Raymarine autopilot + SeatalkNG

[DenisHeinrichs]

I have a Raymarine X30 autopilot with a ST6002 controller.



I am in the process of upgrading my boat to include a NMEA 2000/Seatalk NG backbone.


I have connected my existing ST6002 controller, and a ST60+ wind instrument up to a Seatalk to SeatalkNG converter, then connected the converter via SeatalkNG to the X30 autopilot.


My ST6002 controller says "No Pilot".


My new i70s MFD sees that the autopilot and has its status.


When I reconnect the ST6002 back up to the Autopilot via Seatalk 1, then all is good.


Shouldn't the ST6002 see the Autopilot via SeatalkNG via the converter? The manual for the converter has seems to indicate that it should....


I know previous versions of the converter did not support autopilots, but newer versions claim to. Mine is a recent purchase with the latest firmware.


I uses the old Seatalk 1 cable to pull the SeatalkNG backbone through the boat....it would be really annoying to have to fish the old cable back

[svmobert]

I went through something similar with my S3G, ST6001, pilot. When I replaced my dead ST6001 with a P70S, the new control would not see the S3G through my STNG<->ST1 converter. The control head needs to be on the same old Seatalk1 as the Course computer. You can run the STNG<->ST1 between the autopilot/controlhead combination and the other devices though.

Originally Posted by DenisHeinrichs

I have a Raymarine X30 autopilot with a ST6002 controller.



I am in the process of upgrading my boat to include a NMEA 2000/Seatalk NG backbone.


I have connected my existing ST6002 controller, and a ST60+ wind instrument up to a Seatalk to SeatalkNG converter, then connected the converter via SeatalkNG to the X30 autopilot.


My ST6002 controller says "No Pilot".


My new i70s MFD sees that the autopilot and has its status.


When I reconnect the ST6002 back up to the Autopilot via Seatalk 1, then all is good.


Shouldn't the ST6002 see the Autopilot via SeatalkNG via the converter? The manual for the converter has seems to indicate that it should....


I know previous versions of the converter did not support autopilots, but newer versions claim to. Mine is a recent purchase with the latest firmware.


I uses the old Seatalk 1 cable to pull the SeatalkNG backbone through the boat....it would be really annoying to have to fish the old cable back

[DenisHeinrichs]

Thanks. From what I have read, it seems that Raymarine prefers a different control head for the SX30, and recommends the ST6002 as a secondary. Maybe that is why they don't support it through the converter....

[rom]

ST6002 being compatible with latest EV1 AP, I would suspect it is compatible with your older AP. I do not see any reason why it would not work through the STNG/ST1 converter.


Did you double check you have STNG terminators everywhere needed ? That can lead to weird behaviour.

[svmobert]

If you look at the manual for the SPX30 it always shows the control head on the same Seatalk network as the SPX30 itself. It is likely a limitation of the SPX30 (same as the S1/S2/S3 units). If I recall correctly, the STNG<->ST1 converter doesn't fully support some of the commands needed for the control head on the older units.

Check the manual for the STNG converter itself as well and it shows the same. The control head is always on the same bus as the computer, never through the converter.

Originally Posted by DenisHeinrichs

Thanks. From what I have read, it seems that Raymarine prefers a different control head for the SX30, and recommends the ST6002 as a secondary. Maybe that is why they don't support it through the converter....

[DenisHeinrichs]

The manual for the converter shows options for legacy autopilots with StNG connection....but it just doesn't seem to work with mine.


I have an SX30, not an SPX30. I don't know if there is much of a difference. Raymarine only references the SX30 in a couple of places.

[rthompsona]

I have an SPX-5 instead of the 30. It has a seatalk and SeatalkNG interface. While it can pick up instrument data thru SeatalkNG, The Autopilot does not handle the commands from the control unit over seatalkNG It has to use the older seatalk. I put in a new Axiom MFD that does not have seatalk. It could not set waypoints, or headings directly.

I am in the process of installing an new evolution AP that will talk seatalkNG

[DenisHeinrichs]

I may have just found out the problem....


Looking through old Raymarine forum posts, it looks like in March 2011 there was an update to the software for the SPX5/10/30/SOL. Assuming the SX30 and SPX30 are the same....it lists one of the fixes as:
All Seatalk 1 Pilot commands and calibration data now tunnelled via the Seatalk to Seatalk NG Converter and decoded from Seatalk NG by the SPX Course Computer. This will now allow Seatalk 1 Controllers such as the ST6/7/8002 and the SmartController to be connected via the Converter to the Seatalk NG Backbone.

My Autopilot was installed in 2009, and I am assuming that the software has not been updated on it since then.

Unfortunately, I do not have a Raymarine MFD, so I am not sure how I can get the software updated....