Chartplotter (Raymarine a125/E70235) died. Need help with repair or replacement

[davidkuehner]

On my way home from the north channel last week, my chart plotter started acting up. Kind of flashing on the right hand side of the screen. Tried rebooting - no better. Then it just died. The screen went blank.


(Note to all - having a phone with navionics on it is a critical backup.)



I tried opening it up to see if there were any spiders or something and also to just re-seat all of the connectors. I've been building computers for the past 50 years and this is a typical first step with that kind of thing. However, no go.


So there are 2 paths open to me:


1. Get it fixed. Does anyone know where I can get service for old chart plotters in Ontario (near Owen Sound)? Any idea what typical repair costs are? Is it cheaper to just buy something new?



2. Buy something new. This may be the right approach as the chart plotter is somewhat old (looks like it was bought with the boat - 2002) and it might be better to put money into something new rather than old.


The issue with something new is that I don't really know much about how all of this stuff works. For instance, do all chart plotters talk over seatalk? Do they all have the same types of connectors or would I have to rewire my boat?


Are there any guides about how this stuff all connects together? First I need to start learning about things and I'm sure I'll have lots of questions as I work through this.


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[GreenWave]

First, Raymarine no longer services these old units. So you have a couple of options.


1) Buy something new and in the latest vintage (i.e Axiom), or
2) Try to find a used unit matching what you have on eBay or some other reseller.


The best path really depends on your budget and your current network. Is it all original Seatalk? Are you willing to upgrade to Seatalkng? If the latter is true and you have a few thousand then I would buy an Axiom or Axiom+ (various sizes from 7 to 16 in) are available.

[davidkuehner]

Sounds like buying something new makes sense. I'm leery of buying something like this on ebay.


As for seatalk vs seatalkng, how would I know what I have?

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by davidkuehner

Sounds like buying something new makes sense. I'm leery of buying something like this on ebay.


As for seatalk vs seatalkng, how would I know what I have?

Follow this link and read. I have found it to be a pretty good summary. There are ways to convert from one to the other. Also look at the MarineHowTo website.

Boat Projects: Beginners Guide to Raymarine's Seatalk and Derivatives

[davidkuehner]

By the way, I do have something that looks like this in a locker




I also have something like this although I'm not at my boat so I don't know that the text on the unit says "Seatalk HS" like this one.

Do these give a clue as to what network I am using?

[GreenWave]

Excellent. You are most of the way there to convert. Read the link and we can discuss further

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by davidkuehner

I've been building computers for the past 50 years and this is a typical first step

If you know computers, you can build your own chart plotter for about $50 - $400 depending.

If you have an old laptop around, you can connect GPS to it either with a GPS Dongle ($17) or bring it in via NMEA 0180 or 2000 from your VHF with a USB Adapter

The charts are all free on OpenCPN

https://opencpn.org/OpenCPN/info/downloadopencpn.html

https://openmarine.net/openplotter

I first used a Raspberry Pi 4 computer using Openplotter software then switch over to my old Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Windows 10 and downloaded OpenCPN to it.

The Linux OS on the Raspberry pi was at a lower level and could be a pain to deal with.

I also have AIS coming in to my home built chart plotter from my VHF

Check out the display on this $65 HDTV. Data is coming into a Raspberry Pi 4 in the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TOdSCDHb2s

[davidkuehner]

I've read the link you posted. It's taking a while to sink in. I'll need to re-read it a few more times to make sure I've understood everything.


But first, to verify a couple of things. Is the first picture I posted with the wires and the 5 connector little bus a seatalk to seatalkNG bridge? Is so, that would mean I have seatalkNG available? Correct?


As for the second picture - the box with Seatalk HS on it - what does this do? The link you posted indicates that this is an ethernet bridge of some kind, but I don't see any ethernet connectors on board. Does this have proprietary connectors of some sort and does this just mean that I can use a chart plotter with a seatalk HS connection?


I'm thinking that I might just take pictures of everything and take my old chart plotter and the pictures to a dealer and just say I want something that will work with the connectors I have so I don't need to re-wire.

[cr180]

Agree with others who have said your existing plotter not repairable. Not sure how committed you are to Raymarine. Other manufacturers available and may be more attractive. You should take a look. But all new plotters are now NMEA 2000 protocol. Raymarine uses the brand name Seatalk xyz name for it, but NMEA 2000 none the less.

[thomm225]

I first built my chart plotter at home as a test.

The process took about 10 minutes.

I live close enough to the water so I just hooked up a GPS dongle to my desktop computer, downloaded the OpenCPN charts for my area and this is what I got.

[davidkuehner]

thomm225 - Thank you for your posts. What you are doing looks interesting, but I need something to mount in my cockpit not a DIY project.

[davidkuehner]

Originally Posted by cr180

Agree with others who have said your existing plotter not repairable. Not sure how committed you are to Raymarine. Other manufacturers available and may be more attractive. You should take a look. But all new plotters are now NMEA 2000 protocol. Raymarine uses the brand name Seatalk xyz name for it, but NMEA 2000 none the less.

My only commitment to raymarine is that I'd prefer not to have to re-wire my boat. If I can get away with a plug and play replacement it would make my life easier. I only use my boat for cruising around Georgian Bay and my old raymarine system did everything I needed. If another make can be more or less plug and play, I'd consider it.

[Nautes]

I would just get a new one. Why take a chance?

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by davidkuehner

thomm225 - Thank you for your posts. What you are doing looks interesting, but I need something to mount in my cockpit not a DIY project.

This is key because only 1% of laptops are something you can safely run in the cockpit.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by davidkuehner

I've read the link you posted. It's taking a while to sink in. I'll need to re-read it a few more times to make sure I've understood everything.


But first, to verify a couple of things. Is the first picture I posted with the wires and the 5 connector little bus a seatalk to seatalkNG bridge? Is so, that would mean I have seatalkNG available? Correct?


As for the second picture - the box with Seatalk HS on it - what does this do? The link you posted indicates that this is an ethernet bridge of some kind, but I don't see any ethernet connectors on board. Does this have proprietary connectors of some sort and does this just mean that I can use a chart plotter with a seatalk HS connection?


I'm thinking that I might just take pictures of everything and take my old chart plotter and the pictures to a dealer and just say I want something that will work with the connectors I have so I don't need to re-wire.

With that converter you have the ability to get to seatalkng. Just need the right cables that have the seatalk to seatalkng connectors. And the second item is a router of sorts where you can connect multiple items together. It accepts seatalkng connections or NMEA2000 in general terms.