Smart Controller

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hello rsqunit,

Firstly, thanks for reading the docs, I wish more people did so.

That being said, the STNG Reference (and Seatalk1-STNG Convertor also) document is a little outdated, and contains warnings that have ceased to apply with later software upgrades.

The key risk in connecting ST1, STNG and NMEA2000 devices nowadays is in having multiple sources of power for the network, something that the NMEA2000 specification forbids. You will generally have a pre-existing power supply for the ST1 network, can have a second one via an autopilot (most Raymarine STNG-capable pilots can power STNG, enabled via a switch on the connector panel which is off by default), can may have a third from NMEA2000 devices. (In older systems, it was possible to get inconsistencies between the data, such as GPS datum, used on either side of the ST1-STNG convertor. Not an issue any longer.)

Multiple power supplies can lead to blown fuses or damaged devices (if the supplies are at different potentials) or very noisy and malfunctioning networks, if one or more supplies are switch-mode rather than straight from a battery.

Be aware that some Fusion stereos power the network: it's a feature they call NRX power I believe. Make sure it's disabled in the stereo's menu, or block the supply from the rest of the network using one of their non-powered drop (spur) cables.