Smartcraft Display Question

[Tonka Boater]

I noticed that my Smartcraft stopped displaying decimals after it hit 100 hours. In the pics below you can see it used to display hours to 1/10 but now it displays whole hours.

Is there are setting to display hours to the 1/10 after it hits 100 hours?

The first pic is when the boat was new and the second pic is at 110 hours -- hard to read.

 

[jason78]

Mine display in whole numbers only like your second pic. The boat did have over 100 hours on it when I got it so I have no idea how it looked before that. I would suspect the answer is no for one reason-space. If you look at the spacing on the screen, I think if it did display tenths after 100 hours it would be too close to the voltage reading and be even more difficult to read. As I recall, on the SC4000 or Vessel View, tenths are always displayed because there is room for it.

As far as I know, the only reading you can change from whole numbers to tenths is the trim indicator setting on the later ECM firmware versions.

 

[Tonka Boater]

This is throwing off my numbers for my own iPhone app since every trip is now in whole hours. A 20 minute trip to the gas dock will be the same as an hour long trip.

 

[jason78]

One alternative would be to add a Merc Monitor. You would have to confirm it would display the tenths but I feel like it should. A few people here have them. It is on my short list of mods. A ~$500 mod though.

Unless you want to write an Iphone app to interface with the CAN Network. If you did I would buy an IPhone! :thumbsup:

 

[Tonka Boater]

Unless you want to write an Iphone app to interface with the CAN Network.

It's a possibility... maybe for next boating season but I can't promise.

 

[tbirdvet]

My guess is that they ran out of digit space so no more tenths staring at 100

 

[Jim M]

I agree John

 

[Tonka Boater]

FYI -- It's just as I, and others suspected. I contacted Mercury yesterday and their response is below. I was hoping that there was a setting that would allow me to only show engine hours on one screen and battery on another. No biggie...

Thank you for your interest in MerCruiser Smartcraft product. Please accept our apologies for your frustration with this change in the way your gauge displays the engine hours. Simply put, the way the gauge is manufactured does not allow room for three digits plus the tenth of the hour display.

Best regards,

Cindy
Consumer Service Specialist
MerCruiser Customer Service

 

[Henry Boyd]

The good news is that the data is recorded down to the minute (my SC5000 displays HHH:MM), so it is just a question of getting an output device to get the data.

Henry

 

[Tonka Boater]

The good news is that the data is recorded down to the minute (my SC5000 displays HHH:MM), so it is just a question of getting an output device to get the data.

Henry

Exactly. I was just looking at my GPS manual to see if it would display the exact hours if I interfaced it with the Smartcraft.

It's not a huge deal but I wish there was another meter somewhere that showed the exact hours.

 

[FatPants]

Exactly. I was just looking at my GPS manual to see if it would display the exact hours if I interfaced it with the Smartcraft.

It's not a huge deal but I wish there was another meter somewhere that showed the exact hours.

hang on...what do you mean by "exact" hours? what do you want?

1) all important engine indicators are measured in whole hours....

2) do you realise that smartcraft records ignition "on" hours not engine "running" hours....maybe there is not too much difference...maybe 1% in most cases

3) your at 110 hours.....your maximum error is .82%..,i.e. you might actually be at 110.9 hours but the display only says 110...the error diminishes with every hour..as per 2 the difference between ignition and running hours is increasingly more significant

4) if you want very accurate "trip data" just get it from your GPS...I have a routine of turning my GPS on and off with the engine and then every week I upload the GPS data to google earth...not only does it show how long and how fast I ran, but exactly where I ran...its pretty cool!

5) your overanalyzing...relax enjoy your beautiful boat and don't be pedant over a few fractions of a % of hours...

 

[Henry Boyd]

Fatpants is not completely accurate with his statement # 2. The Mercruiser ECM records hours and minutes by rpm bands. A tech with a computer and the Merc software can quickly determine how many hours were spent at less than idle rpm.

 

[FatPants]

Fatpants is not completely accurate with his statement # 2. The Mercruiser ECM records hours and minutes by rpm bands. A tech with a computer and the Merc software can quickly determine how many hours were spent at less than idle rpm.

Yes agreed.....but my understanding is that the smartcraft hours display is in ignition on hours. Happy to be corrected though...I seem to recall that was a post on here a while back from a chap who left the ignition on in his new boat and came back a few days later to find that his 50ish hour boat had 150 hours on it without leaving his garage.

 

[FatPants]

So back to the OP and my reply....if you want a maintenance log for your boat hours is enough...if you want a trip log do this from your GPS (forget Steve's phone!)....this is my boating on 6 June (hopefully you see the attachment - this site wont let you upload a kmz file so delete the .doc in the file name and open it in google earth).

 

[Tonka Boater]

So back to the OP and my reply....if you want a maintenance log for your boat hours is enough...if you want a trip log do this from your GPS (forget Steve's phone!)....this is my boating on 6 June (hopefully you see the attachment - this site wont let you upload a kmz file so delete the .doc in the file name and open it in google earth).

I want more than a maintenance log. I have that and more -- I'm the developer of the iPhone app Boating Suite and I want accurate engine hour usage. For example, if I make a gas run and run the engine for 45 minutes, I want to log 45 mins -- not 1 hour. I'm aware of everything that you mentioned regarding hours.

Here's a real example, on Aug 9, 2009 I made a gas run. My starting hours were 43.5 and my ending hours were 44.1 for a total of .6 hours used. Today if my starting hours are 119 and I take 45 minute cruise and log 119 as my ending hours then it calculates 0 hours used which messes up my fuel usage calculations.

 

[FatPants]

Ah got it....I've seen that app, but i'm a blackberry man.

Your obviously an "inventor" and inventions are about problems and solutions...you have identified the problem (you cannot get fractions of hours from a smartcraft display)...so solution away. I'm not trying to be cheeky, kudos to you for a cool app...now make it better!

 

[Tonka Boater]

kudos to you for a cool app...now make it better!

It's not the app that needs fixing....it's the Smartcraft.

 

[Henry Boyd]

It's not the app that needs fixing....it's the Smartcraft.

I just did a quick look at the Merc Monitor spec sheet. It will export engine hours via NMEA 2000, but that means also getting a NMEA 2000 compliant display as well this gauge. Its also not clear if its hours and minutes, or just hours.

I also looked at the System Monitor which is an older (primarily outboard) LCD gauge, but that only seems to display whole hours. I have one in a box somewhere that came with all the stuff I bought for my SC conversion. If I can find it, I'll plug it and see what it displays, if it does hours and minutes you are welcome to it.

Henry

 

[Tonka Boater]

I just did a quick look at the Merc Monitor spec sheet. It will export engine hours via NMEA 2000, but that means also getting a NMEA 2000 compliant display as well this gauge. Its also not clear if its hours and minutes, or just hours.

I also looked at the System Monitor which is an older (primarily outboard) LCD gauge, but that only seems to display whole hours. I have one in a box somewhere that came with all the stuff I bought for my SC conversion. If I can find it, I'll plug it and see what it displays, if it does hours and minutes you are welcome to it.

Henry

That's great! Thanks Henry -- let me know what you find out.

 

[Jetmart]

Fatpants is not completely accurate with his statement # 2. The Mercruiser ECM records hours and minutes by rpm bands. A tech with a computer and the Merc software can quickly determine how many hours were spent at less than idle rpm.

I agree with Fatpants on #2. I have an 04 280 and if I leave the keys on the hours continue to count. I was told this by my surveyor and could not believe it. My maintenance shop left it on one day and I ended up plus 5 hours.