actisense NGT-1 (We recommend the USB variant for simple PC connections) as well as our freely
available NMEA Reader software.
The NGT-1 is compatible with a wide range of software. To view a list of software that can be used with the
NGT-1, please visit our NGT-1 compatibility page.
If using the ‘ISO’ variant of the NGT-1, please contact the software developer to ensure that they support
this option.
Difference between NGW-1 and NGT-1
1. NGT-1: NMEA 2000 PC Interface – allows NMEA 2000/SeaTalkNG messages to be read by
an application and also allows that application to send NMEA 2000 messages back to the network.
The NGT-1 does not understand NMEA 0183.
The most common variant sold is the NGT-1-USB as that is the easiest method of getting NMEA 2000 data
to a PC. We also sell the NGT-1-ISO for customers who do not want USB (and its drivers) in their system.
An NGT-1 working with NMEA Reader is a very powerful NMEA 2000 network diagnostic tool.
2. NGW-1: NMEA 2000 to NMEA 0183 Gateway – converts between the old and the new NMEA
protocols bi-directionally. It cannot be used to transfer NMEA 2000 messages to the PC; the serial port only
understands NMEA 0183.
The most common variant sold is the NGW-1-ISO for direct connection to an NMEA 0183 Talker/Listener
device. We also sell the NGW-1-USB for customers who want an easy method of getting NMEA 0183 data
to their PC.
An NGW-1 makes it possible for new and old NMEA devices to share data.
Sadly it is not possible to change an NGW-1 to an NGT-1 or vice versa.

Power Supply (ISO, ISO-AIS & STNG Variants)
Supply Voltage (NMEA 2000 Port) 9.5 to 35V DC
Supply Current (NMEA 2000 Port) 35mA @ 12V DC, Max 50mA
Load Equivalent Number (LEN) 1
Power Supply (USB Variants)
Supply Voltage (NMEA 2000 Port) 9 to 29V DC
Supply Current (USB Host Port) 85mA @ 5V DC
Supply Current (NMEA 2000 Port) 15mA @ 12V DC, Max 50mA
Load Equivalent Number (LEN) 1
NMEA 2000 Port (All Variants)
Compatibility Fully NMEA 2000 certied
Galvanic Isolation Refer to ‘ISO port’ or ‘USB port’
Speed / Baud Rate 250kbps
Connectivity M12 Male (A polarised) connector moulded on cable
Cable Length NMEA 2000 1.5m
Cable Length STNG Adapter 0.4m (1.9m with NMEA 2000 cable connected)
ISO Port (NMEA 0183 port - ISO, ISO-AIS & STNG Variants)
Compatibility Full NMEA 0183, RS232 & RS422 compatible. RS485 Listener compatible
Galvanic Isolation 2500V input to ground, 1500V output to ground using ISO-Drive
Speed/Baud Rate 4800 to 115200 Baud
Output Voltage Drive >= 2.1V (differential) into 100Ω
Output Current Drive 20mA max.
Output Protection Short circuit and ESD
Input Voltage Tolerance -15V to +15V continuous -35V to +35V short term (< 1 second)
Input Protection Current limited and overdrive protection to 40VDC
Connectivity 5mm stripped and tinned wire
Cable Length 1.5m
USB Port (USB Variant)
Compatibility USB 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0
Galvanic Isolation 2500V input to ground
Speed / Baud Rate 4800 to 230400 Baud
Connectivity Male type A plug moulded onto cable
Cable Length 1.5m
Drivers (Latest OS) Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 & MAC OS X supplied on CD & the ‘Downloads’ section of the Actisense website
Drivers (Legacy OS) Contact Actisense for full details of the legacy OS versions supported: [email protected]
Mechanical
Housing Material Lid Polycarbonate
Housing Material Base Flame retardent ABS
Weight NGW-1-ISO & ISO-AIS 220g
Weight NGW-1-USB 210g
Weight NGW-1-STNG 260g
Approvals and Certications
Fully NMEA 2000 Certied
Meets all IEC 61162-1 & 61162-2 requirements
Meets all IEC 61162-3 requirements
EMC IEC 60945 (sections 9, 10 & 11.2)
Environmental Protection IP54
Operating Temperature -20°C to +55°C
Storage Temperature -30°C to +70°C
Recommended Humidity 0 - 93% RH
Guarantee 3 years

NMEA Conversion Gateway - NGW-1
NGW-1 Product Order Codes
Product Code Product Description
NGW-1-ISO NMEA 0183 to NMEA 2000 Gateway, standard conguration
NGW-1-ISO-AIS NMEA 0183 to NMEA 2000 Gateway, pre-congured with AIS conversions
NGW-1-STNG NMEA 0183 to SeaTalk NG Gateway
NGW-1-USB NMEA 0183 to NMEA 2000 Gateway with USB, standard conguration
STNG-A06045 SeaTalkNG to NMEA 2000 adaptor cable (drop). Only for purchase with Actisense
NMEA 2000 devices
Active Research Ltd.
21 Harwell Road
Poole
BH17 0GE
Dorset, UK
tel: [phone]
email: [email protected]
web: actisense.com