DRAGONFLY Trimarans User Forum

My DF920 has factory mounted ( I assume) wind and speed instruments from Raymarine. Got a new GPS (also from Raymarine) It can display data from the other instruments - but I have to connect a SeaTalk cable to some point - and I can't figure out how to reach the backside ot the the factory mounted stuff. Has anyone demounted a ST60 Speed Instrument display or the ST60 Wind Instrument display?

Or is there another way to connect SeaTalk to the old instruments?

One of the display heads should be mounted with 2-sided tape or Butyl sealant, so it is stuck on (not screwed from behind). If you can figure out which one you can gently pry it off (using a plastic scraper blade, not metal). Once you have one display head removed, you will be able to reach inside and unscrew the others (two thumb screw nuts on each display, diagonally opposite each other).

Let us know if this works.

There is another way to connect to Seatalk: behind the electrical panel.

That's how I connected a wireless remote for my autopilot. You just need a standard seatalk cable and possibly a seatalk Y splitter.

I don't remember if I had an unused seatalk end behind a panel or added my own Y-splitter.

I tried to make connections behind the factory instruments, but it was inconvenient. There is a lot more room to work behind the electrical panel.

Also, on my 920 it was the middle of the 3 instrument displays that popped easily (the wind instrument).

There are three wires in a SeaTalk cable.
+12 volts is red, Ground is black, and the SeaTalk data line is yellow.
The instruments are usually daisy chained, passing power and SeaTalk to each other.

You can tee into a cable either with a Y connector or solder in a splice.
It doesn't have to be in series arrangement.
If you don't need power, just use the ground and the SeaTalk wires.
If you DO need power, make sure the overall circuit is properly fused.
As long as the GPS is Raymarine, and it has its own power leads, the SeaTalk red wire is probably ignored inside the new GPS, so that wouldn't require any additional current from the daisy chain of instruments.

I hope that's not clear as mud.

Steve

Thanks, I'll keep you posted, it is a winter project to fix this for the summer.