Location
Install the logger where the user can insert and remove the USB memory stick and access the button on the end - allow 90mm clearance - and also see the status LEDs on the top of the unit. Note that the device is not waterproof, so must be mounted in a dry location.
Secure the unit down with the four mounting holes (using 3.5 - 4.5mm countersunk head screws), or use an alternative such as double sided tape or Velcro.
Power
Connect power (9 - 30V DC, 0.11A@12V DC) to the + and - terminals. The unit has an internal self-resetting fuse, so as long as it is powered from a fused circuit there is no need for a seperate fuse for this device. There is no power on/off switch on the device, but an external switch can be installed if required. If you draw power from the same circuit as the instruments, then it will power up whenever the instruments power up.
When you apply power to the device, the POwer LED will light up green.
NMEA
Connect the NMEA0183 output from one or two devices to the Ch1 and Ch2 A and B terminals. On other devices, "A" may be referred to as +, Signal, Data or Tx, and "B" may be referred to as -, Ground or Gnd. If you are only connecting one device, it does not matter whether you use Ch1 or Ch2.
Some NMEA devices just have a single Data wire for output, and no data ground - examples of this are some Garmin GPS receivers and TackTick instruments. In this case, connect the Data wire from the device to the "A" connection, and the -ve power of the device (not the data logger) to the "B" connection, so the -ve power wire of the device splits top go to the "B" connector and to the power supply.
When you switch the device on, the Ch1 or Ch2 light will flash green whenever a valid NMEA sentence is received, or red for an invalid sentence. The sentence is validated by checking that it starts with a $ and terminates with a <CR><LF>, and that the length is valid - the contents of the sentence are not checked.
If the channel light stays off or flashes red, here are some things to check:
- Is data coming out of the device? Check the voltage across the A and B terminals, and it should rise to a few volts as data is received.
- Is the device configured to output NMEA0183 data? Some devices can also output other data formats, and need to be configured.
- If the above have both been checked, try swapping the A and B connections (this won't harm the logger)
Seatalk
If you have the optional Seatalk module, then loosen all six screws on the logger connection block, slide in the Seatalk module, and tighten up all of the screws. Connect the power and NMEA0183 data (if used) as above.
If placing the logger at the end of the Seatalk bus, just connect the Seatalk data wire to the Seatalk in terminal.
If connecting the logger inline in the Seatalk bus, cut the Seatalk data wire, and put one end into Seatalk In, and the other into Seatalk Out (it doesn't matter which way round it goes).
Seatalk wiring colours are:
Red +12V - connect to DC+
Yellow Seatalk data - connect to Seatalk In or Out
Shield (or black) 0V - connect to DC-
In general there is plenty of power on the Seatalk bus to power the data logger as well as the instruments.
USB
Insert a USB memory stick, and the USB LED should light up green, briefly flashing red whenever data is written to the memory stick.
If it does not show green, but flashes a sequence in red, then check the diagnostics in the user manual.
Location
Install the logger where the user can insert and remove the USB memory stick and access the button on the end - allow 90mm clearance - and also see the status LEDs on the top of the unit. Note that the device is not waterproof, so must be mounted in a dry location.
Secure the unit down with the four mounting holes (using 3.5 - 4.5mm countersunk head screws), or use an alternative such as double sided tape or Velcro.
Power
Connect power (9 - 30V DC, 0.11A@12V DC) to the + and - terminals. The unit has an internal self-resetting fuse, so as long as it is powered from a fused circuit there is no need for a seperate fuse for this device. There is no power on/off switch on the device, but an external switch can be installed if required. If you draw power from the same circuit as the instruments, then it will power up whenever the instruments power up.
When you apply power to the device, the POwer LED will light up green.
NMEA
Connect the NMEA0183 output from one or two devices to the Ch1 and Ch2 A and B terminals. On other devices, "A" may be referred to as +, Signal, Data or Tx, and "B" may be referred to as -, Ground or Gnd. If you are only connecting one device, it does not matter whether you use Ch1 or Ch2.
Some NMEA devices just have a single Data wire for output, and no data ground - examples of this are some Garmin GPS receivers and TackTick instruments. In this case, connect the Data wire from the device to the "A" connection, and the -ve power of the device (not the data logger) to the "B" connection, so the -ve power wire of the device splits top go to the "B" connector and to the power supply.
When you switch the device on, the Ch1 or Ch2 light will flash green whenever a valid NMEA sentence is received, or red for an invalid sentence. The sentence is validated by checking that it starts with a $ and terminates with a <CR><LF>, and that the length is valid - the contents of the sentence are not checked.
If the channel light stays off or flashes red, here are some things to check:
- Is data coming out of the device? Check the voltage across the A and B terminals, and it should rise to a few volts as data is received.
- Is the device configured to output NMEA0183 data? Some devices can also output other data formats, and need to be configured.
- If the above have both been checked, try swapping the A and B connections (this won't harm the logger)
Seatalk
If you have the optional Seatalk module, then loosen all six screws on the logger connection block, slide in the Seatalk module, and tighten up all of the screws. Connect the power and NMEA0183 data (if used) as above.
If placing the logger at the end of the Seatalk bus, just connect the Seatalk data wire to the Seatalk in terminal.
If connecting the logger inline in the Seatalk bus, cut the Seatalk data wire, and put one end into Seatalk In, and the other into Seatalk Out (it doesn't matter which way round it goes).
Seatalk wiring colours are:
Red +12V - connect to DC+
Yellow Seatalk data - connect to Seatalk In or Out
Shield (or black) 0V - connect to DC-
In general there is plenty of power on the Seatalk bus to power the data logger as well as the instruments.
USB
Insert a USB memory stick, and the USB LED should light up green, briefly flashing red whenever data is written to the memory stick.
If it does not show green, but flashes a sequence in red, then check the diagnostics in the user manual.