maretron nmea 2000 cables and connectors

There are connector and backbone wiring systems internationally standardized for use in industrial CANBUS installations. There is another motivation, however, that’s equally valid in some cases: The Machiavelian motivation is that it allows vendors to create isolated islands of compatability while still claiming compliance with an “industry-standard” protocol. There are several motivations behind not *requiring* standard connectors as part of complying with “NMEA2000”. Note that NMEA2000 was designed to benefit the EQUIPMENT MAKERS and BOATBUILDERS, *not* BOAT OWNERS. And if it didn’t get fixed, we’d have to assume it was intentional. In a Connectathon, everybody has to talk to everybody else, so this connector tomfoolery would be smoked out bloody quickly. This is precisely the kind of problem the Connectathon approach solves that sanctification with a validation suite does not. What to you think he should do? And, by the way, the guy is an amazing wedding photographer. Mind you, I’m pretty sure the Lowrance plotter can show the depth, speed, and temp data, but will not understand the wind messages. The prices look fairly reasonable for the Simrad gear, and this system should be robust and easily added on to, but Chris is working with a tight budget. Simrad’s own “smart” triducer is likely very similar to Maretron’s, probably even also made by Airmar. For instrument heads, he could go with a Combi and a Wind, or just a Graphic (plus transducers) that could do both. But considering what Chris already has in hand, plus the reasonable cost of the Simrad wind transducer (see link above), I’m thinking he should go all SimNet backbone with one ugly homemade patch cable from the Lowrance. And my personal bias is toward standard NMEA 2000 cabling with patch cables as needed. In my experience mixing NMEA 2000 cable designs, even backbones, works fine. I think there are a lot of ways to skin this cat. So should I settle on a NMEA standard backbone, and convert Simrad and Lowrance to that backbone? Or something else? Can I do a hybrid, connecting all of the Simrad to a SimNet, and then connecting that backbone to the Lowrance one? Will the power over one feed the other? My trouble is that Simrad, Maretron and Lowrance all are NMEA 2000, but with different connectors. * Some display for wind, depth etc.(will Simrad Mega display the Maretron depth?) * Maretron Smart Triducer (depth, speed, temp in one hole) ** Lowrance 7300c HD Chartplotter (old “Blue” N2K connector) ** Simrad TP32 Tillerpilot (Great deal barely used of of eBay)

Maretron nmea 2000 cables and connectors