iKonvert USB Gateway – Mouse goes Crazy!

NMEA 0183 data is often wrongly detected by Microsoft’s old “USB plug and play” detection software as a serial mouse. Here is an article I wrote on this back in 2014….still present in Windows 11 !!! https://digitalyacht.net/2014/04/16/help-my-mouse-has-gone-crazy/ With an iKonvert USB it is pretty easy….just unplug the NMEA 2000 connection (not USB) when it happens...

Connecting a transponder to a chartplotter using iKonvert without an NMEA network.

NMEA 2000 is a great interfacing standard, BUT it does require a basic network to be in place, you cannot just plug the iKonvert in to the plotter. This simple guide that we created gives the key “things to know” about NMEA 2000…. How to create an NMEA 2000 network Our NMEA 2000 Starter Kit...

How do I test if an iKonvert is faulty? – Supply Voltage Test

Our iKonverts are pretty “bulletproof” but of course it could be a component failure. A simple test of the NMEA 2000 supply voltage at the iKonvert PCB would be the best way to ascertain if it is a network issue of a faulty iKonvert. Using a multimeter set to measure DC Voltage, please measure for...

Testing NMEA 2000 Network

If you have an old or spare NMEA 2000 cable kicking around in your “come in handy” box, then put it to good use and create your own NMEA 2000 Test Lead. Assuming your cable is a Male to Female cable, you can actually create two test leads from the same cable, by simply cutting...

Is iKonvert USB gateway compatible with LINUX or MAC OSX?

Yes, our iKonvert uses the popular FTDI serial to USB chip and the LINUX and MAC OSX drivers for this chip are included in the relevant operating system’s kernel. It should appear in the operating system as a serial device named “ttyUSB0” (or similar) when plugged in to a LINUX or MAC machine.

Can iKonvert USB gateway provide RAW NMEA 2000 data or does it just convert to NMEA 0183?

Our iKonvert can output converted NMEA 0183 sentences or the RAW NMEA 2000 data depending upon which mode it is set to (see user manual for more details). You can either set the mode by changing the four DIP switches inside the iKonvert or you can do this programmatically by sending a serial command to...

I am a software developer, how can I learn more about implementing NMEA 2000 data in my software by using iKonvert/NAVLink2?

Our iKonvert/NAVLink2 gateways make implementing NMEA 2000 much easier, with no old, proprietary libraries, just a simple serial protocol that is published online at…   https://github.com/digitalyacht/iKonvert/wiki/4.-Serial-Protocol   The gateways take care of all of the complicated address claiming, network discovery and NMEA 2000 network management, simplifying and speeding up your software implementation. Here is a...

Does the iKonvert have an autopilot mode?

Yes since V2.47 (end of 2020) our iKonverts have had two autopilot modes which the user can select using the DIP switches.    

How to update the iKonvert USB?

Since Q1/2020, iKonvert has had a number of updates and if you would like to update the firmware, this FAQ will explain the procedure. Please download a Tech Note detailing how to update the iKonvert and you have the USB version so connection to the PC is easy. Please note the additional step for iKonvert...

Connecting WindSense to an iKonvert

Connecting iKonvert to the GPS160

Connecting iKonvert to a NMEA0183 Chartplotter

Connecting WND100 to iKonvert

NMEA 2000 Display Apps for iKonvert USB

Digital Yacht’s NMEA2000 Display App for iKonvert USB takes a new approach and is the World’s first multi-platform, browser based NMEA2000 Display App that will run on Windows, LINUX, Mac OSX and Raspbian. If you want to use it, please follow the guide here.