Most people think of a multifunction display, or MFD, as the hub of your boat’s entire marine electronics system. And that’s exactly what it is, but modern MFDs can actually be a whole lot more—in many cases, they serve as the electronic brain for your entire boat. These days, most modern MFDs incorporate a chart plotter, fish finders, radar, AIS receiver, system monitoring, WiFi and Bluetooth communications and so on. That’s where we’ve got more chance to design in multiple ranged of our connectors in marine market.
Modern MFDs are capable of networking via NMEA 2000 protocol (sometimes called N2K), a 250-kbs Controller Area Network (CAN) system that allows different electronics to share a common “language” and communicate with plug-and-play ease. Many can also communicate via NMEA 0183 (an older, slower version of NMEA 2000), J1939 (a similar communications protocol used in the automotive world), and/or proprietary networking systems. And in advanced systems, video capabilities also come into play.
Networking an MFD with different systems in the boat can be as simple as running a “trunk” line (sometimes called a backbone) with T-connections that have drop-lines running to the different pieces-parts of the system. Some other pieces-parts may be able to communicate with the MFD via WiFi or Bluetooth.
In practice, however, building a completely networked system around your MFD can get a little complex. What type of engine(s) your boat has, for example, makes a difference. While some manufacturers use NMEA 2000 to communicate engine data to the gauges, others may use different languages that require special “gateways,” plugs, or adaptors. In some other cases, specific brands of electronics may communicate seamlessly with specific brands of outboards with no additional hardware needed, but not necessarily others. And when adding new units or sensors to a system the MFD may need additional cable connectors to link with all of the devices together. And this is what we are expertise in the integration of the connection system.
We’ve successfully designed in our Ceres connector utilized in Power/Signal, and N2K cable connects to the rear of the MFD, DeviceNet (Micro-C 5 pin male) connector connects to NMEA 2000 network via adaptor cable, DeviceNet (5 pin female) connector, and Adaptor cable connects to the backbone or DeviceNet spur cable connects to NMEA2000 network.
We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential, while others help us improve this site and your experience. You can update your settings at any time.
Terms and Conditions .
