Nortek Nucleus Driver

A modern C++ driver for communicating with the Nortek Nucleus sonar system.

This driver provides a clean, C++17-based interface for receiving and parsing data from a Nortek Nucleus using TCP networking via Asio or Boost.Asio.

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Features

• Modern C++17 interface
• Header-only networking via Asio or Boost.Asio
• Minimal dependencies
• Easy CMake integration
• Designed for real-time data streaming

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Requirements

• C++17 or newer
• One of:
  • Standalone asio (header-only), or
  • Boost.Asio
• Familiarity with the Nortek Nucleus User Manual is strongly recommended

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Supported Data Formats

The driver supports parsing the following Nortek data formats:

• IMU Data
• Magnetometer Data
• Bottom Track Data
• Water Track Data
• Altimeter Data
• AHRS and INS Data V2
• Current Profile Data
• String Data
• Spectrum Data V3

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Building

mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
cmake --build . -j

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Installing

To install the driver system-wide:

cd build
sudo make install

This will install headers and CMake config files for easy use in other projects.

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Using the Driver in Your Project

Include the Header

#include <nortek_nucleus_driver.hpp>

CMake Integration

find_package(nortek_nucleus_driver REQUIRED)
target_link_libraries(your_target PRIVATE nortek_nucleus_driver)

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Network Setup

Before running:

• Ensure the Nucleus and host PC are on the same subnet
• Verify the correct IP address and port from the Nucleus configuration
• Ensure required TCP ports are not blocked by a firewall

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Basic Example

#include <nortek_nucleus_driver.hpp>

int main() {
    asio::io_context io;

    ConnectionParams params;
    params.remote_ip = "192.169.53.100";
    params.data_remote_port = 9000;
    params.password = "very_secret_password";

    NortekNucleusDriver driver(io, callback);

    driver.open_tcp_sockets(params);

    // If the Nucleus is configured to use a password
    driver.enter_password(params);


    driver.start_read();

    // Settings should be configured before start_nucleus()
    driver.start_nucleus();


    io.run();
}

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Configuration

Typical configuration options include:

• Device IP address
• TCP port
• Enabled data formats
• Output rates

Example:

struct MagnetometerSettings {
    int freq;
    MagnetometerMethod mode;
    NucleusDataStreamSettings data_stream_settings;
    DataSeriesId data_format;
};

MagnetometerSettings mag_settings{};
mag_settings.freq = 75;
mag_settings.mode = MagnetometerMethod::Auto;
mag_settings.data_stream_settings = NucleusDataStreamSettings::On;
data_format.data_format = DataSeriesId::MagnometerData;

auto status_code = set_magnetometer_settings(mag_settings);

if (status_code != NucleusStatusCode::Ok){
    // Handle error
}

Refer to the Nortek Nucleus manual for valid configuration values.

Error Handling

When a command fails, the Nucleus responds with:

"ERROR"

After receiving this response, you can retrieve detailed error information using the get_error() function.

Retrieving the Error Message

auto error_message = driver.get_error();

std::string error_string;
error_string.assign(error_message.payload);

std::cout << error_string << std::endl;

Explanation

• driver.get_error() retrieves the last error reported by the Nucleus.
• The error details are stored in the payload field of the returned object.
• The payload is copied into a std::string for easier handling and display.
• The error message can then be logged or printed to the console.

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Notes

• The driver does not manage threading beyond the provided asio::io_context
• All callbacks are executed in the context of the Asio event loop

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Author

Nathaniel Førrisdahl