Actisense PRO-BUF-1 Professional NMEA 0183 Buffer User Guide
- June 6, 2024
- Actisense
Table of Contents
Professional NMEA 0183 Buffer
PRO-BUF-1
Quick Start Guide
Issue 1.01
Important Notices
The device to which this manual relates complies with the Electromagnetic Compatibility requirements according to EN60945. The unit should always be used in conjunction with appropriately approved, shielded cable and connectors as per NMEA 0400 to ensure compliance. A declaration of conformity is available for download at www.actisense.com.
If the device to which this manual relates is to be installed within five meters of a compass, please refer to the ‘Compass Safe Distance’ section in the ‘Technical Specifications’ table.
Trademarks and Registered Trademarks
Actisense® and the Actisense logo are registered trademarks of Active Research Limited (Ltd). All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The NMEA® name and NMEA logo are copyright held by the NMEA. All uses in this manual are by permission and no claim on the right to the NMEA name or logo are made in this manual.
Fair Use Statement
The contents of this manual may not be transferred or copied without the
express written permission of Active Research Ltd.
Copyright © 2016 Active Research Ltd. All rights reserved.
Technical Accuracy
To the best of our knowledge the information contained in this document was
correct at the time it was produced. Active Research Ltd cannot accept
liability for any inaccuracies or omissions.
The products described in this manual and the specifications thereof may be
changed without prior notice. Active Research Ltd cannot accept any liability
for differences between the product and this document. To check for updated
information and specifications please check
actisense.com.
Active Research Ltd will not be liable for infringement of copyright,
industrial property rights, or other rights of a third party caused by the use
of information or drawings described in this manual.
Product Disposal
Please dispose of this product in accordance with the WEEE Directive. The product should be taken to a registered establishment for the disposal of electronic equipment.
Product Registration
Please register your product via the online form at
www.actisense.com/support/prodreg.
Your product package includes a unit serial number. The serial number is six
digits long and can be found below the barcode on the label. Your registration
will assist Actisense Support to link your product to your details,
simplifying any future assistance you may require.
Product Guarantee
All Actisense products are provided with a 3-year guarantee as standard. To
activate the 5-year guarantee offered with this product please complete
product registration either online at
www.actisense.com/support/prodreg
or by completing and returning the warranty card supplied in the box with the
product.
If you suspect that the unit is faulty please refer to the Troubleshooting
Section of the User Manual before contacting support.
It is a requirement of the guarantee that all installations of electronic
equipment follow the NMEA 0400 specification. Any connection to a battery or
power supply must meet the mandatory essential safety requirements that may be
imposed by local regulatory agencies.
Actisense products are intended for use in a marine environment, primarily for
below-deck use. If a product is to be used in a more severe environment, such
use may be considered misuse under the Active Research Ltd guarantee.
Introduction & Features
PRO-BUF-1 is reliable, robust and provides industry-leading isolation with on
all inputs and outputs as standard, enabling safe connection of all devices
and avoiding hazardous ground loops. With two NMEA 0183 inputs, twelve NMEA
0183 outputs, a bi-directional serial port, and an Ethernet port, the PRO-
BUF-1 is a perfect solution for large networks on commercial shipping and
leisure vessels.
The PRO-BUF-1 is designed to suit the majority of NMEA 0183 systems and is
ready to go ‘out of the box by simply hard-wiring the two-mode inputs as
required which can drastically reduce installation time with no complicated
setup required. Helpful LEDs indicate power, data in, data out, and the alarm
status to aid diagnostics.
Before getting started
The wire colors used in this quick start guide are in accordance with the NMEA
0183 specification (v.4.10, June 2014) and are for illustration purposes only.
Please ensure you check the wiring colors in the installation instructions for
the devices you wish to interface to the PRO-BUF-1.
Terminals
The PRO-BUF-1 comes with two main choices for its 2-way and 3-way connectors: ‘screw’ (-R) or ‘screwless’ (-S).
Screw Connector
Screwless connector
Open the clamp inside the screwless connector by pressing down on the orange
button with a small (2mm) flat-headed screwdriver. This will allow the wire to
be inserted. For best connections do not twist the wire strands. Release the
orange button to lower the clamp onto the wire strands for a secure
termination.
RF Ground
The shield from each Listener should be connected to the terminal on the PRO-
BUF-1 ‘Isolated Talkers’ ports. All terminals are connected internally and
form a common bonding point at the RF ground stud. The RF ground stud should
be connected to the vessel’s RF ground plate using a minimum conductor size of
8 AWG (10mm 2 ) in accordance with NMEA 0400, (in version 3.1, this is in
section 3.2).
Name
|
Description
---|---
‘PWR’| Pulses blue to indicate the presence of power.
‘Out’| Flashes at a rate determined by baud rate and data length.
‘In’| Flashes on receipt of valid data.
‘‘Serial’ In/Out| As ‘In’ & ‘Out’ above.
‘Ethernet’| Green LED for activity, yellow LED for line speed: off = 10mbps,
on = 100mbps.
‘Alarm’| Red during an alarm condition.
‘Mode’| A number of flashes = mode number. Refer to the ‘Mode Table’ sheet for
full details.
DIN rail fixing
Install the DIN rail in the desired location.
Fully retract the black securing latch into the down position.
Attach the PRO-BUF-1 to the DIN rail as shown in the diagrams below.
Ensure the PRO-BUF-1 sits flush against the DIN rail, then push the securing
latch back into position to hold the PRO-BUF-1 in place.
Operating Modes
The PRO-BUF-1 can be configured manually using the ‘Mode’ pins (also referred to as ‘hard-wiring’) or user configured via the Configuration Tool. Manually configuring the PRO-BUF-1 takes priority over any user configuration. The factory default setting of the PRO-BUF-1 is ‘Buffer Mode 3’.
Hard-wiring the operating modes
For a list of modes and how to set them up, please refer to the ‘Mode Table’
sheet included with the PRO-BUF-1 or available from the PRO-BUF-1 ‘Downloads’
page on the Actisense website.
Web browser configuration tool
The Configuration Tool for the PRO-BUF-1 is built-in and can be accessed via
the Ethernet connection. An internet connection is not required to access the
Configuration Tool. The factory default log-in for both username and password
is “admin”. A future firmware update will allow individual username and
password log-ins to be remembered and used.
Standard Ethernet networks
If the PRO-BUF-1 is connected to an Ethernet network containing both DHCP and
DNS servers, launch any popular web browser and enter ‘//probuf-xxxxxx’ into
the address bar (replacing ‘xxxxxx’ with the product’s serial number).
Direct connections or basic Ethernet networks If the PRO-BUF-1 is connected directly to a PC (or the Ethernet network does not have a DHCP server), the PRO-BUF-1 will communicate using auto-IP by default. The auto-IP process can take up to 60 seconds to complete.
Basic tech specs
Power Supply
Input supply voltage| 10 to 35 V DC
Input supply current| 325mA max @ 12V DC (all outputs @ full drive into 100
ohm loads)
NMEA 0183 Port – Listener & Talker
Compatibility| Fully NMEA 0183, RS422 & RS232 compatible. RS485 Listener
compatible
Electrical isolation| 2500 V input to ground, 1500 V output to the ground
using ISO-Drive™
Speed/baud rate| 4800 to 38400 bps
Talker output current drive| 20 mA maximum per output
Mechanical
Mounting| DIN rail mount (35mm top-hat rail EN 50 022)
Compass safe distance| TBD
Wiring terminals| Pluggable 2/3 way screw or screwless connectors, 5mm pitch,
12 to 30 AWG
Active Research Ltd
21 Harwell Road
Poole
Dorset
UK, BH17 0GE
Tel: +44 (0)1202 746682
Email:sales@actisense.com
Web: www.actisense.com
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