raymarine suzuki communication

[dogdoc]

West Marine has the 5x points again and am thinking of upgrading my 9 in garmin to a 12 in raymarine. I already have a 9 in raymarine and and evo 150 ap which I like . I like a lot of screen. Recently Suzuki and Ray have worked it out to have engine data visible on the Axiom plus mfd. I currently have df 250's manual, and smg4 gauges. The engine harness from the transom looks to connect to a nmea 2000 backbone and then the gauges. Would I only have to connect the new mfd to the backbone to get the engine data?

 

[SkunkBoat]

what will you get on Axiom that you don't already get on 9" garmin and 9" Raymarine?

You can connect zuke to N2k but you need an N2k power isolator. The zuke gauges get power from "their" N2k bus. If you connect that bus to your "Boat" N2k you need the isolator which (internally) only has data wires and no power wires. Your "Boat" N2k has its own power feed.

This part goes in the "Backbone" between the boat n2k and the zuke stuff. You replace an existing terminator with it and thus extend the backbone.

You can't put this in a drop off a Tee.

 

[dogdoc]

currently all engine data comes from smg4 gauges, no info on the raymarine or garmin mfd as neither is connected to the suzuki backbone. as i see it i have 2 network backbones. number one is the suzuki engine backbone which is nmea2000 and the only info input is from the engines. the other is the raymarine backbone which is seatalk ng and has input from the mfd, the auto pilot apu and p70 controller. if i get the new 12 in ray mfd then i would connect the sea talk backbone and then connect the seatalk backbone to the zuke backbone with the added power isolator and a seatalk to nmea cable which raymarine ma kes.

 

[dogdoc]

https://www.westmarine.com/raymarine-stng-to-devicenet-female-adapter-cable-19070929.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=GGL_PLA_Electronics%20%26%20Navigation_Low%20Margin&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22685717403&gbraid=0AAAAAD_lEeqK3RPOHQCS_E5cv8rlqk_-H&gclid=CjwKCAjw5s_QBhAdEiwADD_gBu1q8BH3Y-v33tBGmwxrWqvcOS_2Zoe-6np5_uhpQcntDa3K8H1npRoC9zgQAvD_BwE

I think this is the cable

 

[SkunkBoat]

Oh uhg so Raymarine uses its own different plug design for n2k. That sucks...

Its my understanding that they use N2k standard but just have different plugs.
So everything I say applies except the plugs are different.

There is some engine data from the zuke side that will display on n2k MFDs. I don't look at it much on my garmin but I beleive I've seen Tach, Temp, fuel level(Tank sensors connect to Zuke cables and are converted to n2k words and put on the bus), Tilt/trim (I think) and Volts. oh and fuel gallons per minute I think...
I use the SMG4 gauges and IMO there is no reason to use MFD screen space to look at engine data.
I like small dedicated gauges with simple screens and menus.
Having the Garmin connected to engine data allows it to display fuel used/fuel onboard/Range IF you reset trip and tell it how much fuel was added when you refuel
The Fuel/range display is on your NAV data bar if you set it up. THERE IS NO GOOD REASON TO NOT HAVE THIS SET UP!

Is your garmin not connected to anything or do you have it in the SeaTalkNG with an adapter?
I assume they sell SeatalkNG to n2k device cables. These would just be a seatalk cable with a female n2k device plug on one end.
Probably charge you a ridiculous amount of money for it.

So still you just need to get a n2k power isolator on the end of your zuke n2k backbone and connect it with an adapter to the seatalkNG backbone.

You need to be aware that there are two kinds of cables..."Backbone" cables extend the bus. they are the "top of the T" and "Drops" connect the bus to devices and they come off the bottom of the T.
Drops and backbone cable connectors are different. Backbone wire is usually heavier gauge. You must always use a terminator on an unsued backbone connection. there are male & female terminators.

Look at my picture. Zuke is the three Ts at the top right.... zuke power(comes on with key) and two gauges. A terminator on the right end.
To the left is a power isolator. This passes data but not power. There is a backbone cable down to the N2k bus. it has its own power T to get power from my 12v fuse panel.
There are DROPS to devices.
The right end has another backbone extending it up to the hardtop.

 

[SkunkBoat]

https://www.westmarine.com/raymarine-stng-to-devicenet-female-adapter-cable-19070929.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=GGL_PLA_Electronics%20%26%20Navigation_Low%20Margin&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22685717403&gbraid=0AAAAAD_lEeqK3RPOHQCS_E5cv8rlqk_-H&gclid=CjwKCAjw5s_QBhAdEiwADD_gBu1q8BH3Y-v33tBGmwxrWqvcOS_2Zoe-6np5_uhpQcntDa3K8H1npRoC9zgQAvD_BwE

I think this is the cable

that is a Device drop cable.
You may need one of those for your garmin.

You will need to go from the zuke backbone to n2k backbone so you will need something like this. Depending on which end you extend, you may need the female version.
You might find just an adapter without cable. These appear to be for drops and not backbone....

 

[dogdoc]

Ok, just bought the new mfd. Made a cardboard template of the 12 in mfd and did a test fit. It fits but just barely and I am it sure would be a pain opening the cabin hatch/door. It is an old boat and the console is full, so has to be a trundle mount. So decided to go down to the 9 in which I know will fit fine. Not sure how or why but when I went to look for it on the WM website an Axiom plus 9in RV, lighthouse charts, with transducer RV 100 combo popped up for around 1250 and then when checking out they gave me an additional 20%, now down to 1000. 5x points gives me another 200$ in coupons. I thought 800$ plus tax was a pretty good deal. Hopefully I can use my Navionics Platinum I recently installed on my other 9in Axiom plus on this one as well. This second 9in will replace the 9in Garmin and I will now be 100% Ray. The 9in Garmin mfd/transducer will be a nice addition to the pontoon boat up north. Once I get the new Ray mfd on board, transducer hooked up and working I will start on the networking of engines.
Learned a lot on this one.
thanks Skunk

 

[SkunkBoat]

Ok, just bought the new mfd. Made a cardboard template of the 12 in mfd and did a test fit. It fits but just barely and I am it sure would be a pain opening the cabin hatch/door. It is an old boat and the console is full, so has to be a trundle mount. So decided to go down to the 9 in which I know will fit fine. Not sure how or why but when I went to look for it on the WM website an Axiom plus 9in RV, lighthouse charts, with transducer RV 100 combo popped up for around 1250 and then when checking out they gave me an additional 20%, now down to 1000. 5x points gives me another 200$ in coupons. I thought 800$ plus tax was a pretty good deal. Hopefully I can use my Navionics Platinum I recently installed on my other 9in Axiom plus on this one as well. This second 9in will replace the 9in Garmin and I will now be 100% Ray. The 9in Garmin mfd/transducer will be a nice addition to the pontoon boat up north. Once I get the new Ray mfd on board, transducer hooked up and working I will start on the networking of engines.
Learned a lot on this one.
thanks Skunk

View attachment 39384

hehehe... I see that dash and I want to move EVERYTHING.
12" touch screen where the gauges are, Gauges where the switches are...., other sonar up in the hardtop so you can see it from fishing position...

 

[dogdoc]

Focus Skunk, stick to the problem at hand. Hehehe....
Just noticed only 4 cables at the Suzuki backbone. 1 power, 1 for each gauge, and one engine data. Somehow and I would love to know where each engine data cable merges at dual engine hub and a single data cable goes to the helm backbone.

 

[dogdoc]

just noticed your engine backbone has power and 2 drops to gauges, then power iso and backbone to mfd, auto, sonar
am i not seeing something

 

[SkunkBoat]

just noticed your engine backbone has power and 2 drops to gauges, then power iso and backbone to mfd, auto, sonar
am i not seeing something

That's right. There are however other cables to the gauges from the cable harness and the fuel senders connect to the zuke cabling so the gauges can "digitize" the value and put it on the N2k.

IDK if they changed anything since 2020. IDK if your "manual transmission, AM radio" motors use the same cables

You may have a hidden GPS receiver connected to the zuke n2k because you don't have it combned with your SeaTalkNG.
The zuke gauges need position/speed data from somewhere. By default, they include a GPS in the install package. This ensures that the gauges work regardless of what equipment on the boat.

In this simplest setup, the gauge is only getting 12v power and GPS data FROM the zuke network and nothing else.
When you connect to the rest of the boat with N2k (or STNG), the gauge sends data out over the network and receives position, speed(sog).
The gauges are translating engine and fuel sender data out to the network in N2k format

I don't have GPS on zuke network because I made sure the power isolator was connected and use the existing GPS source on my N2k network.

I circled the other plugs. I don't know what you mean by "1 engine data"

 

[SkunkBoat]

Focus Skunk, stick to the problem at hand. Hehehe....

Its all the same problem...making it the best it can be...
Need Chartplotter in front, low enough to not blind you looking out at night. Lots of space for a 12".
Gauges and switches off to side because you don't really need to look at them much.
That upper MFD would kill me at night. That low chart plotter makes you look down.
hehehehe ITS ALL WRONG! hehehehehe