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hoeken avatar image
hoeken asked

VE.Can + Fischer Panda + N2K

I posted this in the Q&A forum, but it got buried a bit in the "what is a battery" questions...

I'm planning on a marine install with the following VE.Can devices: Cerbo GX and Lynx Smart BMS. I am also planning on installing a Fischer Panda generator, and would like to use the J1939 connection method so I can log data from the generator as well as do automatic start/stop. Last, but not least I would like to have the Victron data on the N2K network to display on the chartplotter.

What would the best way to accomplish this? Reading the VE.CAN to NMEA2000 documentation, it appears that it would be best to have a VE.CAN to N2K cable for each device, but should I do that with the generator as well?

Alternatively, maybe it would be easier to keep a separate VE.Can network with just Cerbo GX, Lynx Smart Shunt, and FP generator and then install a Raspberry Pi w/ N2K running SignalK and pull the Victron data over MQQT?

What do you all think?

VE.CanNMEA 2000 - N2K
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1 Answer
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bathnm answered ·

I do not have the Fischer Panda generator, but do have a yacht with a fairly extensive N2K network, to which I have the Victron equipment connected (2 x MPPTs with CAN ports; Lynx BMS; CerboGX) and Wakespeed 500 (2 of them). This is the way I approached it.

One end of my N2K network is one of the MPPT's so that has a Victron RJ45 terminator in one of its ports, the other an RJ45 cable to the 2nd MPPT. From here I use RJ45 cables to daisy chain the 2nd MTTP to Cerbo and then Lynx Smart BMS. The second port in the Lynx BMS has the VE.Can to N2K adapter. The fuse has been removed so it cant supply power to the main N2K network.

Note: If you plan to use a Wakespeed 500, then that can also go in the RJ45 daisy chaining, but you will need to make a special cable as it uses different pins. You can cut the end of an RJ45 cable and remake with the correct pin outs.

The VE.Can to N2K Adapter then feeds into the N2K micro portion of my backbone. This uses Actisense 4-ways and T's. The end of this then has a Micro to SeaTalkNG adapter cable with the power pin removed. Then I have my SeaTalkNG network, with a terminator in the end. I separately power the SeaTalkNG and micro portion of the network.

This allows me to do a number of things. Shut down the main SeaTalkNG network when not needed, but keep the micro portion powered. I can insert a Victron terminator in the Lynx Smart BMS and micro terminator into that portion of the main N2K network to isolate the Victron and main N2k network.

You might have top adjust data instances to ensure you have unique data instance values on various devices to ensure you do not have displays flipping between values as you could end up with multiple batteries, temperature sensors, etc using the same data instance. I purchased an Actisense USB N2K gateway which has proved invaluable in debugging display and data instance issues.

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hoeken avatar image hoeken commented ·

Thanks for the detailed answer. I always know that its going to be a good one when I see 'bathnm'. Looks like I will try the route of getting everything all on one network first to start. If that doesn't work then I will try to separate the networks and then use a Raspberry PI with SignalK to read all the data from both the Cerbo and N2K and then retransmit the appropriate pgns if needed. I'm also on a catamaran and its going to be a pretty big N2K network when all is said and done.

I made a very basic little schematic from what you posted, see any glaring errors?

ve.can worksheet.drawio.pdf


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vecan-worksheetdrawio.pdf (475.9 KiB)

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