Switching system compatibility
Zora switches circuits on and off. Dimming, scenes and the labels set in a vendor's own tool do not come across, so each circuit is named once in Zora.
A relay board wired to the server works the same way as a switching system on NMEA 2000, which makes it the simple answer for a boat with no digital switching at all.
At a glance
| Family | Models | Zora |
|---|---|---|
| CZone | Contact 6 Plus, Output Interface (OI), Combination Output Interface (COI) | Works |
| Maretron digital switching | DCR100, DCM100, CLMD12 | Coming |
| EmpirBus NXT | EmpirBus NXT | Coming |
| Modbus RTU relay boards on RS485 | Waveshare Modbus RTU Relay (B), Waveshare Modbus RTU Relay (D), Waveshare Modbus RTU Relay 16CH, any Modbus RTU relay board with coils 0 onward | Works, untested |
| Modbus relay boards on the boat network | Waveshare Modbus POE ETH Relay (B), Waveshare Modbus POE ETH Relay 30CH, Waveshare ESP32-S3-Relay-6CH with Zora's firmware, relay boards behind a serial-to-Ethernet converter | Works, partly untested |
| Naviop | Naviop | No |
What the three answers mean
- Works with Zora. Zora drives this.
- Not supported. Zora cannot drive this. It is still visible on the bus.
- On the roadmap. Not built yet. It is on the list, with no date.
- Works, untested. Built, and not yet checked on a boat. Works, partly untested. The row names what has not been checked.
CZone
Works with Zora. On and off for every circuit the CZone network exposes to third-party devices. A circuit set to Toggle in CZone is switched with a press and release, not a plain on or off.
Needs. Third-party mode enabled on the CZone network with the CZone Configuration Tool, and a bank instance of its own for every other device sending switch banks. For control: any circuit set to Toggle in CZone switched from a Zora switch in pulse mode, since a Toggle circuit ignores a plain off; On/Off circuits need nothing.
Models: Contact 6 Plus, Output Interface (OI), Combination Output Interface (COI). Also called: czone, c-zone, bep, bep marine, contact 6, coi, mastervolt czone.
Maretron digital switching
On the roadmap. Circuit states read off NMEA 2000. Switching from Zora is not built yet, because Maretron takes its commands on a different message from the one Zora sends.
Models: DCR100, DCM100, CLMD12. Also called: maretron, dcr100, dcm100, clmd12.
EmpirBus NXT
On the roadmap. Not built. EmpirBus keeps its circuits on its own message, which Zora does not read yet.
Models: EmpirBus NXT. Also called: empirbus, empirebus, empir bus, nxt.
Modbus RTU relay boards on RS485
Works with Zora. Up to 32 relays per board, switched from Zora and read back every two seconds, so a relay switched at the board shows up too.
Not yet tested on a boat.
Needs. Both RS485 data lines connected, D- on pin 7 and D+ on pin 8, ground on pin 10, and pins 9 and 10 shorted for termination when the server ends the line.
Models: Waveshare Modbus RTU Relay (B), Waveshare Modbus RTU Relay (D), Waveshare Modbus RTU Relay 16CH, any Modbus RTU relay board with coils 0 onward. Also called: modbus, modbus rtu, rs485 relay, waveshare relay, relay board.
Modbus relay boards on the boat network
Works with Zora. Relay boards reached over the network, speaking Modbus RTU framed over TCP on port 4196. Zora reads the board once at start and then follows its own commands, so a relay switched at the board itself does not show.
Not yet tested on a boat: Zora switches circuits on and off.
Models: Waveshare Modbus POE ETH Relay (B), Waveshare Modbus POE ETH Relay 30CH, Waveshare ESP32-S3-Relay-6CH with Zora's firmware, relay boards behind a serial-to-Ethernet converter. Also called: modbus tcp, ethernet relay, wifi relay, esp32 relay, zora-relay-esp32, port 4196.
Naviop
Not supported. No Naviop integration.
Models: Naviop. Also called: naviop, garmin switching.
A switching system that is not on this page
A switching system that is not listed here is unknown, not incompatible. This page says what has been checked, and nothing has been checked about the rest.
Contact support with the make and the model of the switching system, and how it is configured on the boat.