@canboat/canboatjs

A TypeScript library for parsing, encoding, and interfacing with NMEA 2000 marine electronics networks. It used the PGN definition database from canboat with extensive device support, multiple data format compatibility, and PGN output.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Architecture
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Supported Devices
• Command Line Tools
• API Reference
• Usage Examples
• Device Integration
• Data Formats
• Contributing
• License

Features

• 🔌 Multi-Device Support: Direct interface with popular NMEA 2000 gateways and CAN bus devices
• 📡 Multiple Data Formats: Parse and generate various N2K data formats (Actisense, iKonvert, YDWG, etc.)
• 🔄 Bidirectional: Both decode incoming N2K messages and encode/transmit outgoing messages
• 🛠️ Command Line Tools: Ready-to-use CLI utilities for data conversion and analysis
• 🎯 Type Safety: Built with TypeScript and includes type definitions
• 📊 JSON Output: Standardized JSON format compatible with Signal K and other marine data systems

Architecture

For an overview of how canboatjs integrates with signalk-server to create a complete marine data processing pipeline, see the Architecture Diagram.

The diagram illustrates:

• Data Flow: From NMEA 2000 hardware through parsing and conversion to Signal K format
• Device Support: Various hardware interfaces and data formats
• Bidirectional Processing: Both incoming data parsing and outgoing data generation
• Integration Points: How canboatjs works with other components in the marine data ecosystem

Installation

For Command Line Usage

sudo npm install -g @canboat/canboatjs

For Node.js Projects

npm install @canboat/canboatjs

Requirements

• Node.js: Version 20 or higher
• Optional Dependencies:
  • serialport: For serial device communication
  • socketcan: For direct CAN bus access on Linux

Quick Start

Basic Message Parsing

const { FromPgn } = require('@canboat/canboatjs')

// Create parser instance
const parser = new FromPgn()

// Handle warnings
parser.on('warning', (pgn, warning) => {
  console.log(`[WARNING] PGN ${pgn.pgn}: ${warning}`)
})

// Parse an Actisense format message
const message = "2017-03-13T01:00:00.146Z,2,127245,204,255,8,fc,f8,ff,7f,ff,7f,ff,ff"
const json = parser.parseString(message)

if (json) {
  console.log('Parsed PGN:', JSON.stringify(json, null, 2))
}

Generate N2K Messages

const { pgnToActisenseSerialFormat } = require('@canboat/canboatjs')

// Create a rudder position message
const message = {
  pgn: 127245,
  prio: 2,
  src: 204,
  dst: 255,
  fields: {
    'Instance': 252,
    'Direction Order': 0,
    'Reserved1': '62'
  }
}

const actisenseString = pgnToActisenseSerialFormat(message)
console.log('Generated:', actisenseString)

Supported Devices

NMEA 2000 Gateways

• Actisense NGT-1 & W2K-1 - USB and WiFi NMEA 2000 gateways
• Digital Yacht iKonvert - Serial to NMEA 2000 converter
• Yacht Devices YDWG-02 & YDEN-02 - WiFi and Ethernet gateways
• Shipmodul MiniPlex-3-N2K - Multi-protocol marine data multiplexer

CAN Bus Interfaces

• SocketCAN devices - Direct Linux CAN bus interface
• Various CAN adapters - Hardware CAN interfaces compatible with SocketCAN

Supported Data Formats

• Actisense Serial Format - Standard Actisense ASCII format
• iKonvert Format - Digital Yacht proprietary format
• YDWG Raw Format - Yacht Devices raw binary format
• PCDIN Format - Chetco Digital Instruments format
• MXPGN Format - MiniPlex-3 format
• SocketCAN - Linux CAN bus native format

Command Line Tools

Canboatjs includes several powerful command-line utilities:

analyzerjs - Message Analysis

Convert various N2K formats to standardized JSON:

# From Actisense NGT-1
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs

# From iKonvert
ikonvert-serial /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs

# From YDWG-02 over network
nc ydgw-ip 1475 | analyzerjs

# From W2K-1 WiFi gateway  
nc w2k-1-ip 60002 | analyzerjs

# From SocketCAN
candumpjs can0

# Filter by specific PGN numbers
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --pgn 129025  # Position updates only
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --pgn 127245  # Rudder data only

# Filter by multiple PGNs
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --pgn 129025 --pgn 127245 --pgn 129029

# Filter by source address (device that sent the message)
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --src 15      # From device address 15
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --src 127     # From device address 127

# Filter by destination address 
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --dst 255     # Broadcast messages only
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --dst 204     # Messages to device 204

# Filter by manufacturer
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --manufacturer "Garmin"

# Combine multiple filters
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --pgn 129025 --src 15 --dst 255

# Pretty print JSON output
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --pgn 129025 --pretty

# Process log files with filtering
analyzerjs --file my_log.txt --pgn 129025 --pgn 127245 --src 15

to-pgn - Message Generation

Convert JSON to various N2K formats:

echo '{"pgn":127245,"fields":{"Instance":0}}' | to-pgn --format=actisense

candumpjs - Direct CAN Access

Read from SocketCAN without installing can-utils:

# Basic CAN bus monitoring
candumpjs can0

# Filter by specific PGN numbers
candumpjs can0 --pgn 129025                    # Position updates only
candumpjs can0 --pgn 127245                    # Rudder data only

# Filter by multiple PGNs  
candumpjs can0 --pgn 129025 --pgn 127245 --pgn 129029

# Filter by source address (device that sent the message)
candumpjs can0 --src 15                        # From device address 15
candumpjs can0 --src 127                       # From device address 127

# Filter by destination address
candumpjs can0 --dst 255                       # Broadcast messages only
candumpjs can0 --dst 204                       # Messages to device 204

# Filter by manufacturer
candumpjs can0 --manufacturer "Garmin"

# Combine multiple filters
candumpjs can0 --pgn 129025 --src 15 --dst 255

# Output in Actisense format instead of JSON
candumpjs can0 --format actisense

# Pretty print JSON with filtering
candumpjs can0 --pgn 129025 --pretty

# Common PGN filters for navigation data
candumpjs can0 --pgn 129025 --pgn 129026 --pgn 129029  # GPS position data
candumpjs can0 --pgn 127245 --pgn 127250               # Rudder and heading
candumpjs can0 --pgn 128267 --pgn 128259               # Depth and speed

ydvr-file - YDVR File Processing

Process Yacht Devices recorder files:

ydvr-file recording.ydvr | analyzerjs

Additional Tools

• actisense-file - Process Actisense log files
• actisense-n2k-tcp - TCP server for Actisense data
• cansend - Send CAN messages
• ikonvert-serial - iKonvert serial interface

Message Filtering

Both analyzerjs and candumpjs support powerful filtering options to focus on specific data:

PGN Filtering

Filter by Parameter Group Number to see only specific message types:

# Navigation data
--pgn 129025    # Position, Rapid Update
--pgn 129026    # COG & SOG, Rapid Update  
--pgn 129029    # GNSS Position Data
--pgn 127250    # Vessel Heading

# Engine data
--pgn 127488    # Engine Parameters, Rapid Update
--pgn 127489    # Engine Parameters, Dynamic

# Environmental data
--pgn 128267    # Water Depth
--pgn 128259    # Speed
--pgn 130311    # Environmental Parameters

# Multiple PGNs
--pgn 129025 --pgn 129026 --pgn 127250

Source and Destination Filtering

Filter by device addresses to monitor specific devices or message types:

# Source address filtering (device that sent the message)
--src 15        # Messages from device address 15 (often a chartplotter)
--src 127       # Messages from device address 127 (often a GPS)
--src 204       # Messages from device address 204 (often an autopilot)

# Destination address filtering
--dst 255       # Broadcast messages (most common)
--dst 204       # Directed messages to device 204
--dst 15        # Directed messages to device 15

# Multiple source/destination addresses
--src 15 --src 127 --dst 255

Manufacturer Filtering

Filter by device manufacturer:

--manufacturer "Garmin"
--manufacturer "Raymarine" 
--manufacturer "Simrad"
--manufacturer "Furuno"

Practical Examples

# Monitor only GPS position data from all devices
candumpjs can0 --pgn 129025 --pgn 129029

# Watch rudder and autopilot commands
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --pgn 127245 --pgn 127237

# Filter Garmin devices only
nc chartplotter-ip 1475 | analyzerjs --manufacturer "Garmin"

# Monitor messages from chartplotter (address 15) to autopilot (address 204)
candumpjs can0 --src 15 --dst 204

# Watch GPS data from specific device
actisense-serialjs /dev/ttyUSB0 | analyzerjs --pgn 129025 --src 127

# Monitor all broadcast navigation messages  
candumpjs can0 --pgn 129025 --pgn 129026 --pgn 127250 --dst 255

# Combine filters for specific Garmin GPS data
candumpjs can0 --pgn 129025 --manufacturer "Garmin" --pretty

# Debug communication between specific devices
analyzerjs --file network_log.txt --src 15 --dst 204 --pretty

Common PGN Reference

PGN	Description	Use Case
129025	Position, Rapid Update	GPS lat/lon monitoring
129026	COG & SOG, Rapid Update	Course and speed tracking
129029	GNSS Position Data	Detailed GPS information
127250	Vessel Heading	Compass/heading data
127245	Rudder	Steering position
127237	Heading/Track Control	Autopilot commands
128267	Water Depth	Depth sounder data
128259	Speed	Speed through water
127488	Engine Parameters, Rapid	RPM, temperature
130311	Environmental Parameters	Air/water temperature

Understanding Source and Destination

NMEA 2000 messages include source (src) and destination (dst) address fields:

• Source (src): Address of the device sending the message (0-251)
• Destination (dst): Target device address, or 255 for broadcast

Both analyzerjs and candumpjs support filtering by these address fields using --src and --dst options. Common device addresses:

• 15: Often a chartplotter/display
• 127: Often a GPS receiver
• 204: Often an autopilot
• 255: Broadcast to all devices (most common for dst)

Examples:

# Filter messages from GPS receiver
analyzerjs --src 127

# Filter only broadcast messages
candumpjs can0 --dst 255

# Monitor autopilot commands (directed messages to address 204)
analyzerjs --dst 204 --pgn 127237

API Reference

Core Classes

FromPgn - Message Parser

const parser = new FromPgn(options)
parser.parseString(message)  // Parse single message
parser.parse(buffer)         // Parse binary data

canbus - CAN Bus Interface

const canbus = new canbus(options)
canbus.sendPGN(message)      // Send N2K message

Device-Specific Streams

• Ydwg02 - Yacht Devices YDWG-02 interface
• W2k01 - Actisense W2K-1 interface
• iKonvert - Digital Yacht iKonvert interface
• Venus - Victron Venus OS interface
• serial - Actisense NGT-1 serial interface

Utility Functions

const {
  parseN2kString,           // Parse N2K string formats
  isN2KString,             // Detect N2K string format
  toActisenseSerialFormat, // Convert to Actisense format
  pgnToActisenseSerialFormat,
  pgnToiKonvertSerialFormat,
  pgnToYdgwRawFormat,
  lookupEnumerationValue,   // Get enumeration values
  lookupEnumerationName,    // Get enumeration names
  discover                  // Network device discovery
} = require('@canboat/canboatjs')

Usage Examples

Data Streaming

const { FromPgn, serial } = require('@canboat/canboatjs')

// Connect to Actisense NGT-1
const actisense = new serial({
  device: '/dev/ttyUSB0',
  baudrate: 115200
})

const parser = new FromPgn()

actisense.pipe(parser)

parser.on('pgn', (pgn) => {
  if (pgn.pgn === 129025) { // Position Rapid Update
    console.log(`Lat: ${pgn.fields.Latitude}, Lon: ${pgn.fields.Longitude}`)
  }
})

Device Discovery

const { discover } = require('@canboat/canboatjs')

// Discover NMEA 2000 devices on network
discover((device) => {
  console.log(`Found device: ${device.name} at ${device.address}:${device.port}`)
})

Working with Multiple Formats

const { FromPgn } = require('@canboat/canboatjs')
const parser = new FromPgn()

// Actisense format
const actisense = "2017-03-13T01:00:00.146Z,2,127245,204,255,8,fc,f8,ff,7f,ff,7f,ff,ff"

// YDWG-02 format
const ydwg = "16:29:27.082 R 09F8017F 50 C3 B8 13 47 D8 2B C6"

// MiniPlex-3 format
const miniplex = "$MXPGN,01F801,2801,C1308AC40C5DE343*19"

// All parse to same JSON structure
[actisense, ydwg, miniplex].forEach(message => {
  const json = parser.parseString(message)
  if (json) {
    console.log(`PGN ${json.pgn}: ${json.description}`)
  }
})

Custom Device Integration

const { SimpleCan } = require('@canboat/canboatjs')

// Create virtual N2K device
const device = new SimpleCan({
  canDevice: 'can0',
  preferredAddress: 35,
  addressClaim: {
    "Unique Number": 139725,
    "Manufacturer Code": 'My Company',
    "Device Function": 130,
    "Device Class": 'Navigation',
    "Device Instance Lower": 0,
    "Device Instance Upper": 0,
    "System Instance": 0,
    "Industry Group": 'Marine'
  },
  productInfo: {
    "NMEA 2000 Version": 1300,
    "Product Code": 667,
    "Model ID": "MyDevice-1000",
    "Software Version Code": "1.0",
    "Model Version": "1.0",
    "Model Serial Code": "123456"
  }
}, (message) => {
  // Handle incoming messages
  console.log('Received:', message)
})

device.start()

Data Formats

Input Format Support

Format	Description	Example
Actisense	Standard timestamped CSV	2017-03-13T01:00:00.146Z,2,127245,204,255,8,fc,f8,ff,7f,ff,7f,ff,ff
Actisense N2K ASCII	Actisense ASCII format	A764027.880 CCF52 1F10D FC10FF7FFF7FFFFF
YDWG Raw	Yacht Devices binary	16:29:27.082 R 09F8017F 50 C3 B8 13 47 D8 2B C6
iKonvert	Digital Yacht base64	!PDGY,127245,255,/Pj/f/9///8=
PCDIN	Chetco Digital	$PCDIN,01F119,00000000,0F,2AAF00D1067414FF*59
MXPGN	MiniPlex-3	$MXPGN,01F801,2801,C1308AC40C5DE343*19
candump1	Linux CAN utils (Angstrom)	<0x18eeff01> [8] 05 a0 be 1c 00 a0 a0 c0
candump2	Linux CAN utils (Debian)	can0 09F8027F [8] 00 FC FF FF 00 00 FF FF
candump3	Linux CAN utils (log)	(1502979132.106111) slcan0 09F50374#000A00FFFF00FFFF

Output Format Support

Generate data in any supported format from JSON:

const message = { pgn: 127245, fields: { Instance: 0 } }

// Convert to different formats
const actisense = pgnToActisenseSerialFormat(message)
const ikonvert = pgnToiKonvertSerialFormat(message)  
const ydwg = pgnToYdgwRawFormat(message)
const pcdin = pgnToPCDIN(message)
const mxpgn = pgnToMXPGN(message)

Building from Source

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/canboat/canboatjs.git
cd canboatjs

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build TypeScript
npm run build

# Run tests
npm test

# Run with coverage
npm run code-coverage

# Lint and format
npm run format

Testing

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run with file watching
npm run dev-test

# Generate coverage report
npm run code-coverage

PGN Definitions

The PGN (Parameter Group Number) definitions used by canboatjs come from the canboat project via canboat.json.

Adding New PGNs

To add or update PGN definitions:

1. Submit changes to canboat: Modify pgn.h in the upstream canboat project
2. Include sample data: Provide real-world message examples
3. Create issue here: Let us know about the changes so we can update canboatjs

This ensures consistency across the entire canboat ecosystem.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details.

Development Workflow

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
3. Make your changes with tests
4. Run the test suite: npm test
5. Run formating and linting: npm run format
6. Commit following Angular conventions
7. Submit a Pull Request

Commit Message Format

Use the format: <type>: <description>

• feat: New feature
• fix: Bug fix
• docs: Documentation changes
• style: Code formatting
• refactor: Code restructuring
• test: Adding tests
• chore: Maintenance tasks

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See LICENSE.md for details.

Related Projects

• @canboat/ts-pgns - TypeScript PGN definitions
• canboat - Original C implementation
• Signal K - Modern marine data standard
• Signal K Server - Signal K server implementation

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Signal K Community: Community

---

Made with ⚓ by the Canboat project contributors

ydvr-file

This program takes input in the YDVR file format and outputs canboat json format

Example: ydvr-file <file>

Usage

Instalation for command line programs

• sudo npm install -g @canboat/canboatjs

Installation for a nodejs project

• npm install @canboat/canboatjs

Create the parser

const FromPgn = require("@canboat/canboatjs").FromPgn;

const parser = new FromPgn();

parser.on("warning", (pgn, warning) => {
  console.log(`[warning] ${pgn.pgn} ${warning}`);
});

Parse input from the Actisense NGT-1 or iKonvert string formats

const json = parser.parseString(
  "2017-03-13T01:00:00.146Z,2,127245,204,255,8,fc,f8,ff,7f,ff,7f,ff,ff"
);
if (json) {
  console.log(JSON.stringify(json));
}

Output:

{
  "description": "Rudder",
  "dst": 255,
  "prio": 2,
  "pgn": 127245,
  "fields": {
    "Reserved1": "62",
    "Direction Order": 0,
    "Instance": 252
  },
  "src": 204,
  "timestamp": "2017-03-13T01:00:00.146Z"
}

Parse input from the YDWG-02

const json = parser.parseString(
  "16:29:27.082 R 09F8017F 50 C3 B8 13 47 D8 2B C6"
);
if (json) {
  console.log(JSON.stringify(json));
}

Output:

{
  "src": 127,
  "pgn": 129025,
  "description": "Position, Rapid Update",
  "timestamp": "2019-04-10T20:29:27.082Z",
  "dst": 255,
  "prio": 2,
  "fields": {
    "Latitude": 33.0875728,
    "Longitude": -97.0205113
  }
}

Parse input from the MiniPlex-3-N2K

const json = parser.parseString("$MXPGN,01F801,2801,C1308AC40C5DE343*19");
if (json) {
  console.log(JSON.stringify(json));
}

Output:

{
  "src": 1,
  "pgn": 129025,
  "description": "Position, Rapid Update",
  "timestamp": "2019-04-10T20:29:27.082Z",
  "dst": 255,
  "prio": 0,
  "fields": {
    "Latitude": 33.0875728,
    "Longitude": -97.0205113
  }
}

Generate Actisense format from canboat json

const pgnToActisenseSerialFormat = require("./index")
  .pgnToActisenseSerialFormat;

const string = pgnToActisenseSerialFormat({
  dst: 255,
  prio: 2,
  pgn: 127245,
  fields: {
    Reserved1: "62",
    "Direction Order": 0,
    Instance: 252,
  },
  src: 204,
});

if (string) {
  console.log(string);
}

Output:

2019-04-10T12:00:32.733Z,2,127245,0,255,8,fc,f8,ff,7f,ff,7f,ff,ff

Generate iKconvert format from canboat json

const pgnToiKonvertSerialFormat = require("./index").pgnToiKonvertSerialFormat;

const string = pgnToiKonvertSerialFormat({
  dst: 255,
  prio: 2,
  pgn: 127245,
  fields: {
    Reserved1: "62",
    "Direction Order": 0,
    Instance: 252,
  },
  src: 204,
});

if (string) {
  console.log(string);
}

Output: !PDGY,127245,255,/Pj/f/9///8=

Generate YDGW-02 format from canboat json

const pgnToYdgwRawFormat = require("./index").pgnToYdgwRawFormat;

const array = pgnToYdgwRawFormat({
  src: 127,
  prio: 3,
  dst: 255,
  pgn: 129029,
  fields: {
    SID: 0,
    Date: "2019.02.17",
    Time: "16:29:28",
    Latitude: 33.08757283333333,
    Longitude: -97.02051133333333,
    Altitude: 148.94,
    "GNSS type": "GPS+GLONASS",
    Method: "GNSS fix",
    Integrity: "No integrity checking",
    "Number of SVs": 0,
    HDOP: 0.5,
    PDOP: 1,
    "Geoidal Separation": -24,
    "Reference Stations": 0,
    list: [{ "Reference Station ID": 15 }],
  },
});

if (array) {
  console.log(JSON.stringify(array, null, 2));
}

Output:

[
  "0df8057f 40 2f 00 18 46 80 d6 62",
  "0df8057f 41 23 40 63 1b cc b8 81",
  "0df8057f 42 97 04 7f c2 7f fc 96",
  "0df8057f 43 23 89 f2 e0 a4 e0 08",
  "0df8057f 44 00 00 00 00 12 fc 00",
  "0df8057f 45 32 00 64 00 a0 f6 ff",
  "0df8057f 46 ff 00 ff 00 ff ff ff"
]

Parse a N2K string into canId parts and create Buffer

Before the conversion of the individual fields happens the string needs to be parsed for attributes like priority, pgn, destination, source (collectively the CanId) and the hex or base64 needs to be converted to a Buffer. Use parseN2kString for this purpose.

const { parseN2kString } = require("@canboat/canboatjs");

const n2kParts1 = parseN2kString(
  "$PCDIN,01F119,00000000,0F,2AAF00D1067414FF*59"
);
const matches1 =
  n2kParts1 ===
  {
    data: Buffer.from("2AAF00D1067414FF", "hex"),
    dst: 255,
    format: "PCDIN",
    prefix: "$PCDIN",
    pgn: 127257,
    prio: 0,
    src: 15,
    timer: 0,
    timestamp: new Date(0),
  };

const n2kParts2 = parseN2kString(
  "16:29:27.082 R 09F8017F 50 C3 B8 13 47 D8 2B C6"
);
const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0];
const matches2 =
  n2kParts2 ===
  {
    canId: 0x09f8017f,
    data: Buffer.from("50C3B81347D82BC6", "hex"),
    direction: "R",
    dst: 255,
    format: "YDRAW",
    pgn: 129025,
    prio: 2,
    src: 127,
    timestamp: new Date(`${today}T16:29:27.082Z`),
  };

const n2kParts3 = parseN2kString(
  "2016-04-09T16:41:09.078Z,3,127257,17,255,8,00,ff,7f,52,00,21,fe,ff"
);
const matches3 =
  n2kParts3 ===
  {
    data: Buffer.from("00ff7f520021feff", "hex"),
    dst: 255,
    len: 8,
    format: "Actisense",
    pgn: 127257,
    prio: 3,
    src: 17,
    timestamp: "2016-04-09T16:41:09.078Z",
  };