Tactics Plugin

[George64]

Originally Posted by rgleason

George,
From a very quick look at what you posted, it looks like you are getting the necessary data and like you have duplicate data

$GPRMB RMB and $IIRMB RMB

$GPVTG VTG and $IIVTG VTG

Is this creating a problem with different nmea data? Do you have a GPS and some other device running? Depending on what others say, using nemaconverter or the OpenCPN Connection filter might simplify this list down to what you need.

I suggest looking at

NMEA Sentences | Official OpenCPN Homepage
and
NMEA Revealed

Identify the sentences you need for that data, and then look at what you are providing.

Thanks for the links. I'll have a look.

The configuration aboard:
- Raymarine E7 plotter
- Wind, log, depth = Raymarine ST60
- Wheel pilot ST6001
- Easy TRX Wifi: receiving and transmitting AIS, and acts as a multiplexer. I connected the laptop to this device. Don't have a drawing yet.

The "problem" in my previous post, I don't know how to put a table in a post (if possible). This would have made more clear. The first two columns are taken from the sample file that comes with the plugin. The third and fourth columns are from my own recording. F.i. I don't have RMB, and I do have VTG. If I look at the sample file and my own recording, the following nmea-strings are in common:

VDM
GGA
GSA
GSV
RMC
DBT
DPT
GLL
MTW
MWV
VHW
VLW
VTG
WDC

[rgleason]

Configuration aboard:
- Raymarine E7 plotter
- Wind, log, depth = Raymarine ST60
- Wheel pilot ST6001
- Easy TRX Wifi: receiving and transmitting AIS, and acts as a multiplexer. I connected the laptop to this device. Don't have a drawing yet.

Pretty normal setup. Focus on the Nema Data Sentences that are not working. Paste the whole Nmea 0183 sentences that are not working, into your post please. Others may have some ideas.

It may be a checksum problem. This is also an alternative in Opencpn Connections to turn it on or off.

[rgleason]

Just got opengl working, & tactics_pi again. Using VDR play with Sample3.txt

[tom_BigSpeedy]

Originally Posted by George64

Having a look at the data, I noticed my vdr-file seems to lack some nmea-sentences.
...
I have not yet figured out completly what NMEA-sentence contains the info the tactics_pi needs

George,
dashboard_pi AND tactics_pi use either NMEA-MWV or NMEA-VWT to show the TWA/TWS (True Wind Angle = based on boat axis), and NMEA-MWD for TWD (True Wind Direction = on compss rose).
Here is the definition of mwv :
** MWV - Wind Speed and Angle
**
** 1 2 3 4 5
** | | | | |
** $--MWV,x.x,a,x.x,a*hh<CR><LF>
**
** Field Number:
** 1) Wind Angle, 0 to 360 degrees
** 2) Reference, R = Relative, T = True
** 3) Wind Speed
** 4) Wind Speed Units, K/M/N
** 5) Status, A = Data Valid
** 6) Checksum
NMEA-MWV is only working when it supplies true wind data (Parameter 2 = 'T'), which is not the case when you look at your data stream. Your data contains mwv's only with Parameter 2 = R = Relative, i.e. apparent wind data ...
I haven't seen VWT at all, so you won't see any true wind data in dashboard_pi or tactics_pi by default.
In tactics_pi you can overcome this lack of NMEA data by setting the tick as discussed earlier and make the tactics_pi plugin calculate True Wind for you ...

Originally Posted by George64

The fluctuation I notice in the performance (polar speed display), that could be, based on what I read in the manual, caused by the rounding done on the polar data. If I look at the polar data entered, there are some gaps. How does the formula for the performance calculation deal with these gaps?

See the manual, it interpolates the gaps down to 1 knot / 1 degree and writes a lookup table 0...180° and 0..60kts. Everything is initialized with NAN and then the available polar data is filled in. Then the gaps between the data is interpolated. The plugin does not extrapolate data. In your example you will get a 'block of valid data' between 50° TWA and 150° TWA and from 0..18 kts.
You can export this table for testing by editing your opencpn.ini file and adding a parameter
PolarLookupTableOutputFile=C:\\temp\\Polar.txt
underneath the parameter
PolarFile=...
Like this :

See also the ini file section in the manual for a description.
Make sure the directory exists and is writeable.
Simply set the parameter and start O, and if not yet done, select a polar file.
Open the "Polar.txt" file with e.g. Notepad++, or Excel (TAB separated file);
NAN values are shown as -1.#J in the file.

Thomas

[rgleason]

Tom's information is key, but did you turn on your fluxgate compass? Often you must have the Autopilot turned on and in standby mode at a minimum, depends on how you have the equipment wired!

[George64]

Thanks Rgleason and Tom for your helpful information!

The information from Tom confirms what I suspect before starting with this plugin: I'm missing true wind data in the network. The previous owner of the boat left me without drawings.... I'm going to play around with the tactics plugin export file and my own polar file and the sample file to see what is looks like.

Boat has been put ashore, so no real life playing for a while

A question that crossed my mind, would it be possible to show the percentage information on a display? In other words, have a unused nmea sentence as output containing the performance information. In my case, and I think others too, I have the laptop in the cabin and to see the feedback from a trim action, I have to go inside.

[tom_BigSpeedy]

Originally Posted by George64

A question that crossed my mind, would it be possible to show the percentage information on a display? In other words, have a unused nmea sentence as output containing the performance information. In my case, and I think others too, I have the laptop in the cabin and to see the feedback from a trim action, I have to go inside.

George,
to output NMEA data from O is not the real problem. This really depends on your instruments. Your instruments need to be able to read and accept/process these sentences, and/or show them in one of their displays...
I can only talk about NKE (my instruments):
NKE has defined 5 proprietary "performance NMEA records" which they will read and display (polar target speed, Target VMG, etc). Furthermore I can send standard NMEA sentences (e.g. for GPS data, like SOG, COG, etc) to the instruments and they will accept them as well. These sentences will be ignored if the same data is available from an internal sensor.

I just did a quick & dirty hack in my local tactics_pi version to proof the ability to upload (one of) those performance sentences mentioned above. I did work like a charm, I was able to see the 'polar target speed' on my display outside.

The next thing to consider is, that your instruments must be able to read NMEA183 data. This is the standard output format of O.
B&G uses a NMEA2000 network, you probably need a converter from NMEA183--> NMEA2000.
I'm not sure about Raymarine's Seatalk ...

Thomas

[tom_BigSpeedy]

Originally Posted by Neptune's Gear

Thomas, if you can generate an nmea0183 sentence that's unique, we may be able to get the guys at actisense to convert it to nmea2000 for us. Could you provide me with a sample nmea0183 sentence? I'll give it to them and see what they say.
At this time my PC communicates from opencpn's NMEA 0183 system to my nmea2000 system (B&G) via an Actisense gateway.
Worth a try?

Matt,
I was out sailing last weekend and managed to upload the target polar speed to my instruments via NMEA183 export from O.
Here is a sample of the "polar target speed" sentence you're interested in
$PNKEP,01,8.50,N,15.75,K*53

(see description of this sentence a few posts further down)

Thomas

[George64]

Great work Thomas!

The closed network of Raymarine would probably make it somehow complicated to broadcast the correct information to the display('s). A combination of nmea0183 and non-nmea0183 on the same network requires a dedicated setup.

[rgleason]

George,
I guess you'd start with Nmea and Seatalk sentences to see if something clever might work.
NMEA Sentences | Official OpenCPN Homepage
NMEA Revealed
Seatalk & NMEA | Official OpenCPN Homepage
Thomas Knauf Â*Â*Â*Â*SeaTalk Technical Reference

[BMayer]

Hello
By advance, apologize me for my poor english.
last weekend, 31/10/2016, i finish to cable my instruments and autopilot (NKE to ;-) )
Next weekend, i try to reduce the "sh*t IN", i calibrate instruments. I have not method to calibrate rudder sensor :-(
I discovered opencpn dashboard and wind history --> wind history dont display TWD. I suppose dont understand NKE nmea interface (90.60.357) !

I have a dream... Tactics_pi running and display layline. Not for tommorow, but in few months, i hope

Bernard Mayer (Beneteau Figaro One)

[George64]

Originally Posted by rgleason

George,
I guess you'd start with Nmea and Seatalk sentences to see if something clever might work.
NMEA Sentences | Official OpenCPN Homepage
NMEA Revealed
Seatalk & NMEA | Official OpenCPN Homepage
Thomas Knauf Â*Â*Â*Â*SeaTalk Technical Reference

Thanks. This one seems interesting http://www.gadgetpool.de/nuke/module...article&sid=28
Some new instrument is upcoming so first let me get the wiring right and see if I can get data from the laptop onto to the Raymarine backbone. Probably not job...

[BMayer]

Originally Posted by BMayer

I discovered opencpn dashboard and wind history --> wind history dont display TWD

Solutionned by OpenCpn 4.0 --> 4.4, tested just with VDR
Rest to test inboard, but i'm feel good

B.

[rgleason]

BMayer,
Re History for TWD and TWS you could also try Sean's excellent Weather_routing_pi plugin under Views/Reports. He has expanded on his history plugin called SweepPlot and you can now select more parameters for showing history.

Note: For sweepplot_pi go to OpecnCPN Beta File Thingie rguser rgpass and look under 4.2 win PI

[BMayer]

Originally Posted by rgleason

For sweepplot_pi go to OpecnCPN Beta File Thingie rguser rgpass and look under 4.2 win PI

? it's not the same as Plugins for OpenCPN 4.2 & 4.4 | Official OpenCPN Homepage ?