Another NMEA question

[Hoosmatroos]

Give him a little time ..... we just had our major boat show last week and he has been absolutely flat out getting ready for that then manning his stand at the show for 4 days etc, sold over a hundred new motors!

So be patient, I am sure he will get to you. Let me know if youve not heard back in a week's time and i will drop past his workshop and give him a nudge!

Haha, give him a nudge then . Sent you a pm Grant.

[Moonlighter]

Haha, give him a nudge then . Sent you a pm Grant.

I will drop past his workshop today.

Update:

Your cable was delivered to his workshop yesterday, he will email you the invoice and payment details shortly.

Note for others who are ordering: these cables are new, and although they are the "old model" are actually quite a bit more expensive than the new V290 and 350 cables.

And, dont forget the price will be in $Aussie so convert to US$ it doesnt look quite so bad.

[Hoosmatroos]

Thanks, hope to hear from him soon.

Another question about the cables. I have the cables in attached document but there is a gender problem. I have some plugs to correct this myself but I'm not totally sure about the color scheme.

I think that I don't need the adapter cable and only need to connect the Reverse K8 to the interface and the extra connector to the trim connector. That's correct I think?

If so, is it the best way to leave the interface in the fuse box or route it inside the boat? It will be a winter project so time is not an issue.

[Moonlighter]

Since yours is a 2008 motor, you will be connecting the interface cable to the SDS port on the engine. And your engine has the round SDS plug.

So yes, your arrangements will be:

Interface >> Reverse K8 >> SDS plug on the engine.

Then for trim, you will make up a cable using the 2 pin plugs to suit - to connect from the trim plug in the engine bay to the 2 pin plug on the interface cable.

If you can make the reverse K8 (and the trim connection cable) long enough to run from the engine thru the rigging tube and up to the back of your dash, the interface can be kept up there where it is cool and dry. Thats what I did on my boat.

[Hoosmatroos]

Oke, it's actually a 2007 motor but the principle is the same. Will look for the trim plug in the engine bay. That is not the same as on the interface cable but then the female s e x plug? Do you mean that I have to make the connection cable myself?

[Moonlighter]

Unless you keep the interface cable under the engine cowl where the trim plug can connect then yes, will need another cable.

[Hoosmatroos]

Finally I'm working on my boat again. It will be hard to get the cable thru the rigging tube. Probably loosen the clutch and throttle cables, starter etc to straighten out the tube and fed the cable thru. I think I'll run a drop cable thru it and leave the interface under the cowl. Is that a bad idea?

Then I've a challenge to fed all the cables to the dash. Will make some pictures today. Perhaps you guys can help me to find a suitable place for the Go7

[Hoosmatroos]

I think I can remove the throttle and clutch cable, remove the power and earth from the starter and the big connector in the middle. Then the speed tube (not visible) and then can straighten the tube. Use only a NMEA drop cable to the back.
20180218_140853.jpg

After that, place the interface cable in a way that it fits the fuse box.
20180218_140939.jpg
Something like this but then clean
20180218_152053.jpg

This way I only have to feed one cable to the tube. Can I also tap the connector for the trim (parallel)? So my normal gauge will work but also on the SIMRAD?
20180218_141135.jpg
In the back of my boat the is some space to grab the cable and feed it to the front. The big one is the tube and the back is the hydrolic steering, that's where I'm going to put the Total scan transducer to.
20180218_141951.jpg

[Hoosmatroos]

Then up to the front. Should be possible. But first I have to connect the back bone to the drop cable of the engine interface. Backbone goes to the front with the total scan cable.
20180218_141905.jpg
20180218_141912.jpg
20180218_142102.jpg

In my cuddy I've fount the place where the cable come thru. A bit of a mess but I'll correct this.
20180218_142253.jpg
20180218_142247.jpg

[Hoosmatroos]

From that point it get's really tricky. The cables have to go up but thats behind a part of the console. Think I have to remove that to get good clearance. If that is done, were to put the Go7?
Here? Don't think so, can't see my normal compass then.
20180218_141656.jpg


Option 2: Is possible but view reduces a lot
20180218_141722.jpg
20180218_141713.jpg

Or the last one:
20180218_141807.jpg
image_1128.jpg


Anything forgotten? Would appreciate some feedback

[Moonlighter]

Big job ahead!

i would still recommend keeping the interface cable out of the engine area by making up a long adapter cable. You could run a single 5 core wire from the engine to somewhere behind the dash. Then split the wire under the cowl so 2 wires to the trim connector and the other 3 to the SDS connector. (Do you really need trim on the Simrad display?? One trim gauge is usually enough! Thats why I didnt bother, I just use the analogue trim gauge)

This keeps only 1 wire thru the rigging tube, and keeps the interface cable away from the heat and moisture dound in the engine area. It will last longer.

Regarding the trim connector, several people have talked about trying to piggy-back the wires off the connector so that both normal trim gauge and NmEA2000 data can be used, but I have not heard if it will work or not. Maybe you can be our test case!

The positioning of the GO7 is a difficult matter. It needs to be close enough that it is easy to reach, at the same time, it cannot obscure other gauges or instruments or your view roo much. You just have to try various locations and see where it is going to work best.

One option, that I use, is to fit a RAM mount and this can open up new possibilities for where it can be located. Like this: https://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-111U

The RAm mounts can be adapted for Simrad without too much difficulty, I made a plateout of 3mm alloy for mine to mount to the RAM bracket.

[Hoosmatroos]

Have put the things together at home to test and downgrade the cables (have 3 of them) Two of them are 2.8.0 and one 2.9.0

When I try to downgrade the screen shows no progress, Does it have to be connected to the engine? The system can find the cable now, have hooked up 12V to the plug to power up the interface.
20180218_225103.jpg


The 3 different interfaces

20180218_230331.jpg

20180218_224402.jpg


20180218_231357.jpg

20180218_225641.jpg

[Hoosmatroos]

This is what I see when I try to downgrade the interfaces
Select the upgrade file
20180218_233300.jpg
Push the upgrade button
20180218_233316.jpg

And then the blank screen
20180218_233324.jpg

I can only push the close button and then he asks me to abort the upgrade. Left it for minutes but nothing happens. Any suggestions?

[Hoosmatroos]

Oke, played a bit around, formatted the memory card, copied the files again to the card, restarted the Go7 and was able to reprogram two of the three interfaces. A reboot of the Go was necessary to reprogram after changing the interface cable. The 2.9.0 shows a blank screen as seen in my last post. Probably locked to prevent up/down grading.

So I have 2 cables with version 2.3.0 and 1 with 2.9.0

And I think I'll go for my third option. Can easily reach the Go and routing of the cables is also ok. Will try if it is possible to piggy-bag the connector for the trim. Don't know if I'll use it. The analog gauge works fine. But if you can use it.....

Making a long adapter cable is probably the best option for the interface cable. Think I'll go for that option.

[Moonlighter]

The V2.9 cable might work. Maybe. But the data stability may not be good. The first and clearest sign with an incompatible version cable is fuel flow. If you start the engine, let it warm up a minute or two, and fuel flow at idle speed is showing a really excessive figure, then the cable is incompatible. No amount of calibrating fuel flow will solve the problem.

Personally, I would use one of the othe cables you have changed to V 2.30. Those need to be manually configured, but its eady to do on the Simrad, just set engine year and hp. Or, you could change them to V2.5.0,its also a good version and it auto-configures itself to whatever engine is connected.