2000 47 Lightning upgrading to 525efi motors... connecting to smartcraft? Help!!
07-14-2013, 10:44 PM
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2000 47 Lightning upgrading to 525efi motors... connecting to smartcraft? Help!!
Hello guys - I have decided to upgrade to trip 525 motors and have taken out my 500efi's. Quick question... Ultimately, i would like to update my dash much like the below link... replacing all of the stock gauges for the smartcraft system. Have any of you gone through this type of upgrade? Is it doable? If so... what is involved and what am I looking at for $$? Thanks in advance for the help!
http://www.livorsi.com/catalog/network.htm
http://www.livorsi.com/catalog/network.htm
Last edited by TeamPSI; 07-14-2013 at 10:46 PM.
07-15-2013, 08:43 AM
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I have done this and you will enjoy the results. There may be other ways to get Smartcraft data to a Garmin but what I did was install a Mercmonitor, which is a really neat gauge in and of itself, and use this to output the NEMA 2000 data that the garmin can read. If you just want the Livorsi gauges then you can get a version that reads Smartcraft data directly and you will not have to fool with the NEMA 2000 conversion. One thing you will find is that there is not much documentation or knowledge out there on the Mercmonitor for retrofit applications. It seems that Mercury intends for this to primarily be a OEM installation. Having said that there are a few things that I found out that will be of interest to you.
There are four different levels of Mercmonitors. I purchased the data level one which did everything I need EXCEPT it will not port fuel flow information to the NEMA 2000 output. You will need a data level 2 or higher to get this information to a chartplotter. This is not a well publized fact.
If you are only going to a Mercmonitor or to the livorsi gauges then you can simplfy your installation buy purchasing a Smartcraft cable with the terminal resistors built in. If you want to hook up multiple Smartcraft gauges then you will need the cable without the built in terminal resistors and you will have to purchase junction blocks, resistors etc. I have a 20 foot cable with the built in resistors if you need it.
For some reason I could never get speed and course information out of the Garmin chartplotter to the Mercmonitor. Funny because it did supply location accruately. The only fix was to install a NEMA 2000 external GPS antenna. After that the Mercmonitor was fully functional.
You will enjoy the information that you get off this system. The Mercmonitor will deliver much of the same information as an engine scan tool which can be really helpful.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out.
Dan
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504352[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504353[/ATTACH]
There are four different levels of Mercmonitors. I purchased the data level one which did everything I need EXCEPT it will not port fuel flow information to the NEMA 2000 output. You will need a data level 2 or higher to get this information to a chartplotter. This is not a well publized fact.
If you are only going to a Mercmonitor or to the livorsi gauges then you can simplfy your installation buy purchasing a Smartcraft cable with the terminal resistors built in. If you want to hook up multiple Smartcraft gauges then you will need the cable without the built in terminal resistors and you will have to purchase junction blocks, resistors etc. I have a 20 foot cable with the built in resistors if you need it.
For some reason I could never get speed and course information out of the Garmin chartplotter to the Mercmonitor. Funny because it did supply location accruately. The only fix was to install a NEMA 2000 external GPS antenna. After that the Mercmonitor was fully functional.
You will enjoy the information that you get off this system. The Mercmonitor will deliver much of the same information as an engine scan tool which can be really helpful.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out.
Dan
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504352[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504353[/ATTACH]
07-15-2013, 08:51 AM
#3
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We have been using Garmin 7200's and the Mercury gateway I feel it's the best of both words. You will need the multi engine gateway.
http://www.mibo.cc/PDF/Mercury_NMEA_2000_Gateway.pdf
http://www.mibo.cc/PDF/Mercury_NMEA_2000_Gateway.pdf
07-15-2013, 09:29 PM
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I have done this and you will enjoy the results. There may be other ways to get Smartcraft data to a Garmin but what I did was install a Mercmonitor, which is a really neat gauge in and of itself, and use this to output the NEMA 2000 data that the garmin can read. If you just want the Livorsi gauges then you can get a version that reads Smartcraft data directly and you will not have to fool with the NEMA 2000 conversion. One thing you will find is that there is not much documentation or knowledge out there on the Mercmonitor for retrofit applications. It seems that Mercury intends for this to primarily be a OEM installation. Having said that there are a few things that I found out that will be of interest to you.
There are four different levels of Mercmonitors. I purchased the data level one which did everything I need EXCEPT it will not port fuel flow information to the NEMA 2000 output. You will need a data level 2 or higher to get this information to a chartplotter. This is not a well publized fact.
If you are only going to a Mercmonitor or to the livorsi gauges then you can simplfy your installation buy purchasing a Smartcraft cable with the terminal resistors built in. If you want to hook up multiple Smartcraft gauges then you will need the cable without the built in terminal resistors and you will have to purchase junction blocks, resistors etc. I have a 20 foot cable with the built in resistors if you need it.
For some reason I could never get speed and course information out of the Garmin chartplotter to the Mercmonitor. Funny because it did supply location accruately. The only fix was to install a NEMA 2000 external GPS antenna. After that the Mercmonitor was fully functional.
You will enjoy the information that you get off this system. The Mercmonitor will deliver much of the same information as an engine scan tool which can be really helpful.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out.
Dan
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504352[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504353[/ATTACH]
There are four different levels of Mercmonitors. I purchased the data level one which did everything I need EXCEPT it will not port fuel flow information to the NEMA 2000 output. You will need a data level 2 or higher to get this information to a chartplotter. This is not a well publized fact.
If you are only going to a Mercmonitor or to the livorsi gauges then you can simplfy your installation buy purchasing a Smartcraft cable with the terminal resistors built in. If you want to hook up multiple Smartcraft gauges then you will need the cable without the built in terminal resistors and you will have to purchase junction blocks, resistors etc. I have a 20 foot cable with the built in resistors if you need it.
For some reason I could never get speed and course information out of the Garmin chartplotter to the Mercmonitor. Funny because it did supply location accruately. The only fix was to install a NEMA 2000 external GPS antenna. After that the Mercmonitor was fully functional.
You will enjoy the information that you get off this system. The Mercmonitor will deliver much of the same information as an engine scan tool which can be really helpful.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out.
Dan
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504352[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]504353[/ATTACH]
That is a sweet set up and thank you for the info!!!! If you had to pick between using the Vessel View 7 and a Garmin 5212 which one would you pick? I am going to use the Level 3 Merc Monitor regardless and 3 of the Vantage View RPM units. I may be leaning towards the Garmin because I am very familiar with it... and the big screen helps. What are your thoughts?
07-16-2013, 07:19 AM
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I would go with the Garmin. You get the chart plotter and it will also display all the engine information. Those 5212's are nice units. KeithAtlanta has one on his Baja 342 and likes it. I chose the 7400 because it was the largest display I could get on my dash.
Eddies idea of the Mercury gateway is also interesting. It could be mounted "behind the scenes" as it were since it has no display. It does not appear to have fuel flow data (equivalent to a level 1 Mercmonitor?) though. Even if you just have the Mercmonitor display, that total fuel used is great. I just reset it every time I fill up.
Where are you buying your Mercmonitors? They are hard to find and my local dealer is less than knowledgable about this sort of stuff. This is really understandable since their business is primarily the bass boat crowd, but not helpful to me much.
Another thought is that I went with the Smartcraft edition of the Vantage View gauges. They work great but in the two years since I did this it appears that NEMA 2000 has really emerged as the dominate marine network system. I believe I would go with the NEMA 2000 gauges and standardize on that for everything downstream of the Mercmonitors.
Good luck.
Dan
Eddies idea of the Mercury gateway is also interesting. It could be mounted "behind the scenes" as it were since it has no display. It does not appear to have fuel flow data (equivalent to a level 1 Mercmonitor?) though. Even if you just have the Mercmonitor display, that total fuel used is great. I just reset it every time I fill up.
Where are you buying your Mercmonitors? They are hard to find and my local dealer is less than knowledgable about this sort of stuff. This is really understandable since their business is primarily the bass boat crowd, but not helpful to me much.
Another thought is that I went with the Smartcraft edition of the Vantage View gauges. They work great but in the two years since I did this it appears that NEMA 2000 has really emerged as the dominate marine network system. I believe I would go with the NEMA 2000 gauges and standardize on that for everything downstream of the Mercmonitors.
Good luck.
Dan
