I Preface
The Alphatron Marine AlphaLine instrument range was designed for navigation and control of ships and is based on
generic hardware and software, allowing for many different applications.
• Thoroughly read this instruction manual before installation and operation of the equipment.
• We recommend to keep this manual nearby the equipment to ensure ready access to it.
I.1 Revision History
Revision No. Software Version Description Date
V1.0.6 R1_035 First issue 16 December 2016
V1.0.7 R1_050 Textual changes 27 September 2017
V1.0.8 R1_061 Textual changes 09 October 2017
I.2 Glossary
The glossary contains a list of definitions and a list of abbreviations.
I.2.1 Definitions
The meaning of standard definitions as used in this manual are explained in Table 1: Definitions on page 4.
Redundant A device that is equipped with multiple part of the same type, for example a double
power supply. This equipment will continue to function when one of the redundant part
fails.
Heading users Navigation equipment that uses heading/course information for functioning.
Hardware The physical parts of the AlphaLine instrument.
LEDs Light-emitting diodes. These are used for signaling statuses of hardware and software
signals to the user.
Central alarm system /
Bridge watch monitoring
System that is connected to all vital systems on a ship and that is able to give a
centralized indication of the (alarm)status of all connected systems.
NMEA protocol Protocol standard for transmitting and receiving of asynchronous serial data sentences.
Talker Device which transmits data. This is usually called transmitter or TX.
Listener Device which receives data. This is usually called receiver or RX.
ISO GND Isolated Ground. This is a ground connection to be used for reference signal. It is
different from EARTH and should normally not be connected to EARTH.
Grounding point/stud Point on the chassis of the AlphaLine instrument which should be connected to the ship's
mass.
Printed Circuit Board A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect
electronic components using conductive pathways, or traces, etched from copper sheets,
laminated onto a non-conductive substrate.
(Galvanic) isolated Electrical separation of two circuits. There is no current flowing directly from one circuit
to another. Electrical energy and/or information can still be exchanged between the
sections by other means, such as by induction or by optical means (like transformers or
opto couplers).
CAN bus Controller Area Network. This is a network based serial bus system used for exchanging
information. It is the advanced version of RS485/422 serial buses.
4 | Preface