NMEA engine interface

The instructions supplied for these are completely pants
I have the covers off my 2006 DF90 and I am stumped about how it connects.
Looking on the net there seems to lots of contadictory information about what will and will not work with what.
I have analogue gauges and want to keep them, don't want to use the trim function but do want the other info on the network to show up on my plotter.
How the h**l do I get it hooked up at the outboard end and where and with what!

Easier said than done as there are two different connectors depending on engine year. Your engine probably has the round diagnostic plug, which probably has a black rubber cap on it. It'll be on the port side just above the black plastic casing which protects the ECU. However, if you have a new style nmea interface, it'll probably have a square connector on the end, in which case you will need an adaptor. If not, it should just plug in fine.

Edited cos I looked stoopid and was talking complete nonsense, or at least more than normal................

Oops, just had one of those "blond moments" :)
I had the whole outboard casing apart looking for this plug and assumed the drawing showing the comms port was the grey plug. This is the Joint connector which explains the shorting cap!
The rubber covered plug looked like a engine warning buzzer to me so I didn't try and take the cover off or look at it closely as I didn't realise thats what it was.
As soon as you said above the ECU it was just "Do'h!"
I assume I can have the trim analogue gauge working as well as the network version? Its one or the t'other?
Now my credibility destroyed I'm away to sit in the corner..............:)

Don't worry, you have my full sympathy.... the Lowrance instructions are pathetic, and the info on their webite as to what data the unit can show is totally non-existant.

Just to clarify, you can only have one trim display connected. Either the nmea loom or the traditional guage.

That was my understanding of the trim function.
I reckon I will use the analogue gauge I was supplied and installed and it it ever chucks it will replace with an LMF-200 and go onto the network.
I am awaiting a lowrance 4800 to use as a slave repeater off my LCX-27 so it will be fun programming it all, the instructions from Suzuki, Lowrance and generally for NMEA 2000 are almost non-existent!

Hi Bruce, What Lowrance unit are you trying to display the data on? i am a Lowrance dealer, so will be able to assist.

I can also do you a list of bits required and diagram of how to connect it all up if you want.

Hi Geoff,
Its all in and working, despite the Lowrance instructions!
I have an LCX-27 repeating onto a GM 4800 in full gauge mode. Both running interfaced with a Suzuki engine interface.
The user interface for Lowrance isn't nearly as intuitive as Garmin so I still need to learn how to use it all, basic parameter and programming is done, just the actual using to be learnt now and programing in my waypoints.
Once I get used to it I should be fine, I hope :)

NMEA 2000 is really easy, just looks difficult!

Will make my life easier on the long run!

Let me know if you get stuck.

Quick question on NMEA engine networks and lowrance LMF-400 gauges.
I mind reading somewhere that in the US the Suzuki motors are supplied with network gauges only (rebranded Lowrance) instead of the analogue gauges supplied here.
Does this mean that I can use two LMF-400 gauges and remove the Suzuki supplied gauges entirely, ie all the engine alarm functions etc will work on the network gauges?

Quick question on NMEA engine networks and lowrance LMF-400 gauges.
I mind reading somewhere that in the US the Suzuki motors are supplied with network gauges only (rebranded Lowrance) instead of the analogue gauges supplied here.
Does this mean that I can use two LMF-400 gauges and remove the Suzuki supplied gauges entirely, ie all the engine alarm functions etc will work on the network gauges?

Hi Bruce

Not sure about Suzi but can tell you that Evinrude will as they also use LMF-400 rebadged as an I-command gauge. But there is a caviate to this in that if the engine is under warranty then if you do this you have invalidated the warranty. The reason is that the firmware in the guages are different and the system check function is missing from the LMF-400, it can be programmed to do a basic engine diagnostic but this is not acceptable to Evinrude if you have a warranty claim. I do know that the Suzi tachometer has a similar system check, so I would check with Suzuki first.

Keith

The LMF-400 shows exactly the same data as the standard analogue gauges, so I can't see why you couldn't swap over entirely to digital and interlink a few together. I think I'd keep the main tacho with the warning lights as a backup incase of nmea2000 malfunction though.

I have the main 4" tacho and two 2" gauges fitted at the moment (volt and trim). I may mount two LMF-400's and stick the tacho in the middle, will see what takes my fancy.
I have the whole network up and running including the outboard and two seperate plotters, it seems to work very well.
the reason I am thinking of fitting the gauges is that I am using one plotter in gauge mode to display fuel, speed, depth etc etc and If I split this off onto gauges they will be easier to see and the plotter can be used as a plotter again for the cox with the other as backup and for navigating with by the crew (ie the wife) and later as the AIS display.
The real reason of course is that I like my toys :)

I am trying to get the white faces for the LMF-400 gauges but nobody seems to have heard of them in this country.
Even navico don't list them but they are available in the US.
Anybody know where I could get a couple in the UK?

I am trying to get the white faces for the LMF-400 gauges but nobody seems to have heard of them in this country.

Hi Bruce
I have not heard of white faces and cannot see how an lcd could be white except in inverse video mode but different bezels are available via Evinrude and as they are the same guage they should fit. I have attached copy of the relevant page of parts manual.

Keith

It bezels I am after, They are listed in the US but Lowrance (navico) have no idea what I am talking about. Got them to look on a US site and they are trying to chase them down but no luck so far.
Suzi and Rood gauges are the same Lowrance units so this may be an option If I can find someone that both lists and sells them in the UK.
If they are the same as Lowrance kit then there should be a night mode which is reverse video, black screen and white (or really light grey) lettering and numbers.
I found this after playing with the simulator, hadn't came across it in the manual but bearing in mind Lowrance instructions it isn't surprising! :)
I have two LMF 400's on the way and the holes are cut waiting on them. Should take 15mins to fit and connect once they are here. It would be nice to match them to the existing white faced gauges hence the query.

Let me know if you find a UK supplier of the bezels. It'd make mine a lot smarter if it was in white to match the dials as well. Hadn't thought of doing it before, even though I knew you could get different bezels from Brownspoint.

It bezels I am after, They are listed in the US but Lowrance (navico) have no idea what I am talking about. Got them to look on a US site and they are trying to chase them down but no luck so far.

I had the same problem, wanted the 2" chrome bezel and an EP-85R memory module, parts listed in the states but Navico will not supply here. Only available through Evinrude dealers at twice the price.
I have kept the Evinrude guages of volts, trim, pitot speed and tachometer with digital engine check and added a Lowrance net of engine, LMF 200, Globalmap 8200c and LGC3000 GPS. Still need the bezel and EP 85R, have to see if relatives in the states can get them.

Keith

I have the standard Suzuki tacho with engine check and a 2" voltmeter, trim is moving onto one of the new LMF400 gauges.
My network once they arrive will be LCX-27, LGC 3000, Gmap 4800, Suzuki interface and two LMF 400's.
Eventually I am going to change out the 4800 plotter for a colour version with internal aerial to back up the LGC 3000.
It all seems to work very well once you get past Lowrance instructions, or lack of them! :)

I called Suzuki UK to check the issue about using the standard analogue Tacho instead of networked gauges as the US does on Suzis as it had been mentioned on here that there was a warranty issue doing so.
The advice I got was that there was no warranty issue going fully NMEA2000 as long as the alarms on the supplied tacho were monitored via the network.
So I ordered two more gauges and am going networked completely via three LMF 400's and a LMF 200.
More toys! :)
I have them also looking into white bezels for all the gauges, apparently they are available to special order.

Hi All,

I have done some checking with Navico and they say that the bezels are not part of the Lowrance range, here or in the US.

Looking at the jpg that accompanied a previous reply, the I-Command instruments are OEM'd by Lowrance and they have coloured bezels. These bezels are available through their supply chain via Evinrude etc.

I have bought network connection from from offshore systems
I still have not got it working but will let you know when i get there.
what type of plotter are you trying to connect to?


The instructions supplied for these are completely pants
I have the covers off my 2006 DF90 and I am stumped about how it connects.
Looking on the net there seems to lots of contadictory information about what will and will not work with what.
I have analogue gauges and want to keep them, don't want to use the trim function but do want the other info on the network to show up on my plotter.
How the h**l do I get it hooked up at the outboard end and where and with what!

have a look at this post from me - http://www.rib.net/forum/showpost.php?p=269046&postcount=20 - here you can see my NMEA2000 connection from Evinrude E-TEC 150HO to Lowrance 7200C.

The page with the round instruments is a custom gauge page in Lowrance where you can choose each data displayed as digital, slide chart or round "normal" gauge.

in the page of the map all data are displayed as digital, just to do not loose too much space and still see most of the map.

That post was some time ago, network has been up and running for several months.
I am at the moment hooking in an additional four Lowranse gauges to the network, got them yesterday and just need some dry weather to connect the backlighting and other bits and bobs inside the console.

That post was some time ago, network has been up and running for several months.
I am at the moment hooking in an additional four Lowranse gauges to the network, got them yesterday and just need some dry weather to connect the backlighting and other bits and bobs inside the console.

Hi Bruce,

I'm going to do the same as you with a different plotter (Raymarine A65) I've learned a fair bit re the connection on the engine etc from this thread ,all relatively easy to follow. Presently it's analogue gauges so excluding them for the moment, was connecting the two main units easy, It's a wee bit diff getting to the back of the A65 so thats the next thing to check, but the RM lit says alll compatible. Any issues you came across?...

Apart from the instructions being poor it all works well.
You need one power supply only to the network, mine is switched and fused through the switch panel at the moment but because I am putting the engien diagnostics through the gauges I am moving the network to a fused supply only via the busbar in the console. This is switched anyway and is to avoid being able to run the engine with the engine check disabled as the gauges are fed from the network.
Engne interface plugs into the ECU and you plug the trim sender into either the engine loom for analogue or the interface for electronic gauges.
The only thing I find is that the network needs to be up already or starting the engine doesn't bring it up on the network, this problem will be resolved by the changes above.
The diagram shows mine as complete, seems to all works well.

Apart from the instructions being poor it all works well.
You need one power supply only to the network, mine is switched and fused through the switch panel at the moment but because I am putting the engien diagnostics through the gauges I am moving the network to a fused supply only via the busbar in the console. This is switched anyway and is to avoid being able to run the engine with the engine check disabled as the gauges are fed from the network.
Engne interface plugs into the ECU and you plug the trim sender into either the engine loom for analogue or the interface for electronic gauges.
The only thing I find is that the network needs to be up already or starting the engine doesn't bring it up on the network, this problem will be resolved by the changes above.
The diagram shows mine as complete, seems to all works well.

Cheers Bruce,

That makes sense to maintain the sequence; power check start.

I'll have a crack at it.

watch out out for fireballs down here if I get it wrong...:D

I ended up buying a Lowrance 5300C colour plotter today to swop out the BW 4800 I was using in gauge mode.
Since the info that was on the 4800 is now shown on the new gauges I decided to use this space for a colour plotter so that one can show zoomed in and one zoomed out charts.
Plus the single LGC3000 aerial on the network is now backed up by the internal aerial on the 5300C and I have full redundancy for the GPS system with two displays and two GPS units.
I really will need to stop adding kit or the boat is going to struggle to get on the plane! :)
Did you get sorted out with yours?

I now have all the gauges in and the plotter changed over.
Still programming but came across a few niggles.
1. Backlight is wired into my instrument lights but does nothing? The gauges light up for display but I assume the backlight wires are for the buttons? Nothing happening on any of the four gauges?
2. One gauge goes dark before any of the other three when using the network dimming. Looked at contrast and brightness and all are the same but this one is unreadable at the lowest setting. s,not a major problem as it can be manually brightened but annoying as the network dimming controls can be used for all instruments.
3. On the 5300C plotter running a Nauticpath card I can figure out how to set the land to be coloured as per the LCX-27 running a Navionics card. The instructions say the land can be set "gray" but doesn't explain how and I can't find anything going through the unit menus. Or is setting sea "white" the way it is done? Basically sea and land are both white, I like land to be coloured to make it more obvious to the missus to avoid :)
4. Tried downloading the latest 2.4.0 software for the 5300C and keep getting an error, anybody now why? keeps saying null when downloading and have tried everyway I can think.
Once these niggles are sorted out I will be happy enough, lots of toys to play with and they look and seem to work well. I just wish Lowrance would improve the manuals!

Got the latest update sorted, turns out it was my PC that didn't like the download.
Tried the navionics card I have in the new one and land is shown brown, put the Nauticpath back in and its white again. Still can't find the instruction that lets me colour the land!