Connections
Every way data comes into Zora is set up from one screen in the Zora Setup app. Open the Setup app (how) and tap Connections & Sources on its home screen. Each connection tutorial in this group starts here.
The tabs
| Tab | Main Unit V3 | Main Unit V2 | What it holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware | yes | no | the server and its modules, as Zora found them |
| Connections | yes | yes | every data input, with a card for each |
| GPS | yes | yes | which GPS receiver is the primary: see Source priorities |
| Switches | yes | yes | digital switching banks and switch names: see Switches |
The screen opens on its first tab. Main Unit V2 has no expansion modules, so it has no Hardware tab. The help button follows the tab you are on.
Hardware tab
The module strip, in physical order: the server first, then slot A, which holds the NVMe module, then the expansion slots B to H. An empty slot is a dashed tile with its letter.
Tap the server or an expansion module to open the Connections tab at that module's group. The NVMe tile does nothing when tapped.
A chip above the strip names how Zora found the modules, with the device type beside it:
| Chip | How the modules were found | Slot letters |
|---|---|---|
| StackLink detected (green) | the server's backplane reports each slot | real |
| Module EEPROM detected (green) | each module reports its own name and slot | real |
| Probe detected (blue) | Zora looked for the interfaces, because neither of the above answered | positions only |
Under Probe detected, the modules fill the slots from B in the order Zora found them, so a tile's position is not the slot the module is in. A Wireless Mesh module is not shown under Probe detected: its radio cannot be told apart from other Bluetooth hardware.
Specifications: Main Unit V3, Main Unit V2.
Connections tab
On Main Unit V3 there is one group per module Zora found: the server, then NVMe, then the expansion modules, each with a picture of the module beside its cards. Main Unit V2 has two groups, NMEA 2000 and Serial & Network.
Each data input is a card. The server's are Network / TCP / UDP, NMEA 2000 / CAN Bus, RS485 / Modbus, RS232 / NMEA 0183 and Digital I/O. A module with several ports numbers them, as in NMEA 2000 / CAN Bus (1).
Chips on a card say what is live on it:
| Chip | Means |
|---|---|
| the protocol name, green | the input is switched on |
| Modbus · 8 relays, green | relay boards are set up on this RS-485 line, with this many relays |
| an add-on name, purple | that add-on uses this input |
The book button on a card opens the help for that kind of connection.
Some cards are not data inputs:
- Simulation plays a recorded file and shows its name. On Main Unit V3 it sits in the NVMe group; on Main Unit V2 in Serial & Network. See Simulation.
- Zora Cloud carries messages from the iNav4U cloud, such as software update notices, into Zora. It sits in the server's group (Serial & Network on Main Unit V2). Leave it on.
- USB Speaker, in the server's group (Serial & Network on Main Unit V2), reads On or Off and opens the speaker settings. See USB speaker.
- The NVMe group shows the disk model and how much of it is used, when it has nothing else to show.
Relay boards on the network is always at the bottom, outside the groups, because a relay board on the boat's network is not wired to any of the server's ports.
If Zora found nothing, the tab reads No data inputs configured.
The connection dialog
Tap a card to open its dialog, titled with the module and the input. It has three tabs.
Input is what the connection reads. When it has an input set up, three switches come first:
- Enabled turns the input on or off.
- Data Logging records the input's raw data. Simulation has no such switch.
- Override Timestamps stamps incoming data with Zora's own clock instead of the sender's.
A connection with nothing set up reads No input configured on this connection. RS-485 and the network input are the exceptions: RS-485 relay boards are set up here even without an input, and the network input lists its network connections instead.
The rest of the tab depends on the connection:
- NMEA 2000: see NMEA 2000 / CAN Bus
- RS-485 and RS-232: see NMEA 0183 (RS-232 / RS-485)
- the network: see Network
- Digital I/O: see Digital I/O
Output is what the connection sends. On the network input it has one switch, NMEA 0183 TCP Output: turn it on and Zora streams NMEA 0183 on TCP port 10110 for chart plotters and other devices on the network. Every other input reads No output configured on this connection. Simulation has no Output tab.
Sources lists the devices Zora has heard on the connection: name, model, type, device number and unique number. On the network input it lists what every network connection has heard. With none heard, the tab reads No sources discovered on this connection.
Press Save to keep your changes. It is inactive until something changes. If the save fails, the dialog stays open and says why. If someone saved the same connection from another device while your dialog was open, nothing is saved: reload the page and make your change again.
After you save
A saved connection takes effect when Zora restarts. Until then, Back to Zora on the Setup home screen is orange. Tap it and Setup asks Restart Required: Restart & Go Back restarts Zora and takes you back to it.