Modify a NMEA183 sentence in Signal K (Solved without needing to modify)

[luckybeanz]

I read this with interest, I am new to OpenPlotter, I am about to set up my new system, waiting for everything to arrive, tomorrow hopefully. I have old Stowe Navigator 1, Navsounder and Windvane heads, all the sensors don't work. I don't have any databox. The wiring on my boat is a nightmare to get to and instead of replacing these old screens in the cockpit, I was wondering if I could use the existing wiring and screens fed by data from OpenPlotter over NMEA 0183. Did you get yours to work, do you think it would be possible to have them display data?

[Techstyle]

I read this with interest,  I am new to OpenPlotter, I am about to set up my new system, waiting for everything to arrive, tomorrow hopefully.  I have old Stowe Navigator 1, Navsounder and Windvane heads, all the sensors don't work.  I don't have any databox.  The wiring on my boat is a nightmare to get to and instead of replacing these old screens in the cockpit, I was wondering if I could use the existing wiring and screens fed by data from OpenPlotter over NMEA 0183.  Did you get yours to work, do you think it would be possible to have them display data?

just remember that NMEA0183 is single talker, multi listener, so it you are bringing data in from multiple devices you will need 2 wires for each transmitter (talker) and then an additional 1 (if you are lucky and you can share the ground) or 2 wires for opposite direction.  what I have done is bring everything into the pi (signalK) and then out via one transmitter pair (2 wires) from the pi out to everything else.

[Jodel]

As far as I can detect, if you send a stream of NMEA 183 data to the Stowe displays (that I have) they will each pick up the NMEA sentences that are relevant. That is, the Wind display should display the relevant wind NMEA sentences and so on. If you can see the NMEA data in OpenCpn debug window being output to a usb to NMEA converter and then connect that to a display you can check what is going on. On my boat the displays are daisy chained together and each display picks up the data relevant to it from the output of the Databox. If you are just sending similar NMEA from OpenCpn I assume the displays should work but I have not tried it.
The Depth Sounder display may be a problem as the Databox sends the pings to the transducer and converts the returns to NMEA so you will need to get a NMEA depth below transducer sentence to send to the depth display.
Jodel

[stuart17]

Hi,
After a lot of experimentation I have reverted to streaming everything through SignalK.
The big advantage was the ease of setting up KIP to have it display dashboards in a browser.
The only data coming from OpenCpn now is the route data RMB and RMC.
I have the connection from SignalK to OpenCpn coming through TCP as opposed to using the signalk protocol.
This means I can see it in the Debug window and also filter RMB and RMC from looping.
It is now all working as I want. Openplotter is so versatile particularly if a little effort is put in to understanding how it all hangs together! :)
Jodel

It’s great to hear how you’ve streamlined everything through SignalK, especially with the added convenience of KIP for browser-based dashboards. The setup sounds robust, particularly with the filtered RMB and RMC data. OpenPlotter's versatility really shines when you invest time in understanding its capabilities. Well done! its great.

[stuart17]

I read this with interest, I am new to OpenPlotter, I am about to set up my new system, waiting for everything to arrive, tomorrow hopefully. I have old Stowe Navigator 1, Navsounder and Windvane heads, all the sensors don't work. I don't have any databox. The wiring on my boat is a nightmare to get to and instead of replacing these old screens in the cockpit, I was wondering if I could use the existing wiring and screens fed by data from OpenPlotter over NMEA 0183. Did you get yours to work, do you think it would be possible to have them display data?

It’s exciting that you’re diving into OpenPlotter! Reusing your existing screens by feeding them data from OpenPlotter over NMEA 0183 is definitely possible. With the right configuration and adapters, you could breathe new life into those old displays. Best of luck with your setup—OpenPlotter’s flexibility is a game-changer!