Seatalk2 to STng

[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.