Which statement best describes the role of terminators in the NMEA 2000 trunk-and-drop topology?

Which statement best describes the role of terminators in the NMEA 2000 trunk-and-drop topology?

• A. They store and forward PGNs on the backbone.
• B. They provide impedance matching to prevent signal reflections.
• C. They convert CAN voltage levels to a different signaling scheme.
• D. They act as the primary power source for the backbone.

Answer: (B)

In a NMEA 2000 trunk-and-drop network, proper termination is used to prevent signal reflections on the CAN bus. Terminators are 120-ohm resistors connected across CAN_H and CAN_L at the physical ends of the backbone. This impedance matching absorbs the signal energy at the ends so reflections don’t bounce back along the line, which keeps bit transitions clean and reduces errors. They’re passive components and don’t store or forward data, don’t convert voltage levels, and don’t provide power to the bus. So their role is to maintain signal integrity by matching the line impedance at the ends of the trunk.

In a NMEA 2000 trunk-and-drop network, proper termination is used to prevent signal reflections on the CAN bus. Terminators are 120-ohm resistors connected across CAN_H and CAN_L at the physical ends of the backbone. This impedance matching absorbs the signal energy at the ends so reflections don’t bounce back along the line, which keeps bit transitions clean and reduces errors. They’re passive components and don’t store or forward data, don’t convert voltage levels, and don’t provide power to the bus. So their role is to maintain signal integrity by matching the line impedance at the ends of the trunk.