Simrad Ethernet Connections

[Dockhead]

I finally received my Zeus Touch MFD for my helm station, and realized that I still have one more cable to pull -- the Ethernet cable with the yellow 5-pin terminators to link the MFD to my nav table station.

I will not be able to pull one of those 5-pin cable ends through the narrow pipe I have, but Navico don't seem to sell any field-connect 5-pin terminals!

Anyone encounter this problem? I guess I could hack the cable and resplice it, but that seems like poor practice to me. There is a Rube Goldberg solution -- buy their 5-pin to RJ45 adapter, then crimp on an RJ45 end (I have the crimper and connectors), but -- ick.

Anyone have any suggestions?

I'm also going to need to make up some kind of cable to connect the Zeus at the nav table to my Wifi router, so that I can use GoFree. So again -- if I had a field-connect 5-pin plug, I could just attach it to a regular Ethernet cable and it would be done. But they don't seem to exist!

[goboatingnow]

How do you know they don't exist ?


Dave

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

How do you know they don't exist ?


Dave

It's famously hard to prove a negative , but a good bit of Googling did not turn up any.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

It's famously hard to prove a negative , but a good bit of Googling did not turn up any.

Have rummage through farnell , or google waterproof ehternet connectors. , its very unlikely to be proprietary , have a look on them for any markings.

Dave

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Have rummage through farnell , or google waterproof ehternet connectors. , its very unlikely to be proprietary , have a look on them for any markings.

Dave

There are 9,875 5-pin connectors on Farnell It would be an unrealistic job to download every data sheet to try to match the dimensions and so forth (there are no markings on the Simrad connector). That's the problem with Farnell . . .

I guess I'm going to have to chop and splice cables

[PeterSailor]

Hi Dockhead,

I had the same problem. Same setup, Zeus T8 in Navpod with 1 inch SS tube.

I bought a 6 feet yellow Lowrance Ethernet cable, cut it and installed a RJ45 female connector in the pod. From there, a standard Cat5 cable down to my router at the nav station.

Here is the link to the color coding of the Simrad yellow cable.
Yacht Electronics: Lowrance yellow Ethernet cabling

[twistedtree]

I'm facing the same dilemma as I plan the wiring for my system. If I have a top complaint regarding Simrad/Navico, it's these darn proprietary connectors on SOME of their N2K products, and SOME of their Ethernet products. The proprietary connectors are maddening enough, and the inconsistency only makes it worse.

All else being equal, I think I'd use their Yellow to RJ45 pigtail, then use standard RJ45 stuff from there.

Now, having said that, it looks like my system will end up being all Simrad proprietary, which I'm sure is exactly what they hoped for. I would otherwise end up with a mass of pigtails and adapters.

[goboatingnow]

the black connectors are also certainly Amphenol waterprood see LTW - Innovation in Waterproof Solution

( I notice the moniker LTW on the Zeus installation drawings on those cables)

The yellow one is either a coloured version or a custom amphenol

Dave

[colemj]

Are you sure it isn't just a standard micro-C connector? I was just looking at one, but not close enough to tell. Looked similar to me.

Mark

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by colemj

Are you sure it isn't just a standard micro-C connector? I was just looking at one, but not close enough to tell. Looked similar to me.

Mark

It's different.

[Jeff Millar]

What was the result in the end. We will all face this problem if mounting at the helm.

What to do.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Jeff Millar

What was the result in the end. We will all face this problem if mounting at the helm.

What to do.

I think I posted about it somewhere.

I cut the cable and spliced it with a telecomm junction box.

It was hard to figure out how to connect it because many of the wires are not color coded. As I result of that, I abandoned my initial plan to crimp on RJ45 connectors and use a joiner.

I ended up using a multimeter continuity checker function and a long wire to the cockpit to figure out which wire is supposed to go where. As it turns out, only two or three or four (can't remember) of the wires is used for anything.

It works perfectly and was not too much trouble.

[svinshallah]

I had the same problem. I used the Simrad adapter cables with a female RJ.45 and then used CAT5 cable for all the runs. Since there were RJ45s on the cable ends, I saved the money on the Simrad Ethernet hub and mounted a standard 8-port hub in a water-resistant plastic box. By the way, the Simrad Ethernet cable that I did splice was solid conductor, not stranded.

[Dockhead]

This issue rears its ugly head once more, all these years later.

Has anyone figured out whether it is possible to buy the Simrad Ethernet connectors separately? I have looked at all kinds of LTW connectors as suggested by Dave above, but haven't found anything similar to this one.

[smac999]

You could cut in middle. And add rj45 connectors and plug together . Personally I just end up butt splicing then back together. Or the 3m squeeze gel filled connectors would be best.