NDC-2-C (Full) User Manual issue 2.36.indd
Contents
1. 2006 Active Research Limited If the test indicates a RAM error and all connections to the NDC 2 hardware are proven correct the user should consult the Troubleshooting guide Page 24 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Control Centre Port Status window The Control Centre status window displays all information relating to the communications port open between the Control Centre and the NDC 2 hardware X Control Centre Port Status HCHDG 339 208 E25 6464 PARLICI 1 BA HT M7 OO M 12 95 KBC PARLICI3 HCHDG 339 1 0 7624 E67 PARLICI 1 PAAT O75 5L7 4M3B8M13 7K BE TVAR OTS S5LTAN ABMA3I PED PARLICI4 SDDBT 22 96 7 7 00 M3 82 F 07 SSD0PT 7 00 0 00 100 053 PARLICI3 SAIALR 000008 27 025 4 V AIS External EPFS Lost 20 PARLICI2 HCHDG 339 0 0 6 6 2 3 E 60 PARLICI 4 ph 284 5 TT 2 4235 PARLICI 4 AI4LR OO0008 26 0084 AS MKD connection Lost 47 m LI 5 Lu DI Figure 16 Control Centre Port Status window This includes data received from the NDC hardware and data sent to the NDC hardware and the bytes per second transfer rate buffer loading rate for both directions of the communications port a ENT MEA Pon 3 F Ks Poa 00 0 N 00 0 The Channel selection list allows the user to choose RS 232 Port which channel s NMEA data 2122701 MMEA Port 1 is displayed in the Received aie NMEA Port 2 NMEA Data window v NMEA Port 3 SR2. 44 0 1202 746683 Fax 44 0 1202 746683 TL Hardware Error Status The NOC hardware unit has indicated that a problem exists sith its EEPROM and RAM To prove that the error lz not a one off occurance reset the hardware disconnect the battery supply wait 5 seconds and then reconnect it lf the error fault persists contact Actisense Active Research Limited for product return information and a returns number E Mail supportim actisense com Tel 44 0 1202 7466424 Fax 44 0 1202 746643 2006 Active Research Limited Page 32 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Specifications Conditions Parameter Para Supe Supply PEN OISE l Supply voltage 12v Supply current see note 1 pply g Supply voltage 24v Logical 1 stop bit Logical 0 start bit Maximum is under 35v overload condition Required level for NMEA to be detected 30 15 40 0 5 30 20 35 55 30 15 0 Input voltage between Fi TE 057 TE 35 4800 bits sec EEE v mA 19200 115200 bits sec ms 20 70 Input current NO Differential input voltage 01 Output voltage between and ground Logical 1 stop bit 0 8 see note 2 8 4 01 NO NO At maximum load drive voltage reduces to 2V m m m Output current see note 2 m m Output short circuit current Baud rate fixed see note 3 V A A V V A 1 V V V A A 1 ms Data propag
3. Bootloader amp Main program date and time Dates and times that the bootloader and Main Application programs where updated flashed into the hardware s memory 2006 Active Research Limited 4 NMEA 2000 version Currently supported NMEA 2000 version Not applicable to the NDC 2 C 9 Total operating time The total time that the NDC hardware has been operating since new 6 ARL model code The Manufacturer s Model ID Model 0 determines the hardware as an NDC 2 module 7 ARL hardware version The Manufacturers hardware revision number Version 1 02 in combination with the Model ID 0 determines that this NDC is actually an NDC 2 C product variant 8 Flash program counters The counters for each sector of the hardware s Flash ROM These counters keep a tally of how many times each sector has been reprogrammed The current microcontroller is rated for 10 000 cycles per sector Reset Resets the hardware information displayed and requests the current information from the NDC hardware thus refreshing the information Page 2 Actisense Using the Flash Centre The Actisense NDC 2 firmware can be easily and quickly updated using the Actisense Flash Centre The main window has a simple look as the flash update process has been completely automated for a trouble free operation Main Window A Actisense Flash Centre File Comms Help Figure 20 Flash Centre main window Th
4. POWER UP SEQUENCE ASANG AMBER ERROR SEE MANUAL Te PC or Battery Laptop Power Supply Figure 3 RS232 and Battery connections Connecting to a Personal Computer Connecting to the battery supply The RS232 port can be connected to a PC serial The Actisense NDC 2 should be wired to the vesse s communications port using a cable conforming to the battery supply in the most direct manner possible to following specification minimize interference from other electronic devices The cable used should be of sufficient gauge to handle the 1 AD type female socket connector for the PC end of power requirements of the Actisense NDC 2 refer to the cable the Specifications sections 2 A minimum of 3 cores are required in a shielded cable Higher quality cable will naturally yield higher Note performance higher Signal to Noise Ratio SNR 1 Wire colours are for guidance only Most typical cables have two twisted pairs inside In this case use one pair for the TX line and one for the RX line Use the spare wire in each pair as ground and connect the cable shield to ground only at the computer end 3 The TX of the NDC 2 should be connected to the RX of the PC s serial port standard D type pin 2 and the NDC 2 RX should be connected to the TX of the PC s serial port pin 3 The NDC 2 GND should be connected to the PC s serial port ground pin 5 2006 Active Research Limited Page 11 Actisense
5. output data rate will usually not be exceeded Starting with channel 1 place a tick next to all reguired NMEA sentences using the individual tick boxes the grouped tick boxes or a combination of both by left clicking on the text or box with the mouse pointer FLCLLECCELELCELCELCECELCECELCECELCECELCEC ELEC CELLES Editing Channel Reg RL i NMEA Poti W Perform the same operation for any other channels that you intend to use Use the Editing Channel selection list to change 442 Fori which channel is active left click MMEA Par 1 on the controls down arrow to NMEA Porte display the list and then select NMEA Part 3 the required channel number MMEA Fort 4 Any combination of channels can be used for example in a two device set up channels 1 and 3 or 2 and 3 etc could be used If the NDC hardware has not been detected vet the Control Centre will not allow the configuration transfer If this happens check all cable connections Control Centre communication settings port number and Baud rate and battery power to the NDC hardware the diagnostic LED should be lit and either a Green or Amber colour When the Control Centre has detected the NDC hardware the hardware information will be displayed in the NDC Hardware Information window clicking the Send to Hardware button will start a transfer of the new Inclusion List data to the hardware This process can be monitored on the Flash Hard
6. Pressing any of the three control buttons on the Port Configuration Tab will only change download retrieve the port configuration values The Inclusion List configurations will remain unchanged Page 19 Actisense Inclusion List configuration tab The Inclusion List configuration tab of the main window allows the user to select which NMEA sentences are to be included in the onward data transmission from the NMEA Data Combiner Each of the four NMEA input ports and the RS232 input port have their own Inclusion List so that each can be tuned separately to match its connected device Actisense NDC Control Centre File Options Comms Window Help GFS v v G54 m MF asy T HDG T HOM HOT TO HMR HMS E E HTO T Lep A LRA LRZ TLRS Ea M v MLA MSK rT mss MTA O Tw MWD TT F omw O TU OLN Fos M W RMA O RME M RMC V VDR ROT Mt RPM RSA E ESD E CY ri Navigation ry Waypoint T Autopilot T Std UAIS Ene UAIS GNSS Radar M m Select Cal u Pass all P code Data Figure 13 Inclusion List configuration tab Why is there a need for Inclusion Lists Each of the four NMEA input ports can transfer anything up to 480 bytes of data per second making a total of 1920 bytes second The data combined output of the NDC is also forced by the NMEA 0183 standard to send a maximum of 480 bytes second Therefore there e
7. are of the differential opto isolated type and use the unique Actisense low current drain circuitry 2mA 2 0V to conform in full with the NMEA 0183 marine electronic device network communication standard and are flexible enough to interface to all fully and most partially compliant NMEA devices 2 An NMEA data combined 0183 output The NMEA 0183 data output comprises of three connections and Ground and conforms in full to the NMEA 0183 standard This allows the NDC to interface to various different devices that require any combination of these outputs 3 An RS232 input output The bi directional RS232 port is designed for direct connection to a computer PC or other marine device capable of interfacing to a standard RS232 port 4 Battery supply input 8 to 30 volts DC 2006 Active Research Limited Note 1 To complete the NMEA 0183 standard all device interconnection NMEA cables used should meet the two conductor shielded twisted pair configuration specification The shield connection of these wires should be connected at the instrument end only to prevent ground loops 2 Refer to the Specifications section for the full details on input output specifications 3 If the laptop PC to be used with the NDC does not have an RS232 serial port available the Actisense USB to RS232 adapter cable has been tried and tested to provide a compatible communications port Please visit the Act
8. output have the same baud rate This means that the output can only carry as much data as one of the inputs therefore the combined data from all four NMEA input channels could exceed the data carrying capacity of the NMEA output channel Then the output channel is overloaded new data of the same type as older data still in the buffer will overwrite the older sentence This will only happen when the output load becomes too high and ensures that the combiner cannot build up excess old data in the case where the output stream is fully loaded or overloaded A PC compatible RS232 bi directional port A PC can use the RS232 port to read all the NMEA data traversing through the NDC This allows for the possibility of a virtual cockpit of instruments displaying all available data in any manner the user requires available from a number of manufacturers All the above ports are re configurable and offer various Baud rates to improve device connection compatibility with other NMEA 0183 instruments Software updates The NDC 2 s built in software is held in flash memory and can be quickly and easily updated flashed by using the simple Windows 98 ME NT 2000 XP user interface program Flash Centre running on a connected PC It is our policy to provide these updates free on our website www actisense com so that your combiner can become more sophisticated with time and should there be any bugs reported in the softw
9. successfully uninstalling the Actisense PC software the uninstall completion box will appear refer to Figure 9 Figure 9 Uninstall complete 3 In addition the program directory can also be deleted to completely remove the program In this way all the program files will be uninstalled in a clean and complete manner If however you are going to install a new version after this uninstall you can keep the program directory and the configuration file stored within it In this way all the user settings you had for the previous version will be immediately available with the new version 2006 Active Research Limited Page 13 Actisense Using the Control Centre The Actisense NMEA Data Combiner hardware can be configured monitored and tested using its own dedicated Control Centre suite This section provides a complete users guide to all the Control Centres features This program is currently only available for Windows platforms 98 ME NT 2000 XP however it has been proven possible to use the Control Centre on a Mac running Windows emulation software Main window Lt Actisense NDC Control Centre File Por Configure Options Comms Window Help Inclusion List pera S 38400 Disabled Disabled Baud rate Extra ARL P codes Clone output mode ES EO Baud rate input 1 lt lt as combined output OU 4800 U 4800 M U Enabled Baud rate input 2 Baud rate input 3 Baad rate i
10. these two operations are independent the Baud rates of all the inputs and outputs can also be independent that is to say different the inputs and outputs can all have different Baud rates with the except of Input 1 2006 Active Research Limited Toggles the enable disable state of the extra ARL P code sentences on the RS232 port These P codes are used by Control Centre to determine which NDC input supplied which piece of NMEA data In this way Control Centre can show what data came from channel 1 channel 2 etc This ability is also open to any other PC program For example an NDC with 4 digital NMEA depth sounders connected to it could have the 4 individual depth values shown on a PC screen in representative positions bow starboard bow port stern starboard and stern port If in the unlikely event however the RS232 port is connected to an electronic device e g chart plotter that cannot ignore the P codes as it should by default then these P codes can be disabled to aid compatibility Note As the Control Centre requires the extra Actisense P code sentences to operate correctly it will temporarily turn them on when it first connects to the NDC 2 When the Control Centre software is closed the NDC 2 will revert back to the user stored configuration settings and the P code sentences will stop being transmitted if configured by the user as disabled Clone output mode Toggles the enable disable state of t
11. to the Connecting to the battery the main window will look like that in Figure 11 with the supply section for more details sections ghosted out and the Inclusion List and Test Hardware tabs hidden 2 Connect a standard RS232 cable from the PC to the NDC 2 via a 3 wire converter Refer to the Once detected these disabled options will become active Connecting to a Personal Computer section and the main window will look like that in Figure 10 3 Select the PC comm port number that the RS232 cable was plugged into from the options in the main windows Comms menu The Baud rate will default to 38400 Baud the factory default but will auto Baud to the actual Baud rate if it has been changed 4 The Rx and Tx LED s on the main window will flash to indicate that communication is in progress between the Control Centre and the NDC 2 hardware Once the hardware information has been received and displayed all the NDC 2 configuration and test options will be enabled If for any reason the hardware detection operation does not happen as described check all connections are made as required and are secure 2006 Active Research Limited Page 15 Actisense Pull down menus The main window has five standard pull down menus Load Configuration File lusion List Save Configuration File xl Exit File gt Load Save Configuration File The Control Centre will automatically save its ap
12. 83 before v2 0 as detailed above used slightly different connection methods and signal levels the instruments had just one NMEA data line Tx or Ou and used the ground as the other line similar to the way a computer serial port works This connection method is referred to as single ended instead of the differential method used by NMEA 0183 v2 0 devices The data format is largely the same between both systems with v2 0 adding some extra sentence strings and removing older redundant sentence strings from the specification The situation is further complicated as many manufacturers still use the old single ended method of connection because it is cheaper to implement So how can an older type NMEA device be connected to a newer type device Care is needed it is possible to damage or overload the output of a newer differential device if it is incorrectly connected to an older device This is because the older devices used ground as the return whereas the newer devices actually drive the NMEA B line between 5v and Ov Thus connecting this output to ground will result in high currents being drawn by the driver instrument resulting in potential overheating and damage to the driver circuits To connect a new type differential device to an old type single ended system connect the NMEA A output from the differential driver to the single ended NMEA Rx or In input of the devi
13. Actisense NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Full User Manual Issue 2 36 a Multiple talker interface for use with the NMEA 0183 standard for serial data networking of marine electronic devices instruments a Personal computer RS232 interface to NMEA 0183 a Advanced NMEA 0183 filtering and priority levels to fully control the flow of NMEA 0183 data NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Contents Important Notices Notices Foreword Introduction General features 4 NMEA 0183 data input ports An NMEA 0183 data combined output port A PC compatible RS232 bi directional port Software updates Technical features Connecting devices together The basics The NMEA signals The different NMEA standards Connections Connecting to NMEA 0183 devices NMEA 0183 Inputs NMEA 0183 Output Other Connections Connecting to a Personal Computer Connecting to the battery supply Actisense PC Software suites To install Actisense PC software To uninstall Actisense PC software Using the Control Centre Main window Initial hardware and software set up Pull down menus Port Configuration tab Why is there a need for Port Priorities How to change port priorities and Baud rates Set up Procedure Inclusion List configuration tab Why is there a need for Inclusion Lists Is some NMEA data really unnecessary How to change the Inclusion Lists Set up procedure Flash Hardware window Advanced Features 2006 Active Research Limited O oo o o N N
14. Actisense PC Software suites The Actisense NMEA Data Combiner hardware can be configured monitored and tested using its own dedicated Control Centre software suite The Actisense NDC can be updated upgraded using the latest Flash Centre software suite This section provides a complete users guide to installing and uninstalling these two software suites These programs are currently only available for Windows platforms 98 ME N T 2000 XP however it has been proven possible to use the NDC Control Centre Flash Centre on a Mac running Windows emulation software To install Actisense PC software Replace the generic lt Product Name gt text below with the name of the actual software you are installing NDC Control Centre or NDC Flash Centre 1 Download the latest version of the software from the Actisense website or locate the files on the Actisense CD included with the NDC 2 If a previous version of the software has already been installed uninstall the previous version and delete the program directory before installing the new version Refer to the To uninstall Actisense PC software section for full details If the program is contained within a zip file extract the three files lt Product Name gt 001 lt Product Name gt 002 and setup exe that are contained within the zip file using any available unzip program to a temporary directory e g C Temp Double click on t
15. NN NN ON 01 O1 O1 Page 3 Actisense Test Hardware tab 24 How to test the hardware s Memory 24 Control Centre Port Status window 25 Hardware Port Status window 26 Hardware Connection Status window 26 Hardware Information window 27 Using the Flash Centre 28 Main Window 28 Pull down menus 28 Control Buttons and Text Displays 29 Update Flash operation 30 Troubleshooting guide 31 Diagnostic LED 31 Control Centre Error Status window 32 Specifications 33 System block diagram 34 Notes 35 Company Information 36 2006 Active Research Limited Page 4 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Important Notices The Actisense NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 is intended for use in a marine environment primarily for below deck use If the unit is to be used in a more severe environment such use may be considered misuse under the seller s warranty The Actisense NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 has been certified to comply with the European directive for Electro Magnetic Compatibility EN60945 and is appropriately CE marked Operation of the unit should be in conjunction with appropriate CE approved shielded connectors and cabling used in accordance with the CE directive EN60945 Any EMC related issues should be reported to Active Research immediately to allow the company to rectify or resolve EMC related problems in accordance with its obligations under EN60945 If the unit is connected such that compliance failure occurs beyond the compan
16. are they can be promptly fixed without the unit coming out of commission This upgrade can be performed with the unit completely in situ via a PC connected to the RS232 port 2006 Active Research Limited Technical features 16 bit high speed micro controller capable of 8 million instructions per second Flash ROM technology that supports automatic programming for quick and easy updates 10 000 erase cycles and a 10 year Data Retention provides carefree user configuration On board memory store allows buffering of short term NMEA data allowing the unit to smooth short term peaks in the NMEA data flow NMEA 0183 inputs are opto isolated differential inputs to fully comply with the NMEA 0183 standard specification This allows the inputs to work correctly with long cable runs and in a noisy environment Typical operating voltage is 2 0V to 15V The unit can withstand 35V continuously and 40V transients The opto isolators can protect any upstream equipment chart plotter PC radar etc from up to 2000V of common mode voltage difference NMEA 0183 full differential output driver This can drive up to 15 typical NMEA 0183 device loads with a 30mA maximum drive capability The full differential output ensures better quality communications and lower noise emissions on unshielded twisted pair cabling Full specification RS232 interface ensures that any marine electronic device or PC that has an RS232 port receives a
17. ation delay Input voltage range O HIGH Loaded with 3x62 to Ground Output resistance RS232 Vout 2V Output short circuit current Infinite duration a M Input voltage threshold Output voltage swing 3 15 1 7 5 00 Baud rate 1 0 Data propagation delay e Ambient temperature Table 2 NDC 2 specifications All specifications are taken with reference to an ambient temperature T of 25 C Note 1 Current consumption measured under no load conditions 2 NMEA output is RS485 compatible 3 NMEA 0183 requires 4800 Baud factory default However to maximise compatibility with other devices and Hi Speed NMEA 0183 the baud rate is selectable between values shown NMEA input 2 also has an extra Hi speed option of 57600 Baud to allow use with AIS transponders however this option will force all other NMEA 0183 inputs to 4800 Baud to control the total bandwidth 2006 Active Research Limited Page 33 Actisense System block diagram Details the flow of data through the NMEA Data Combiners system NMEA Input Circuitry Port 1 NMEA Input Circuitry Port 2 NMEA Input Circuitry Port 3 NMEA Input Circuitry Port 4 RS232 Input Circuitry Inclusion List Channel 1 Inclusion List Channel2 NMEA Port Priority Inclusion Controller List Ghannel3 Inclusion List Channel 4 Inclusion List RS 232 RS 232 Port Controller gt Figur
18. aunch short cut bar to create a easy to access short cut 2006 Active Research Limited NDC All Programs Uninstall Actisense MDC Control u Centre ohortcut Actisense NOC Control Centre Shortcut 1 KB Figure 6 8 7 Start menu short cuts 5 Windows Messenger fg Actisense NDC Control Centre i Actisense NDC Control Centre Hay Uninstall Actisense NDC Control Centre DP toa crt shut down Page 12 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C To uninstall Actisense PC software Replace the generic lt Product Name gt text below with the name of the actual software you are installing NDC Control Centre or NDC Flash Centre Uninstalling Actisense NDC Control Centre Do you want to remove Actizense HDC Control Centre 7 1 If at any time you wish to remove the installed Actisense program simply use the standard Windows Start gt All Programs Actisense lt Product Name gt Uninstall Actisense lt Product Figure 8 Uninstall confirmation Name gt menu option to perform this operation refer to Figure 7 Uninstalling Actisense NDC Control Centre 2 Alternatively there is a very convenient uninstall icon EUS AE S neo included in the program s folder see Figure 6 3 Once the uninstall operation has been requested the confirmation box Figure 8 will be displayed Answer Yes and the uninstall operation will be performed automatically After
19. ce Leave the NMEA B output floating Connect the ground line of the differential output device to the ground of the single ended device This provides the required data signal return current path To connect an old type single ended device to a new type differential device connect the NMEA Tx or Out output from the single ended driver to the differential NMEA A input of the device Connect the ground line of the single ended output device to the NMEA B input of the differential device This provides the data signal return current path If the NMEA B input is left floating then data corruption errors may occur Please refer to the Output Connections section for example of these connection methods Page 8 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Connections O O WWW ACTISENSE LOM 8ccu9u IOBB I 6 JUN T on on FT Fl Fl PE LES LES LES LES LES LES ZZ LES LES LES LES LES B A B A 8 A B A GEND B A END TA AX Chi Ch2 Ch3 Ch 4 COMBINED R5232 BATTERY N CLI HOYVASSY JAILLIV 9002 8 NMEA NMEA OUT SN GREEN NORMAL IDLE O FLASHING GREEN NORMAL RECEIVING STATUS RED amp AMBER POWER UP SEQUENCE FLASHING AMBER ERROR SEE MANUAL O NMEA COMBINER NOU 2 Figure 1 All external connections The NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 has screw terminal Phoenix type external connections for 1 Four NMEA 0183 inputs All NMEA 0183 inputs
20. ck boxes a box indicating the total number of selected sentences an NMEA channel selection pull down list and Get from hardware Reset to defaults and Send to Hardware control buttons refer to Figure 13 E nn Editing BARA NMEA Port 1 Channel selection list Determines which input channel port RS 232 Port has its Inclusion List displayed for i LEE E editing with the tick box contro s in the NMEA Port 2 main section to the left NMEA Port 3 NMEA Port 4 Page 20 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Main left tick box area Each NMEA 0183 sentence has its own individual tick box and is intended for the advanced user to fine tune the selection to exactly what is required as this requires detailed knowledge of NMEA 0183 sentences Sentence Groups right tick box area To make selection of NMEA 0183 sentence s easier all sentences of a particular type have been collected together and is primarily intended for the novice user who does not know which sentences contain what information The NMEA sentence collections are designed for quick list configuration each collection influences all the NMEA sentence tick boxes in the main left area that contain the selected information The tick box operation is straightforward if the box is ticked the corresponding NMEA sentence will appear on the combined NMEA output Conversely if the box is not ticked that NMEA sentence will be blocked and not appear on
21. clusion Lists if the current settings must be remembered the File Save Configuration file main window menu option should be used before reguesting this operation Get from Hardware Reset to defaults Returns all channel Inclusion Lists to the factory default all Inclusions Lists are disabled on all channels which allows all sentences to be passed by default Send to Hardware x A Finalises the Inclusion List editing operation If any alterations to the list have occurred the Control Centre will now attemptto download the new settings to the attached Actisense NDC hardware The Flash Hardware Control window will appear for the duration of the download and the details of the conversation can be viewed in the NDC Hardware Connection Status window advanced users only Note Pressing any of the threes buttons above will only affect the Inclusion List settings all Port Configuration settings will remain unaffected as they are controlled by their own independent set of buttons Page 21 Actisense Note Set up procedure 1 Remembering that the channe s have a priority level that only has a effect during very high loads choose which device to connect to which channel Place the most important device on channel 1 and so on If the Inclusion Lists are tuned to allow only the reguired data of each device through then the port priorities will normally not come into operation as the maximum
22. ctisense Hardware Port Status window rdware Port Sta tus u a 7 5 Bi itm r Load EAr L m Figure 17 Hardware Port Status window The NDC hardware status window like the Control Centre Port Status window displays bytes per second transfer rates and buffer loading rates for a number of ports However these values relate to the ports on the NDC hardware the four NMEA input ports NMEA combined output port and the RS232 input output port This data is also valuable in monitoring the performance of the NDC hardware and as a diagnostic tool for pinpointing an overload condition refer to Control Centre Port Status window for more details Note The Bytes Filtered and Bytes Dropped indicators are currently only available when the Control Centre is being used with an Actisense NDC 3 or NDC 3 USB 2006 Active Research Limited Hardware Connection Status window n E i kou Reset back to Bootloader Ready For operation Inclusion List transferred to MDC successfully Transferred 6 Inclusion List lines 0 E Erased sector S42 of NOC s Flash ROM Programming Overlay ready For operation Programming Overlay transferred to NDC successfully Transferred 105 Programming Overlay lines 0 EJ Found and started MDC 5 bootloader Mew Inclusion List data download Figure 18 Hardware Connection Status window The NDC hardware connection status window displays all information rela
23. d indicate the flash operations current status a progress bar Therefore the following precautions are suggested indicating percentage completed of the current stage and a flash program counter that indicates how many times the 1 Ensure there are no programs active running on the NDC hardware s Inclusion List has been re programmed PC other than the Control Centre The Success LED indicates the final outcome of the data 2 Check that the RS232 cable between the PC and the transfer If it does not light up green the NDC Hardware NDC hardware is secure Connection Status will indicate a more detailed cause and the process should be performed again 3 Confirm that the battery supply to the NDC hardware IS secure If the Flash hardware operation is interrupted the Inclusion Lists or Port Configurations will become corrupted The user should identify and remove the reason for the previous interruption before re attempting to flash the hardware again by pressing the Send to Hardware control button on the appropriate tab Advanced Features The following windows and or tabs will only be of interest to the advanced user as they are not vital for the configuration of the NDC hardware They do however explain the useful diagnostic and monitoring features available These advanced windows are hidden by default and all novice users should advance past this section to the Using the Flash Centre section that follows 2006 Active Research L
24. d rate the Flash Centre will automatically match the NDC hardware s Baud rate if the Extra ARL P Codes option is enabled jm Actisense NDC Flash Centre File Comms Help Control Centre Help About Control Centre Help Flash Centre Help Currently unavailable not selected Help About Flash Centre Displays the Flash Centre s software version number and the Actisense contact information Page 28 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Control Buttons and Text Displays Connection Status Displays all handshaking and data transfer information required for flash programming the NDC hardware during the firmware update Current Version Current Displays the version of ir ZE 1 i 1 O firmware currently resident PERS E in the NDC hardware s Flash ROM This is received from the NDC hardware when Flash Centre detects the NDC hardware s presence New Version 1 1 Displays the version of firmware that the Flash Centre can upgrade the NDC hardware to This number must be greater than the Current Version for an update to be required and allowed by the Flash Centre If the New Version is older or equal to the Current Version then the Flash Centre will block all attempts to update the NDC hardware as there is nothing to be gained and perhaps a reduction in functionality and performance FF Hardware already up to date The current software version of the attached ha
25. e 28 NMEA Data Combiner signal flow block diagram 2006 Active Research Limited NMEA Output Circuitry Combined RS 232 Output Circuitry l Page 34 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Notes 2006 Active Research Limited Page 35 Actisense Company Information Active Research Limited o Wessex Trade Centre Ringwood Road Poole Dorset UK BH12 3PF chsense Telephone 01202 746682 International 44 1202 746682 Fax 01202 746683 International 44 1202 746683 Actisense on the Web For advice support and product details E mail support actisense com Website www actisense com Active Research on the Web For specialist consultancy and customisation E mail support activer com Website www activer com 2006 Active Research Limited Page 36
26. eady for operation Main Program transferred to MDC successful Transferred 1029 Main Program lines Erased sector S41 of NOC s Flash ROM Programming Overlay ready for operation Programming Overlay transferred to MDC successfully Transferred 103 Programming Overlay lines Found and started NOC s bootloader Mew Main program data download Figure 25 Flash Centre main window complete Page 30 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Troubleshooting guide This guide will concentrate on all relevant troubleshooting issues above simple cable connection faults Therefore the cables between the NDC 2 hardware and any other device should be checked as a matter of course before continuing with this guide Diagnostic LED The NDC 2 hardware supports a tricolour diagnostic LED that indicates the current operating mode of the hardware or if an error has been detected during the self test initiation process Table 1 details what each LED colour represents and if any user interaction is required LED Colour ae Flash Count Mode Error condition Required user response A Lo on modes The sequence below indicates a successful power up of the p NDC 2 and the commencement of data combining No response reguired A normal operation mode that should last for no more than 1 5 seconds Any longer indicates an error with the main program Red Start up mode No flashing No error No response reguired LED will stay red for the durati
27. eason the port priorities require changing and it is inconvenient to alter the hardware connections the port priorities can be changed using the Input Port priorities list 6 Ifthe NDC hardware has not been detected yet the Control Centre will not allow the configuration transfer If this happens check all cable connections Control Centre communication settings port number and Baud rate and battery power to the NDC hardware the diagnostic LED should be lit and either a Green or Amber colour 7 When the Control Centre has detected the NDC hardware the hardware information will be displayed in the NDC Hardware Information window clicking the Send to Hardware control button will start a transfer of the new Port Configuration data to the hardware his process can be monitored on the Flash Hardware Control and NDC Hardware Connection Status windows normally for advanced users only 8 The Flash Hardware Control window will display the success Status of the transfer and then disappear 9 If at any time you would like to return the Port Configuration settings back to their defaults press the Reset to defaults control button followed by the Send to Hardware control button Note 1 The RS232 output is unaffected by the NMEA Port Priorities and typically when Clone output mode is disabled retains all received data as this port has a high enough transmit bandwidth capacity to handle all NMEA data received 2
28. h as a chart plotter radar or NMEA display is called a Listener Unfortunately only one Talker can be connected on to a single NMEA 0183 system at any one time Two or more Talkers are simply not possible because they are not synchronised to each other and will attempt to talk at the same time over each other resulting in corruption of the NMEA data and potentially in disaster if valuable data such as navigation information is lost or corrupted so that it is incorrect and or misleading Actisense produces a full range of products to solve all NMEA interfacing requirements Please visit the Actisense website for full details on these and other Actisense interfacing Depth sounding and Sonar products The NMEA signals The NMEA 0183 system v2 0 and later uses a differential signalling scheme whereby two wires are used to transmit the NMEA data These connections will be labelled as either NMEA A and B or NMEA and respectively depending on the instrument and manufacturer When connecting between different manufacturers there can be some confusion but it is simple and easy to remember NMEA A connects to NMEA and NMEA B connects to NMEA 2006 Active Research Limited The different NMEA standards The NMEA 0183 specification has slowly evolved over the years SO connecting one device to another is not always a straightforward matter The earlier versions of NMEA 01
29. hardware continues at this very high level then eventually some sentences from the lowest priority channel first will have to be dropped If however the rate drops below the maximum then the sentence data will be sent at the next opportunity With the Inclusion Lists set up correctly data loss should be a very rare occurrence 2006 Active Research Limited How to change port priorities and Baud rates The port configuration tab consists of a vertical port priority list a Baud rate pull down list for each NMEA RS232 port the P code enable toggle control and Get from Hardware Reset to defaults and Send to Hardware buttons refer to Figure 12 Input Port Priority list Click on two inputs in turn to change their positions in the priority list The topmost item has the highest priority and the item at the bottom the lowest NMEA RS232 Baud rate lists Select the required Baud rate for the appropriate port s Please note that the NMEA 0183 specification restricts the Baud rate for NMEA data to 4800 Baud Therefore any input port that has an NMEA device attached to it that cannot modify its Baud rate must remain at 4800 Baud otherwise no data will be received However some NMEA devices e g GPS units do allow for the Baud rate to be increased to 9600 Baud or even 38400 Baud Hi Speed NMEA Only in these cases should the Baud rate of the appropriate port be changed from 4800 Baud to match that of the attached de
30. he setup exe program file and follow the on screen instructions of the standard Windows install program The install location can be change at this point however the default location is normally acceptable refer to Figure 4 and 5 Once the install operation is complete the temporary files and or directory can be deleted Keep the original zip file safe To start run the program use the Windows Start menu and navigate There will be a program icon double vorites Tools Help Actisense NDC Control Centre Installation Please enter the directory in which to install Actisense NDC Control Centre The Labwindows CY Run Time Engine iz already installed Actisense HOC Control Centre Directory C Program Flles Actisense NDC Control Change i LabWindows CVl Run Time Engine Directory CAWINOOWSsystemae CvlATE Figure 4 Install options Actisense MDC Control Centre Installation Actisense NOC Control Centre installation successfull Figure 5 Installation complete MES a to the installed program s directory 9 search 7 Folders Fly I vy X G x T 5 a n click on it refer to Figure 6 and 7 its and Sektingst l Users Stark Menu Programs 4ctisense NOC Control Centre a iks Tall Useful Tip If you access the program r Alene regularly you can copy and paste the program icon from the Windows Start menu on to the desktop or the Quick L
31. he Control Centre s Port Configuration if the current settings must be remembered the File gt Save Configuration file main window menu option should be used before requesting this operation Get from Hardware Reset Returns all Port Configurations to the factory defaults port priorities match channel numbers port 1 has highest priority and port 4 has the lowest NMEA Baud rates are set to 4800 Baud RS232 Baud rate set to 38400 Baud and the extra ARL P codes are enabled Send to Hardware Finalises the Port Configuration editing operation If any alterations to the port configuration settings have occurred the Control Centre will now attempt to download the new settings to the attached Actisense NDC hardware The Flash Hardware Control window will appear for the brief duration of the download normally one to two seconds Note Pressing any of the threes buttons above will only affect the Port Configuration settings all the Inclusion List settings will remain unaffected as they are controlled by their own independent set of buttons Set up Procedure 1 The RS232 communication port defaults to 38400 Baud normally more than capable of transferring the received data of all four NMEA input ports When connected to a Personal Computer there should not be any reason to change this Baud rate However if it is required to connect the NDC hardware to an RS232 compatible device that does not s
32. he data Clone output mode on the RS232 port When the RS232 output port is in Clone output mode the data output will be a clone or copy of the data output from the NMEA Combined output That is to say the data output will have been filtered just like the NMEA Combined output data is This is useful if you need to supply an NMEA device with filtered NMEA data that will only accept RS232 signal levels on its input When Clone output mode is disabled the RS232 output will contain all data received on all 4 of the NMEA inputs Delete duplicates Toggles the enable disable nm state of the useful Delete duplicates option When enabled any duplicate NMEA sentences found in the receive buffer that are deemed safe to delete older versions duplicates will be deleted This intelligently reduces the output data when too much data is coming through the input channels For example if two depth sentences are in the buffer ready to be transmitted there is normally no point in transmitting the older depth value as the newer one has replaced all previous ones However for special systems that do not want this feature and can guarantee that there will not be more than 100 total loading this feature can now be disabled Page 18 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Get from hardware Reads the current Port Configuration information for all channels from the connected NDC hardware This will overwrite any current settings held by t
33. imited Page 23 Actisense Test Hardware tab The Test Hardware tab of the main window enables the advanced user to test the NDC 2 hardware s RAM This operation will only require completion when the hardware is suspected of being faulty and at the request of an Actisense support team member L Actisense NDC Control Centre Fil Options Comms Window Help Port Configure Inclusion List Overlay i Test Hardware RK __ Running Em Tx a Connected M Success M Errors RAM Bit pattern test a Hardware Test ju Mo errors RAM Increment pattern test DS Mo errors Clear Results Progress Figure 15 Test Hardware tab after test has completed How to test the hardware s Memory The Test Hardware tab consists of four stage status LED s Overlay Connected Running and Success an LED and associated Number of Errors text box for each of the memory tests a progress bar indicating progress of current stage and the Memory Test and Clear Results control buttons Memory Test Clear Results Initiates the memory test progress is indicated by the two test LED s and any accrued error count is displayed in the Number of Errors box refer to Figure 14 above Resets the Test Hardware settings to allow for another test to be started if reguired Clear Results Once the memory test has completed the NDC 2 hardware will be reset and restarted
34. is document in an informative yet direct manner that will aid the user We have tried to cover all the points a typical user may need to know Please read all sections before installing and using the Actisense NMEA Data Combiner product and any related software programs Introduction The Actisense NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 product developed out of the reguirement to solve two fundamental problems with the existing marine industry NMEA 0183 communications standard In theory the NMEA 0183 standard allows any suitably designed marine electronic device to share its gathered information with any other device on avessel Unfortunately there is one very large drawback with this standard only one device on a connected network can actually send data a single talker with multiple devices determined by the current limit of the sending unit listening to that data multiple listeners If the vessel owner has an instrument that ideally requires the data output of two or more devices for example a chart plotter then the owner has no alternative but to settle on connecting only the most important device that which supplies the most used information normally that is the GPS unit All other devices cannot be used What happens if the owner prefers the vessels gyro compass heading output to that of the GPS or reguires that the current depth be displayed on the plotted chart to help avoid the possible case of running the vessel agro
35. is program is currently only available for Windows platforms 98 ME NT 2000 XP however it has been proven possible to use the Flash Centre on a Mac running Windows emulation software The Flash Centre main window consists of the Hardware Connection Status text box identical to the Control Centre s Hardware Connection Status window Current Version and New Version text boxes and the Update Flash and Exit control buttons The NDC hardware should be connected to the PC communications port and a battery supply as per the instructions in the Connecting to a Personal Computer section and Figure 3 RS232 and Battery connections Pull down menus The main window has three standard pull down menus 2006 Active Research Limited A Actisense NDC Flash Centre File Comms Help Oper NODT program File Exit File gt Exit Closes the Flash Centre program Ele Comms Hel v Comm Port 1 Comm Pork 2 Comm Pore 3 Comm Port 4 Comm Port 5 Baud Rate 4800 Baud Rate 9600 Baud Rate 19200 Baud Rate 38400 Baud Rate 57600 Baud Rate 115200 Comms Comm Port 1 5 Selects the PC communications port that the NDC hardware is attached to via the extension cable Comms Baud rate 4800 115200 Selects the PC communications port Baud rate to match that of the NDC hardware attached to the port The Baud rate will default to 38400 the NDC hardware default If the NDC is using a different Bau
36. isense website for full details on this and other Actisense products Page 9 Actisense Connecting to NMEA 0183 devices m TE NMEA B Talker 2 A NMEA se Talker 3 gt EL Z NMEA Mikes FUC NMEA Talker 1 The PMSVVSVSVS F SIM a h NI i NI h NE O Personal Rx os b NMEA Computer G gt O gt Listener B 1 O Z m NMEA re B NMEA Listener A R A Listener C Figure 2 NMEA 0183 connections NMEA 0183 Inputs The NMEA 0183 differential opto isolated inputs are designed to handle a variety of NMEA 0183 device output specifications Please determine from device manufacturer s information if the device s required to be connected to the Actisense NDC 2 conforms in full to the NMEA 0183 network communication standard If it does not the flexible Actisense NDC 2 inputs should still be capable of interfacing with the device though this is not guaranteed The diagram above shows a typical installation with both fully compliant NMEA devices with differential inputs outputs and non differential output devices that output NMEA using the ground line as the NMEA line NMEA Talker devices 1 2 and 4 These devices conform in full to the NMEA 0183 standard Devices 1 and 4 share the same connection IDs as the Actisense NDC so connection is a simple matter of matching the ID s refer to Figure 2 Device 2 uses the RS485 conven
37. ith the process during the update Once complete the NDC hardware will be automatically reset and the new Current Version number will be displayed which will now be the same as New Version number Refer to Figure 25 for details Programming E Once the flash process is complete indicated in the text box and on the progress bar the user can exit from the Flash Centre by pressing the Exit control button or using the File gt Exit menu option The Exit option or any control on the main window is not active during the flash process Please note that during this updating process it is vital that the Control Centre and NDC hardware are not interrupted Therefore the following precautions are suggested 1 Ensure there are no programs active running on the PC other than the Flash Centre 2 Check that the RS232 cable between the PC and the NDC hardware is secure 3 Confirm that the battery supply to the NDC hardware IS secure If the Flash Centre operation is interrupted the NDC s firmware will become corrupted The user should identify and remove the reason for the previous interruption before re attempting to flash the NDC hardware again This time the Hardware not detected message Figure 22 will be displayed and the on screen messages must be followed carefully to perform the recovery update operation 2006 Active Research Limited File comms Help Reset back to Bootloader R
38. ll the input NMEA data and can add its own NMEA data to the combined output This connection also allows the unit to be updated via the free flash upgrade software Flash Centre that will be made available on the Actisense website if the NDC 2 software has been enhanced in any way Low Power Consumption that is typically 100 110mA at 12 volts and 50 60mA at 24 volts A diagnostic LED indicates the mode of operation of the NDC 2 if any faults have been detected or the peak load currently on any one of the NMEA inputs Very tough Polycarbonate case is certified to IP66 classified as totally protected against dust and protection against low pressure jets of water from all directions Being Polycarbonate it is also incredibly strong offering a wide temperature range and superior protection to the electronics inside The IP66 rating of the case is only limited by the sealing gasket strip which can be enhanced by applying a suitable non acid based marine sealant to the gasket after wiring and testing This will allow use of the unit in areas where salt spray could enter accidental immersion may occur or in environments where maximum long term reliability is paramount Page Actisense Connecting devices together The basics NMEA data is transmitted from an information source such as GPS depth sounder gyro compass etc These data sending devices are called Talkers Equipment receiving this information suc
39. m behaving just like tabs in a filing cabinet Full explanation of these features is detailed in the following sections Any changes the user makes to the Control Centre s appearance will be remembered for subsequent sessions allowing the user to keep their favourite settings Any new configuration settings must be downloaded to the NDC hardware before they can be remembered this helps keep the Control Centre and NDC hardware in sync The main window has an Exit control button to close the Control Centre program Refer to the menu File Exit for full details on the operation of the exit request Page 14 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Initial hardware and software set up Important information please read File Options Comms Baa foe oO to defa Figure 11 Control Centre main window before hardware detected To access all the NDC 2 Control Centre configuration and To allow detection of the NDC hardware perform the initial test features the Control Centre must first detect what setup procedure type of NDC is connected This allows the same Control Centre to be used for the NDC 1 NDC 2 and NDC 3 as 1 Connect battery power to the NDC 2 and switch on they have different configuration and test options the battery The NDC 2 s LED will cycle through its standard start up colours red amber and finally Before the NDC 2 hardware is detected by Control Centre green Refer
40. mm Port 1 comm Pork 2 Comms Comm Port 1 8 Selects the PC communications port that the NDC hardware is attached to The Baud rate will default to 38400 the NDC hardware default If the NDC is not using the default Baud rate the Control Centre will try all possible Baud rates until the correct one is found this will take up to 12 seconds The offline option closes the communication port Window Control Centre Port Status Displays the Control Centre s port status window Refer to Control Centre Port status window for full details Window NDC Hardware Port Status Displays the NDC hardware s port status window Refer to the Hardware s Port status window for full details Window NDC Hardware Connect Status Displays the NDC hardware s connection status window Refer to the Hardware s Connect Status window for full details Window NDC Hardware Information Displays the NDC hardware s information window Refer to the Hardware s Information window for full details File Options Comms Control Centre Help About Control Centre Help Control Centre Help Currently unavailable not selectable Help About Control Centre Displays the Control Centre s software version number and the Actisense contact information Page 16 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Port Configuration tab The Port configuration tab of the main window allows the user to select the priority and Baud ra
41. n This enables each NDC eaea MOVE input to be analysed and the NMEA data checked For example this is very useful in allowing the user to view an NMEA channel s data and prove that the NMEA device connected to that NDC input is functioning correctly This window should be the first port of call when trying to diagnose a problem with the NMEA system connected to the NDC 2 Contact a qualified marine electronic installer if you require hands on help with understanding the NMEA 0183 data seen in this window In addition there is a very good source of NMEA information contained within the NMEA 0183 information sheet document available on the Actisense website 2006 Active Research Limited The current RS232 Baud rate being used for communication Centre and NDC hardware is between the Control displayed here for the user s information The Received NMEA Data window is valuable in monitoring the performance of the NDC hardware and as a diagnostic tool for pinpointing e A port overload condition this is when the maximum data transfer rate of a port is exceeded and data is being dropped deleted randomly as a result e A data corruption condition this is either when the signal level of NMEA 0183 data being received is marginal and or suffering from interference or when interference is occurring between the NDC 2 and the computer running Control Centre e When all data is being processed as required Page 25 A
42. nput 4 Delete duplicates Test Hardware a GE FE sa SENSES PIORES NMEA Fort 1 NMEA Fort 2 NMEA Port 3 NMEA Fort 4 Ra 232 Port Port Contig Get trom Hardware Send to Hardware Figure 10 Control Centre main window after hardware detected The Control Centre main window allows the user access to all the NDC hardware configuration monitor and test features and adjustment of the Control Centre s actual appearance on screen The Control Centre is capable of displaying a large array of data and information and not all will be of interest to every user Therefore the user can easily select which information status windows are of interest and are visible and which are not hidden To meet the users specific requirements any visible window can be repositioned on the screen by dragging it with the mouse If a window is dropped the left mouse button is released after the drag operation close enough to an adjacent windows edge it will snap to that windows edge This allows for quick easy and neat arrangement of the Control Centre s windows 2006 Active Research Limited From the main window the user can select which NMEA sentence s require filtering blocking what Baud rates the various inputs and outputs of the NDC need to be and even start a hardware test operation Selection of these options is possible by using the standard Windows menu system Options menu or via a tab syste
43. on of the flash update operation using Flash Centre Once operation complete NDC hardware will be automatically reset Red Flash updating mode No flashing No error No response reguired A normal operation mode that follows after the Start up mode and should last for approximately one second Amber Initialise and self test mode No flashing No error No response reguired A normal operation mode that follows the Initialise and self test mode Indicates that no error was Green Normal and no data mode detected during the self test operation No flashing No error Also indicates that no data is currently being received by the NDC 2 hardware Green No response reguired A normal operation mode that indicates Normal and data Rx mode Flashing pan that data is currently being received on at least one channel 1 10 per second by the NDC 2 hardware Flash rate proportional to Rx rate Erorcondions If the error persists the NDC 2 unit should be returned to Actisense refer to the Contact Information section Amber An error with the EEPROM memory has been detected during Flashing Error trap mode the self test mode Once every 4 EEPROM memory error seconds Reset the NDC 2 hardware Amber Flashing Error trap mode Twice every 4 RAM memory error seconds An error with the RAM memory has been detected during the self test mode Reset the NDC 2 hardware An error with the external UART has been detected during the
44. pearance and all other settings to file ControlCentre ini sothat the same settings can be used in subseguent sessions If the user requires more than one configuration set up with unique Inclusion Lists and Port Configurations then each set up can be saved and loaded back from this menu This is very useful for standardising vessel installations Note Do not attempt to edit the ControlCentre ini file by hand as this can result in all the configuration settings being lost File Exit Closes the Control Centre program If the Inclusion Lists and or the Port Configurations have been altered but not vet transferred to the NDC hardware the user will be asked to confirm the exit reguest as all alterations will otnerwise be lost when the program closes ins Comms Window Help y Configure Ports Configure Inclusion Lists Test Hardware Options Configure Inclusion Lists Displays the Inclusion List configuration tab of the main window Refer to the Inclusion List sub section for full details on this feature Options Configure Ports Displays the Port configuration tab of the main window Refer to the Port configuration sub section for full details on this feature Options Test Hardware Displays the Test hardware tab of the main window Refer to the Test hardware sub section for full details on this advanced feature 2006 Active Research Limited ee a oe ee UT o ANA Offline o Co
45. rdware has already been updated by this version of Flash Centre Flash Centre cannot update any hardware past the software version displayed in the Nem Version box The latest version of Flash Centre can be downloaded from the Actisense website wi actisense com Figure 21 Hardware already up to date message Initiates the flash update of the NDC hardware If the NDC hardware has not been detected normally due to a previous problem the Flash Centre reguests a confirmation from the user As the message in Figure 22 explains if the diagnostic LED is lit and Green in colour check all cable connections Flash Centre communication settings port number and Baud rate and battery power to the NDC hardware Press the Cancel button Once the problem has been found the Current Version box will display the hardware s version number and the Update Flash button can be pressed 2006 Active Research Limited If however the diagnostic LED is lit and Red in colour AND there was an interruption to a previous attempt to update the hardware s firmware with the Flash Centre reset the NDC hardware by removing the battery power waiting 5 seconds and then reconnecting the battery power and press the Continue button F Hardware not detected Mo hardware has been detected as attached to the computer using the comms port number and Baud rate set in the Corrs menu IF hardware LED is Green please pre
46. self test mode Reset the NDC 2 hardware Amber Flashing Thrice every 4 seconds Error trap mode external UART memory error Table 1 Diagnostic LED colours 2006 Active Research Limited Page 31 Actisense Control Centre Error Status window The Control Centre will display any error information received from the NDC 2 hardware in a window like those in Figure 27 If this window is displayed follow the message instructions carefully and then if the fault persists contact Actisense refer to the Contact Information section TL Hardware Error Status The NOC hardware unit has indicated that a problem exists with its EEPROM To prove that the error Iz not a one off occurance reset the hardware disconnect the battery supply wat 5 seconds and then reconnect tt lf the error fault persists contact Actisense Active Research Limited for product return information and a returns number E Mail supportigiactisense com Tel 44 0 1202 7466824 T Hardware Error Status The NOC hardware unit has indicated that a problem exists with its RAM and UART To prove that the error Iz not a one off occurance reset the hardware disconnect the battery supply wait 5 seconds and then reconnect tt lf the error fault persists contact Actisense Active Research Limited for product return information and a returns number E Mail supportigiactisense com Tel 44 0 1202 7466824 Fax
47. ss the Cancel button and change the comms settings to match that of the hardware so the Flash Centre can communicate with the hardware IF hardware LED is Re an interruption occurred during a main program update The hardware must be reset before pressing the Continue button Continue Figure 22 Hardware not detected message The final message displayed or only message if there are no problems asks the user if they reguire that the NDC hardware s Inclusion List be reset back to factory defaults or kept as is The normal answer Is No keep the current settings but if the user would like to take this opportunity to reset the Inclusion Lists to defaults then select Yes F Update Hardware s Inclusion List Do vou wank to reset the Hardware Inclusion List data to factory defaults Press Ves reset hardware or Mo to keep current settings Figure 23 Update Hardware s Inclusion List message The Inclusion Lists can also be reset back to the factory defaults by using the Control Centre refer to How to change the Inclusion Lists section Page 29 Actisense Update Flash operation Once started the Flash Hardware Control window will be displayed refer to Figure 24 and show the progress indicated by the four stage status LED s and the progress bar The Hardware Information Status box will display the relevant information during this process The user is not reguired to interact w
48. ted to the connection status between the Control Centre and the NDC hardware This includes all handshaking and data transfer information required for flash programming the NDC hardware during Inclusion List and Port configuration data updates Reset Resets the connection status messages currently displayed clearing the window Page 26 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Hardware Information window Serial ID number Boot progra version Program date time Main program Version Program date J time J NMEA 2000 version Total operating time ARL model code ARL hardware version A Hardware Information 45442 1 02 08 05 2006 13 00 13 1 11 08 05 2006 13 06 04 0 00 6 Days 1 10 23 NDC 2 0 1 02 Flash program counters a 64 0 0 0 0 0 C3 Figure 19 Hardware Information window The NDC hardware information window displays the information received from the NDC hardware This information Includes 1 Hardware Serial ID number The unique serial identification number given to each Actisense product This number is used to identify each NDC 2 unit in our records Bootloader amp Main software program version Version numbers of the bootloader and Main application software programs If the Main programs version number is older less than that of the currently available Flash Centre the latest Flash Centre should be downloaded from the Actisense website and the NDC module updated
49. tes of the NMEA and RS232 input ports of the NDC 2 hardware and if the NMEA proprietary ARL P code sentences are transmitted Jc Actisense NDC Control Centre File Options Comms Port Configure Window Help Inclusion List a ON Baud rate Extra ARL P codes 364110 Disabled Clone output mode Disabled Test Hardware o jm m jm NMEA Ports Baud rate input 1 f combined output 4400 4500 4o00 4800 Y Enabled Baud rate input 2 Baud rate input 3 Baud rate input 4 Delete duplicates i Input Port Priorities NMEA Port 1 NMEA Port 2 NMEA Port 3 NMEA Fort 4 Rs 232 Fort Port Config Get from Hardware Send to Hardware Figure 12 Port Configuration tab Why is there a need for Port Priorities Refer to Why is there a need for Inclusion Lists for a detailed explanation of the potential need to reduce the amount of data trying to be sent out of the combined output If the Inclusion Lists cannot reduce the data rate below the 480 bytes second maximum then the port priority system comes into operation This system stipulates that all the data from the highest priority port will be passed through to the combined output Then if any transmit capacity is left the next lowest priority por s data is transferred until either no data remains the usual case or the transmit capacity has reached its maximum of 480 bytes second If the rate of data in to the NDC
50. the combined output To completely disable the Inclusion List for a particular channel click on the Clear all sentences button The list status indicator will then change from the green List Enabled to red Pass all data M 1 L 1 fantail EN sentences Pass all data The Sentence Total box will also show that 0 sentences are selected Once disabled and Pass all data displayed all NMEA sentences will be passed to the NMEA combined output no filtering will occur on this channel This is only useful when trying to pass an NMEA sentence that is not available for selection in the Inclusion List and is not normally used The buttons Clear all sentences and Set all sentences are useful to quickly reset or set all tick marks This allows for quick configuration of the Inclusion List without having to click on every tick box For example if only a couple of sentences are required to be set press the Clear all sentences button followed by selecting the couple of required sentence IDs Sentence Total x ia The total number of NMEA sentences currently selected enabled for the current channel port is displayed in the bottom right corner This is purely for user information and interest 2006 Active Research Limited Get from Hardware Reads retrieves the current Inclusion List information for all channels from the connected NDC hardware This will overwrite any current settings held by the Control Centre In
51. tion connection ID s Simply connect A to A and B to B refer to Figure 2 NMEA Talker device 3 This device does not conform completely to the NMEA 0183 standard However by connecting V to A and its G Groun to the NDC B the NDC should be able to receive the NMEA data correctly 2006 Active Research Limited NMEA 0183 Output The NMEA 0183 buffered output is capable of driving up to 20 NMEA 0183 fully compliant listening devices or a mixture of NMEA 0183 devices and a Personal Computer PC serial communication port NMEA Listener device s B and C These devices conform in full to the NMEA 0183 standard and their connection ID s match that of the NDC Personal Computer Whilst the RS232 port is designed for connection to a PC the NMEA 0183 output can also be read by most PCs Simply connect A to Rx and Gn to Groun on a standard 9 pin D type probably male connector NMEA Listener device A This device does not conform in full to the NMEA 0183 standard However by connecting A to Rx ln and Gnd to G Groun the device should be able to receive the NMEA data correctly though this is not guaranteed Note 1 Wire colours are for guidance only Page 10 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Other Connections pi fr ra l ol Z ATE ATE EL A D B LI ad REER NORMAL IDLE S ASANG GREEN NORMAL RECEIVING D AMBER
52. und on a shifting sand bank The NMEA 0183 standard cannot supply an answer to those guestions as it can handle only one transmitting device These two elementary problems can be solved simply and easily with the Actisense NMEA Data Combiner s very flexible design approach In this way all NMEA 0183 devices can share their information with each other multiple talkers multiple listeners Alternately if the vessel has two or more identical NMEA devices e g GPS s or depth sounders the system solution could be to use the Actisense NMEA Autoswitch Full information on the complete Actisense product range can be found on the Actisense website Page 5 Actisense Page 6 2006 Active Research Limited NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C General features 4 NMEA 0183 data input ports Each NMEA 0183 input port has an Inclusion List that details all the NMEA sentences that are allowed to pass through the NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 and out on the combined NMEA 0183 output This allows the NDC 2 to filter out all unwanted NMEA data and so reduce the loading on the NMEA combined output Each NMEA 0183 input port also has a priority level This is set by default to the logical order that matches the port numbers i e port 1 has the highest priority and port 4 the lowest priority An NMEA 0183 data combined output port This output combines the input data into one standard NMEA output The inputs and the
53. upport the Baud rate of 38400 then the rate can be changed Left click on the RS232 Port Baud rate contro s down arrow to display the list and then select the required Baud rate value 2 The proprietary Extra ARL P code sentences sent by the NDC hardware are completely benign and should be ignored by all other manufacturer devices The Actisense software programs Control Centre and Flash Centre use these sentences to perform certain operations that enhance their control over the NDC hardware and are therefore important There should not be any reason for requiring that these sentences be disabled However as Actisense believes in offering complete control over its products it is possible to enable disable these sentences by clicking on the Extra ARL P codes control 2006 Active Research Limited 3 The RS232 output defaults to normal output mode that is with the Clone output mode option disabled If however it is required to apply the NMEA filter settings to the RS232 data enable this option 4 As detailed above the NMEA 0183 standard determines the Baud rate of 4800 If however to make the NMEA input compatible with special devices that offer a different Baud rate the rate can be changed by left clicking on the NMEA Port 1 4 pull down lists 5 To aid memory it is normal to keep the port priorities in the same order as the port numbers port 1 has highest priority and port 4 the lowest However if for some r
54. vice Page 17 Actisense Extra ARL P codes 4500 9600 19200 NMEA Port 28400 57600 115200 The RS232 Baud rate options are 4800 9600 19200 38400 57600 or 115200 Baud It is important to note that setting the RS232 Baud rate to anything under 19200 Baud may reduce the bandwidth of this output below that of the total input bandwidth This could result in random loss of NMEA sentences Therefore for normal operation 38400 Baud is ideal however for exceptional requirements were the total input bandwidth is below 100 any of the available Baud rates can be used NMEA input 1 and the combined NMEA output are two sides of the same port and therefore share the same Baud rate with options of 4800 9600 19200 or 38400 Baud NMEA input 2 has been specially designed as a hi speed input ideal for AIS transponders Its Baud rate options are 4800 9600 19200 38400 and the extra hi speed option of 57600 Baud Setting this input to 57600 Baud will however restrict all other NMEA inputs to 4800 Baud to help keep the total bandwidth to a manageable level NMEA inputs 3 and 4 have the Baud rate options of 4800 9600 19200 and 38400 Baud It is worth noting that the NDC 2 receives and buffers all the NMEA 0183 sentences from all 5 inputs 4 NMEA 0183 and 1 RS232 and then as a totally independent operation it re sends the required NMEA 0183 sentences out its 2 outputs 1 NMEA 0183 and 1 RS232 As
55. ware Control and NDC Hardware Connection Status windows for advanced users only The Flash Hardware Control window will display the success status of the transfer and then disappear If at any time you would like to return the Inclusion List settings back to their defaults press the Reset to defaults control button followed by the Send to Hardware control button 2006 Active Research Limited ds The RS232 output is unaffected by the NMEA Inclusion Lists and typically when Clone output mode is disabled retains all received NMEA data as this port has a high enough transmit bandwidth capacity to handle all NMEA data received Pressing any of the three control buttons on the Inclusion List Tab will only change download retrieve the inclusion list configuration values The Port configurations will remain unchanged Get fram _ Har dare Page 22 NMEA Data Combiner NDC 2 C Flash Hardware window The Flash Hardware window is displayed for the duration of the Inclusion List or Port Configuration update operation In the case of updating the Inclusion List a section of the Flash memory inside the NDC 2 hardware is first erased cleared and then re programmed with the new data Figure 14 Flash Hardware Control window Please note that during this updating process it is vital that The Flash Hardware window consists of four LED s that the Control Centre and NDC hardware are not interrupte
56. xists the distinct possibility that there could be more data to send out than is possible to achieve thus some data may reguire removal to balance this equation The Actisense NDC 2 achieves this reduction in an intelligent manner with Inclusion Lists and Port Priorities Is some NMEA data really unnecessary Many NMEA instruments output a large number of sentences every period usually 1 3 seconds some of this data is of absolutely no use to the average boat owner and just clogs up the NMEA network Most GPS units are especially guilty of this and not all allow the user to reduce the number of unwanted sentences that are transmitted Of those that do the procedure can often be tricky and time consuming The Actisense NDC 2 can filter the incoming NMEA data to remove any sentences deemed unnecessary 2006 Active Research Limited For example most GPS units automatically output the GSV sentences normally 2 but could be as many as 4 which give details of all the satellites that are currently in view All of this information is of no use to 99 of users but this alone can use up to 5 of the available NMEA bandwidth capacity The Actisense NDC Inclusion List default is to allow all sentences through The user can modify these lists using a simple tick box panel from within the Control Centre How to change the Inclusion Lists The Inclusion List configuration tab consists of two groups of sentence ti
57. y s control the company shall not be held responsible for compliance failure until suitable EMC guidelines for connection are seen to have been taken Notices When using this document keep the following in mind The products described in this manual and the specifications thereof may be changed without prior notice To obtain up to date information and or specifications contact Active Research Limited or visit the Actisense website www actisense com Active Research Limited will not be liable for infringement of copyright industrial property right or other rights of a third party caused by the use of information or drawings described in this manual All rights are reserved The contents of this manual may not be transferred or copied without the express written permission of Active Research Limited Active Research Limited will not be held responsible for any damage to the user that may result from accidents or any other reasons during operation of the user s unit according to this document The NDC 2 does not validate the NMEA data it receives in any way Neither the NMEA sentence checksum nor the data contained within the NMEA sentence is validated Therefore the electronic device s supplying the NDC 2 with NMEA data retains the sole responsibility for the NMEA data S validity 2006 Active Research Limited Foreword Actisense recognises that instructions are often skipped so we have aimed to write th
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