NMEA 2000 Powered Computer System With Raspberry Pi 4, NMEA 2000 HAT, Pre-Installed OpenPlotter And Signal K

Posted by Wilfried Voss on Apr 6th 2021

Copperhill Technologies offers various NMEA 2000 compatible embedded systems, including HATs for the Raspberry Pi and the Arduino-compatible line of Teensy modules.

The NMEA 2000 standard defines a low-cost, modest capacity, bi-directional, multi-transmitter, multi-receiver instrument network. The hardware layer utilizes the CAN (Controller Area Network) technology. Typical data on an NMEA 2000 network include:

Position latitude and longitude
GPS status
Steering commands to autopilots
Waypoint lists
Wind sensor data
Engine sensor data
Depth sounder sensor data
Battery status data
And more...

However, the Raspberry Pi offers the most significant potential when it comes to creating a full NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 compatible embedded system because the line of products includes the Raspberry Pi HAT, a metal enclosure, and a Micro SD card with a pre-installed operating system plus OpenPlotter and Signal K.

OpenPlotter

OpenPlotter is a combination of software and hardware to be used as a navigational aid on small and medium boats. It is also a complete home automation system onboard. It works on ARM computers like the Raspberry Pi or any computer running a Linux Debian derivative. It is low-cost, low-consumption, and modular. You will need the basic parts and some optional parts. It will depend on what kind of data you want to collect, process, display, and what type of equipment your boat already has. More Information...

Signal K

Signal K is a modern and open data format for marine use. Built on standard web technologies, including JSON, WebSockets, and HTTP, Signal K provides a method for sharing information in a way that is friendly to WiFi, cellphones, tablets, and the Internet. A format available to everyone, where anyone can contribute, Signal K is the first truly open data format for the marine industry. It is set to revolutionize how we consume and interact with data on boats. Signal K is open source, but friendly to companies that want to use it in closed source applications or hardware. More Information...

We have plans to offer the entire system assembled with seven inch monitor option, but for the time being, we are listing the necessary components here:

NMEA 2000 Powered Computer System

Option: Seven Inch Touchscreen Monitor for Raspberry Pi

This is a 7" Capacitive Touch Screen LCD With Case And Toughened Glass Cover, 1024×600, HDMI, IPS, Various Devices & Systems Support For Raspberry Pi 3 or 4, and other embedded systems with an HDMI port.

Just plug and play byconnecting touch port to the device to achieve touch function without driver and program download. Touch function is unavailable when used as a general HDMI monitor.

7 Inch Raspberry Pi Touchscreen Monitor 1024x600 IPS Display USB Powered HDMI Monitor with Built-in Speaker & Stand for Raspberry Pi 4...

Advanced Marine Electrics and Electronics Troubleshooting

Whether you are a marine electronics professional or a boat owner, Advanced Marine Electrics and Electronics Troubleshooting helps you understand the new, more powerful methods of troubleshooting marine electrical and electronic systems.

A modern boat’s sophisticated installations and networked electronics can stretch the traditional diagnostic methods based on trouble lights and multimeters past their useful limits.

This book will show you how to:

Use microprocessor-based diagnostic tools and techniques from the automotive and communications sectors, adapted for boats for the first time
Diagnose the most difficult AC and DC problems
Protect communications and navigation electronics from interference and lightning
Seek out and eliminate stray-current sources and galvanic corrosion

More Information...