Instruments (06/2018)

Time for some modern instruments on my Catalina 270!

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Here is an wiring diagram of my setup:



iTC-5

It would be nice to get some NMEA2000-compatible transducers but that requires another haulout and a lot more work so... I installed the Raymarine iTC-5 translator. It hooks up to the old analog speed and depth transducers and outputs the data to the NMEA2000 network.

In typical Raymarine style, this isn't quite NMEA2000 compliant. The standard says devices are required to connect to the backbone via drop cable but this one needs to be wired in-line on the backbone itself which makes the installation more hassle than it should be.

I installed this under the V berth so it is right next to the old transducers. I had to splice a Raymarine proprietary connector onto the backbone cable. The autopilot EV-1 is plugged into the iTC-5 as well as the backbone terminator.



Important to note is that the iTC-5 requires a Raymarine i70s display unit in order to calibrate the sensor output, so I was forced to get one of those as well.

AIS WatchMate XB-6000

Next on the backbone is a VesperMarine XB-6000 AIS transponder. This receives AIS location data and sends it to the NMEA2000 network. It also broadcasts my AIS data.



I installed a switch to control the AIS broadcast. Most of the time I don't need to clutter the airwaves with my info. It is a nice feature to have when the fog drops down and visibility goes to nothing.



The XB-6000 also has a really nice feature unrelated to its AIS functionality - it gateways the NMEA network messages to USB.

This allows me to run OpenCPN on a laptop and by plugging a USB cable to the XB-6000, I can get all the NMEA data in OpenCPN. So cool!

ACU-100 Autopilot CPU

Next on the backbone is the Raymarine ACU-100 autopilot controller. Installation is covered on the autopilot installation page.


Displays

The backbone goes up the pedestal guard to the navpods where the instruments live.



Raymarine P70

 The first display on line is the P70 autopilot control display.

Raymarine i70s

Next is the i70s display. I had no initial plans to add this display but it is required by the iTC-5 so here it is.

Garmin GNX Wind

This pairs with the wireless wind sensor at the top of the mast and feeds wind data to the NMEA2000 network.

Garmin 7610 Chartplotter

The primary chart display.





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