VETUS has announced NMEA 2000 certification for its new CANverter gateway device, offering industry-first connectivity and communication capabilities for boat owners using its proportional bow and stern thrusters.
Approved as the first and only thruster integrator for NMEA 2000, Vetus advances the thruster and electric propulsion technology’s implementation in line with the National Marine Electronics Association’s widely recognised communications standard.
The launch of the converter enables connection of the proprietary Vetus Controller Area Network (V-CAN) into the NMEA 2000 network, establishing integration of the company’s specialised V-CAN products, notably its Bow Pro thrusters and new E-LINE and I-POD electric propulsion, with other certified high-level onboard systems in support of serial data networking.
Strengthening Vetus’s higher-level protocol to match the world’s leading marine electronics manufacturers, the new CANverter NMEA certification and network connection results in a range of additional external control and monitoring advantages to enhance life on board.
The potential benefits for boat owners include visualising V-CAN data and the Vetus brand on their screen, controlling V-CAN data with NMEA 2000 devices, and selecting NMEA 2000 controllers. By combining CANverter and NMEA 2000 OneNet, the standard for IP networking of devices, boat owners can monitor any installed V-CAN device remotely, from home, for example.
V-CAN products include the new Vetus E-LINE and I-POD electric propulsion solutions and the E-LINE panels and controls: the MPE1KB key switch, MPE1MB monitoring panel and ELPS control lever. The V-CAN thrusters include the leading BOWA and BOWB proportional thrusters, the RIMDRIVE thruster and the retractable thruster, plus the BPPJA, BPPPA and DBPPJA thruster panels.
V-CAN was developed to retain control and maintain implemented safety measures for Vetus CAN-bus systems and ensure external control or monitoring from other systems is managed through a Vetus approved process. The proprietary network is compatible with thruster, electrical motor and converter data distributed throughout the vessel over a single cable. With the converter’s installation, the V-CAN network can be monitored and controlled by any NMEA 2000 compatible device.
