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I just spent the last 2 days installing a Evolution EV-150 Autopilot (EV1, ACU-150, p70Rs), and am finishing up all the connections. I have run into one electrical issue I am not sure how to resolve.
My initial Raymarine system consisted of the following:

2 e7D MFDs,
Digital Radome 4Kw
Raynet Network Switch
Seatalk ng 5-Way Connector.
There is a backbone cable from the 5 way Seatalk connector to the engine and gauge string, which are all NMEA 2000 connections.

I installed a second 5-way Seatalk connector and attached all the Autopilot components to it. I installed a backbone cable from the first 5 way connector to the second in order for the MFDs to see the Autopilot. Both my MFDs are powered via a fused toggle switch. Currently the p70Rs screen only turns on when the ignition switch is on and powering the Seatalk backbone. I did connect a power cable to the backbone that wasn’t switched, but I then got a double electrical feed to the backbone. Is there a way to get the data from the MFDs to the Pilot controller without a second source of power? Can I block certain pins on the backbone cable from connector #1 to connector #2 so that only data is transferred? I would like to view my Pilot controller for setup without having to turn my ignition switch on.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Steve,

Please click here to view a FAQ addressing recommendations for marine electronics power circuits. It should additionally be noted that the marine electronics should all be powered from the same battery bank. It is understandable that you may not want to supply power to the ACU unless the engine is operating and may want to install its power circuit accordingly ... however, this should only apply to power being fed to the ACU's Power terminals. The EV-1 Sensor core is designed to support non-autopilot specific data to the system and the power consumption of the autopilot control head is negligible. It is accordingly recommended that the two backbone be joined via a backbone cable and that the backbone should be powered via a single power insertion spur located at the approximate mid-point of the backbone's LEN load. The ACU is not designed to draw power from the backbone. Joining / powering two backbones in the manner which you have suggested is neither recommended nor supported.
Chuck,
Thank you for the quick reply. To clarify, the ACU is on it's own switched circuit and I was not planning on supplying power to the backbone from two separate sources. I guess the Pilot controller will only be active (on) when the backbone is powered with the ignition in the on position.
Steve
Steve,

Q. I guess the Pilot controller will only be active (on) when the backbone is powered with the ignition in the on position.
A. Should:
1) the two backbones be joined via an unmodified SeaTalkng Backbone Cable as specified within my initial response, and
2) the backbone be supplied with power from a single switched power circuit which will supply power to the backbone independent of the boat key's position,
then the p70RS and EV-1 Sensor Core will be powered irrespective of the boat's key position, as the ACU-150 is not designed to supply power to a SeaTalkng backbone.

Also, see the prior note concerning powering marine electronics from the same battery bank.
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