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Hello,
I'm looking into buying a multiplexer to connect MacENC to my Raymarine electronics. My supplier has suggested a Miniplex 41BT rather than the 42BT. Unfortunately, the Shipmodul website just identifies a Miniplex BT, which I presume is the successor product.
I'm not terribly savvy about electronics so I just want something simple to run.
What is the difference between the 41BT and the 42BT?
Is the 41BT sufficient to the requirements of a non-power user?
Many thanks!
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Looks like the 41BT is no longer offered by ShipModul- there are probably some still available from stock. The basic difference between the 41 and the 42 is the lack of filtering capability with the 41. For integration into a Raymarine system, I would recommend the 42. While the Raymarine gear supposedly recognizes sentence types and won't resend any duplicates, I've found that to NOT be the case and it is easy to create feedback loops. Filtering solves that problem. GPSNavX has a neat piece of SW that will run the ShipModul muxes.
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Ditto on the 42. I use the filtering for duplicate GPS inputs - seems like everything has it's own GPS these days... The BT version works quite well and is one less umbilical cord tied to my mac.
Scot
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Many thanks for the input!
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Bump.
Problem not solved - the supplier can't obtain the 42.
Realistically, what alternatives do I have to link MacENC to Raymarine? Would the 41 truly be a mistake?
The clock is ticking as we're leaving in about 7 weeks. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.
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The Miniplex-BT replaces the 41/42 BT units and has all the functionality of the 42.
http://www.shipmodul.com/en/miniplex-bt.html
The latest version of the OS X Mux config tool supports the Miniplex-BT/USB and the previous 41/42 models.
Scott Dillon
Sydney Australia
North Shore 38
CYCA
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Thanks for the inputs.
I presume that it also support the new Miniplex S / Miniplex Lite?
My basic problem is trying to understand the relative merits of the various multiplexers - Shipmodul doesn't do a very good job of that.
In a nutshell: Which models work with MacENC/Raymarine and which are a problem? Do they all do the same thing with a simple layering of USB/BT/S/AIS functionality on top? Or are there structural differences?
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The Miniplex Lite is Mac compatible, but requires no configuration. The Miniplex S is identical to the USB and BT models and the OS X Mux tool is compatible) except it connects via a RS-232 connection. While one could use a Keyspan adapter to connect the Miniplex S, it makes far more sense to use the Miniplex USB and avoid the extra adapter.
All the ShipModul models work with a Mac. Only the S/BT/USB models support SeaTalk where the Lite does not.
Scott Dillon
Sydney Australia
North Shore 38
CYCA
