no boat speed through water

[kavaltom 0]

hi all,

I have silvaNexus multi control instrument and nexus NX2 server and speed transducer. Also depth transducer and nexus wind instrument and GPS ploter all connected. Also Miniplex-3 shipmodule somehow is connected. All is ok, except the boat speed. Speed transducer seems to work as NX2 server gets blinking leds,  multi instrument shows depth, other data, but some time ago it stopped showing boat speed through water. The boat is fresh purshased maybe that problem persists for a longer time already but all was functioning well when suddenly the boat speed gone. Once it had returned for few days, but not anynmore. I was trying to check the contacts but without success. I could of course share some deailed photos of installation if needed.

What else I could try? somehow to reset all system? how to to get boat speed data shown again?

Tomas

[Sail4beer 3,413]

You might want to post  this in gear anarchy. There are a number of techno heads there that may be able to help.

[Overbored 61]

have you cleaned the paddle wheel?

[slug zitski 575]

Also important to be underway , making way 

double check that you dock lines have been cast off 

[Gissie 1,757]

35 minutes ago, slug zitski said:

Also important to be underway , making way 

double check that you dock lines have been cast off 

[thorpecameron 13]

1 hour ago, Overbored said:

have you cleaned the paddle wheel?

This is quite likely! Remove paddle wheel transducer and clean. While out give the paddlewheel a spin while having someone else by the instrument to establish if it is working.

[AnotherSailor 450]

Yeah, there is typically no antifouling on these parts, and mussels find this a convenient location to establish themselves. I have had divers who failed to free it up, or only temporarily. 

[kavaltom 0]

but the transducer seem to work, as server gets blinking Led, that should mean that paddlewheel is rotating and giving it's signals. So, probably not a cleaning issue. The boat is on water and we sail she time to time.

[[email protected] 424]

Clean the paddlewheel. 

[thorpecameron 13]

34 minutes ago, kavaltom said:

but the transducer seem to work, as server gets blinking Led, that should mean that paddlewheel is rotating and giving it's signals. So, probably not a cleaning issue. The boat is on water and we sail she time to time.

key words are "should" and "probably".... you want to "know" and be "certain"

Most paddlewheel transducers are designed to be removed while the boat is in the water. Pull it out and quickly put the designed plug in its place. If your good less than a cup of water will come in. Then it is easy to test and "know" 

[slug zitski 575]

2 hours ago, kavaltom said:

but the transducer seem to work, as server gets blinking Led, that should mean that paddlewheel is rotating and giving it's signals. So, probably not a cleaning issue. The boat is on water and we sail she time to time.

For some reason , on modern systems , perfectly functional sensor go quite 

I recently had a raymarine wind wand go silent 

raymarine guy took it to the shop , tested OK

ramarine guy tested the cable .. ok 

in the end he called raymarine technical department and they instructed him to go into the system… some menu … then re boot 

It worked, the system now recognizes the wind wand 

 I wasn’t paying attention so I can’t tell you what menu and reboot procedure 

Contact  the technical department for your brand, system 

[MauiPunter 1,380]

I have had a heck of a time over the years with the Maretron triducer.  Its constantly failing.  When you get a new one, they last about 2-3 years and then kaput.  Sometimes sooner.  I sometime solve it by unplugging the unit from the network and then replugging it in.   So frustrating.

[George Dewey 119]

Guys, on a Nexus system, there are some LEDs on the server that blink when there is a paddle wheel and wind transducer connected directly to the server. The OP reported that he has blinking LEDs. My question is, which wind transducer do you have and how is it connected? Are you sure you're looking at the correct LEDs?

Also, I suggest that you have someone manually spin the paddlewheel in different speeds while you watch the LEDs, make sure the blinking changes in proportion to the spin speed. 

That Nexus paddlewheel (the red one) is an excellent transducer, very linear. Also very simple and easy to clean. 

Feel free to PM me, I know Nexus gear pretty well. As someone said, there are others in the Gear forum that know Nexus also.

[kavaltom 0]

George,

thanks for entering my posts about issue with the boat speed through water. I will check one again which leds are blinking for speed and also if the rate changes  at different speeds.

bu the way - this is probably a Garmin tranducer GST 43. the boat is fresh purchased I am not absolute sure about it yet.   I will try to take it out and clean. The boat is on water, but it looks like the quick exchange to a spare plug is foreseen.  I have red on some forums that this operation is not difficult if all is well prepared. What do you think?

 

[ROADKILL666 533]

Pull the anchor up

[kavaltom 0]

so, I did some test again, the boat  is at its berth, tiller position in the centre, turned on revers slowly - then led on server starts blinking slow, more speed gives more blinking. Also tried to reconnect the log transducer from/to NX2 server; did check cables nmea in and out;  however no boat speed through water on Nexus instrument. As mentioned before a plotter is also connected to the system, so when C13 on multi instrument is on, the SOG is displayed. However if C13 is off, no boat speed.

Tried to take off log transducers and clean it, but it sits very tight, decided not touch until until out from water. But as said it gives signals to server..

Maybe there is a certain specific way how to check if NX2 server gives output data from transducer to instrument, maybe factory reset ( how to do this?), maybe also factory reset of Nexus Multi control?

Any help very appreciated..

[Snowden 501]

The GST43 is analogue so you should be able to get a multimeter on the plug and see if you get any readings while the boat is moving

[George Dewey 119]

1 hour ago, kavaltom said:

so, I did some test again, the boat  is at its berth, tiller position in the centre, turned on revers slowly - then led on server starts blinking slow, more speed gives more blinking. Also tried to reconnect the log transducer from/to NX2 server; did check cables nmea in and out;  however no boat speed through water on Nexus instrument. As mentioned before a plotter is also connected to the system, so when C13 on multi instrument is on, the SOG is displayed. However if C13 is off, no boat speed.

Tried to take off log transducers and clean it, but it sits very tight, decided not touch until until out from water. But as said it gives signals to server..

Maybe there is a certain specific way how to check if NX2 server gives output data from transducer to instrument, maybe factory reset ( how to do this?), maybe also factory reset of Nexus Multi control?

Any help very appreciated..

 

I'm not following some of this... You left the slip when you did this, right? You are not just trying to pass water over the hull while tied up? 

Are you using NMEA 0183 or are you using the Nexus network? The NX2 display (or whatever Nexus display you are using) should be connected using the Nexus network, not NMEA 0183. Is the plotter connected via the NMEA 0183 input?

If the Nexus display is giving you other data then there is no need for, or benefit from, a reset. 

If you have a dummy plug, pull the transducer out and spin it by hand. You'll have to spin it very fast to get a reading. Check the damping, make sure it is turned down or off. Be careful when you pull the transducer out, you'll have a fountain until you insert the dummy plug. There is no flap in the sleeve like the Airmar transducers. 

 

[thorpecameron 13]

To spin the paddlewheel fast for testing when removed... after making sure it is clean... I have found taking a big breath and blowing gets max speed.

 

[European Bloke 861]

You have to pull the fucking thing out and clean it. They can pick up crap overnight, I'd certainly not expect one to work if left in for a week. We always remove and swap for the blank when we leave the boat.

Don't piss about with the multi meter or flashing LEDs. When you have it out spin the wheel and see what happens. If you get nothing then you can start with all the complicated shit.

If you don't like pulling it to clean, then rip boat speed instruments out, cos they're never going to work, they're taking up space and causing frustration.

[Overbored 61]

if it is a paddle wheel it is crap after about 2 weeks in our water. We changed to ultrasonic and has been left in the water for 6 years all year round and has always work dead on. had one in the previous boat for 5 years and always worked.

[George Dewey 119]

31 minutes ago, Overbored said:

if it is a paddle wheel it is crap after about 2 weeks in our water. We changed to ultrasonic and has been left in the water for 6 years all year round and has always work dead on. had one in the previous boat for 5 years and always worked.

There is no question a paddle wheel log transducer needs to be kept clean, and should come out after each days sailing. I pull mine daily, unless I'll be sailing again in just a few hours. Ultrasonics are pricey! In this case, it may be that the thing is dirty and just not spinning fast enough. So yup, thats where OP needs to start. But if that is not the issue, its got to be some config issue because, unless he is watching the wrong set of LEDs, the electrical hookup is good. I assume he'll get back to us after he cleans it. 

[kavaltom 0]

Hi guys, the paddlewheel was not that dirty, few small seashells that stil let the paddlewheel to rotate perfect, anyway all was cleaned thoroughly and put back. Before putting back of course checked if rotations give signal to server- it transmits signals, depending on rotation speed. Server blinks in log area. Also blinks when moving through warer. But nothing changed. Undocked, disconnected all other wires from NX server, only multi and wind  instruments left, still no speed through water data shown. Sad..

Is there way to connect transducer directly to instrument, without server? 

Some pcs attached.

No issues with wind data that are transmitted through the server though.

I think there should be a way to restore all. As mentioned before, maybe a reset, maybe something different.

[Notquitecapnron 50]

Just for shits and giggles, and it will be easy to try, take the gps unit out of the system temporarily and see if you get the STW to display.  If it does, add the gps back in to nmea system and see if the STW will still display.

[DELETED 208]

Download and read the manufacturers ‘destructions’..
All technical experts resort to the good old HARD RESET. Kill power to everything, switch it all back on, go through factory start up procedure, test operation..if required follow factory recalibration steps.. Test operation. 

[yanneven2a 0]

Hello,

I hace same issue with my nx2 server and speed !

How can I hard reset the NX2 server ?

thanks

yann

[Bump-n-Grind 2,658]

from: http://www.hellasmarine.com/Nexus Manuals pdf/NX2/NX22172-1ServerEng.pdf

3.2.2 Fault - action 1. Speed and distance functions: No reading ( --- ) - C95 (COG) should be OFF, if no navigator is connected.

The server is equipped with a built in fault finding LED. Every turn the paddle wheel takes the LED flashes once.

When the boat is standing still the LED is either on or off. If you remove the transducer and slowly spin the paddle wheel the LED should go on and off.

When the boat is running the LED is flashing. If the LED is constantly on or of, check the connections.

[yanneven2a 0]

hello 

thanks for your respons,

speed transducer GST43 is brand new, led is flasing on nx2server when wheel is turning, C95 is OFF

still no speed indication ...

can I reset nx2 server without a PC ?

how about the 3 jumpers on the NX2 server board ? 

Have a nice day

yann

[AnotherSailor 450]

You really have to read the manual to figure this out.

Often there is a difference between "no speed readings," for example does it say "0.0", "--" or is it blank). This can often help indicate the issue, but you really do need the manual to figure this out. As others said a factory reset might solve the issue, but again, you need to look at the manual for instructions that need to be followed.

Someone here even posted a link to the manual, so go read it.

[kavaltom 0]

8 minutes ago, AnotherSailor said:

You really have to read the manual to figure this out.

Often there is a difference between "no speed readings," for example does it say "0.0", "--" or is it blank). This can often help indicate the issue, but you really do need the manual to figure this out. As others said a factory reset might solve the issue, but again, you need to look at the manual for instructions that need to be followed.

Someone here even posted a link to the manual, so go read it.

 hi, readings are 0.00 knt, not "---".  I wouldn't look for help if I could solve the issue with reading the manuals.

[WHK 94]

1 hour ago, kavaltom said:

 hi, readings are 0.00 knt, not "---".  I wouldn't look for help if I could solve the issue with reading the manuals.

I used to have an NX2 server but ended up replacing it with B&G when various bits in the system started failing from age and Garmin really didn't support the old Nexus gear. On the NX2, there is input conditioning circuitry for the speed and temperature inputs.  The temperature circuit failed on mine resulting in always high temperature as verified with another sensor.  Somewhere I found a schematic of the NX2 server input circuits but unfortunately no longer have it.  Perhaps an anarchist might have a copy of that and post it.

The jump to B&G was good as the following items failed over a 2 year period: Wind Sensor, HPC Compass, Multi Display push button, another Multi Display LCD segment.  The Nexus displays are not completely sealed and fog over with moisture.  When the HPC compass failed, I installed a B&G Precision 9 compass on the N2K bus but the Garmin GND10 did not convert roll & pitch over to the Nexus 485 bus, so the advanced wind corrections couldn't be done. It's taken some time to get the calibrations good on the H5000 Hercules processor but it performs well and I'm happy with the better displays. You can read about my Nexus to B&G transition in this thread.

[AnotherSailor 450]

2 hours ago, kavaltom said:

 hi, readings are 0.00 knt, not "---".  I wouldn't look for help if I could solve the issue with reading the manuals.

While I am not an expert and do not know this unit, it seems to me that the issue is not on the side of the server or panel. It means information is sent to the unit. It seems to mean the log does not pick up speed when moving the wheel... 

So, I woulds say you take the following steps:

- factory reset (if you have not done so yet)

if that does not help

- connect a different log transducer (friend, neighbor, or ?)

And you did double-check the wiring? I see that for some older models the white and the yellow need to be swapped. 

 

[kavaltom 0]

swapping sometimes can damage electronics.. have you seen it swapped and still working?

[George Dewey 119]

3 hours ago, AnotherSailor said:

While I am not an expert and do not know this unit, it seems to me that the issue is not on the side of the server or panel. It means information is sent to the unit. It seems to mean the log does not pick up speed when moving the wheel... 

So, I woulds say you take the following steps:

- factory reset (if you have not done so yet)

if that does not help

- connect a different log transducer (friend, neighbor, or ?)

And you did double-check the wiring? I see that for some older models the white and the yellow need to be swapped. 

 

If his LED is blinking, and he showed a picture that it is, then his log transducer is good and the server is accepting it's input. The log transducer is just an on / off switch. The server counts the transitions, and each time there is a change you'll see the LED blink. Now, is it possible that there is a failure in the server between the log transducer input circuitry and the processor?  Yes, but that seems pretty unlikely, although it does bother me that he sees a blinking LED but 0 reported as STW. 

OP, you are certain that the display is set to report STW and not SOG? I don't recall the correct config for that but, as you said, you can look it up. Just for shits and giggles, make sure the boat speed damping is turned off.

OP, have you tried to reinitialize the system yet? By this, I mean that there is a way to trigger each device attached the the server to get a new ID from the server. I would be interested to know if that process works successfully. It's explained in the manual.

In the event that there is a server failure, and you want to keep your Nexus gear, you could get a device from Garmin that converts the log transducer to a NMEA2000 device and also get a GND10, which will bridge the Nexus network with a NMEA2000 network. This needs to be configured using a Windows computer. But I don't think you're there yet.  

 

[yanneven2a 0]

3 hours ago, AnotherSailor said:

While I am not an expert and do not know this unit, it seems to me that the issue is not on the side of the server or panel. It means information is sent to the unit. It seems to mean the log does not pick up speed when moving the wheel... 

So, I woulds say you take the following steps:

- factory reset (if you have not done so yet)

if that does not help

- connect a different log transducer (friend, neighbor, or ?)

And you did double-check the wiring? I see that for some older models the white and the yellow need to be swapped. 

 

How making factory reset ???? that is the question ...

 

1 minute ago, George Dewey said:

If his LED is blinking, and he showed a picture that it is, then his log transducer is good and the server is accepting it's input. The log transducer is just an on / off switch. The server counts the transitions, and each time there is a change you'll see the LED blink. Now, is it possible that there is a failure in the server between the log transducer input circuitry and the processor?  Yes, but that seems pretty unlikely.

OP, have you tried to reinitialize the system yet? By this, I mean that there is a way to trigger each device attached the the server to get a new ID from the server. I would be interested to know if that process works successfully. It's explained in the manual.

In the event that there is a server failure, and you want to keep your Nexus gear, you could get a device from Garmin that converts the log transducer to a NMEA2000 device and also get a GND10, which will bridge the Nexus network with a NMEA2000 network. This needs to be configured using a Windows computer. But I don't think you're there yet.  

 

 

[yanneven2a 0]

Just now, yanneven2a said:

How making factory reset ???? that is the question ...

 

 

 

Just now, yanneven2a said:

How making factory reset ???? that is the question ...

 

 

  3 hours ago, AnotherSailor said:

While I am not an expert and do not know this unit, it seems to me that the issue is not on the side of the server or panel. It means information is sent to the unit. It seems to mean the log does not pick up speed when moving the wheel... 

So, I woulds say you take the following steps:

- factory reset (if you have not done so yet)

if that does not help

- connect a different log transducer (friend, neighbor, or ?)

And you did double-check the wiring? I see that for some older models the white and the yellow need to be swapped. 

 

Expand  

How making factory reset ???? that is the question ...

[George Dewey 119]

Other than the initialization process I mentioned, I don't recall that there is a "factory reset."

[yanneven2a 0]

6 hours ago, kavaltom said:

 hi, readings are 0.00 knt, not "---".  I wouldn't look for help if I could solve the issue with reading the manuals.

I red this F....manual a lot.... instrument says 0.OO knts...

[yanneven2a 0]

Is it possible that the server unautorize le log signal to be coded in the nexus bus ?

I'll find a PC and a cable to explore ...

I hate PC...

[George Dewey 119]

17 minutes ago, yanneven2a said:

I red this F....manual a lot.... instrument says 0.OO knts...

This is why I asked you to double check that your instrument (display) is set to display STW instead of SOG. 

[George Dewey 119]

14 minutes ago, yanneven2a said:

Is it possible that the server unautorize le log signal to be coded in the nexus bus ?

I'll find a PC and a cable to explore ...

I hate PC...

If you can get a Windows PC that will run the Nexus Race Software, and you can find the correct cable to plug into the server, then you can get the PC to display the data. 

As for your question quoted above, I do not understand what you are asking.

[yanneven2a 0]

15 minutes ago, yanneven2a said:

How making factory reset ???? that is the question ...

 

 

 

1 minute ago, George Dewey said:

This is why I asked you to double check that your instrument (display) is set to display STW instead of SOG. 

 

Just now, George Dewey said:

If you can get a Windows PC that will run the Nexus Race Software, and you can find the correct cable to plug into the server, then you can get the PC to display the data. 

As for your question quoted above, I do not understand what you are asking.

 

2 minutes ago, George Dewey said:

If you can get a Windows PC that will run the Nexus Race Software, and you can find the correct cable to plug into the server, then you can get the PC to display the data. 

As for your question quoted above, I do not understand what you are asking.

I double checked sog is OFF, I want to know if this fonction could ON on the server 

[George Dewey 119]

7 minutes ago, yanneven2a said:

I double checked sog is OFF, I want to know if this fonction could ON on the server 

If you have C13 set to OFF, then this is what configures the server. 

Also, try setting C95 to 0 (zero).

The server also has a NMEA0183 port and if you have the skills to connect to that, you can configure it to send STW data out that via an MNEA0183 sentence. See section 12.7.1 of the manual.

I have some friends who might have more insight to this, I'll see if I can get them to offer an opinion. But if C13 is OFF and you just get 0 for boat speed, you may be out of luck.

[kavaltom 0]

1 hour ago, George Dewey said:

This is why I asked you to double check that your instrument (display) is set to display STW instead of SOG. 

Speed towards waypoint? But what if there is no waypoint? 

[George Dewey 119]

Just now, kavaltom said:

Speed towards waypoint? But what if there is no waypoint? 

STW means “speed through water” and SOG means “speed over ground.” 
 

STW comes from the log transducer (the paddle wheel) while SOG comes from your GPS.

[kavaltom 0]

4 minutes ago, George Dewey said:

STW means “speed through water” and SOG means “speed over ground.” 
 

STW comes from the log transducer (the paddle wheel) while SOG comes from your GPS.

Then this is the same C13 parameter, when off = stw. This was clear from a very beginning.

[kavaltom 0]

1 hour ago, George Dewey said:

If you have C13 set to OFF, then this is what configures the server. 

Also, try setting C95 to 0 (zero).

The server also has a NMEA0183 port and if you have the skills to connect to that, you can configure it to send STW data out that via an MNEA0183 sentence. See section 12.7.1 of the manual.

I have some friends who might have more insight to this, I'll see if I can get them to offer an opinion. But if C13 is OFF and you just get 0 for boat speed, you may be out of luck.

I will check 12.7.1 off course. In my setup there is also a miniplex3 shipmodule, can it be used instead GND10? By the way NX2 server does not communicate to windows PC, as Nexus race software needs FDX server, but NX2 does not have FDX. Maybe there an alternative software? An older version? Where to get such?

[[email protected] 0]

On the nexus nx2 multi make sure cal code C73 is off.  It is BSP and off=nexus speed transducer, on=NMEA0183 speed source.  C74, C75 and C76 should also be OFF to get Nexus transducer depth, compass and wind.  You can also see if your speed transducer is likely working by checking the lower line on the multi plus page and it shows water temp.  These are server settings and affect ALL displays.

 

Also check cal code C95 and make sure SOG=off.  This is a display code and only affects one display so each display may have to be set C95=off to see paddle wheel speed on all digital displays.  C96 is COG which should be off for Nexus compass or NMEA 0183 heading.  C75 would be on for NMEA0183 compass heading.

Nexus didn't do a good job of noting which is a individual display cal code and which is a system wide cal code.

More questions, call me 727-363-6488.  I've be using nexus since 1994 and a dealer (now Garmin as well) since 2003.

[George Dewey 119]

18 minutes ago, [email protected] said:

 

More questions, call me 727-363-6488.  I've be using nexus since 1994 and a dealer (now Garmin as well) since 2003.

Dick is the expert!

[freewheelin 163]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:11 AM, kavaltom said:

Hi guys, the paddlewheel was not that dirty, few small seashells that stil let the paddlewheel to rotate perfect, anyway all was cleaned thoroughly and put back. Before putting back of course checked if rotations give signal to server- it transmits signals, depending on rotation speed. Server blinks in log area. Also blinks when moving through warer. But nothing changed. Undocked, disconnected all other wires from NX server, only multi and wind  instruments left, still no speed through water data shown. Sad..

When you spun the wheel out of the water, did you check the readout as well to see if anything registered? Remember, there is a delay, so you need to keep spinning it while someone else looks at your readout.

The reason I ask, is that we had the same issue with our Nexus. It would transmit speed to the display when spinning it out of the water, but when we put it back in, we could not get any water speed. It turned out that when we painted the bottom we had the plug in, and the gap between the plug created a lip of bottom paint that caught the wheel and kept it from spinning. We almost bought a new unit out of frustration before checking this. A little scraping of the bottom paint with a screw driver fixed it.

[kavaltom 0]

12 minutes ago, freewheelin said:

When you spun the wheel out of the water, did you check the readout as well to see if anything registered? Remember, there is a delay, so you need to keep spinning it while someone else looks at your readout.

The reason I ask, is that we had the same issue with our Nexus. It would transmit speed to the display when spinning it out of the water, but when we put it back in, we could not get any water speed. It turned out that when we painted the bottom we had the plug in, and the gap between the plug created a lip of bottom paint that caught the wheel and kept it from spinning. We almost bought a new unit out of frustration before checking this. A little scraping of the bottom paint with a screw driver fixed it.

hi, but my log when installed still gives signals to the server when it rotates, faster the engine faster the blinking rate. Was it the same with yours?

[freewheelin 163]

21 hours ago, kavaltom said:

hi, but my log when installed still gives signals to the server when it rotates, faster the engine faster the blinking rate. Was it the same with yours?

I didn't check the log. But as you increase speed through water, it would stand to reason the log and wheel will be working harder, even if it is stuck. It would oscillate more in the stuck position due to increase water flow, but still read zero on the speed readout.

I am not saying that this is definitely your problem, but it was mine so it is worth checking. Just pull the wheel out and spin it for 30 sec or so, and if your readout gives a speed above 0.0 then that is likely your issue.

[kavaltom 0]

Hi again guys, finally solved when it's done it looks so easy.

My Nexus Multi classic display is connected together with Nexus Wind display (that's probably a most frequent setup). The Log, depth and wind connected to NX2 server. The boat speed through the water was not shown because of the coding C72 on the Wind display was set to ON=means that log transducer is connected to Wind instrument directly. When C73=OFF (means that LOG is connected to the server) all works perfect! Most probably we changed that setting when try to calibrate the wind vane angle.. Who did that and forgot to tell !?:) 

Lots of time was spent to play with settings of Multi instrument as it's one of 4 main functions is speed. Look only logical to deal with it. To come to an Idea that an issue can be of Wind instrument, I had to disconnect everything and then noticed that speed is shown when Wind instrument is disconnected. 

By the way, speed through water is also shown when boat is docked, just give enough revers and steer it straight.

It's strange a bit, that even Garmin didn't advise to check that setting.. 

Thanks for help and ideas.

[Notquitecapnron 50]

24 minutes ago, kavaltom said:

By the way, speed through water is also shown when boat is docked, just give enough revers and steer it straight.

Explain how STW works tied to the dock with a 43 wheel transducer that you claim to have please?  Is your transducer located just aft or forward of the prop?