Old autopilot with new SeatalkNG instruments

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Radiozephyr,

Q1. I’ve learned that I can connect the autopilot (ST5000+) with the i70s via the Seatalk to SeatalkNG converter.
A1. Correct

Q2. it seems that this would require that there only be one power source for the whole Seatalk network, which would come through the autopilot (I think).
A2. Incorrect. The SeaTalkng backbone will be powered via a SeaTalkng Power Cable which has been interfaced to a a spur socket at the approximate midpoint of the backbone's LEN load. The SeaTalk bus will be powered by the SeaTalkng backbone via the SeaTalkng Converter. While it is possible for most Raymarine autopilot course computers to supply power to a SeaTalk bus, it is not recommended that one do so when interfaced to SeaTalkng devices. Accordingly, the SeaTalk Cable which is connected to the ST5000+ should be cut and that only its Data (yellow) and SeaTalk ground (shield) leads be spliced back together. The cable's red lead should be insulated to prevent shorting.

Q3. Does this mean that if I set it up this way, there would be no way to turn on my instruments without also turning on the autopilot? Would it make the “instruments” breaker on my DC panel useless? Is there a way to set this up so that I could turn off the autopilot but keep the instruments on? Or vice versa?
A3. See the response to Q2. The SeaTalkng Power Cable should be connected to your "Instruments" breaker. The ST5000+ will continue to be powered via the "Autopilot" breaker. As the autopilot and instruments will be powered by different circuits, they may be operated independent of one another.