Support for Maretron SSC200 in Signal K

[Rob Blass]

I was wondering if the SSC200 is supported in Signal K? I am new to SK and couldnt find a master list of supported Maretron sensors. 

Thank you!

[Rob Blass]

And a TMP100....:) 

[Tony Bentley]

Reading the manual, it says:

2.4   Connecting the SSC200

You have a choice of connecting the SSC200 to a NMEA 2000® interface (Section 2.4.1), NMEA 0183 interface (Section 2.4.2), or connecting both interfaces simultaneously (Section 2.4.2.2).

The overview page provides information on both protocols:

The most common setup for nmea 0183 is a device that can send data over TCP. For NMEA 2000 I believe most use a USB interface to connect to the computer which runs Signalk. 

From my initial review of both protocols, I can see Maretron uses standard 0183 sentences and 2000 PGNs.

Hope this helps!

Tony

On Sep 19, 2023, at 1:12 PM, Rob Blass <gora....@gmail.com> wrote:

I was wondering if the SSC200 is supported in Signal K? I am new to SK and couldnt find a master list of supported Maretron sensors. 

Thank you!

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[Brian Scally]

Rob

The simpe answer for this is yes.

The reality is that Signal K is a data representation and communication framework.

The SSC200 and many other sensors talk 2 of the common languages.. NMEA 0183 and 2000.  Maretron are good at complying to the protocol standards.

The problems with these languages is that they are not 'free' and are tied to physical network structures that are not condusive for open sharing of information.

But when your pointing north (true) all three 'languages' say the same thing. ( think English, Dutch and Russian sailors all shouting "heading north!" In their home languages)

Signal K language is designed to be as understandable by as many things as possible.

Because of this it is easy to manipulate log and add to.

In the case of the compass if it is connected to a nmea2k network and you have a bridge from that network to a machine running SiglanK then the data appears just fine.

Or you can go from the 0183 output throug a different bridge to SignalK.

I've done both and they both work.

The SSC200 is my primary compass.

For the TMP100s .. I have 3 of them and use them in my 2 blackwater and greywater tanks.

And they work just fine apearing in SignalK as a normal tank level sensor.

I did need to go through the Maertron config with them using the Maretron USB to N2k thing to set the tank linearisation.

Brian

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[Rob Blass]

Hey Tony and Brian, 

First of all, a million thanks for the thoughtful response to my questions. I am working on a project that I hope to get done over the winter months while my work schedule permits it. It involves a complete refresh of my gear and network. I am also trying to add security to the equation utilizing class approved devices. I ran across Signal K in my research as a solid way to capture data, decode to JSON, which I can then inspect with my server that is running on a ruggedized BV class approved industrial Pi. The issue with the Pi is that it doesn't have NMEA interfaces. Just a few USB's. To get around that, and still stay within the confines of Class approval, I am tapping into the 2k and 0183 backbone with DY's iKonvert 2k and 0183 to USB adapters that would then go to my pi server running CANboat.js > Signalk > JSON > IDS/IPS system which I am using Suricata for that. I have to write custom rules in Suricata to inspect the JSON's which I can do since that is my day job. :) ...Lastly, all of that to display in Grafana with some custom panels I can throw together. Before I go off the deep end (no pun intended), I want to prove the concept and write the detection rules at home in my lab. These are the lab components I intend to use:

1. Industrial Pi server w 2TB drive (Running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Server, Signal K, Openplotter, InfluxDB, Grafana)

2. Lowrance NMEA2k kit 

3. Maretron SSC200 and TMP100 with TR3K temperature probe

4. Veratron Pro GPS

5. Raymarine Axiom Head Unit. (I am aware of SK > Openplotter) and may need to do that to display Grafana panels. 

6. Airmar B122 Depth NMEA0183 Smart Sensor

Given the above, do you think I am good to go? 

I don't need to see all the data from all the other sensors, just enough so I can understand the processed JSON and write my rules for anomalies. I also intend to post my rules in the Suricata repo so others can take advantage of this, since nobody that I am aware of appears to have taken time in the community to do this in Suricata. Maritime cyber is a huge deal these days and perhaps I can make this small contribution to the community to combat this, and new regs. 

Thank you gents, appreciate any and all insights. 

Rob

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[Teppo Kurki]

Interesting. Can you elaborate on the types rules you’re thinking of?

[Kevin Monahan]

I am not familiar with the Ruggetized BV class industrial Pi (but now I am looking at it), but could you add a Pican-M hat to it to get the NMEA2000 and NMEA0183 connections, while still having all of the other RP connections available, and eliminate many of the other adapters?  The Pican-M hat made it very easy to connect to NMEA2000.   I also have some USB connections for the equipment that does not connect directly to NMEA2000 and Signal K does a great job of providing access to that data.  Plus other plugins allow data to be pushed back onto NMEA2000.

K

[Tony Bentley]

You may need a multiplexer for NMEA0183 if you cannot daisy chain all of the components together. 

Can you elaborate on what you mean by class approved devices?

Also how does sending JSON to IDS/IPS and inspecting the data help with intrusion detection? My understanding is that IDS/IPS are generally for network detection. Couldn’t you simply expose SNMP metrics to Grafana via Prometheus and setup alerts there? Or is there some other purpose I am missing?

Tony

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[Rob Blass]

Hi Kevin, 

Thank you for the response. I wish I could use the Pican-M, I actually have it also in my lab with the Copperhill metal enclosure they sell. Unfortunately, the ruggedized Pi server I am using, that is Bureau Veritas Class Society approved, does not have space for it in their form factor (argg...) The case is too small. I thought about getting the lid 3-d printed to accommodate the hat, but then, I think the device would lose BV cert. I did ask them to explore adding the hat in future releases (or at least space) since they already made the investment in getting the darn thing BV certified. For now, I am stuck with USB dongles (Actisense/iKonvert etc). For security, I only need to read out and inspect the data, I would not require (I think), to send anything back to NMEA. I only want to be able to alert on intrusion, and further prevent/isolate on the IT side. Pushing data back to NMEA opens a can of worms I don't want to deal with. 

Thanks again, 

RB

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[Rob Blass]

Hi Tony, 

Class approved means a maritime class society approved product. Such as BV in France, DNI in Germany, etc.  IDS/IPS tools can be used in a number of ways, not just network monitoring. You can write rules to detect anomalies. Such as a sudden change of ships position in AIS. 

Thanks again,

RB

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[Matti Airas]

Hi,

Also, please note that the interfaces on the PiCAN-M are not isolated as required by the NMEA standards. You could instead use Waveshare's 2-Channel Isolated CAN HAT for N2K and their 2-Channel Isolated RS485 HAT for NMEA 0183 (bidirectional or dual input).

Cheers,

Matti Airas

Hat Labs Oy

[Greg Lions]

For NMEA2000 you could also use Yacht Devices Network adaptors..

https://www.yachtd.com/products/wifi_gateway.html

https://www.yachtd.com/products/ethernet_gateway.html

or for your application perhaps this is the best bet...

https://www.yachtd.com/products/wifi_router.html

also have NMEA 0183 Multiplexer if needed.

https://www.yachtd.com/products/multiplexer.html

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[Teppo Kurki]

Related DAME Nominee: https://digitalyacht.net/2023/09/21/nmea-cyber-security/

[Teppo Kurki]

Have you considered hardware platforms that are more ruggerised from the start (and happen to run Signal K), with built in N2K connectivity? Like Victron's GX product range (or the more powerful ones there) https://www.victronenergy.com/live/venus-os:start.

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[Rob Blass]

Teppo, wow, this new DY product could be just what we need from a IDS perspective. I would have to get one the moment it is released and test it in my lab. As noted in my OP, I work for a security firm as my day job. It would be interesting to see how good their "catch rate" is for new advanced threats in the maritime space. But certainly avoids  A LOT of headaches. 

Thank you !!!!!

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