C120 & Evolution Autopilot (ACU200/EV1/P70s)

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum

Q1. From my interpretation from another post, it is my understanding that Version R4 has eliminated the ability to use a SeatalkNG/Seatalk converter for integration of an Evolution Autopilot with a C120, is this interpretation correct?
The post indicated a downgrade in software version would be required until a fix had been made in the next software version, however I do not see any revision reflecting this in the software history as of today?
A1. As you have suggested, the initial release of R4 Evolution autopilot had the compatibility issue which you have reported. However, when operating with the latest versions of Evolution autopilot software (EV-1/EV-2 (v2.18), p70/p70S/p70R/p70RS (v3.07), ACU-[censored] (v2.23) at the time of this response), the described compatibility issue has been addressed.

Q2. Also, I noticed it seems like software upgrade/downgrade of an evolution autopilot via a C120 has been made unavailable. Does this mean that any upgrade/downgrade on this autopilot would need to be done with a different MFD?
A2. Yes. If purchasing a new Evolution autopilot for a system featuring a Raymarine MFD lacking a SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 communications interface, it would be recommended that the dealer be instructed to verify/update the software within each of the Evolution autopilot components to ensure that their respective versions are equal to or higher than those specified within this response. Alternatively, the software within these Evolution autopilot components may be updated by a Certified Raymarine Installer or may be sent to Raymarine’s Product Repair Center to receive software updates.