I've a H2000, but no zeus. I do use a Vulcan with it, but use the H5000 fastnet gateway to bridge the H2000 to N2K, and thus the Vulcan. That might be an option for you, if this stays broken. It works well for me - the vulcan thanks there's an H5000 processor on board. You can't do any config or calibration through it but it does relay all the data, including performance stuff if you've a Hercules system. Is there any revised documentation for the Zeus over what NMEA 0183 sentences it accepts? Could it be they've dropped the critical one? 

HI Tom,

Thanks for the reply.  I had a look at the H5000 interface and this looks like a good option......If this converter outputs NMEA 2000 it will work.  do you know if it does?  I read the B&G documentation on the H5000 network and they say the H5000 network is NMEA 2000 compatible, this may mean their proprietor network may overlay the NMEA 2000 network?      

Stuart

It is straight NMEA 2000. I've got other NMEA 2000 devices that bus that interoperate with it quite happily (Vesper XB8000 AIS, B&G GPS, Actisense gateways to NMEA 0183 & USB, Simrad RS90 VHF as well as the Vulcan). The only gotcha is you need to update it with the latest firmware to get depth out of an H2000. It is frustrating as it's not a full gateway: it presents all H2000 data onto the NMEA2000, but only passes back display brightness. It would have been really handy for me for it to pass back the data you have to get via NMEA0183, such as position, COG & SOG on the H2000. I've ended up with using it as a gateway to NMEA2000 but then also having an Actisense NMEA 0183 gateway to push that data back onto the H2000 bus from my new GPS. However, it does work.

@tomnh

I will connect my PC to the NMEA feed out of the FFD this weekend to see what is being transmitted.

I have asked B&G if the bridge will work with my system, so far they have come back to me and said it is not compatible?

I suspect the converter may send data to the H5000 device (via the nmea 2000 network in a proprietary code) and then re-broadcasts this on the network as NMEA2000 compliant data.  This is a trick used by the automotive industry so their CANbus devices comply with the minimum industry regulations (OBD2) but have a layer of data over the top of this that only their service equipment can interpret.

Hi,

That's not my experience with the adaptor. Have you spoken to B&G support in the UK (where the develop the stuff...)? I've no H5000 equipment at all, just an H2000 Hercules with ACP pilot and performance processor, hooked up to 3 analogues, 4 FFDs, 5 2020s, a VMHU, paddlewheel, echo sounder, gyro compass, a pilot head and remote vision (ie about everything you can plumb in). All are H2000 generation on fastnet. I installed the interface last winter when I added new N2k kit to the boat creating a new, second network. The adapter is wired into the fastnet bus, and powered from it, and bridges to straight N2K. I've got a mix of B&G/Simrad, Actisense and Vesper kit on the new N2K network all of which can see and use the instrument data from the H2000. The Vulcan plotter thinks there is an H5000 processor installed (though you can't configure it) but shows all the system data, and the sail steer display, for example, includes all the polar performance data from the H2000. But as i said before it's nearly all one way - the only bi-directional function is the backlighting control. 

I'm happy to share photos if it helps... It really does work and does nothing proprietary (aside from fastnet!). Perhaps a screenshot from the Actisense data reader showing the data sources on the N2K would help?

Tom

@tomnh

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the reply, this is good news for me.  I think the H2000 to NMEA2000 bridge is an excellent solution for me. Agree, that its a bit of an issue that the coms are baciacally one direction. I can still send data to the H2000 system via the nmea output to the FFD, makes the deck instruments more usefull for navigation and tactics. My boat one design rules limit deck instruments, but am installing a removable T2 display at the helm for offshore sailing.

Seems I an not the only one having issues with log Speed after update to the latest Zeus2 firmware update. Others have used a NMEA0183 to NMEA2000 converter to get arround the problem.  

Stuart