Actisense/SimNet

I've managed to get ActiSense Support interested in this problem. After providing them with a couple of log outputs, they have concluded as follows -

If the NSS8 has a lower address than your actual sounder, the NGW-1 will use the lower address as priority.

There should be an option in the NSS8 to disable the depth output."

My depth transducer is an Airmar Smart Tri (DST800 IIRC) which outputs the 128267 PGN directly onto the SimNet bus and this is read and interpreted correctly by the ActiSense Converter (NGW-1) when the NSS8 is off. However, when the NSS8 is on, the NSS8 sends out its own version of 128267 and this is used by the NGW-1 if it is higher priority than the transducer. Because the NSS8 has no analogue transducer connected to it there is no depth info included in the NSS8 version of 128267, only the depth offset info which is preset. This then converts (in the NGW-1) to DPT only without any depth info - hence my original problem above.

Given the ActiSense response above, does anyone know how to disable the NSS8 internal depth sounder function so that the 128267 PGN from the transducer is not overridden?

Roger, I'm having issues with my simnet, what software did you use on the PC? Can you see a log of individual messages or just the values? I'm trying to find a way of discovering which messages fail so I Cana diagnose the fault

Mark

Hi Roger, thanks for the information.

My problem is that I am losing data and instruments. When I look at the 'diagnostics' page on my NS12, I can see that I get RX errors (and fast packet errors, but I'm told these are not important), despite having only 15% bus load.

The number do errors is not consistent, but appear in bursts every 5 seconds or so. If there are a low number of errors in each burst, I occasionally get a 'no autopilot computer' message, even though the autopilot is still there and on in some cases. However as the number rises, I get these messages every minute, and eventually we lose data, sometimes the wind data and sometimes depth. When I look at the device list, the wind instrument can disappear from the list and never transmit again until the whole system is switched off and on.

I suspect either a bus terminator problem, an instrument problem or a power problem, but I don't know how to proceed to diagnose the issue, obviously I don't have any test equipment. The local Simrad dealer is supposed to have engineered, but so far they have failed to show up, and don't seam to understand the words bus, terminator or test equipment, so I don't hold out much hope.

I was on the boat today, and it displays some odd characteristics. For example, true wind and true wind speed come from the autopilot, and apparent wind direction and speed come from the wind instrument. In some cases my IS40 displays can see the data generated by the autopilot but not the raw data from the instrument, but the autopilot must have seen it to generate the true wind as far as I can tell, so it looks to me like a bus problem rather than a permanently duff instrument.

Mark

Mark

Edited by High Time - 03 April 2014 at 22:00

Mark - I have a Lowrance chartplotter, IS20 instruments, Broadband radar. During my first year or so, I too had intermittent electronic faults which gradually worsened. Having done local and general resets of the network through the IS20, I spoke about my problems to Navico and they explained how to do a complete reset of the Chartplotter (don't recall for the moment the term they used for it). This procedure was not in any handbooks and neither had I found it on their site. However, it worked and resolved my issues. It seems that the software had muddled itself, perhaps from various upgrades.

Perhaps your Plotter needs the same treatment.

Charles