Flux Compass input to radar??

[Steve]

I'm attempting connect my SiTex flux compass as a heading sensor for my
Furuno 1721 MKII.

The compass input is seperate from the NMEA 0183 input from my GPS.. Totally
different connector.. called the "Gyro Connector", however, according to
the manual it also excepts input from any Flux compass sensor with NMEA 0183
output. The exceptable data (talker/sentence) are HDM, HDG and HDT.

The connector on the Furuno radar has four (4) signal connections. DATA-H,
DATA-C and CLK-H, CLK-C.

Flux compass has NMEA 0183 output (talker/sentence HCHDM (heading), HCDOD
(course) and HCXTR (deviation). Data output connector Data Output is SIGNAL
and RETURN.

I thought this would be a simple matter of connecting compass data SIGNAL
to radar DATA-H and compass RETURN to radar DATA-C.

Doesn't work, not getting a compass input to the radar or the radar isn't
recognizing the input when I try to select it on the setup menu..

Should I be using the CLK-H and CLK-C some how..

Or, what am I missing here??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

 

[Steve]

Thanks Doug, I thought I had it correct..

I think, before I bother tech support, I'll go back and recheck my cable,
pin to pin and make sure I didn't screw that up.. Those wires and pins are
pretty small for these old eyes (not to mentions the size if the numbers).

Sometimes I pays to just put everything away and revisit the problem on a
'better' day..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

 

[Steve]

I checked and double checked and the cable is correct.. I have a feeling
there is some undocumented setting in the Flux Gate that needs to be set for
NMEA output.

I'm trying to figure a way to hook this Flux gate up to the laptop so I can
look for the data output in hyperterm.

Steve ;o((
s/v Good Intentions

 

[Rodney Myrvaagnes]

I checked and double checked and the cable is correct.. I have a feeling
there is some undocumented setting in the Flux Gate that needs to be set for
NMEA output.

I'm trying to figure a way to hook this Flux gate up to the laptop so I can
look for the data output in hyperterm.

Steve ;o((
s/v Good Intentions

Send it to the serial port and use a modem program. I logged several
NMEA sentences at once with a multiplexer that way until lightning
destroyed the multiplexer.

Then you can see if it is sending the expected sentence.

Of course, if you have another device that looks for that particular
sentence, that would be less trouble.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


"Be careful. The toe you stepped on yesterday may be connected to the ass you have to kiss today." --Former mayor Ciancia

 

[Steve]

Yah, I was thinking the same thing.. Just turn off the GPS, use clip leads
to connect to my hardwired hub, where my Laptop serial connects. Then start
Hyperterminal.

Thanks.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

 

[Steve]

I'm attempting connect my SiTex flux compass as a heading sensor for my
Furuno 1721 MKII.

Doesn't work, not getting a compass input to the radar or the radar isn't
recognizing the input when I try to select it on the setup menu..

Or, what am I missing here??

I hooked the Flux Gate Compass NMEA 0183 output up to the serial port on my
laptop and tried running The Capn (compass option) and go "000"s.. To verify
that all was well with the program and serial configuration, I turned on the
GPS and all was well with that serial input.

I then hooked the Flux Gate back up to the serial port and ran HyperTerminal
and got nothing. I then switch on the GPS and within a second or two I had a
stream of data from the GPS.

Verified that all was correct with the cable connection.. Went through the
manual several times to see if there was some menu option I should select.
Nothing documented..

I guess I will contact Si-Tex tomorrow and see if they can still provide any
tech support since this unit is no longer in production. It's only been used
for a few months, but was purchased new about 4 years ago..

If they can't help me then I guess I'll open it up and look for anything
obviously wrong..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

 

[Steve]

Isn't NMEA 0183 going to be the same for both the GPS and the Flux Gate..

I have the Serial port set at 4800, 8 bit, no parity and one stop bit. That
works fine with any of the three GPS I have available..

I leave these setting and connect the port to the Flux Gate Compass and get
nothing.. In the absence of info otherwise, I would have to assume that it's
output would be this standard output for NMEA 0183..

It appears (or I haven't found) any control over these out put setting from
the Flux Compass. The only NMEA 0183 info in the manual has to do with the
two data lines on the DIN connector: SIGNAL and RETURN Data Output.

In the specifications it states: DATA OUTPUT-- NMEA 0183: HCHDM(heading),
HCBOD(course), HCXTR(deviation).

Still wondering ??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

 

[Steve]

Then, this being the case, then this input to the radar it should be ok
since the compass sensor input is designated as DATA- H and DATA-C.

BTW. Would this NMEA level (0V and 5V) be compatable with your
multiplexors?? I kinda assumed so..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions.

 

[Steve]

Just top clearify the CLOCK-H and CLOCK-C on the Furuno Radar:

This radar is set up primarily for a Gyro Input via their AD-100 A/D
converter which produces a proprietory format AD10S input signal to the Gyro
connector (heading sensor). However the way I read the manual this connector
can alternately except NMEA 0183 input.

Here is the way the manual discribes this sensor connection:

"The heading sensor (FLUX-50, C-2000/3000) having AD10S format or NMEA 0183
output data format can be connected instead of a gyrocompass. In this case,
you should select the 'MAG' instead of 'GYRO' on the INSTALLATION menu."
"When heading data of NMEA 0183 format is used, connect the signal to 'GYRO'
connector J353 #1(DATA-H) and data #2 (DATA-C). The acceptable data
(talker/sentence are ** HDM, **HDG and **HDT."

I'm now begining to understand that all NMEA outputs are "not equal".. As I
look at the schematic diagram of the output port on my Furuno GP32 GPS, I
see the talker port connector has outputs labeled RD, SD, Signal GRD which
are used for the serial input to the computer. Then there is additional
output designated as DATA-H and DATA-C (same as Signal GRD) these go to the
none serial devices.

I think I know or had heard all of this in the past but it just never soaked
in. I'll keep it in mind in my Future hook up attempts.

Regarding trying to read the Flux data on the DATA input port on the radar,
I think I have tried that, but just to make sure, I will give it a try
today.. The connectors are identical however they pins utilized are
different.. I can make that change over on my 'hardwire' hub.

Thanks again for all the comments, emails and recommendations..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

 

[Steve]

Ah! It's a great day, especially when I find out the problem was not mine
but a wiring error (or documentation error) on the DATA connector on the
back of the unit..

The manual shows DATA SIGNAL on pin #4 and DATA SIGNAL RETURN on pin #5.

As Wired: DATA SIGNAL is actually on pin #2 and DATA SIGNAL RETURN on pin
#3..

I also verified that both the connector and plugs have pin markings that
match up.. I think this was a documentation error..

BTW. The main reason I didn't intiate pin swaping earlier is because pin #6
of this DATA connector, for some strange reason, has 12vdc on it... That I
verified early on and insulated the lug on in the DIN back shell..

The radar now has a compass sensor heading so I can do a little more with on
screen plotting without manually computing the Mag. ships heading.. There
are also some tricks I can perform with the Yeoman, like place lolly-pop
markers on Nav Aids before the radar actually can pick them up.. (then
again, short handed sailing, I never have time to do anything fancy at the
chart table..)

Thanks again to those who responded.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions