2007 DF200 w/ SMIS guages, no workie....well kind of.....

[Mikeylikesit]

Hello all, just stumbled across this forum and hoping the collective mind here can point me in the right direction.

I have a 2007 DF200 on my Wellcraft. I also have 2 of the 4" SMIS guages, and a GPS puck on the network.

about a year ago, the SMIS guages quit "seeing" the engine....meaning that the engine data fields no longer show anything but flashing "dashes". However, both the guages still see the GPS puck which is at the very end of the network. I have tried swapping out the "tees" in the backbone, but no luck there.

I though maybe the ECM quit sending info, but when my mechanic hooks his laptop up it reads engine data just fine. So, now it seems that the cable from the backbone to the engine may have gone south, as the guages still see the GPS puck which is after the engine interface cable.

Now I see that the interface cable has "software" and that I may need to update the software....but I'm not sure how to do that with my existing set up.

HOWEVER, I did put in a SIMRAD Evo2 MFD which I want to connect to the backbone, and I guess that would be where I would load the SD card with the software update.

My real question is, what cable do I buy to connect the Simrad MFD to the (Lowrance?) backbone? It is the older, blue network...

any help or direction is most appreciated. Thanks!

[Moonlighter]

Ok, a couple of things to consider here.

First, the cable from the engine to the network backbone is called the engine interface cable. And it does sound like yours may have failed.

Before you give up on it though, check its connections to the engine harness and the interface, make sure that there are no broken wires or loose pins. They can be easily fixed, the pins can be removed from the back of the plug, there is a tiny tab inside the plug, you access it from the front of the plug and gently pull the pin out the back of the plug. Reconnect wires, reinsert from the back until it clicks into place.

Regarding software in that cable, yes, it does have important software on it.

But the software on the cable has to match the engine year that you have, so since yours has been working for some time it must have had the correct software. Updating to the latest software WILL NOT WORK! Because it is designed for the current year engines and wont work with your 2007 engine.

You probably have version 2.30 software on your cable as that one works best with your engine year.

When you go into the network menu on the gauges and device list, does the Suzuki appear on the list? This is a clear sign that the interface cable is or is not communicating with the network.

Now the bad news - in terms of getting a replacement interface cable, you may have to wait a while. Suzuki in their infinite wisdom recently changed the current interface cables so that they could not have their software "flashed" back to earlier versions to suit older engines like yours.

I am told they are working on a solution but it may be a few weeks before we know what they are going to come up with - if anything! So it will be a waiting game now for a while. Be patient, i will post back here when i hear that there is a solution available.

Now, the Simrad issue.

You can get an adapter cable to allow a new display such at that to connect to an old Blue network like yours. Check the online suppliers like Brownspoint Suzuki, International Marine (both US based) or ebay dealers like Precision Suzuki Marine, they should be able to source one for you.

The easiest way is to take the terminating resistor off the end T piece on your network and add the adapter cable there, get a new black T piece and connect the other end of the adapter cable to the side and use a new drop cable to go from the Simrad to the new black T. You will also need a new black terminating resistor to go on the open end of the new T piece. Might be cheaper to buy a NMEA2000 starter kit to get these parts and have some spares to boot.

What you effectively have done by doing it this way is to change the end of your network from blue to black. Makes adding any more new devices to the network easy because they are all black connectors.

Once you get the Simrad on the network, it makes doing the setup much easier than it is on the SMIS gauges. You will see how easy in the network menu. And yes, the Simrad allows you to upload software changes to any Suzuki devices on the network.

Any more questions let me know.

[Moonlighter]

Mikey, i just heard that Mike at international Marine is getting some 2.30 interface cables in later this week!!

Contact him here and he will sort you out if you need a new cable:

MReimer@InternationalMarineService.com

[Mikeylikesit]

Thank you so much Moonlighter! I sent Mike an email about the cable.

I'll start acquiring the parts you mention in order to convert one end of my network to the newer black version.

I appreciate your taking the time to educate me.