Let’s begin with a short introduction to NMEA 2000:
NMEA 2000 is a marine networking standard designed and managed by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA). The NMEA is an association of marine electronics manufacturers, dealers, and technicians.
The NMEA 2000 standard defines a low-cost, modest-capacity, bidirectional, multi-transmitter, multi-receiver instrument network. The hardware layer is based on CAN (Controller Area Network). Typical data on an NMEA 2000 network include position latitude and longitude, GPS status, steering commands to autopilots, waypoint lists, wind sensor data, engine sensor data, depth sounder sensor data, and battery status data. More Information…
The NMEA 2000 protocol, i.e., the actual communication, is identical to the SAE J1939 Standard, developed for general use in diesel engines. There are some slight differences (for reference, see What is the Difference Between SAE J1939 and NMEA 2000?). Still, the common basis between the two protocols (theoretically) allows SAE J1939 components to be used in an NMEA 2000 network.
In the same sense, it is possible to use our JCOM1939 Monitor Program for Windows to monitor, simulate, and record NMEA 2000 engine parameters.
NMEA 2000 Engine Parameter Example
First, as a fair warning, you must be familiar with NMEA 2000 PGNs (Parameter Group Numbers) before attempting to simulate them. The NMEA sells its Standard describing all available parameters. For more information, log on to https://www.nmea.org/.
In our example, we use PGN 127488 – Engine Parameters:
JCOM1939 Monitor Setup
For those NMEA 2000 people new to the topic, the JCOM1939 Monitor Software for Windows is a free download available through this website. However, you must also purchase one of our gateways to connect your PC to a J1939/N2K network.
The following screenshot shows the setup of PGN 127488:
The data in this example has been randomly chosen, but we will demonstrate how to simulate it in a more organized fashion in the following.
In the above screenshot, we have set up PGN 127488 to simulate the Engine Speed (Start Position 2, Length 2 bytes). We are using the slider to modify and transmit the engine speed into the network, and the data is updated in the data view below.
Just for kicks, we have thrown in another PGN that is received from our test network. Note that the PGNs are marked as received (RX) and transmitted (TX).
Please have a look at our online user manual for more information on the software’s capabilities.
SAE J1939 Starter Kit and Network Simulator
Our JCOM.J1939 Starter Kit and Network Simulator is designed to allow the experienced engineer and the beginner to experiment with SAE J1939 data communication without the need to connect to a real-world J1939 network, i.e., a diesel engine. To establish a network, you need at least two nodes. That fact applies especially to CAN/J1939, where the CAN controller will shut down after transmitting data without receiving a response. Therefore, our jCOM.J1939 Starter Kit and Network Simulator consists of two J1939 nodes, namely our jCOM.J1939.USB, an SAE J1939 ECU Simulator Board with USB Port.
The jCOM.J1939.USB gateway board is a high-performance, low-latency vehicle network adapter for SAE J1939 applications. The board supports the full SAE J1939 protocol according to J1939/81 Network Management (Address Claiming) and J1939/21 Transport Protocol (TP).
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