Yacht Devices YDRA-01N NMEA 2000 Rudder Angle Adapter with Micro Male Connector for Resistive and Voltage Sensors

Yacht Devices YDRA-01N NMEA 2000 Rudder Angle Adapter with Micro Male Connector for Resistive and Voltage Sensors

The Yacht Devices YDRA-01N is a rudder angle adapter designed to connect an existing rudder position sensor to an NMEA 2000 marine network. It supplies compatible autopilots, chart plotters and other onboard instruments with rudder angle information and can also be configured for trim tab position or Garmin Custom Channel angular data.

The YDRA-01N version uses an NMEA 2000 Micro Male connector. It supports several sensor types, including resistive rheostat sensors, potentiometer-type sensors with external supply, and angular position transducers with voltage output.

Main Features

• NMEA 2000 Micro Male connector
• Supports resistive rudder angle sensors up to 400 Ohm
• Supports potentiometer-type sensors up to 5 kOhm with external power supply
• Supports angular position transducers with 0–16 V output
• Can operate as a standalone measuring unit
• Can operate with compatible digital gauges
• Can be connected in parallel with supported 1-coil and 2-coil analog gauges
• Up to 7 calibration points for sensor non-linearity compensation
• Sensor-wire resistance compensation
• MicroSD card slot for configuration, calibration, diagnostics and firmware updates
• Can transmit Rudder, Trim Tab or Garmin Custom Channel angular data
• 2500 VRMS galvanic isolation between NMEA 2000 and sensor input

Supported Sensor Types

Electrical Specifications

Physical Specifications

Sensor Wiring

Standalone Resistive Sensor Connection

For a typical two-wire rheostat-type rudder sensor, the Blue wire is connected to the sensor Signal or + terminal and the Black wire is connected to Ground or -. The Red wire remains unconnected and should be insulated.

For this configuration, the adapter must be set to RESISTIVE mode and the measured resistance values at full port and full starboard positions must be entered into the corresponding settings.

Potentiometer-Type Sensor Connection

Potentiometer sensors with three terminals are supported with resistance up to 5 kOhm and require an external voltage source up to 16 V.

• Blue wire to Signal / Out
• Black wire to Ground / -
• Red wire to + / Vcc
• CONNECTION setting: VOLTAGE

Voltage-Output Transducer Connection

The adapter supports angular position transducers with an output voltage proportional to angle in the range from 0 to 16 V. In this configuration, the Blue wire is connected to the analog signal output and the Black wire to sensor ground, while the Red wire remains unconnected.

Analog Gauge Integration

The YDRA-01N can be connected in parallel with existing analog rudder angle gauges. Both 1-coil and 2-coil gauge types are supported.

• 1COIL mode for single-coil gauges
• 2COIL mode for dual-coil gauges with permanently connected power
• 2COIL_VCC mode for dual-coil gauges with switched power
• Gauge coil resistance values can be entered into device settings

Sensor Wire Resistance Compensation

Long and thin sensor wires can introduce measurement error due to parasitic resistance. The adapter allows this resistance to be measured and compensated through the OHMS_WIRES setting.

If the total sensor wire length exceeds 5 meters, the manufacturer recommends measuring the wire resistance with a multimeter. A value below 10 Ohm is considered acceptable.

Calibration

The YDRA-01N supports up to 7 calibration points to compensate for non-linear sensor response and reduce the need for mechanical adjustment of the rudder sensor.

• Up to 7 calibration points
• Calibration range from -90° to +90°
• Positive values represent starboard deflection
• Negative values represent port deflection
• Maximum rudder deflection angle can be configured from 10° to 90°

MicroSD Configuration

The adapter includes a MicroSD card slot for configuration, calibration, firmware updates, diagnostics and rudder-angle logging. No special configuration software is required when using the MicroSD method.

• Supports MicroSD cards of all sizes and classes
• Supports FAT12, FAT16, MS-DOS FAT and FAT32
• Does not support exFAT or NTFS
• Configuration file: YDRA.TXT
• Current settings file: YDRASAVE.TXT

Trim Tab Mode

The adapter can also be configured as a trim tab sensor interface. In this mode, Rudder PGN transmission is disabled and the device transmits Trim Tab Status data instead.

• PORT mode
• STBD mode
• BOTH mode
• MASTER mode
• SLAVE mode

Two adapters can be used for independently moving port and starboard trim tabs, with one configured as MASTER and the other as SLAVE.

Garmin Custom Channel Mode

The YDRA-01N can transmit the measured angular value as Garmin Custom Channel data on compatible Garmin NMEA 2000 equipment. Custom Channel numbers from 1 to 9 can be selected.

Data Logging

Measured sensor values can be recorded to a MicroSD card at configurable intervals from 1 to 180 seconds. Logging is disabled by default.

• Configurable logging interval
• Rudder angle history stored as text files
• Logging can continue automatically when a MicroSD card is inserted
• MicroSD card can be removed without switching the device off

NMEA 2000 Installation

The YDRA-01N can be connected directly to the NMEA 2000 network backbone without a drop cable. The adapter is powered from the NMEA 2000 network.

• Direct backbone connection supported
• Switch off bus power before installation
• Install in a dry location
• Close the NMEA 2000 connector lock after connection

Package Contents

• YDRA-01N Rudder Angle Adapter – 1 pc.
• Blade FASTON receptacles – 4 pcs.
• MicroSD slot sealing stickers – 6 pcs.
• User Manual – 1 pc.

MicroSD card and NMEA 2000 drop cable are not supplied. The adapter can be connected directly to the NMEA 2000 backbone without a drop cable.

Product Identification