USB to ST1000 Auto tiller

[familycruisers]

Anyone reccomend a plug and play adapter? It supposedly is just one of the terminals for data on the Autotiller plug and shared common. So two wire, sound right?

[alex2035]

USB to serials require a driver, I always use Prolific PL2303 on installations as they give good compatibility with Micro$oft OS quirks.
Pin 5 Shield, Pin 2 data in, Pin 3 data out on serial DB9. 5 and 3 to the ST1000 should work.

[million440]

Hi, Would you mind please updating us on how you went with the interface? What was your final intent? Can you elaborate on the plug and play Prolific PL2303? Indicative costs? Thanks in anticipation

[alex2035]

Originally Posted by million440

Hi, Would you mind please updating us on how you went with the interface? What was your final intent? Can you elaborate on the plug and play Prolific PL2303? Indicative costs? Thanks in anticipation

1. a physical connection between the pilot NMEA terminals and a DB9 connector by means of a cable with a proper extension (connector 2 PC location)
2. a USB2serial convertor (Prolific PL2303 preferably), this goes between the DB9 connector and the PC, connecting to an availabe USB slot on the computer
3. installation of proper drivers for the convertor on the PC and testing connection with OpenCPN or other software and the pilot itself on track mode

I dont know what the idea was on the original question, I guess controlling the pilot with the PC software, I dont do this unless I am asked for, for safety reasons, something could go wrong meanwhile you are inside the boat looking at the LCD (power failure, nmea stream broken, screensaver sleeping computer, Ozi had this as "experimental" for many time). The most common connection here is a GPS providing signal to the pilot AND replicating this signal to the PC so as to have it as a plotter.
Works the same but the connection is different.
This is mostly true here where we navigate for short distances and the former looks more like playing gadget in my opinion, more seriously usefull for long legs having the PC controlling things but I imagine some other equipment with GPS backup, AIS, radar, kind of a complete navigation setup, which I have done in bigger vessels with modular autopilot units.

Getting back to the original, assuming you have a PC with a proper GPS signal. Use the USB2serial in a slot, plug the DB9 connector to the other end, DB9 will have 2 cables wired to pin 5 for shield and pin 2 for data receive from pc/gps.
This 2 cables will connect on the other end to pin 5 (nmea-) and pin 6 (nmea+) on the back of the ST1000 cockpit connector.
I assume you refer to ST1000Plus, older models dont have this.

With this setup placing an active waypoint/route on OpenCPN (having configured autopilot output port correctly) will provide data to the pilot for Track Mode.

USB2serial is about U$S 20 here, DB9 with cable U$S 5 at most.
Prolific works fine on Mac as well.
Converters dont have identification as to what chip they have, I always buy from the same importer, you can tell looking at the driver which will have a pdf manual for installation. Linux can tell too as it detects all kind of hardware easily.

As usual,you use this at your own risk.
regards
alex

[million440]

Thank you sincerely Alex for your time, your response and the insights you have provided. Fair winds and following seas.
Regards
Peter