Deckbus: Marine Backbone
Plan Drops, Power & Length
$0.99 · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Plan your NMEA 2000 backbone from your real devices: per-segment voltage drop, best power point, 11 install checks and a parts list. One purchase, no subscription.
Deckbus plans an NMEA 2000 style instrument backbone before any cable is pulled. Enter your real devices with the LEN from their labels, place each tee and drop along the routed backbone, and Deckbus works out current, voltage, rule checks and a parts list for that network.
POWER BUDGET THAT FOLLOWS THE CURRENT
- 1 LEN = 50 mA; measured current is rounded up to whole LEN
- Current in every backbone run, counting only the devices beyond it
- Voltage at every tee and every device, including each drop cable
- Light/Micro, Mid and Heavy/Mini cable profiles, or your own datasheet values
- The installer-manual lumped method (R × distance × LEN × 0.1) shown side by side
- Best power insertion point search, with one tap to move your power tee there
11 NMEA 2000 INSTALLATION CHECKS
Two terminators, backbone length for the chosen cable, tees on the backbone, power position, drops of 6 m or less, 78 m total drop, 50 devices, cable current rating on each side of the power tee, 1.5 V maximum drop, 9 V minimum at every device, and a 9–16 V supply. Each check shows the value from your network that decided it.
PARTS LIST AND EXPORTS
- Device tees, power insertion tee and terminators counted from your network
- Backbone runs between tees and drop cables, rounded up to common stock lengths
- Share a PDF plan, a parts list CSV and a device table CSV
YOUR NETWORKS, YOUR DEVICE
- Unlimited saved networks: one per boat, or compare options
- Full device editor; swipe to delete
- Back up every network to one file in Files and restore it later
- Built-in NMEA 2000 field guide: topology, terminators, LEN, cable classes, drop limits, voltage drop, power insertion, shielding and commissioning
Everything is included in one purchase. No account, subscription, ads, analytics or tracking; networks are stored only on your device.
Deckbus is a planning aid. Confirm LEN values, cable ratings, connectors, fusing, grounding and installation against your device manuals and a qualified marine electronics installer.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Deckbus 2.0 is a full rebuild around your own network:
- Edit and delete every device; LEN now sets current (1 LEN = 50 mA)
- New per-segment voltage drop with Light, Mid, Heavy or custom cable
- Best power insertion point search
- 11 NMEA 2000 checks, including cable current, 1.5 V drop and 50-device limits
- Parts list with tees, terminators and cable runs, plus PDF and CSV export
- Unlimited saved networks with backup and restore
- New NMEA 2000 field guide replaces the old plate library
- Dark mode, iPad layout and accessibility fixes
Your 1.x network is carried over automatically.
The developer, Robert Corbin, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Robert Corbin
- Size
- 3.1 MB
- Category
- Navigation
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Robert Corbin
