Seatalk2 to STng

[tgsail1]

Hmm. That's a little different than was indicated in some of the diagrams I've seen as well as some discussions where it is described that any of the i70/p70 devices with 2 ports can serve as a bridge between a ST and STng network. Glad it will calibrate the speed pod though.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

tgsail1,

I believe that if you carefully review the diagrams within the owners / installation guides for the items listed within my prior response, you will not find any which contradict the restriction which I have specified within my previous response. However, should you locate any such incorrect diagram, please respond with the document's name and page number. I will then review the subject diagram, and if found to be in error, notify Raymarine's documentation team accordingly to seek correction of the document.

[tgsail1]

Ok I think I understand this. I tried attaching the i50 installation and operating instructions 81341-4-ENG, but it wouldn't let me. Page 30 (sec 4.7) shows a seatalk network. Here the devices will bridge the data between the devices. It appears that even though STNG connections are being used, only ST data are being transferred, so even though it looks like instruments 2,3 &4 are talking via STNG, they are in fact talking via ST. Is that the case? If that is the case then no device which requires STNG (eg ST290 speed or p70) will operate on this network. Note that while the p70 does not "require", STNG, you can't calibrate the autopilot without it, so it kind of does require it.
Thanks

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

tgsail1,

As the title of the diagram on page 30 has been labeled, the diagram shown is one of a Basic SeaTalk system. Use of a SeaTalkng spur cable to daisy chain the i50/i60/i70/p70/p70R products does not necessarily indicate that the products are communicating via SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 communications. In short, should spur cable from one of these devices have been interfaced to a powered and properly terminated SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 backbone, then the device would support SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 communications rather than SeaTalk communications. SeaTalkng spur cables include an extra lead to support using the cable to support SeaTalk communications or SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 communications. In this case, each of the devices shown within the diagram would be communicating with one another via SeaTalk, not SeaTalkng, communications. They would not be bridging SeaTalk to SeaTalkng as you have suggested.

Should the autopilot course computer installed within your vessel be one of the autopilot course computers specified within the FAQ found here, then a p70/p70S Autopilot Control Heads may be substituted within the SeaTalk bus for the currently installed autopilot control head and the p70/p70s would then support calibration and configuration of the autopilot as did the autopilot control head which it had replaced. A SeaTalk to SeaTalkng Converter should not be installed between a p70/p70S/p70R/p70RS Autopilot Control Head to any of the autopilot course computers specified within the referenced FAQ.

With regard to the i70/i70S MFID and ST290 pods / iTC-5, these items must be interfaced as spurs to the aforementioned powered and properly terminated SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 Backbone to permit the i70/i70S MFID to calibrate transducers connected a ST270 pod / iTC-5. A SeaTalk to SeaTalkng Converter(s) would then be used to interface the unpowered SeaTalk bus containing the compatible autopilot course computer, p70/p70S/p70R/p70RS Autopilot Control Head, and any other compatible devices having SeaTalk communications interface, but lacking a SeaTalkng Communications interface. For maximum system performance, should a system feature a SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 backbone, then it would generally be recommended that i50 / i60 / i70 Instruments be interfaced as spurs to the SeaTalkng backbone rather than to the SeaTalk bus. The rational behind this statement are faster data rates, greater system information, support for updating software, and access to diagnostic information.

[tgsail1]

Chuck-Thanks for the clarification. Given the last comment about the preference for an STNG data bus, I'm now considering using an ITC-5 and using the i70 for wind. As you saw earlier, my original instruments and transducers were st50/st60 generation. The wind transducer might be from the st50 generation (I can't tell from looking at it), but it is currently functioning normally with an st60 wind instrument. I believe it will work on the ITC-5, but am not certain because of some language in the manual. If it works on the st60 will it work on the itc-5?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

tgsail1,

The iTC-5 is exclusively designed for use with the transducers shown below:

R28170 Standard Masthead / R28171 Long Arm Masthead




Z195 Rotavecta (not recommended for sailing vessels)



Should the currently installed transducer not look like one of these, then it would need to be replaced.