raymarine suzuki communication

dogdoc

dogdoc

GreatGrady Captain
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
Messages
436
Reaction score
82
Points
28
Age
71
Model
Marlin
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?
 
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.

Screenshot 2026-05-24 at 9.27.40 PM.pngScreenshot 2026-05-24 at 9.34.42 PM.png
 
Last edited:
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.
 
Last edited:
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.
 
Last edited:
dogdoc said:

I think this is the cable
Click to expand...
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....

Screenshot 2026-05-25 at 11.17.05 AM.png Screenshot 2026-05-25 at 11.23.30 AM.png
 
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

new helm.jpeg
 
dogdoc said:
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
Click to expand...
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...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ekea
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.
 
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
 
dogdoc said:
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
Click to expand...
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"

Screenshot 2026-05-25 at 9.18.17 PM.png
 
dogdoc said:
Focus Skunk, stick to the problem at hand. Hehehe....
Click to expand...
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
 
"1 engine data" My research showed that Suzuki dual engines can be set up with only one backbone cable running from the transom to the helm. So what I meant was "only 1 engine data cable" not the 2 I would have expected run from the engines to the helm backbone. It is done with the adapter seen in the link below. I now see that the harness from the engines can feed the smg4 gauges with data. So am I to assume that data is going in multiple directions. Gauges to backbone, backbone to gauges and hopefully at some point backbone to mfd. I still cannot find any way my smg4 gauges get gps data to display the distance and mpg data.

boatmaxonline.com

Suzuki SPC 1.0 Dual Engine Adapter

OEM Suzuki SPC 1.0 Dual Engine Adapter (990C0-88132). Required for twin outboard setups to connect both engines to one SPC 1.0 system.
boatmaxonline.com boatmaxonline.com
 
The “backbone “ doesn’t run to motors. There is a Suzuki cable harness from motor to gauge. The gauge converts engine information to n2k format and puts it OUT onto the n2k network. The gauge receives gps data IN
 
Once again you are correct. The cable does not connect at the end of the backbone but connects at one of the tee's. So I suppose it is a "drop". I know where one end of this cable terminates at the backbone which also has the power coming in and where the 2 drops for the gauges are located. I do not know where this cable originates as it disappears under the helm. I will pull some panels and see what I can see. It is some sort of a network cable doing something.
Not sure but maybe item below

partsvu.com

Suzuki - Engine Interface Cable - DF 9.9B thru DF 300 (2008-2012) - 99

An integral part of the SMIS data system, the engine interface cable connects your Suzuki outboard to the SMIS engine interface. (An adapter cable is also needed for "Fly by Wire" applications).
partsvu.com partsvu.com
 
you will probably find a gps antenna. If not, you will find it connected to an N2k paddle wheel speed sensor on your transom.
those are the only two ways for the gauges to display speed.
 
dogdoc said:
Once again you are correct. The cable does not connect at the end of the backbone but connects at one of the tee's. So I suppose it is a "drop". I know where one end of this cable terminates at the backbone which also has the power coming in and where the 2 drops for the gauges are located. I do not know where this cable originates as it disappears under the helm. I will pull some panels and see what I can see. It is some sort of a network cable doing something.
Not sure but maybe item below

partsvu.com

Suzuki - Engine Interface Cable - DF 9.9B thru DF 300 (2008-2012) - 99

An integral part of the SMIS data system, the engine interface cable connects your Suzuki outboard to the SMIS engine interface. (An adapter cable is also needed for "Fly by Wire" applications).
partsvu.com partsvu.com
Click to expand...


I will preface this by saying that I have DF200AP motors and you have DF250 mechanical shift and they are newer. IDK for sure that there are no differences in the setup.

I don't think that cable has anything to do with you.

I THINK you have the same thing as me. Look at my picture. The only difference to your setup would be that you have SeaTalkNG instead of a standard N2k newtork.
Imagine my setup used SeaTalkNG. The only thing different would be an adapter backbone cable from the zuke N2k (top in picture) to the SeatalkNG (bottom network).
That is because sestalk uses a different connector.
To connect your Garmin, you need an adapter DROP cable or adapter fitting (Seatalk to N2k)

You can't connect your garmin to the zuke side because its n2k is powered by the key. That is the point of the isolator.


When Zuke dealers spec out an install they spec a gps receiver so the gauge will display speed (and position on one of the screens). They don't need to rely on YOUR equipment and figure out how YOUR equipment is setup. They may have screwed it upside down inside your helm area.
 
Ok ignorance is bliss, but I should have known this all along. The cable that I assumed came from the transom did no such thing.That was the gps source and connects to the back of the Garmin supplying gps data to Zukes gauges. Good learning experience, cleaned up a bunch of sloppy wiring. Amazingly everything still works. Put the power isolater on the Zukes nmea2k backbone and will source the Zukes/nmea to Ray/seatk cable.
thanks
 
So they used the Garmin for GPS.. that means you have engine data on the garmin.

These are standard Garmin menu screens under "VESSEL" -"Fuel"
You see RPM, speed (I'm docked & not moving), motor Trim, Motor Temperature, Volts, Fuel level of each tank. There is no coolant so no coolant pressure.
The upper left has engine error symbols. I don't think they work unless you have Yamaha and use the J1939 port.

Next screen has some same stuff but looks different. Focus is on Fuel burn and range. I am docked so I have no speed so I have no range...

Gallons Remaining is a countdown of fuel burn from last Fill. I just filled the Main tank, the aft tank is near empty. I reset the Fuel Onbord to 130 gals.
It will track fuel burn and calculate range(at current speed)
IMG_4746.jpeg
IMG_4747.jpeg


The garmin is not connected to the Seatalk or anything else. The garmin gets keyed n2k power from the zuke n2k.

Since the Seatalk is all raymarine stuff, there really isn't anyhting you gain from moving the garmin to Seatalk side.

Connecting the Zuke n2k to Seatalk will share the garmin gps with Seatalk. This may need you to CHOOSE a GPS source for Raymarine stuff. You would just choose the Raymarine gps heading data.

Also,zuke engine/fuel data will be shared with Raymarine stuff.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.