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Nexus NX2 system displaying 0 wind speed and angle


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My wind speed and wind angle has stopped working and is displaying 0 for wind speed and angle. True wind speed displays when moving and is the same as boat speed. The system is an older NEXUS  NX2 system with a server and the wind speed is connected to the network cable BUS directly and not into server individually. No error messages are displayed. It looks like system can be accessed vis a RS232 connection but needs software installed into the PC. 

Any ideas on how to test the wind signals without an oscilloscope or PC?

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You can download the software free, it’s called ‘Nexus Race’. The original instrument system would/should have come with the RS232 to USB cable, a generic serial port to USB converter may suffice if you don’t have the original. Although, it may not be any help if the MHU isn’t outputting any data, there’s unlikely to be anything relevant to see in the software. It’s just as though you don’t have wind gear. I take it you have checked the connections at the bottom of the mast? I think being connected to the BUS will mean it’s outputting processed digital data rather than an analogue signal like some wind gear, which will make testing it difficult (impossible?). Finally, unless you can find physical damage to the cable, I’m not sure you will be able to get parts to fix it even if you could identify the issue. 
 

The hopefully unnecessary good news is you can still get a replacement that will work with your system from Garmin. 

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Hi Matt, it does come with a RS232 to USB cable, that may be useful. It outputs 0 knots rather than a dash or an error message which I thought may help diagnose the problem area. I have visually inspected the connection at the base of the mast and measured the voltage supply but I wasn't sure about what I would find that was correct. 

It may mean a trip up the mast but not in this weather, thanks for your input. 

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The masthead unit will have failed most likely. 

The new network units which you have just sit on the bus sending info direct to all displays.

The reason you are getting true wind speed is its calculated off boatspeed so its taking that as a speed seen as the windgear is not inputting 

Check connections but normally its just a dead unit they are around $500 to replace 

Cheers

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May well be the mast head unit, but would be worth checking out the server config. As a start 2 simple things to check for on the server

1. is the Led beside the mast head unit input connection flashing ?

2 Is the sever set to internal or external wind head 

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180S,  I haven't checked the server setting but as it was working recently I would hope it wouldn't have changed. I had trouble getting set up info and hopefully tomorrow I will be able to see the settings. Looking like a faulty wind transducer or connection issue. It would be good to have another good transducer to swap with. 

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10 minutes ago, ballystick said:

Re> . It would be good to have another good transducer to swap with. “
indeed, sorry mines stuck up the top of the mast, have to admit the sever is very stable, but may be a glitch somewhere has reset some of the settings, worth a check. Will be down in my boat tomorrow so will have a look to see if there’s any wind status confirmations.

 

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Is it wired or wireless?

The fault sounds like a wireless unit that has lost signal. The have an EMF thing in the mast head unit that is sensitive and can be damaged. Think lightening strike, they don't necessary need a lightening strike, just the EMF energy. 

The quickest way to check that is check the RFI signal. If it is below 18 or so, and used to be fine, then that will be the issue.

if you don't have a wireless unit, just kindly ignore me ;-)

If it is not wireless, then yeah, sounds like a dead mast head unit.

Kiwi Yachting sell the replacement Garmin mast head units, the price from above of about $500 sounds about right. They can't do wireless, cause of some problem with the frequency, so you have to hard wire it. Kiwi Yachting - Richard Macalister has all the knowledge to integrate a garmin bit into the NX2 system.

Richard has been very helpful and obliging for me recently with a stuffed Nexus AP course controller.

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If the mast cable is connected directly to the Network/BUS port on the server instead of the Wind port then the wind transducer is most likely a Garmin Gwind transducer. There would be a short adapter cable at the top of the mast that converts the gWind cable to nWind (Nexus) cable. The gWind transducer looks the same as the NX2 transducer with the twin fins except the gWind has a blue Garmin on the fins.

I am in the process at the moment of replacing my NX2 wind transducer with a Garmin gWind transducer. Just waiting for the weather to clear so the rigger can go up the mast and swap them over.

The cost of the gWind transducer with the gWind/nWind cable adapter was $740. It had to come from Oz.

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What I have learnt about this stuff:

- Molly's advice at Kiwi Yachting has cost me about $2k and I still don't have working windgear

- before submitting your kit for testing at Kiwi Yachting, make a note what age you were when you took it in.  It won't make it any quicker but it does help when trying to work out how long it's taken.

- Garmin Help is run by either a talking chimpanzee or a bot.  Whatever the answer is they are f*in useless

Please advise your progress on this.  My experience has led me to begin designing and building a Death Star.

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22 hours ago, Dtwo said:

What I have learnt about this stuff:

- Molly's advice at Kiwi Yachting has cost me about $2k and I still don't have working windgear

- before submitting your kit for testing at Kiwi Yachting, make a note what age you were when you took it in.  It won't make it any quicker but it does help when trying to work out how long it's taken.

- Garmin Help is run by either a talking chimpanzee or a bot.  Whatever the answer is they are f*in useless

Please advise your progress on this.  My experience has led me to begin designing and building a Death Star.

And so what is the issue with your gear. 

There's nothing available except wired wind transducers and speed and depth transducers Garmin have made everything else obsolete so pretty hard to service gear when you cannot get parts. 

 

 

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13 hours ago, ballystick said:

The unit is a wired unit straight into the bus. I would like to hear how Kiwijon gets on, weather not the best at present

Bally mast cables and masthead units are available ex nz around 650 inc Gst for the set. 

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Over the weekend I removed the wind transducer from it's base and took it to the local Garmin agent who set up a bus network to check it with a new one. It produced a 0 knot signal when compared to a new unit. So I've ordered a new transducer as mentioned in previous posts.

It wasn't straightforward testing of the output like a normal transducer but luckily had a test rig to try it out.

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On 21/07/2020 at 3:37 PM, ballystick said:

Over the weekend I removed the wind transducer from it's base and took it to the local Garmin agent who set up a bus network to check it with a new one. It produced a 0 knot signal when compared to a new unit. So I've ordered a new transducer as mentioned in previous posts.

It wasn't straightforward testing of the output like a normal transducer but luckily had a test rig to try it out.

Whilst physically looking the same the difference between the Nexus wind transducer (wired) and the Garmin gWind transducer is in the output. The Nexus wind transducer outputs a pulse on the yellow and white wire where the pulse rate is wind speed and the pulse duration is the wind direction. The Nexus server decodes these pulses and outputs the data on the Instrument rs485 network/bus.

The Garmin gWind does that pulse decoding up in head unit and outputs it as rs485 serial data which is why the Garmin gWind has to be wired to the Instrument rs485 network/bus. I am surprised that Garmin could not repair your transducer with new electronics.

I am still waiting for the rigger to replace my transducer. This will be my 3rd wind transducer in 32 years. The first was the original Silva Nexus transducer. That was replaced, after a very close lightning strike fried the electronics up top, with the NX2 tranducer I am now replacing.

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Hi KJ, I didn't ask them to repair it but that may have been a good option as the bearings were all OK. They didn't offer to repair it either but I will check it out when I get the old unit as I work with some electronic people and have access to some test gear. I hope the new unit will offer a few more years of service ahead.

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After some time I opened up the sensor to find it full of dirt and dust, covering the opto-sensors and partially covering the opto-ball?? What an amazing idea I reckon. I will try to test is with oscilloscope, the pulse frequency is the speed and the pulse length is the direction, all on 2 wires. Results to come!

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