Rob, my gauges look different than yours, but I was able to retain my gauges by using the following harnesses.

one of these harnesses: https://www.mercruiserparts.com/8m0075079-harnes-strat-vv-4-1

https://www.mercruiserparts.com/8m0075066-harn-assy-vv-4-in-1


And this harness:

https://www.mercruiserparts.com/8m0075065-harness-asy-mfd-1

again, not sure if these are compatible with your gauges, so you may need to call mercury and ask.

more information can be found here: http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/cummins-gauges.102524/page-2#post-1266170
 
Why do you need the analogue gauges? I took them all out and sold them for the same price I paid for the VV403. They don't work anyway without a connection to VV. The following setup cleared up most of my upper dash. I can now keep my head up and only move my eyes to keep my attention on the route/waypoints. The upper design is mostly final, and the phone holder is solid as I always know where my phone is! The lower dash I'm planning to add another 10 to 12" MFD (2022 purchase).
20210423_202049413_iOS.jpg
 
This is what my gauges look like 2009 330DA
 

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Thanks! this clears things up a bit. Just ordered the 2 harness and we'll see if it works. I had seen this thread before with the diagram but that was early in my research. Now I understand it better.
 

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@Rob, I like the design you have and can't wait to see the final project! I would ask why keep the analogue gauges? You can't get a reading of the fuel gauges if the VV is not powered on! A suggestion would be getting the VV502 (or the largest SIMARD you can fit) in the middle, Scasntrut phone holder, and NMEA2000 VHF radio. Sellings the gauges will offset the cost for all these components.
 
I'm happy to say that adding the 2 harness retained all the gauges without the VV connected. Boater71 I like the analogue gauges and do glance at them every so often running. I also do have a magnetic fast charge phone holder. I should have the dash panels today and hopefully have it put together this weekend. I'm lucky enough to live like 3 minutes away from Technographic. I got almost all the wiring done just have to extend the Axius premier pad harness to reach the center dash panel. I'm also moving the trim switches down near DTS controls. Yesterday I got it all plugged up and it all works. Merc engine data, Fusion audio, Bennett auto trim pro all thru nmea 2000 and on the Simrad screens. I still have to update VHF radio. I would like to keep the same black box style VHF with nmea 2000.
Last hurdle is to get Kohler generator info on Simrads. I do see that a couple things were connected thru nmea 0183, 1 being the old Raymarine C80 and I have to trace the other connection. Does anyone know how the Kohler communicated to the factory Vesselview screen? Or is there a nmea 2000 converter for that as well?
 
The Kohler communicates over a can bus, and it seems to communicate using smartcraft. However, mercury stopped supporting the generator comms over smartcraft in the newer Vesselview products. Do you have the little 2” gauge and starter control with the red screen in your electrical panel? That gauge also communicates via smartcraft. It looks like you can change the communication protocol to j1937 with some configuration changes to the controller mounted to the generator but then you will lose your remote starter.

I’m trying to figure this out now, but I’ve been unable to find anyone that was successful at getting it to work. I just sent an email to yachtdevices last night to see if this device will convert that data. https://yachtdevicesus.com/products/engine-gateway-ydeg-04 I would suggest that you reach out to them as well, more squeaky wheels might get them to create a solution for this issue.

Another option is you might be able to replace your existing 2” panel mounted gauge with a 3” dash mounted gauge: kohler GM46035-KPI, which uses the smartcraft network and provides more useful information. I have not found one of these in existence yet, just saw the part number referenced in a Kohler manual.

Heres that manual, and think this link will take you to the page with the interface configuration options. https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1207917/Kohler-5ecd.html?page=42#manual. I haven’t confirmed yet if this manual matches my specific generator model.

that manual references another gauge, GM32337-KP1. You might be able to replace your current gauge with this one, replace the harness, change the configuration to j1937 and then use a converter to get the data to the nmea2000 network.

I wish we could get access to the smartcraft communication protocol.

edit: I also like the look of the gauges on my dash panel.

8B65E6E6-EB17-4FF8-BEF7-8A6A386D573A.jpeg
 
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I'm happy to say that adding the 2 harness retained all the gauges without the VV connected. Boater71 I like the analogue gauges and do glance at them every so often running. I also do have a magnetic fast charge phone holder. I should have the dash panels today and hopefully have it put together this weekend. I'm lucky enough to live like 3 minutes away from Technographic. I got almost all the wiring done just have to extend the Axius premier pad harness to reach the center dash panel. I'm also moving the trim switches down near DTS controls. Yesterday I got it all plugged up and it all works. Merc engine data, Fusion audio, Bennett auto trim pro all thru nmea 2000 and on the Simrad screens. I still have to update VHF radio. I would like to keep the same black box style VHF with nmea 2000.
Last hurdle is to get Kohler generator info on Simrads. I do see that a couple things were connected thru nmea 0183, 1 being the old Raymarine C80 and I have to trace the other connection. Does anyone know how the Kohler communicated to the factory Vesselview screen? Or is there a nmea 2000 converter for that as well?

Very lucky having Technographic 3 minutes away!!! Interested in the final pictures. Motivating me to start working on my 2022 projects!
 
The Kohler communicates over a can bus, and it seems to communicate using smartcraft. However, mercury stopped supporting the generator comms over smartcraft in the newer Vesselview products. Do you have the little 2” gauge and starter control with the red screen in your electrical panel? That gauge also communicates via smartcraft. It looks like you can change the communication protocol to j1937 with some configuration changes to the controller mounted to the generator but then you will lose your remote starter.

View attachment 118941

Aha, that makes sense since I did try to connect the Genset but I got nothing on the VV403, which based on the what you said above, would be the case. Can you please confirm?
 
Aha, that makes sense since I did try to connect the Genset but I got nothing on the VV403, which based on the what you said above, would be the case. Can you please confirm?
What I posted is based on what I've seen posted in various places on the internet and running through the limited data in manuals. They (mercury and kohler) have a pretty thick firewall around this info, so I can't confirm with certainty. But I would not expect your VV403 to read that data, without using a converter to put it onto the nmea2000 network. There are converters to change J1937 generator data to nmea2000, but the issue that we have is our data is on the smartcraft CAN bus, and our control display is communicating on smartcraft. So you will need to either pull the data off the CAN bus or go all in on J1937.

If yachtdevices doesn't respond, then I 'MAY' go into the control panel and reset the config to see what happens. My fear is that it won't work and I won't be able to get it back to the smartcraft setup. It looks like the 2" gauge in our panel is available in J1937 or smartcraft versions, and would need to be replaced if you change the config. The harness may also need to be replaced.
 
What I posted is based on what I've seen posted in various places on the internet and running through the limited data in manuals. They (mercury and kohler) have a pretty thick firewall around this info, so I can't confirm with certainty. But I would not expect your VV403 to read that data, without using a converter to put it onto the nmea2000 network. There are converters to change J1937 generator data to nmea2000, but the issue that we have is our data is on the smartcraft CAN bus, and our control display is communicating on smartcraft. So you will need to either pull the data off the CAN bus or go all in on J1937.

If yachtdevices doesn't respond, then I 'MAY' go into the control panel and reset the config to see what happens. My fear is that it won't work and I won't be able to get it back to the smartcraft setup. It looks like the 2" gauge in our panel is available in J1937 or smartcraft versions, and would need to be replaced if you change the config. The harness may also need to be replaced.

Thank you for the update. Is it worth the risk? I don't like the location of the remote start and prefer it at the helm instead. But i can see if you have warmer climates where you may want to start the AC. I only start the generator to grill food while on the water. I'm also looking at the ego powerstation as a replacement for the generator.
 
I use my AC or heat all the time. I'd love for you to take the risk for me. :) It's a fairly big gamble. That display is $400, and you risk a service call if you can't get it programmed correctly. I would make sure that You could return the gauge if you do order it.
 
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Yachtdevices responded. They think that their device will do the conversion. I’ll keep researching over the weekend and probably order it on Monday.
 
That looks like it converts analog data to nmea2000, the data on our generators is digital data on a serial CAN bus. Yachtdevices thinks their converter will work, so as soon as they confirm that a I can return it if it doesn’t, then I will order that and check.
 
That looks like it converts analog data to nmea2000, the data on our generators is digital data on a serial CAN bus. Yachtdevices thinks their converter will work, so as soon as they confirm that a I can return it if it doesn’t, then I will order that and check.

CAN bus is a very generic term and can refer to almost anything in mechanical/electrical cummunication's. You mention J1937 in your previous posts. Did you mean J1939? If it is true J1937 then neither YD or Maretron will convert it to NMEA 2000. J1937 was an older protocol and was never really used in anything like a generator. Kolher was one of the last generators to switch over to J1939, they used proprietary communications for there older models to communicate with the display board for error codes.

I think you will need to go with the analog converter route by the sounds of it. Keep in mind that will only convert the engine data and the "AC" or generator data will need something like the Maretron ACM100 to convert the voltage, amps and HZ.
 
I meant j1939. How would an analog converter pull data off of a two wire interface?
 

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