SMIS - DF50 (2008) engine warnings/buzzer

[mike.floutier]

Hi,

Having recently bought my MacGregor 26M with a DF50 - 2008 (remote throttle) & SMIS gauge, I've just now got around to programming the SMIS and would be glad of some assistance.

I've been able to program the display pages to my liking and they all appear to be receiving inputs correctly from the engine.

My question really relates to the reporting of engine cautions.

The standard gauge, that would have come with engine originally, had a tachometer plus 4 "check lights" underneath (occasionally supplemented by a buzzer) to report various engine cautions - eg over-revving, oil pressure, etc.

What I'm struggling to see is whether (and how) the SMIS handles these Cautions.

There is mention of an "Engine Diagnostic" page (which cannot be customized) but no mention of the function of this page beyond the fact that one can turn "Engine Warnings" on and off. It's not really clear if the Diagnostic page and the Engine Warnings are linked in some way.

Can anyone enlighten me please?

All I want to be sure of is that the warnings AND buzzers that were available with the simple Tacho gauge are still present with the SMIS.

Many thanks!

[mike.floutier]

Ok, well my question regarding whether engine cautions/warnings are reported to my Suzuki SMIS unit still stands.

However this issue is compounded by the fact the I can only get the SMIS unit to see the engine very occasionally.

When I switch on the engine (pre-start) the SMIS correctly shows the battery voltage.

Then, when I start the engine, the SMIS displays all my pages correctly BUT with no data. And when I get it to look for "bus devices" it can't find any.

I usually repeat the engine start process a few times just in case but no joy.

Just very occasionally, usually on a restart, the SMIS will come to life and report all the goodies.

Any ideas?

[Moonlighter]

Hi Mike

I will endeavour to assist.

First, when the SMIS display is set up and working correctly, yes, all the engine fault and diagnostic codes will be displayed on the gauge. So you dont need to worry about that at all, there is no special setting up required for those codes, they will simply be there.

Now, as to the no engine data problem......

Can I surmise that you have purchased and installed the SMIS display and the interface recently, after you acquired the boat? Is that correct?

If so, and given the symptoms you've described where no network devices are even listed, is very likely that you have an interface cable and SMIS display that are both running software versions that are incompatible with your 2008 engine. No data, or unstable data, are typical of such a situation.

For a 2008 engine, it is kind of a cross over year. Suzuki recommends running an interface cable wiith Version 2.9.0 software and a SMIS running V 2.6.0.

We do however often find that interface software V 2 9.0 doesnt work at all with 2008 engines and have to revert to an older version, in which case either 2.5.0 or 2.30 will be the solution.

If you have read the information paper I wrote on the sticky thread at the top of this forum on Suzuki networks there is a lot of detail about this that will help you understand how it all works and tells how software versions can be changed.

[mike.floutier]

Hi Grant,

Many thanks for this, it's good to know the cautions data will be available. At present, when the gauge is connecting and reading engine data ok (which it occasionally does), there is an "engine diagnostics" page which simply says "engine ok". Is this what you meant?

Regarding interface cables etc, NO, the boat already had the SMIS gauge when I bought it. It's only had one previous owner who specified certain upgrades from new, one of which was the Suzuki SMIS gauge. The engine is a DF50TLK8 ie a 2008 model and the SMIS was the current model at that time - it's manual is dated 2006.

My assumption is that any necessary interface cables were installed from new. What I'm trying to find out is why the gauge only occasionally sees the engine on the network.

Is it likely to be a bad connection? Or is it something else?

[Moonlighter]

Hi Grant,

Many thanks for this, it's good to know the cautions data will be available. At present, when the gauge is connecting and reading engine data ok (which it occasionally does), there is an "engine diagnostics" page which simply says "engine ok". Is this what you meant?

No. Diagnostics are different to fault codes. The fault codes "pop up" when a fault occurs, thats the only time you will ever see them. I have never looked at the diag page, no need. .

Regarding interface cables etc, NO, the boat already had the SMIS gauge when I bought it. It's only had one previous owner who specified certain upgrades from new, one of which was the Suzuki SMIS gauge. The engine is a DF50TLK8 ie a 2008 model and the SMIS was the current model at that time - it's manual is dated 2006.

My assumption is that any necessary interface cables were installed from new. What I'm trying to find out is why the gauge only occasionally sees the engine on the network.

Ok, well it is possible that there is a bad wire in the connection between the interface cable and the network since it is on and off. Check all the white plugs, wriggle the wires feom the back and if you find a loose one or broken wire the pins come out of the plugs and can be fixed. So check them. Also, its possible that the T piece that the interface is connected to coild have corrosion. So open up all the connections to T pieces and check for corrosion etc see how that goes and let me know. Also let me know what colour the T pieces are - blue, black or red.

Is it likely to be a bad connection? Or is it something else?

See comments in red above.

[mike.floutier]

Many thanks Grant, will check

[Moonlighter]

If you have the old blue T pieces they do have issues with corrosion in the joins. It is possible with an engine of that age.

The bad news is that they are almost impossible to get these days. But lets cross that bridge if we need to. There are ways to get around that issue if necessary.

[mike.floutier]

Thanks will check

[mike.floutier]

I'm planning to spend some time, on the mooring tomorrow, specifically trying to get this SMIS gauge working consistently before taking my wife out again; bearing in mind we're new to all this and I'm not 100% confident in the DF50 - I would like to be able to monitor rpm & engine cautions.

I will need to trace the wiring, as suggested, which I will endeavor to do. One question, would you expect a separate power supply (post ignition switch) to provide a feed via an NMEA 2000 T or could power be provided from the engine - eg via an interface cable? Just trying to understand what to expect as I grope around

[2014DF25ARS]

12V DC power comes into the NMEA2000 network on a separate dedicated Tee, i.e. not from any other NMEA equipment or the engine. The NMEA specs call for the power supply cable to be fused, so you will typically buy a special-purpose NMEA2000 power cable with an in-line fuse. Typically has bare leads on one end, and a round NMEA connector on the other end, to fit onto a standard Tee.

Having said that, in my case my Suzuki cable harness that came with the engine did have some unused switched 12V leads on it. There were several bullet connectors which provide 12V & ground when the engine is switched on. So IN ADDITION TO THE Engine Interface Cable, I ran a separate NMEA power cable (with inline fuse) from a pair of those bullet connectors to a Tee on my network. This is convenient because it means my NMEA gauges automatically come on when I switch the engine ignition on, and off when off.

[mike.floutier]

Thanks 2014, that's great, gives me a better idea of what I'm looking for.

It's interesting as there's a constant power supply for the SMIS gauge - the only NMEA item apart from the engine - it's just the data signal that's intermittent.

Also, the data doesn't seem to cut out during operation, it just either starts on startup or, mostly, fails to start.

[mike.floutier]

Ok well I've been able to locate all the items comprising the NNEA2000 backbone and it's good to see that it's all in great condition with no signs of corrosion - blue fittings btw.

I've also been able to check the connectors in the engine. These seem very clean and dry also and I've re-seated and wiggled them.

The only joint I've not been able to access is the engine interface > NMEA2000 drop cable connector as it would entail unbolting the binnacle from the cockpit sole and I don't really want to do this unless absolutely necessary.

I have experimented with starting the engine and have now been able to get the network running ok with enough regularity to be acceptable. Not ideal but...