Who Has Added Smartcraft to their Engines?

I was really hoping someone knew the answer to this one. I just bought a mercruiser NMEA 2000 gateway and am trying to figure out the best way to wire it up. I may just try the single junction box idea and see how it goes.

Did you try this? How did it go?
 
Have not tried it yet. It will be part of a bigger rewire that I have been trying to start but keep having to travel for work. Hopefully mid-Sept I will be able to give it a go.
 
Well, I have started this project. The short story is that I have a working, verified NMEA network under my helm. And I have been able to take an engine smartcraft cable through a J box to the gateway and have the single engine data show up on my chart plotter. I have made this work for both engines independently. Interesting note: even though all engines come from the factory programmed as starboard engine, they show up on my chart plotter as port engines! But I digress…

My problem has come in trying to connect them in a dual engine configuration. I have verified the set up many times with MerCruiser customer support, and it is exactly as shown in post number five in this thread. But when I have connected it that way, I have found that the gateway is getting no power. I did disconnect the can bus power from the starboard engine, as instructed. That's necessary so that you don't have two power supplies trying to power the bus. Perhaps I should leave in connected and try to disconnect the port instead.

The only other thing I am thinking is that I am having a problem because both engines are programmed as starboard engines and so maybe there some sort of conflict there. I am having my port engine reprogrammed tomorrow, so that will illuminate that as a possibility.

Any other recommendations would be appreciated! I suppose it's also possible that I have a bad can bus link cable between the two J boxes.
 
Finished. Turns out the more simplified connection diagram was the solution. That is (to borrow from Mittens):

P motor > Juction Box A
S motor > Juction Box A
Gateway > Juction Box A

See the attached picture.

This is different then the diagram that I showed in an earlier post above, but I could never get that connection diagram to work. In fact, I could never even get the gateway to show that it was properly receiving power from the CAN bus in that complicated configuration. So I am not using a Y cable and I am not using a CAN link harness.

This simplified configuration was actually the first set up given to me by MerCruiser technical support. It was only later that I got more complicated version sent to me. Twice. With this simplified version I have no trouble with her in the end we are off, or anything else like that. Note that I do not get any data for my starboard engine if it is the only one on. That is because I unplugged the CAN power harness from that engine and the CAN bus is powered by the port engine. So the port engine has to be on to get any engine's data. It doesn't have to be running, it just has to be at one. That does not seem like a big deal and I think that would be the case even in the complicated cabling
configuration.

Bottom line: it works! Engine data on the plotter!
 

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awesome news that one junction box works.. good to know. curious did you try and single y cable and no box?

P motor and S motor on Y to, gateway?

also what part number gateway did you use? there is 2 differnt ones one says helm and is cheaper but betting it doe snot work?

looks like part numbers 8M0065208, and 8M0065209 then there is also a 8m0095543 but it says helm. I know NDUCK88 bought the last one and its cheaper so I am super curious if it will work or not.

My GPS is installed so I am ready to figure this out with winter coming and cooler bilge to work in.
 
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awesome news that one junction box works.. good to know. curious did you try and single y cable and no box?

P motor and S motor on Y to, gateway?

also what part number gateway did you use? there is 2 differnt ones one says helm and is cheaper but betting it doe snot work?

looks like part numbers 8M0065208, and 8M0065209 then there is also a 8m0095543 but it says helm. I know NDUCK88 bought the last one and its cheaper so I am super curious if it will work or not.

My GPS is installed so I am ready to figure this out with winter coming and cooler bilge to work in.

I did not try a Y cable. Manly, because I didnt have one. But two SC cables and a J box basically IS a Y cable (unless there's some cross wiring going on in a Y cable. Using a J box the way I did allowed me to get different length SC cables. In my case the port cable had to be longer, because I mounted everything on the SB side by the batteries.

For the Gateway, I used the 65208. It's multi engine and, I believe, the latest version.
 
Cool, I to would plan to make port longer and mount stuff on Starboard side. but would be neat to know if a Y cable would work, not sure whats cheaper either, a Y or 2 cablesand 4 way box.

the 8M0065208 has been superseded with the 8M0105243 now but both are multi engine gateways 1-4.

I am still being cheap on the gateway 359 is cheapest I have found
 
I just finally pulled the trigger on this.


In my findings there is multiple ways to hook this up. As I posted earlier in this thread.. Single J-Box, dual J-boxes, the possibility of a Y and no J box and now I found some answers hopefully.

Merc racing uses a Yellow Y harness to eliminate the J boxes all together... the normal Y cable from merc will not work.


So I am running smart craft cables from each motor, to this Yellow Y cable, then from that to a male to male gender bender (basicly a 2 port j box, could use a j box if you wanted 2 more smart craft ports, but this is cheaper) to the gateway. To nmea2000. Supposed to work, be clean install, and all cables no mounting so can zip tie out the way in Gunnels.

The fancy yellow Y has diodes so you don’t have to disconnect power on one of the motors, and either or will work/power the gateway if you had to run on single without backfeeding the other motor.... Other wise the motors are both feeding the power wires and back feeds the other motor/ECU. The dual J box set up with a data only jumper solves that issue but is a lot more parts /cost and crap to install.

This yellow cable is not cheap. So normally the single J box set up is cheapest and easiest. That being said I randomly found the 110 dolla Yellow Y cable on eBay for 50 bucks. Same as a J Box. So cost me the same and both should power gateway.

Will install Parts this next week. So hopefully it works ! I have a 240 mike trip planned in 2 weeks and would like it all to work.

FYI for anyone, Parts list.

879981T10 - smart craft 10 foot for star
879981T15 - smart craft 15 foot for port
892323A10 - Yellow merc racing Y
892452T10 - male to male genderbender
8M0105243 - multi engine gateway.
And a 20 foot NMEA 2000 cable to get to my backbone.
 
I just finally pulled the trigger on this.


In my findings there is multiple ways to hook this up. As I posted earlier in this thread.. Single J-Box, dual J-boxes, the possibility of a Y and no J box and now I found some answers hopefully.

Merc racing uses a Yellow Y harness to eliminate the J boxes all together... the normal Y cable from merc will not work.


So I am running smart craft cables from each motor, to this Yellow Y cable, then from that to a male to male gender bender (basicly a 2 port j box, could use a j box if you wanted 2 more smart craft ports, but this is cheaper) to the gateway. To nmea2000. Supposed to work, be clean install, and all cables no mounting so can zip tie out the way in Gunnels.

The fancy yellow Y has diodes so you don’t have to disconnect power on one of the motors, and either or will work/power the gateway if you had to run on single without backfeeding the other motor.... Other wise the motors are both feeding the power wires and back feeds the other motor/ECU. The dual J box set up with a data only jumper solves that issue but is a lot more parts /cost and crap to install.

This yellow cable is not cheap. So normally the single J box set up is cheapest and easiest. That being said I randomly found the 110 dolla Yellow Y cable on eBay for 50 bucks. Same as a J Box. So cost me the same and both should power gateway.

Will install Parts this next week. So hopefully it works ! I have a 240 mike trip planned in 2 weeks and would like it all to work.

FYI for anyone, Parts list.

879981T10 - smart craft 10 foot for star
879981T15 - smart craft 15 foot for port
892323A10 - Yellow merc racing Y
892452T10 - male to male genderbender
8M0105243 - multi engine gateway.
And a 20 foot NMEA 2000 cable to get to my backbone.


Please report back on whether this way is successful. I just purchased all the parts to go the 2 Jbox route, as I didn't know there were other options, even after talking with Mercruiser twice.
 
Well for what it’s worth this took 5 calls before the guy knew this part... and then on the 6th call I got a guy I had before and told him about that part and he was not even aware of it.... but said if the guy I spoke with (named him by name) said it works he would believe it.
 
Well for what it’s worth this took 5 calls before the guy knew this part... and then on the 6th call I got a guy I had before and told him about that part and he was not even aware of it.... but said if the guy I spoke with (named him by name) said it works he would believe it.

I just added a Fox Marine Gateway (http://fox-marine.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=81) to my 1999 370 EC. I have the system tied into my Raymarine Axiom 12 Pro. Works great and was VERY simple to install.
upload_2018-6-14_14-8-31.png
 
You need 2 of those correct? One for each engine?
 
I just finally pulled the trigger on this.


In my findings there is multiple ways to hook this up. As I posted earlier in this thread.. Single J-Box, dual J-boxes, the possibility of a Y and no J box and now I found some answers hopefully.

Merc racing uses a Yellow Y harness to eliminate the J boxes all together... the normal Y cable from merc will not work.


So I am running smart craft cables from each motor, to this Yellow Y cable, then from that to a male to male gender bender (basicly a 2 port j box, could use a j box if you wanted 2 more smart craft ports, but this is cheaper) to the gateway. To nmea2000. Supposed to work, be clean install, and all cables no mounting so can zip tie out the way in Gunnels.

The fancy yellow Y has diodes so you don’t have to disconnect power on one of the motors, and either or will work/power the gateway if you had to run on single without backfeeding the other motor.... Other wise the motors are both feeding the power wires and back feeds the other motor/ECU. The dual J box set up with a data only jumper solves that issue but is a lot more parts /cost and crap to install.

This yellow cable is not cheap. So normally the single J box set up is cheapest and easiest. That being said I randomly found the 110 dolla Yellow Y cable on eBay for 50 bucks. Same as a J Box. So cost me the same and both should power gateway.

Will install Parts this next week. So hopefully it works ! I have a 240 mike trip planned in 2 weeks and would like it all to work.

FYI for anyone, Parts list.

879981T10 - smart craft 10 foot for star
879981T15 - smart craft 15 foot for port
892323A10 - Yellow merc racing Y
892452T10 - male to male genderbender
8M0105243 - multi engine gateway.
And a 20 foot NMEA 2000 cable to get to my backbone.

Good luck! I would like to have smartcraft on my engines, tied into my Garmin head unit. (Garmin GPSMAP xsv 7610)
I have the 2002 vintage 8.1's, with analog instruments.
 

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Good luck! I would like to have smartcraft on my engines, tied into my Garmin head unit. (Garmin GPSMAP xsv 7610)
I have the 2002 vintage 8.1's, with analog instruments.

2002 8.1s with anologe gauges is my set up (2002 340 sundancer). I replaced the raymarine gps, and VHF with a lowrance HDS9 gen 3, and a lowrance Link-8 vhf, and a fusion head unit in cabin. All on a nmea 2000 net work. So the radio and gps, AIS, DSC calling and tracking are all working great, will plug this in and hopefully it works as easy as the rest.
 
2002 8.1s with anologe gauges is my set up (2002 340 sundancer). I replaced the raymarine gps, and VHF with a lowrance HDS9 gen 3, and a lowrance Link-8 vhf, and a fusion head unit in cabin. All on a nmea 2000 net work. So the radio and gps, AIS, DSC calling and tracking are all working great, will plug this in and hopefully it works as easy as the rest.

I hope that everything works well. I have my head unit, radar, and VHF from Garmin on a NMEA 2000 network, along with the Fusion radio. Seems to work seamlessly. If you get the interface to work on the old 8.1's, I'll have to copy your efforts!
 
Ok small update. Got everything in the mail, other then the 10foot engine cable. So ran the port 15’ and got the engine data working on the HDS. One caviot.. the fancy wiring harness I was told let’s either power the gateway, with out back feeding power to the other motor. It seams what it does is just allows the starboard to power the gateway and stops backfeeding... so the port side does not power the gateway. Or at least it did not when I tried. Then swapped engine cable to starboard side of Y and bam it all works.. will update more when I have both connected. If this is the end result, it’s the same as using s single junction box, but you don’t have to unplug power on one motor, or cut wires..
 
A little more update. The fancy merc racing yellow Y. Does allow power from either engine.... so long as both engines are plugged in. The ground only comes from the starboard side. So when I only had the port plugged in. It had no ground. Once both are plugged in, either can power the system alone or together.
 

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