[Eric Frank]

I use an Applescript program to control MacENC so position data are taken only when needed. Reduces power consumption on the Mac at least 4-fold. The script is available on request. A question: What information does the Applescript command canConnect check? If the GPS unit momentarily stops transmitting position data, for example, would canConnect return as FALSE?

[GPSNavX]

canConnect will indicate if there is port and rate selected in the GPS panel Settings drawer. It would not indicate a disruption in NMEA data flowing from the connected GPS receiver.

[Eric Frank]

Thanks. Occasionally my program hangs when I am sailing, and occasionally the old SH chartplotter doesn't update for a moment or two, so I was wondering if the two were connected. Hard to debug while sailing. I'll try unplugging the GPS dongle and see what happens. Perhaps isConnected will help. Does that require incoming NMEA data?

[GPSNavX]

isConnected does not require the flow of NMEA data to be TRUE. isConnected just says a serial port is connected to (opened).

[mrfugu]

On the topic of AppleScript and MacENC.. I'd love to see more interactivity between the two.

With NMEA2000 coming into its own at least in potential, there is IMHO, a huge vacuum bridging sensors and sensible, scriptable options. (aka: user programmable computers)

The 3-5 major vendors have taken their own route, down to the hardware, some even 2+ times (functionality iterations) within their own hardware; all with no end in sight.

I'd love to have AppleScript access to all MacENC identifiable N2k PGNs. There is so much that can be done with continuous data like that.

Please, please follow through with access to (as much as possible) sensor data!

ex: I want a long term VMG graph, in a multi leg, long distance ocean racing situation. All i need is the data out, after that I can built it in Numbers, or FileMaker, or SQL, or.. whatever.

ex2: I want to know when the Freezer hits -1degC, the data is on the network, it has no association with 'navigation', or 'sailing', but damn if MacENC isn't connected to the bus.

There are literally 100s of options if MacENC can bridge as much N2k, and 0813 data as possible and make it available to AppleScript.

If I were asking the Moon, I'd say make it like Expedition, but for cruisers too, include fuel flow and switch activation, temp sensors and everything else, and let us make user definable, osx optimized, visualization and graphing with some simple default CoreAnimation options. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyd8O-2mkgk).

But, really, I'm only asking for access to the data that is most likely tossed on the floor as soon as it hits the Mac..

Of course, visualization is still a one way street, I'd love to eventually send back messages to the bus, mostly for alarms, and other user notifications via typical n2k instrument displays.

I can see easily a future situation where, much like programming MIDI musical instruments, a detailed enough map of commonly used 'manufacturer's standards' will eventually make Mac<->(N2k)DataBus interaction possible beyond what exists already.