How to adjust priority on NMEA2000

It is possible to have multiple devices providing the same information on a NMEA2000 bus. For example, you could connect on the same NMEA2000 backbone a GPS and a weather station. Some weather stations have an embedded GPS and they can provide wind but also GPS information resulting on two GPS information on the bus (one coming from the GPS and another one coming from the weather station). In TimeZero, when you configure a NMEA2000 connection, you cannot see individual sensors. So, to adjust priority (select the "Master" sensor) you have to adjust the sensor instance number. A device with a lower instance number has higher priority than a device with a higher instance number. So, if you want to make the GPS higher priority over the Weather Station, you need to set the GPS device instance to "0" and the weather station to "1".

TimeZero will be able to switch automatically from one device (with higher priority) to another device (with lower priority) in case of failure of the "Master".

Note that the instance number is actually a property of the sensor (it is stored inside the sensor and not in TimeZero) and to change it, you need to use the Actisense "NMEA Reader" tool (available for free on the Actisense Software). The "NMEA Reader" software is a very valuable tool that allows you to see the list of sensors connected on the NMEA2000 bus (and the data they output), but also allows you to change the device instance number.

Note: It is not possible to use the NMEA Reader and TimeZero at the same time. Make sure to exit TimeZero before opening the Actisense NMEA Reader.

Open the Actisense NMEA Reader and select the "network view" (tab selection is at the bottom left):

Select the product whose device instance you want to change and select the properties tab at the bottom right:

Click on the device Instance field, set the number you would like to use and press the ENTER key on your Keyboard.

IMPORTANT: With some devices, you may not see any change until restarting the device.