About the AutoTrackRaymarine Plugin

[akopac]

Thanks. I’ve actually been watching the evolution of the autopilot plug-ins for for opencpn for many years. I even have a couple pipilots from Sean. Finally thinking about tying the knot between routes and autopilot

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by sailingjazz

I have a DY STng usb interface to my Nav PC providing a two way NEMA 2000 interface to my EVO 100 AP. I also have an iMux wifi that converts old ST instruments to 0183 and multiplexes it with other 0183 feeds. OpenCPN is running on the Nav PC and is getting data from both. I intend to set up an unfiltered OpenCPN input / output connection on this Nav PC.

My questions are;

Will I be able to use this data on a PC at the helm to control the Autotrack PI?

Is there any need for a Signal K data server? The Helm and Nav PCs will be on the same wifi router.

Will all the necessary sentences for the PI be passed through to/from the Nav PC?

Thanks,
Kevin

Have you tried using OpenCPNs built in AP functions? I also have the EVO100 AP. It works fine with an antisense converting from the 0183 that OCPN outputs to the N2k that the EV-1 needs. Only thing is that my antisense was pretty old (2015ish) and I had to update the firmware and enable the correct NMEA sentences in the configuration. That was a bit involved, but might not be needed with a newer unit.

I've not tried the plugins myself. Turning the AP on/off isn't supported on 0183, so that is a reason to do so. But, I have moved on from wires (I now use a yacht devices YDWG02) and refuse to go back. So n2k isn't happening for me until the developers support the YDWG02.

I don't understand what the 0183 version of the plugin does that OCPN doesn't.

But, you should be able to use either plugin with your setup, or the built-in, and should not need SignalK to do it.

[sailingjazz]

Originally Posted by wholybee

Have you tried using OpenCPNs built in AP functions? I also have the EVO100 AP. It works fine with an antisense converting from the 0183 that OCPN outputs to the N2k that the EV-1 needs. Only thing is that my antisense was pretty old (2015ish) and I had to update the firmware and enable the correct NMEA sentences in the configuration. That was a bit involved, but might not be needed with a newer unit.

I've not tried the plugins myself. Turning the AP on/off isn't supported on 0183, so that is a reason to do so. But, I have moved on from wires (I now use a yacht devices YDWG02) and refuse to go back. So n2k isn't happening for me until the developers support the YDWG02.

I don't understand what the 0183 version of the plugin does that OCPN doesn't.

But, you should be able to use either plugin with your setup, or the built-in, and should not need SignalK to do it.

I have tried the OpenCPN's autopilot functionality also with a antisense converting data. I had trouble with it starting off with sharp (unnecessary) turns and then the Autopilot stopping to ask me to accept turns. Never got it to work in a useful way.

[akopac]

So I’m not to far from going into cyclone season project mode and one project is to get this route fallowing working. I currently have
Openplotter/Opencpn on a Pi400
Yacht Devices YDNU-02 USB/nmea2000 bridge connected to opencpn using signalk
The YDNU-02 has :
A yacht devices AIT2500 AIS which provides GPS & AIS for opencpn
A Raymarine NMEA2000 SeaTalking Gateway Kit with all the ev100, p70, and ev-1 gear attach and seatalk to nmea2000 pigtail to nmea2000 cable to main nmea tree with yacht devices USB TO NMEA2000 YDNU-02 adapter for pi400.
https://www.west marine.com/raymarine-raymarine-nmea2000-seatalking-gateway-kit-11954369.html

Was wondering if the actisense NGT-1 is still necessary to use this plugin and if I can do it over signalK?
If I need the actisense NGT-1 does it have to be plugged directly into the nmea2000/seatalk adapter or can I just buy one that replaces the yacht devices bridge?

[dwynalda]

yes, the actisense is necessary. signalk doesn't know the proprietary raymarine pgn formats. signalk doesn't relay everything. the plugin needs to talk direct to the actisense and connecting it to signalk causes fighting between the two (I tried adding thenactisense to both signalk and opencpn with no luck)

I wish the actisense I have could tall to both but no luck with that so far so I'm going to add a separate nmea2000/seatalkng device to the network for signalk to converse with... USB devices don't generally allow connection to multiple apps at the same time...

now... it wouldn't hurt to try to run all of the pgns through signalk. perhaps I've missed something but I'm pretty sure Douwe said nmea2000 plugins won't know how to handle thr proprietary ogns raymarine created... you would have to edit the source code

[Rick Welin]

YACHT DEVICES YDNU-02(RM) - I'm running the AutoTrackRaymarine Plugin just fine on this dongle. I have latest versions (as of Dec 10 2023) of both the plugin and OpenCPN and the plugin talks to, and controls, my new Raymarine EV-200 system with the connection set to Serial & NMEA2000 in OpenCPN. (No need to set a port within the plugin)

If you have older software or hardware you my need to update firmware.

IMPORTANTLY Yacht Devices mentions Actisense code in their documentation, so that may be a recent addition I don't know.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO CODERS #2 - Yacht Devices also mentions in their documentation that they are eager to help plugin coders get their plugins working with Yacht Devices gateways and will even provide coding assistance within reason and will add your code to their dongles' firmware. (The more compatibility the more sales and they are down with that).

[cas206]

Originally Posted by Rick Welin

YACHT DEVICES YDNU-02(RM) - I'm running the AutoTrackRaymarine Plugin just fine on this dongle.

Which of the three modes do you use the Yacht Designs YDN-02 in? There is 0183, RAW, and N2K.

[dwynalda]

He has to have used N2k. That's the only protocol that the EV1 talks. (seatalkng being electrically the same as n2k, with some additional packet formats)

[Rick Welin]

Originally Posted by cas206

Which of the three modes do you use the Yacht Designs YDN-02 in? There is 0183, RAW, and N2K.

There's also an "Auto" mode which is the state that it shipped in. I did not change anything so it's running in Auto which is what the manual recommends. I just checked my YD Firmware Version is 1.25 which is what it shipped with (purchased late October 2023).

And as noted OpenCPN connection is set to SERIAL & NMEA2000

Yacht Devices Downloads - Manual PDF and Firmwares: https://www.yachtd.com/downloads/#ydnuman
They're showing firmware at ver 1.7 now but I didn't bother updating from 1.25 as the unit is working right now... if it works..

[cas206]

Originally Posted by Rick Welin

There's also an "Auto" mode which is the state that it shipped in. I did not change anything so it's running in Auto which is what the manual recommends. I just checked my YD Firmware Version is 1.25 which is what it shipped with (purchased late October 2023).

And as noted OpenCPN connection is set to SERIAL & NMEA2000

Thanks. Mine is set to AUTO and I looked at the output in PuTTY (terminal emulator) and it contained 0183 text strings. Using PuTTY apparently triggered 0183 mode. I'll be trying it again with newer OpenCPN with N2K support and see what it gets.

[Rick Welin]

Yes, I think that is the key. The latest OpenCPN with N2K. I think I saw somewhere that YD also auto-converts 183/2000 on the fly so that may be why you're seeing that.

[Rick Welin]

Oh and I also un-installed / re-installed the AutoTrack plugin after updating OpenCPN. (Even though it was the same build). That was when it started working properly

And the plugin literature states you need to assign the COM port in plugin preferences but that option doesn't show so I just set the the rudder angle max error and saved.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by dwynalda

He has to have used N2k. That's the only protocol that the EV1 talks. (seatalkng being electrically the same as n2k, with some additional packet formats)

Any decent 0183 converter to n2k converter will convert the 0183 sentences to the n2k PGNs. I have used both a yacht devices ydwg-02 and an antisense ngw for this.

I am currently using the ydwg-02 direct to OPCN and it works fine. The autopilot is something that has worked fine and simply for years with OCPN, and seems to have only become complicated and convoluted with n2k and signalk. It is surprising that support isn't better because even though some of the PGNs are proprietary, it is no secret what they are.

I am still waiting for OCPN to consider supporting n2k over ethernet. I think it is absurd that support isn't there, given how popular tablets are, and that I moved away from USB connections to my laptop years ago. But alas, the developers are adamantly against it.

[cas206]

I can confirm that the YDNU-02(RM) is being put into N2K mode when OpenCPN is setup as a NMEA2000 connection. The same data was shown in the Debug Window for both "AUTO" mode of the YDNU and when I explicitly put it in N2K mode.

[bdbcat]

Wholybee...


re:
"But alas, the developers are adamantly against it."


A bit overstated. We simply do not have any industry consensus about what is the "correct", or even "useful", format for encapsulating N2K data in TCP/IP packets.


What we see is the Yacht Devices "RAW" format, which seems to be YD proprietary. It is well documented, and open to any/all developers to implement. It is not a great protocol, but can be made to work.And that seems to be all there is for N2K over TCP/IP.


I own a YDEN02, and we have built prototypes of the required RAW OCPN interface drivers in POC state.




We have no other information, such as:
1. Are any other gateway vendors using, or likely to be using, the YD RAW format?
2. Are there any other formats to consider?


While maybe we would not be opposed to building a point solution for you, would anyone else use it? Would it be useful to users owning any other N2K gateways?


These questions must be discussed before we embark on production-worthy implementation. Any further info or insight that you can provide will be appreciated.


Thanks
Dave