Smartcraft Issue Has Me Stumped

Undercover

Undercover

Member
Jul 8, 2019
35
Keyport, NJ
Boat Info
Boatless
Engines
Boatless
Hi,

So, on my recently acquired 2006 280DA w/single 496 MAG I'm having the following issue with the Dum, err...Smartcraft system, any input would be appreciated:

To preface, this is an SC-1000 series tach system with the lcd readout at the bottom. I will randomly loose all sensor readouts, the "analog" tach needle goes to zero, digital RPM readout goes to zero, depth shows dashed lines, all other sensors are frozen at their current levels. Also, the initial screen that shows the 3 main functions (forget what are right now, bat/psi/temp??) all show a blinking '!'

It never loses power, just functionality. There is no rhyme or reason when or why this happens, seems totally random. Occasionally, the functions come back on their own, usually not, and the ONLY fix I've found is to shut the engine down and restart it. That works EVERY time. I've tried everything I can think of, including doing a CAL 2 reset from the tach but that never works. I know it has all the symptoms of a 'lost engine com' error but I don't ever see that fault on the tach. Just a loss of all the functions I mentioned.

A couple of weeks ago I installed the Mercury VesselView Mobile system at the engine connection. In addition to finding it really useful having all that data right on your phone, I thought it would have another use; to isolate the issue as being a gauge issue or something more. Unfortunately, it's something more as I lost all functionality on the app as soon as lost it at the gauge.

This past weekend I took apart every electrical connector I could find and sprayed all ends with CRC QD Contact Cleaner. No change. I'm out of ideas.

I'm guessing the next step is to get the tech with the laptop down to the boat. Only issue with that is I will probably have to be there to take the boat out with him aboard until (hopefully) the problem happens. What if it doesn't? Wasted $$$

Any ideas???

Jay
 
This has happened to me twice, and others had a similar issue.

For me, disconnecting the round "cannon" connector in the helm storage area, cleaning and applying dielectric grease to the contacts solved my issue.
 
Thanks for the reply.

I don't recall seeing anything resembling a round "cannon" connector. Can you be a little more specific as to where I could find that connector? Under my helm all I see is the blue SC wire which terminates with the standard 10-pin SC plug. That plug goes to the tach and then some wires branch off and go to each separate gauge. I have removed that plug a number of times and sprayed it with contact cleaner. Also, as I mentioned, I now have a VesselView mobile connected at engine and I lose functionality on both the gauges and the app simultaneously. That's what leads me to believe it's not a gauge issue. Also, this issue has happened every time I've used the boat, every single time. It just happens at different points during the ride, different speeds, etc. The only way to get functionality back is to shut down and restart the engine. So weird!
 
This is what mine looks like.

This isn’t the connection that links the gauges together, mine isn’t behind the gauges. It’s in the storage area forward of the helm where the fuse panel is located. I know we have different boats. You’ll have to look for yours.
 

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I don't recall seeing anything that looks like that. If there is one on my boat it's obviously in a different location. I'll have a look later and see if I can find it.

Thanks
 
Ok, so no connector like the one you have, and I don't even have that black cable at all. Possibly, that's the connector for DTS, which I don't have. In any case, the only connection I have forward of the bilge is the SC connector going to the tach, which I can eliminate as the problem.

Can it be the PCM? It's just so strange that the only way to get the gauges back is to shut down the engine and restart.
 
It sounds to me like your data is being corrupted and not recovering. This may be due to incorrect placement or removal of one or both of the Smartcraft terminating resistors. The data network must have a total resistive load of 120 ohms to prevent data reflection and the consequential corruption. Have you verified the terminating resistors are correctly installed?
 
Hmmm, interesting. So, here's what I have; there is just one single blue SC wire going from the SC connector on the engine directly to the tach. That blue wire has a yellow band on each end that says, "Terminating Resistor This Side". That's the way I got the boat and this issue has happened every time I have taken the boat out. In an effort to isolate the problem, I installed a VesselView Mobile kit. Since I didn't have any free connectors available I bought a 4-way j-box and a harness to re-connect the j-box to the engine connector. No change at all, I lose all function at the gauges and on the app simultaneously.
 
Undercover - there must be a 60 ohm resistor on each end of the data network (hence the 120 ohm requirement). There are three data wire pairs in the Smartcraft system and the resistors are really three in one plug-in module.
Everything you are seeing looks as if one or both of the resistors are missing.
 
Yikes
Please forgive my ignorance, this is my 1st boat with SC. So, I described that blue wire that runs from the engine connector all the way up to the helm and into the tach. It has a yellow band on each end, right at the plug, that says "Terminating Resistor This End". I was under the assumption (not knowing much about how this works) that the resistors would be built into the plugs, given what it says on those yellow bands. There are no other plugs or anything that could be a resistor between the engine connector and the tach.

I have no information that anything was done to modify, or remove anything. All I can say is this how I found it and that this problem is happening every time I use the boat. It even happened on the sea trial.
 
Undercover said:
Yikes
Please forgive my ignorance, this is my 1st boat with SC. So, I described that blue wire that runs from the engine connector all the way up to the helm and into the tach. It has a yellow band on each end, right at the plug, that says "Terminating Resistor This End". I was under the assumption (not knowing much about how this works) that the resistors would be built into the plugs, given what it says on those yellow bands. There are no other plugs or anything that could be a resistor between the engine connector and the tach.

I have no information that anything was done to modify, or remove anything. All I can say is this how I found it and that this problem is happening every time I use the boat. It even happened on the sea trial.
Click to expand...
Take a look at this - may help a lot - looks as if your harness has the terminators integrated and if so you need to verify the harness shows 120 ohms when disconnected:
http://www.witblitz.net/Vivace/AIS/NAVMAN/SmartCraft_Wiring_Manual.pdf
 
Thanks for the link, I now know way more about SmartCraft wiring than I EVER wanted to! o_O

I bet you already know the next question :)

Yep - how do you test the harness? If you know, of course! I have a multi-tester.
 
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