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Pitufino–not just another nav-data Wi-Fi gateway!
Pitufino sends GPS, AIS and instrument data from your boat's nav devices to your favourite chart-plotter apps, and...
...comes with sophisticated apps that run in your browser (these don't even need to be installed).
The Sailing Instruments app includes an auto-pilot controller and shows all data relevant for sailiing, including waypoint data, laylines, AIS targets, long-term averages and logbook (here in night colors).
The Multi Display app lets you create your fully customized instrument view, including engine dashboards and tank displays, or...
...for instance a dedicated auto-pilot remote control.
The Anchor Watch app is a dedicated instrument view for times at anchor, including an anchor alarm and a rotation counter.
With Pitufino you don't need any other NMEA converters any more.
Where to get Pitufino?
Visit our online shop at currently-marine.com to order.
Learn more about Pitufino
- Power supply 12VDC/24VDC (usually powered by NMEA2000 bus, LEN=3)
- NMEA2000 port
- 2 NMEA0183 inputs (isolated)
- 2 NMEA0183 outputs
- Routing and conversion between those ports and Wi-Fi streams
- Wi-Fi: provides own access point (with DHCP) or connects to existing Wi-Fi network
- mDNS: gateway can always be found as pitufino.local on iOS, macOS and Linux
- NMEA0183 data servers: multiple TCP connections, UDP broadcast, UDP unicast
- TCP server for NMEA2000 data in Actisense NGT-1 format (for calibration/configuration of Actisense sensors)
- Web server (for local intranet): provides browser-based configuration, firmware update, pages to view navigation data in real time (sailing instruments, anchor watch, pilot controller, AIS-target list, engine and tank gauges, ...)
- Built-in World Magnetic Model: up-to-date magnetic variation (your chart plotter no longer needs to be online every time)
- Computes ground-referenced true wind and provides wind data and COG/SOG with proper damping to TCP/UDP streams and to NMEA2000 for other displays
- Computes 1min/10min/60min averages for TWD, TWS, COG, SOG and VMC
- Creates hourly logbook entries with averages and other statistics
- Sentence Translator: some devices output deprecated or unusual sentences. Pitufino translates them into well-supported ones. Currently implemented translations add support for Robertson/Simrad Dataline and allow Furuno FA-50 (and other) AIS transponders to be used as GPS sources.
- GPS date correction on NMEA0183 inputs for older GPS/AIS units suffering from the 1024-week rollover
Pitufino's data routing and filtering (relevant for streaming NMEA0183 data over Wi-Fi and for conversions between NMEA0183 and NMEA2000):
Apps can send nav data (e.g. waypoint data from your chart-plotter software) back to your nav devices. It's even possible to use your phone as a GPS source for the entire navigation network (for instance in an emergency):
- Comes preconfigured to allow plug and play and still offers a high degree of customization
- Elaborate settings for filtering, multiplexing, routing and conversion
- Straightforward selection of NMEA2000 sources
NMEA2000 device list and source selection:
NMEA2000 settings:
Settings for an NMEA0183 port (example for a connected AIS):
Some apps expect non-standard transducer IDs. You can change them so your app gets the data:
Our cumbersome pre-existing solution aboard Pitufa that needed 4 additional devices:
...and the new set-up using a Pitufino:
Do you already have a Wi-Wi network on your boat? Simply connect Pitufino to your existing network:
Which autopilots does Pitufino support?
The current firmware supports Raymarine's SeatalkNG/NMEA2000 pilots like Evolution EV-1/2 (note, EV-1 is included in system packs like EV-100/200/300/400) or the older SPX 10/30/Solenoid as well as NMEA2000 pilots from Navico/Simrad/B&G like NAC-3/NAC-2 or AC42. Since firmware V1.5.0 also Garmin's Reactor NMEA2000 pilots are supported. We are working on support for others.
User and Installation Manual
The manual can be downloaded as a pdf file.
Planned features for upcoming firmware versions
Pitufino is under active development to include new features and to extend its range of applications even wider. On our to-do list are
- more web instruments, logbook assistant, alarms, etc.
- support for more proprietary and deprecated sentences
- support for more autopilots
- take over the computation of waypoint data (when chart-plotter app/device is switched off)
- and more sentence translations. Just tell us what nav devices you have and we will figure out a way to make them talk to each other!
Latest Firmware: V1.5.0
Download the latest version here.
Download the previous release V1.4.5 here (This is the last version including the NMEA2000 Actisense server).
Changes since V1.4.5:
- fixed glitch in distance calculation when crossing 180-degree longitude (e.g. for SOG averages)
- modified WP PGNs for N2k: EV-1 pilots with older firmware should accept those now (when converting from NMEA0183, e.g. from OpenCPN)
- support for Simrad AC42 pilots
- support for Garmin 'Reactor' pilots (readback of wind angle not implemented yet)
- sync clock from web app if no other GPS date/time input
- more thorough software reset after firmware update and reboot or restoring factory default
- Sailing instruments web app got 24h logbook and AIS-target list, Time-to-Waypoint in data selector
- Multi instrument: Time-to-Waypoint, fixed trip-log reset buttons
- N2k source filters got 'block' option (if no N2k devices should be used for a particular kind of data)
- several data-sanity checks
- Pos, COG&SOG, HDG, ROT and Attitude for streams are downsampled now (20Hz sensors cause a lot of data)
- removed TCP server for NMEA2000 stream in Actisense NGT-1 format
- improved memory usage for increased stability
- limitted own Wi-Fi access point to 5 devices
- conversion N2k to 0183: also HDT is sent if config option to create deprecated sentences is set
- several minor improvements
Changes since V1.4.4:
- fixed glitch in average calculation for TWD
- fixed N2k device list (should not miss devices any more)
- fixed Multi instrument's wind gauge (AWA was displayed for TWA)
- Multi instrument now keeps display order when rotating the screen
- new display types for Multi instrument: UTC date/time, distance log, and averages
- plugin mechanism for custom display data for Sailing instruments and Multi instrument's digital display + editor in Multi instrument
- custom data examples: time to arrival, tack/jibe direction, longitudinal current, estimated daily distance, STW w/o damping, depth in fathoms
- Multi instrument now allows zooming in on one display per partition using pinch gesture or wheel/scroll action
- Multi instrument got rudder angle in digital display
- several minor improvements
Changes since V1.4.3:
- fixes several web-app GUI & browser-incompatibility problems
- Sailing instruments web app: proper computation of VMC in 1/10min-average mode
- shorter TCP timeouts
- several minor improvements
Changes since V1.4.2:
- GPS date correction for NMEA0183 inputs (for GPS devices suffering from the 1024-week rollover)
- fixes pos/log display in Sailing instruments app
Changes since V1.4.1:
- computation of 1min, 10min, and 60min averages for COG, SOG, TWD, and TWS
- Sailing instruments web app shows those averages (plus UTC) in LOG popup now
- Sailing instruments got 1min/10min-average mode: displays averages for COG, SOG, TWD, TWS and VMC
- plus compass-rose pointers for COG, TWD and tacking/jibing angle (=laylines)
- Anchor watch web app got rotation counter, 1/10/60min-average TWS/TWD are selectable for data fields, and GUI scales proportionally now
- Multi instrument web app uses swipe/drag gesture to change display type
- all web instruments: damping value is now filter time constant 0...9sec (before, levels 1...9 corresponded to 0.66...5.90sec)
- provide damped COG/SOG to N2k bus and NMEA0183 TCP/UDP streams
- several minor improvements
Changes since V1.4.0:
- fix for V1.4.0's problem connecting to existing Wi-Fi network
- provide damped apparent and true wind data to N2k network and NMEA0183 TCP/UDP streams
Changes since V1.3.9:
- NMEA0183 streams to unicast UDP connections (client must send first packet), using ICMP to close
- fix for problems (sporadic RX) with UDP broadcast in access-point mode: alternative using unicast probes (& ICMP to close)
- single-connection TCP server for NMEA2000 stream in Actisense NGT-1 format (N2k feed to TimeZero, Configuring Actisense Devices. Needs TCP-to-virtualCOM driver)
- new HTTP server: multiple persistent connections, consistent compression, image caching and other performance-boosting changes
- changed debug server from TCP to UDP
- Sailing instruments got night colors and scale proportionally on different screen sizes now
- Multi display got new display types: pilot controller, compass, wind instrument, position. Fullscreen and no-sleep button in Preferences menu.
- Pitufino provides VMC (WP closing velocity) when not sent by chartplotter
- several minor improvements
Changes since V1.3.8:
- full support for Raymarine SeatalkNG Smartpilots (e.g. SPx30)
- support for N2k engine sensors
- multi display got engine gauges
- settings for access-point channel
- shop demo/simulation mode
- menu has 2nd multi display
- minor improvements
Changes since V1.3.7:
- complete AP control for new Raymarine and Navico APs: switching to wind and nav mode + WP confirmation
- proper handling of active waypoint from/to N2k (including name, computing BOD if missing)
- added support for fluid-level sensors (NMEA2000 and 0183), 4 assignable tanks
- added Multi Instrument (preview, work-in-progress)
- several minor improvements
Changes since V1.3.4:
- HTTP authentication for critical requests (see/change settings, reboot, restore factory defaults, control auto pilot, update firmware, ...) using encrypted password
- hardware-restore defaults (connect TX0 to RX0 then boot) in case you have locked yourself out...
- single-step firmware upload (future firmware updates will be much easier!)
- fix for DHCP server problems after reboot (DHCP did not notice when clients hang on to their old leases)
- NMEA0183 baud rate and checksum can be changed on the fly
- added to sailing instruments: XTE, POS, fullscreen button
- improved GUI interaction (more feedback...)
- web app manifests: new launchers (i.e. bookmarks) created on the home screen on mobile devices will start Pitufino's pages as proper web apps (no browser gui, separate windows)
Changes since V1.3.2:
- support for aft depth (or 2nd depth sounder)
- new N2k source-filter option for allowing fall-back devices if selected one is offline
- added to sailing instruments: AFT depth, VMC (Velocity Made on Course), SEA temperature, distance LOG (+ 2 trip counters), no-sleep (prevents mobile from going to sleep)
- NEW anchor-watch instruments
- web pages: new menus
- setting for boat name
- several minor improvements
To receive notifications about new features and firmware versions, follow Pitufino on facebook.
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