SMIS and fuel Management

[savakntr]

Hello,

I have a DF 250, 2007 year.

I bought from Browns Point the NMEA interface and the NMEA backbone.

Although the rpm, temperature etc shows well on Lowrance HDS5 Gen 1, the fuel flow appears to be 170 gallons in idle.

My first thought was that the engine interface wasn't programmed well therefore I bought a Lowrance LMF 200 in order to reprogram the engine interface.

After having the interface successfully reprogrammed the values of the fuel flow remain huge.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for your kind assistance

[Harper]

My experience has been that it will take a minimum of 4-5 calibrations of the fuel flow to get an accurate indication. The calibration instructions are in the manual for your SMIS instrument. Each time the fuel flow gets a little closer, but one calibration will not do it. My DF150 showed 39 GPH at cruise to start, and after the first three calibrations, was still showing over 20 GPH. I cheated on the fourth calibration and told it that I filled the tank with 3 gallons, instead of the seven that it took (the gauge showed it had used around 15 gallons), and finally got it close. Still figure that I have one more calibration to do to get it right.

[Moonlighter]

I have found that the software on the latest vesion of the interface cable is incompatible with pre 2102 model Suzukis. It is also possibly incompatible with SMIS gauges running older software versions.

How do i know this?

Well, A few days ago i updated the software on my interface cable from version 2.5 to version 2.7.0 and had exactly the same issue as you found - rediculous fuel flow readings. I am running a DF115 model year 2009.

Harper - recalibrating fuel flow in these circumstances will not solve the problem or ever produce accurate readings. It is just too far out and there is an underlying incompatibility that will never be rsolved that way.

So i immediately downgraded the interface software to version 2.30, which i had obtained from lowrance a couple of years ago.

Immediately, my fuel flow results corrected and were within 5% or so. I am certain that with a few calibrations i will get it 100% accurate, as it was previously.

It is easy to load the older 2.30 software for the interface via the HDS5. Email me and i will send you the software file.

Grantbennett8@bigpond.com

Simply copy the update file to a blank, formatted SD card, put the card into your HDS5.

Turn the HDS and the network on. Turn the Suzuki key to the on position, where it beeps.

Go to the HdS page that allows you to access files etc. Select files, and select the SD card, highlight the 2.30.luf file and hit enter. It will then load - takes a minute or two, you will see the progress bar on the right hand side and when it is complte it will say so, then exit.

Because this is an earlier version, the next step, once it is uploaded, is to open the network menu on the HDS. To do this, hit menu twice and then select network, then select device list, then select the Suzuki device, enter, select configure, and then, starting at the top, set the location, year, engine horsepower etc, and that is it. Done.

I am almost certain that this will fix the problem and immediately give you much more accurate fuel flow that you can then fine tune by doing the calibration process after you refuel a couple of times.

Worst case scepnario, if this doesnt solve the problem, there is no harm done, and you can just as easily reload version 2.7.0 as it is freely available on lowrances website, or again, email me and i will send it to you. Upload exactly the same process as described earlier.

Cheers

Grant

[savakntr]

Thank you all for your kind answers

I am waiting Grant's file and I will try the downgrade solution first

I will keep you posted

Happy new year to all of you

Kind regards

Savvas

[savakntr]

I would like to thank in person Grant (Moonlighter)

With his precious attendance he managed to solve my problem.

Grant thank you very much, the version 2.30 worked fine and now I am able to read accurate fuel consumption.

Thank you very much my friend and I am wishing you and all the rest members of this forum, a happy new year.

Your Greek Friend
Savvas

[artdf175]

Grant
question.. is it possible to roll-back the update? or do you just re-install, so to speak, the 2.30 verison?
Art..

[savakntr]

Grant sent me three versions 2.3, 2.5 and 2.9, therefore somebody can always change from one version to another easily

[artdf175]

actually I have the HDS Gen 2 - touch screen --new last spring- not the Gen 1 you originally referenced
I am having problems with the fuel flow readings as well. either it does not read or gives me figures that are off the chart..
I am going to have to look at the software version because it is not correlating with the versions you are referencing

from the Lowrance web site for my Gen 2- model they have an update of 2.1.45.144 dated July 2013, which I think I may have installed.
art

[savakntr]

But these numbers do not refer to the Lowrance plotter firmware but to the software installed to the Engine's interface cable.

As you will probably have noticed there is a cable connecting the engine with the NMEA backbone network with a T connector. This cable has a circuit which needs to be programmed in order to match the Engine model and year.

The software check and upgrade can be done through your Lowrance plotter which is connected on the same network

[artdf175]

that makes sense.. it must have been something the dealer did
I had the engine interface cable was intalled with the new chart plotter
Will look at the chart plotter and see what software it is showing
thanks much for your efforts to educate us ..

Art..

[savakntr]

that makes sense.. it must have been something the dealer did
I had the engine interface cable was intalled with the new chart plotter
Will look at the chart plotter and see what software it is showing
thanks much for your efforts to educate us ..

Art..

Thanks to Grant

[Moonlighter]

Hi Savvas

Very pleased that the software change on the interface cable to the older version 2.30 solved the problem for you. It is great when things finally work as they should!

Art, you can check which software version your Suzuki interface is running by opening the network menu on your HDS, then select devices, then highlight the Suzuki device and hit enter. It should come up with a new page that includes some details including the software version that the interface is running.

If you have a Suzuki engine that is 2011 year or earlier and the fuel flow results showing on your gauges (HDS, LMF or SMIS) are rediculously high, then i think you might find that your interface is running a software version later than 2.5.0. If that is the case, if you load version 2.30 it should solve the problem. Version 2.5.0 might also work fine.

The only issue with version 2.30 is that once it is loaded, you have to manually configure the interface, but that is very simple to do. You just open the network menu as mentioned above, open the Suzuki device, select "configure" and then complete all the drop down boxes on that screen so they match your engine model, year and horsepower details. Simple!

Feel free to email me on the address earlier in this thread and i will send you versions 2.30. 2.50 and 2.7 to you if you like.

Grant

[artdf175]

Thanks much and before I forget -Happy New Year-
Will let you know in the morning what I have and know how to configure
I had to do that with the previous unit
Art

[Harper]

Well, Happy New Year. I've been following all your comments on this thread, and have corresponded with Grant in the past, for basically the same problems that you have each encountered. Grant sent me the software version 2.3 some time ago (it was an UPgrade back then) but I wiped the SD card that I had loaded it on, because since I have no HDS unit, I have no way to load it into the interface. Can't do it with the SMIS multifunction gauge (Lowrance LMF400) and can't do it via my Garmin GPSMAP 546s. With a year of issues with my heart, which are hopefully also nearing resolution, I hope to get on the water a lot more often this year (I only managed to get out 4 times last year). So that contributed a lot to the length of time it has taken me to deal with the fuel flow calibration issues. Add to that, my having to return the 6 month old SMIS gauge itself for warranty replacement (Lowrance said it was a bad gauge) and the calibration has been even further involved.

As I had said earlier in the thread, I had gotten pretty close on the fuel calibration using the gauge to calibrate the interface, and still hold out hope to get it accurate, but if not, will probably contact George Jansen at Browns Point Marine, who sold me the gauge and the interface, and enlist his services in changing the interface software. I can't even remember at this point what software version I have in the interface. It's a new one, purchased a year ago to replace the original one that I had when Grant sent me the 2.3 version.

Anyhow, kudos to Grant. I think his posts on this forum concerning the Suzuki branded Lowrance products have been very helpful to a lot of people. I hope this year to get my gauge, the interface, and my recently implanted pacemaker all working as they should. Then I can go fishing a lot more and try to put aside for awhile all the other crap that's going on in this country and much of the rest of the world.

Happy New year to all, and may it be a damned sight better than last year.

[Moonlighter]

Hi Mike

Best wishes to you and all friends and colleagues here on the forum.

Yes, i think 2013 had many challenges for lots of us, and it certainly sounds like youve had a particularly tough time.

Heres looking forward to a graeat year in 2014 where we can all get many hours on our Zukes and keep those lines tight on big fish and crabs, and plenty of them!

Let me know if you need copies of the interface software. I have versions 2.30. 2.5 and 2.70.

Grant