NMEA2000 to J1939 CAN bus
Quick Facts
- CAN bus stands for Controller Area Network
- CAN bus is a twisted two wire pair of communication between deivces
- J1939 is a communication protocol initially designed for the heavy duty market but is used in marine, on-road and off-road vehicles
- NMEA2000 or N2K is a communications protocol designed for the marine industry
- J1939 and NMEA2000 communication can both be on the same CAN bus without interference
NMEA2000 spec calls for 5 wires:
- All that is needed to tie NMEA2000 into the rest of the CAN bus is to connect CAN H and L.
- 12V and Ground will need to be supplied somewhere on the NMEA2000 backbone to power certain devices.
- CAN Shield is not necessary in most applications
The following devices simplify the connection between NMEA2000 backbone and the J1939 CAN bus:
NMEA2000 Pinout
Pin | Function |
1 | CAN Shield |
2 | 12V |
3 | GND |
4 | CAN H |
5 | CAN L |
NMEA2000 to Deutsch Adapters
Create your own
If you cut a standard NMEA2000 cable in half to expose internal wires you can create an adapter. Use the below reference for colors to functions.