RayNmeaSimulator
Advanced NMEA2000 / NMEA0183 simulation environment for marine electronics, chartplotter testing, and training.
RayNmeaSimulator is a Qt-based desktop application that lets you generate realistic vessel data streams — engines, navigation, environment, tanks, and more — and feed them into chartplotters, autopilots, or custom software as if you were on the water.
Built for marine electronics developers, integrators, and power users, it replaces ad-hoc bench setups with a repeatable, scriptable lab where you can dial in any scenario and watch how your systems respond.
Download links will be published once public builds are packaged. For now, this page outlines capabilities and roadmap.
Key Capabilities
PGN-Driven Simulation
Fully configurable UI panels for the NMEA2000 PGNs you care about – engines, transmissions, tanks, weather, navigation, electrical, and more. Each widget maps directly to PGN fields, so you can see exactly what your devices will receive.
- Per-PGN parameter grids with units, ranges, and types.
- Support for multiple instances (e.g., Engine 1 / Engine 2).
- Real-time updates as sliders and controls are adjusted.
Game Mode – Joystick Vessel Driving
A “game mode” lets you drive a virtual vessel with a joystick or gamepad. Heading, speed, position, and related PGNs update continuously while your charting software or plotter responds in real time.
- Simulated SOG, COG, position, and rate-of-turn.
- Perfect for testing autopilot behavior and route-following logic.
- Great for demos and training sessions without leaving the dock.
Autopilot & Route Simulation
RayNmeaSimulator can emulate an autopilot following waypoints, allowing you to validate control logic, alarms, and display behavior under controlled conditions.
- Waypoint-based heading and cross-track error scenarios.
- Repeatable test runs for firmware and UI verification.
Environment & Vessel Systems
Generate realistic environmental and systems data to stress-test your integrations.
- Weather (wind, temperature, pressure, sea temp, etc.).
- Engine and transmission telemetry (RPM, temps, pressures, fuel rate).
- Tank levels, electrical systems, and other onboard sensors.
Typical Use Cases
Chartplotter & MFD Testing
Drive a chartplotter with simulated NMEA2000/NMEA0183 traffic to verify page layouts, alarm behavior, and data handling without needing a live vessel or sea trials.
Autopilot and Steering Systems
Validate autopilot tuning, cross-track error handling, and route logic using repeatable test scenarios and joystick-driven maneuvers.
Developer & Lab Tools
Use RayNmeaSimulator as a lab source for marine IoT devices, gateways, or custom analytics tools that consume NMEA data streams.
Technical Details
- Built with Qt / C++ for a responsive, native UI.
- Runs on Windows and Linux (including Raspberry Pi 5).
- Designed to work alongside RayVessel and other RF StateSide tools.
- Configurable PGN sets so you can focus on the signals that matter for your project.
The goal is to make marine system development less “mystery black box” and more like working with a proper RF test bench – with knobs, repeatable scenarios, and clear visibility into what each PGN is doing.
Supported Widgets & Data Panels
RayNmeaSimulator includes a comprehensive library of configurable widgets that map directly to NMEA2000 PGNs and NMEA0183 sentences. Each widget can be instantiated multiple times on the layout, allowing you to simulate multi-engine vessels, redundant sensors, and complex onboard systems.
NMEA2000 Widgets (PGN-Based)
Engine & Transmission
- Engine rapid-update parameters (RPM, load, temperature, etc.).
- Engine dynamic parameters with fuel rate and additional status flags.
- Transmission state (gear, oil pressure, oil temperature, status).
- Generator engine and generator transmission panels.
- Trim tab / outdrive controls.
Vessel Navigation & Attitude
- Vessel heading, magnetic variation, and true heading.
- Course over ground (COG), speed over ground (SOG), and rate of turn.
- Rapid-update latitude/longitude and full GNSS position data.
- Cross-track error and navigation data to a waypoint or route.
- Heave and full vessel movement simulator (manual, autopilot, or gamepad).
Environment & Weather
- Environmental parameters (air / sea temperature, humidity, pressure).
- Extended environmental data with multiple temperature sources.
- Dedicated temperature, humidity, and pressure panels.
- Weather dashboard widget that can use buoy / external data as a source.
Electrical, Tanks & System
- DC system status (voltage, current, state of charge, alarms).
- Charger status (modes, currents, voltages, temperature, alarms).
- Battery status (health, SOC, SOH, remaining time, warnings).
- Tank / fluid level widgets (fuel, water, waste, and other tanks).
- System date/time and time reference widgets.
NMEA0183 Widgets (Sentence-Based)
Navigation & Position
- GGA – GPS fix data (position, quality, satellites, HDOP, altitude).
- GLL – Latitude/longitude position data.
- RMC – Recommended minimum navigation data (time, date, position, COG, SOG).
- VTG – Course and speed over ground.
- HDG – Magnetic heading with deviation and variation.
Depth, Environment & Sensors
- DPT – Depth below transducer with offset options.
- Water temperature and other environmental readings.
- Transducer data (generic sensor channels) for custom integrations.
- Engine / system sentences when bridged through the simulator’s 0183 mapping.
All widgets share a consistent parameter editor with names, units, ranges, and live updates, making it easy to see exactly what your chartplotter, autopilot, or custom application will receive from each NMEA2000 or NMEA0183 source.
Gallery
GUI - Main Screen
Interested in RayNmeaSimulator?
If you’d like to test your own marine electronics, chartplotter, or software against RayNmeaSimulator, get in touch. Early feedback will help shape the public release.