Twin 2016 Suzuki DF50A and Garmin NMEA 2000 issues

[akpj@ymail]

I have been up and down all the threads here and on the internet trying to find out if I still have to use a Suzuki or Lowrance gauge to set up either the interface cable or the outboards so that they will show on a Garmin NMEA 2000 network.
Have the newest interface cable w/ 3.5 and everything else is working fine. But the engines and cable will not show on the NMEA set up in the Garmin??

Thanks for any help or thoughts on the matter.

[ChrigelKarrer]

I am not sure to understand your question and the cable you are speaking of.
First you need that your engine interface and the Garmin device are both connected to the same NMEA2000 bus
Newer Garmin MFD's will show some your engine data and the engine interface /other Lowrance sensors.
To set them up/load different software you need either a Simrad/Lowrance MFD or a Lowrance software.
Chris

[akpj@ymail]

Chris,
I had hoped everything with NMEA 2000 was plug and play. I have the Garmin and the Suzuki interface cable all connected to the bus with power using a Garmin start up kit. Yet the Garmin will not find the engines when you go to the NMEA communication window on the Garmin.
So I am trying to find out if the Suzuki interface cable is not NMEA 2000 plug and play for any NMEA unit and you have to have a Simrad/Lowrance MFD/ Suzuki MFD gauge in order to initially set up the interface cable for its use on the NMEA bus so that it can be used/seen by any other NMEA compliant MFD?
For the first time use of the Suzuki NMEA engine interface cable when connected to a NMEA bus do you have to have a Lowrance MFD to make it work?
I am correct then to understand that no matter what I will need a Lowrance "type" unit in order to up date or initially use the Suzuki interface cable?
Sorry for not being clear on the issue due in part to terminology, as I only have Garmins MFD and NMEA starter kit.
Thanks,
James

[ChrigelKarrer]

Hmmm,
i have a Garmin 7610 XSV and twin DF300AP engines and i can display the engine data on the garmin GAUGES page.
This should be plug and play, but it may be more tricky on your 50HP.
Please check
A) your Suzuki Engine Interface Software Version
b) your SMIS gauges software version
to verify the versions you have and post them here.
Also it would be very helpful to know what type of Garmin MFD you have and what software version you are running on it.
This informations will help to tackle your problems down to the basic problem.

You can see the Suzuki Engine Interface version under the Communications / NMEA2000 devices menue un a Garmin MFD as this shows all connected NMEA devices.

You can check the SMIS gauge or C10 Gauge software in the respective menu of the gauge.

To update/downgrade the Suzuki Engine Interface you need either a Lowrance or Simrad MFD or a Lowrance produced simulator.

There is a big tread in TheHullTruth from Moonlighter regarding configuring a Suzuki NMEA network and it is a tricky story to get it done.
I suggest you to have your dealership to setup this for you as you will need the knowledge what software versions are compatible with others and what versions you can upgrade (or not).

Chris

[akpj@ymail]

Thanks Chris. You reminded me that on Moonlighters excellent guide I had to guess on my wire colors as they are different on the 2016 DF50A that I have, and I "choice poorly" so I have tried a different combination and presto it is working.
Mine are Yellow, orange yellow, Lt green black and black dark green on the engine side.

BTW would you or anyone happen to know if the hobbs hours that now shows on the Garmin is the hours that the engine has actually been run?
Reason I ask is the dealer claims they took it out and ran it for 2 hours +- to check that they put on the correct props and did the "proper" break in prior to delivery. The electronic-electric hobbs meters show 1.7 hours on them but they will turn-run when electricity is supplied to the engine even if the engine is not running. So has the engine actually only been run for 0.4 hours?

Thanks again,
James
PS will try and post pix's of the changes when I can figure out how to make them small enough to attache here due to size limits.

[Moonlighter]

Hi James

The engine hours are drawn directly from the engine's ecu so whatever they show as on the Garmin is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!

And they report actual engine running hours, not like old analogue gauges that show the length of time the key has been turned on.

[akpj@ymail]

Thanks Moonlighter. Had a feeling that was the real hours.

[akpj@ymail]

Would anyone have any idea why the Garmin will show both Interfaces on the list of NMEA connected devices but will only show ONE as an engine at a time and will some times flip flop between them when I am trying to set them up as port and starboard engines in the set up window? No matter what settings I use in the comm. or engine set up it will only say I have one engine but some times shows the serial number for one then it will show the number for the other? Yet it will still show both in the communication window with the two separate serial numbers (v3.5.0) for the interface and up to date Garmin. Have tried the auto, 1 and 2 engines manual configuration as well. If I ever figure out how to decrease the size of pix I will add them (or help on that as well:-).
Thanks

[Moonlighter]

You need to do the initial config process (naming engines, setting things up as 2 engines etc, on a Navico/Suzuki MFD or gauge. Its the only way.

The easiest way to upload photos on pretty well any forum is to start up a free Photo Bucket account, load the photos up there, then copy the IMG link from there and paste it into your post on the forum. Piece of cake that way. You dont have to worry about photos sizes etc that way either.

Photo and image hosting, free photo galleries, photo editing

[akpj@ymail]

And Thanks once again Moonlighter. Was afraid that would be the case. Will most likely just have to buy the Suzuki MFD. Will a Lowrance Chartplotter with MFD engine gauges work as well?

[Moonlighter]

Yes. That will work fine.

Once the configuration has been done, you can take the Lowrance/Suzuki display/MFD off the network. So if you talk nicely to your local dealer they might loan you a SMIs display for a morning!

My local Suzuki dealer is aslo a Garmin dealer and has set up many boats with the Garmin GMI-10 or 20 engine displays, and always sets them up using a SMIS display he keeps in the shop. Easy because the SmIs display is powered by the network so no separate power connections are required, just one network cable, unplug one of the existing network devices (eg a Garmin), connect SMIS to that T, do the config, unplug SMIS, reconnect Garmin, done.