The Oceanic Systems NMEA2000® 3165 Rudder Angle Adaptor is designed to adapt commercially available resistive rudder angle senders to the NMEA2000® network to be displayed on suitable display. It is user settable to either the 10-180 Ohm European Standard or the 240-30 Ohm American standard rudder angle senders without needing any display menu setups. It is designed to work within the normal marine environment. It is very important that it is installed and set up correctly according to this manual. Please read and follow the installation and setup instructions carefully to achieve the best results.

The information in this manual corresponds to firmware revision 2.0.0

The NMEA2000® 3165 Rudder Angle Adaptor has the following features:

• Adapts 10 – 180 Ohm European standard Rudder Angle Senders
• Adapts 240 – 30 Ohm American standard Rudder Angle Senders
• Has Port/Starboard indicator LEDs for easy setup
• Indicator LEDs for each active input
• Switch settable Rudder Instance
• Operating Voltage: 9 to 32V
• No display unit setup required
• Standard NMEA2000® Interface

You should find the following items in the 3165 shipping box:

1 x 3165 NMEA2000® Rudder Angle Adaptor

1 x NMEA2000 drop cable

1 x 3165 User Manual (This document)

The unit is designed to be cable tied either onto a suitable location or into the main cable harness.

The NMEA2000® interface cable should be connected to a nearby NMEA2000® Tee connector (part number 3802). The male end of the cable should be inserted into the female Tee connection noting the position of the keyway in the plug and the socket. Ensure that the locking ring is securely tightened so that the connection remains waterproof and sound.

Resistive rudder angle senders have two terminals, the sensor terminal may be marked with an “S” or a “G” and the other marked with a ground or “-“ mark. If they are not marked the ground or “-“ may be the terminal which is connected to the metal housing and the sensor terminal will be insulated from the metal housing. Ensure that there are NO other cables connected to the rudder angle sender and then connect the 2 metre 2 core gray cable to those terminals according to the following table.

Configuring the unit does not require any external displays or tools. All options can be set with the rotary switch and a small magnet.

The unit has a small rotary switch which can set the device and rudder instance from 0 to 15 as per the below table.

The unit is shipped pre-configured for a European standard 10-180 Ohm sender but can easily be configured for an American standard 240-30 Ohm sender by the following actions:

1. Note the Rudder Instance Number set in the unit.
2. Set the Rudder Instance temporarily to “A”
3. Apply a small magnet to the marked area of the unit label for 2.5 seconds then remove the magnet.
4. The LEDs will then flash normally configured for the correct sender type.
5. Return the Rudder Instance to it’s original position noted in 1 above

Note that the unit will flash the red Port LED if the unit is set to the European standard or the green Starboard LED if the unit is set to the American standard and the sender wire is temporarily disconnected.

If it is desired to return the configuration to a European Standard then repeat the above substituting “E” in point 2 above.

From software version 2.0.0 it is possible to configure the maximum deflection angle for the sender. The 3165 default deflection angle is 45 degrees, but this can easily be changed using the rotary switch and magnet.

To adjust the deflection angle:

1. Note the Rudder Instance Number set in the unit.
2. Set the Rudder Instance temporarily to one of the values in the table below
3. Apply a small magnet to the marked area of the unit label for 2.5 seconds then remove the magnet.
4. Return the Rudder Instance to it’s original position noted in 1 above

Some senders have a nominal resistance outside of the standard ranges. For this reason, it is possible to calibrate the “Hard to Port” and “Hard to Starboard” positions manually. For senders that are in the standard ranges of 10-180 or 240-30 ohms, this operation is not required.

To manually calibrate:

1. Note the Rudder Instance Number set in the unit.
2. Set the Rudder Instance temporarily to 4 for “Hard to Port” or 5 for “Hard to Starboard”
3. Apply a small magnet to the marked area of the unit label for 2.5 seconds then remove the magnet.
4. Return the Rudder Instance to it’s original position noted in 1 above

The unit is equipped with red and green LEDs that are designed to allow the physical alignment to the Rudder Angle Sender to be adjusted easily.

When the rudder is midships simply adjust the physical connection between the rudder and the rudder sender so that BOTH LEDs flash as the unit is sending the midships NMEA2000® value to the network.

When the unit is reporting a Port value the red LED will flash and when it is reporting a Starboard value the green LED will flash.

This is designed to make the installation as easy as possible.

• Clean the unit with a soft cloth
• Do not use chemical cleaners as they may remove paint or markings or may corrode the enclosure or seals
• Ensure that the unit is mounted securely and cannot be moved relative to the mounting surface. If the unit is loose, tighten the mounting screws
• Check the security of the cables connected to the NMEA 2000 connector, tighten if necessary
• Check the security of the cables connected to the Spade connectors, ensuring a tight fit

As Oceanic Systems are constantly improving their products specifications are subject to change without notice. Oceanic System’s products are designed to be accurate and reliable however they should only be used as aids to navigation and not as a replacement for traditional navigation aids and techniques.