Maretron's Vessel Data Recorder (VDR100) is used to record messages transmitted from every product interconnected on the vessel's NMEA 2000® network. Each message is stored using solid-state memory technology with simple data retrieval via a removable USB flash drive. The supplied 16 Gbyte USB Flash Drive will hold weeks or more of data, and with the optional purchase of a larger USB Flash Drive, a year or more of data can be stored. And you never have to worry about losing the most recent data because the VDR100 uses a circular buffer where the oldest data is overwritten only after the entire memory is filled.
Recorded vessel data can be used in many ways including performance analysis, vessel tracking, preventative maintenance, network diagnostics, warranty incident, and accident investigation, all in an effort to reduce operating cost and improve safety. As an example of how the recorded data might be used, consider an NMEA 2000® fuel flow monitor plugged into the network, which will provide a complete record of how much fuel was used and how fast it was used. With a GPS antenna/receiver plugged into the NMEA 2000® network, you will have a complete record of where the vessel has been including its speed and course over ground.
Analyzing and graphing recorded data is done using a spreadsheet program like Microsoft® Excel®. Simply remove the USB Flash Drive and plug it into a PC or Mac and run Maretron's free extraction software (N2KExtractor®). Choose any or all of the recorded data including the associated dates and times and the program will create a comma delimited file (.csv) that can be read into a spreadsheet for graphing or any other type of data analysis.
With the VDR100, you have a complete record of all the information produced by NMEA 2000® products connected to the vessel's network. And because the VDR100 is engineered and manufactured to the highest standards (IEC 60945 Maritime Navigation and Radio Communication Equipment), your data is safely protected in a compact waterproof housing.
USB flash drives
Depending on how much data you wish to record without overwriting older data, the following table can be used to determine the capacity of the USB Flash Drive you need. These figures are estimated assuming a 25% loaded system (approx 463 frames/second).
| Recording Period | Media Storage Capacity |
|---|
| 1 second | 7862 bytes |
| 1 minute | 471,750 bytes |
| 1 hour | 29 MBytes |
| 1 day | 680 MBytes |
| 1 week | 5 GBytes |
| 1 month (30 days) | 21 GBytes |
| 1 year (365.25 days) | 248 GBytes |
- Data recorded on solid state memory via removable USB flash drive
- Circular buffer preserves latest recorded data while oldest data overwritten when memory is full
- Recorded data available for performance analysis, vessel tracking, preventive maintenance, and more
- Optional waterproof USB flash drive cover
- Free data extraction software (N2KExtractor®) builds comma-delimited files for data analysis
- Performance analysis
- Vessel tracking
- Preventative maintenance
- Warranty incident
- Accident investigation
The following accessories are available for the VDR100:
 lo-res.png) | USB Waterproof Cover Part Number: PX0852 |
 lo-res.png) | Waterproof Ethernet cable 16.4' Part Number: PX0837/5M00 |
 | 16GB USB Flash drive Part Number: M003029 |
The following free software is available to extract the data from the VDR100:
N2KExtractor®
Note: Maretron monitoring sensors are updated using Maretron’s N2KAnalyzer application on a PC paired with an approved NMEA 2000® gateway.
3.0.7.1 (2022-06-20) – Current Release
- Resolve the issue of IP address
3.0.6.1 (2018-07-05)
- Correct repeated PGN list issue (4464)
- Support Heartbeat PGN (126993)
- Comply with NMEA 2000 version 2.100 certification
- Change NMEA Certification Level to 2 (As of February 2015 and Version 2.000 of the NMEA 2000 Main Document, Certification Level Field (7) shall be set to 2 meaning “Not Applicable”)
- Changed algorithm for recovering disk space (undoing part of release 3.0.4.24) back to deleting files with oldest timestamp embedded in filename. This is because the pointer into the timestamp file was getting lost and not deleting any files and so not storing new data. The new algorithm operates on 10 PGN directories at a time to limit impact of storing data. Buffers were filling up and data was being lost. (4492)
3.0.5.2 (2018-03-15)
- Correctly support firmware update via CAN port (4459)
- Corrected a problem where 1000 second timestamps were not being appended to the end of the timestamp file (4460)
3.0.4.24 (2017-09-14)
- Corrects a problem where, on a system with many power interruptions, the timestamp file can become corrupted. This can result in the inability to extract parameters with N2KExtractor. Additionally, on VDR100’s with a full USB flash drive, the data deleted to make room for new data may not be the oldest data on the USB flash drive (Bug #4368, 4369)
3.0.3.1 (2015-10-16)
- Corrected processing of Fluid Flow Rate and Trip Volume PGNs (Bug #3631)
3.0.2.9 (2013-10-28)
- Fixed Problem where watchdog timer gets enabled in GenerateCertificates() even if watchdog timer is disabled in EEPROM (Bug #2826)
- Added flashing of VDR100 USB LED to indicate VDR100 state (Bug #2827)
- Fixed problem where VDR100 stops recording when USB drive malfunctions (Bug #2828)
- Fixed problem where VDR100 sometimes reboots many times after a power up (disabled watchdog timer) (Bug #2829)
- Reduced period of 130833 transmission from 15 seconds to 10 seconds (Bug #2830)
- Fixed problem where VDR100 indicated recording but was not actually reconding data after multiple power cycles or USB removal (Bug #2831)
- Fixed problem where VDR100 crashes when “INCOMPATIBLE” USB drive detected, also removed incompatible drive detection as it didn’t work (Bug #2832)
- VDR100 now indicates INCOMPATIBLE when USB upgrade device is present rather than NO FLASH DRIVE, which was confusing (Bug #2833)
- Fixed problem where a crash occurred when N2KExtractor was retrieving data for a time period in which the first instance of System Time PGN had Data Not Available values (Bug #2834)
- General code cleanup (Bug #2835)
3.0.1.5 (2013-10-01)
- Fixed problem introduced in 3.0.0.6 where application cannot be upgraded with N2KAnalyzer
3.0.0.6 (2013-09-23)
- Fixed PGN description for PGN 130311 (Bug #2769)
- Fixes stability issues where USB flash drive could get corrupted (Bug #2702)
2.0.0.4 (2013-05-01)
- Allows data to be viewed from the VDR100 over the LAN port. The VDR100 must be connected to the LAN via the Ethernet port on the VDR100. N2KExtractor on a computer connected to the same LAN can then be used to view data from the VDR100 over the LAN, so you no longer need to remove the USB flash drive from the VDR100 to view data.
- Corrects a problem where the most recent data was not always visible from N2KExtractor when the USB flash drive was plugged into the PC.
- Corrects stability issues where the VDR100 had sometimes stopped recording, usually following power cycles.
1.0.0.6 (2012-09-11)
1.0.0 (2012-08-31)
