System View (SC 5000) to Vessel View Upgrade Writeup

matthewmiller01

New Member
May 14, 2008
1,007
Knoxville, TN
Boat Info
2008 290 Sundancer
Engines
Twin 5.0 MPIs (DTS) w/ Bravo III Drives
Kohler 5 ECD
Well, here is my attempt to help others with a writeup. Here is my story, feel free to use it as you see fit. Many thanks to the people at Mercury Marine (I called them three times and each time I called, I spoke with either a single person who had the answers I sought or a couple of people who - together - had my answers. I must say that their customer service team is probably the best of any large company that I have dealt with. They told me that they will do all the can over the phone as long as there isn't a high call volume. Next, many, many, many thanks to Jason78. He is a tremendous resource who is more than willing to help out a fellow boater. He offered to help me over the phone and sent me a great deal of information electronically. He also offered, when he didn't have the answer on hand, to make a trip to the boat where he did his install to find out the answer for me. It is with his permission that I use some of the information that he posted (or gave me directly) in this writeup.

This writeup is based on two different installs - one by Jason78 and one by me. They both were upgrades to Vessel View from System View (SC5000) systems. His install was on a non-DTS system and my install was on a DTS application.

His install was described here:
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.ph...View-Installation-Swap-out-System-View-SC5000

This information is for your use at your own risk. I am ignorant when it comes to most boat electronics - especially in software languages and communications. Use at your own risk. I can't be responsible for any damage done by you.

First, I bought the system off of flea-bay. It was a new system that was installed and removed because the customer changed their mind. All of the harnesses/cables were in sealed bags.

Included in my kit (79-8M0058806 Vessel View Kit - Standard) were the following:

VV1_zpsde8a99f3.jpg


000-10151-001 Mercury Vessel View 1.5 Unit (Monitor, Trim Piece, and Cover)
84-898273T01 Vessel View Harness Assembly
84 889279T02 Harness - VV Dual Wake - Input (CAN V Extension Y Harness and Wake Connections)
84 899751T01 Harness Asy-NEMA (Vessel View NMEA 0183 Adapter Harness)
84 889278T01 Adptr Harness (Mercury Gen 1/MY07 Vessel View Harness)
56-820386A76 Temp Sensor
56-826540A29 Bag Assembly (mounting hardware)

Manuals came with all harnesses, and the owner's manual was included as well.

First note. As of approximately May of 2013, according to Mercury Techs, Vessel View software version 4.0.0.50 is the most current revision. Also, the techs informed me that my upgrade from the System View to the Vessel View would be plug and play (for all of the engine information - peripherals may not be). I was worried about my boat becoming an anchor. I had heard that DTS systems must be calibrated and/or configured. I verified that, since my DTS system was setup on the System View system, I did not have to do that again for the upgrade.

So, I prepared for the install. I would remove the dash mahogany panel and disconnect the System View unit and cross everything over to the Vessel View harnesses. Next note, ensure the Vessel View harnesses are used - do not connect the Vessel View to the System View harnesses, even if the plugs are similar/the same. (This applies to the main harnesses only. Extraneous connections such as the temperature sensor are compatible with both systems.)

VV3_zps75b4acba.jpg


VV8_zps3f3cd424.jpg


I removed the panel and located the harnesses to be removed. I also located the port and starboard engine junction boxes. Mine are mounted one on top of the other just behind the dash panel.

VV7_zps6fb1d099.jpg


I set the Vessel View monitor on top of the dash for use once connections were made and it was time to test. I plugged the main harness into the back of the Vessel View unit (two plugs). Next, I connected the main plug into one engine junction box. I then tried to connect the plug over to the other engine junction box. I found my first issue: this "crossover" engine plug in the harmess was an eight pin plug. Both engine junction boxes were 10 pin connections. This is where the wake harness is used. It is one wire in an eight pin plug (for connecting to the main harness) to a 10 pin plug for the engine junction box. I didn't understand what this was for. I thought it dealt with wake - water behind the boat. It doesn't. This is to wake the unit upon turning on either engine's key - waking the Vessel View unit up no matter which key is turned on first. Not my best moment, but problem solved. Next, the temperature sensor... I reused the one already installed. No issues. Next was the issue of the Gen 1/MY 07 harness. I didn't know what this was for or if I needed it at all. Jason78 used his. I called Mercury and they said I didn't need it. (I didn't ask what it was for or which applications would need it.) Next was the NMEA connection. I had GPS information in my System View, which allowed calculations of fuel to waypoint, distance to waypoint, etc. The NMEA harness has five wires: two for NMEA in (+ and -), two for NMEA out (+ and -), and a ground. The wires are crimped into two bundles - one bundle had the NMEA ins and ground and the other bundle had the NMEA outs. I was confused here. My System View had two wires (unlabeled, but one was blue with a white stripe and one was white with a blue stripe) connected to the GPS wires (green and yellow in my case). I have those same color wires - they were the NMEA ins - in the Vessel View harness. I was tempted to just connect them as they were in the System View, but wanted to verify. I am terrified of damaging the expensive stuff. Jason78 was fairly certain about which these were, but wanted to verify before he told me a definite yes. I called Mercury and they said that they were, in fact, the same as in my System View setup. They were NMEA ins. So I cut them it off the crimped bundle with the ground and connected them as they were connected in the System View setup.

VV2_zps50396711.jpg


With only a bit of trepidation (yeah right), I turned on the engine keys. My unit did not give me the initial setup screen. So I made it do a factory reset to get there.

VV6_zpsae4d34f2.jpg


From here, I followed all of the setup instructions. I set up the fuel tank with the default setup (I will do the calibrated fill up as soon as I run out all of last year's gas). I set up the drive trim indications. I asked the Mercury techs about this. I asked them if any of the information on the trim setup is kept on the System View. They told me it is kept in the ECMs or somewhere else. The point of this is that I can set the trim indications on the Vessel View unit from the readings in the system tachs. I don't have to measure the trim ram to set anything. Done. I continued on and set up what I needed to. When done, I started the engines and checked that all responded as expected. It did. Woohoo!

VV5_zpsfd421fb7.jpg


Next, I set out to cut the dash, to enlarge the hole from the System View unit (SC5000). I had many suggestions on how to do this. I chose to use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel. One thing, I didn't use the template in the book because I wanted the book to stay in tact, with no damage. I printed the template page from an electronic copy of the installation manual. It was slightly too small. No big deal. I intentionally cut the hole small to begin with. I then sanded to make the hole larger to fit. One thing to note is that the simulated mahogany material melts a little from the cutoff wheel. It is not really a concern, just realize it. The small melted bits at the edge of the cut break off very easily once cooled. I did knick the edge of the hole where the cutoff wheel "ran" and you can see about a 1/4" of it from under the trim piece. If it gets to me too much, I'll order a new panel from Technographic/FP. (I don't know that it was a replacement, but there was a Technographic sticker on the backside of my current dash panel when I removed it. Who knew?)

I reinstalled the dash today and took the boat out. I have to say that I do like the Vessel View over the System View. The only thing I have heard where the System View is better is with engine specific fuel flows. The Vessel View only shows total (combined) fuel flow. This is no issue for me. I now leave my system tachs for each engine on a screen (the digital information window) that shows each engine's individual fuel flow, so no information lost. You just have to set things up differently to view it all. I love the Vessel View color screen over the System View one. It stands out better and is far easier to read. I also LOVE the Cruise Control and Trolling features. I use the Troll Mode in no wake zones. It keeps the engine RPMs steady (less than 1000 RPM). The Cruise Control holds the RPM steady above 1000 RPM. I plan on using that a lot.

Final thoughts...
It took me about 6 hours to complete this. It could have taken about 2 (most of the time was used for dash cutting), but I thought I had all the tools I'd need at the boat and didn't. So, I did what I could and then came back the next day to continue. One other thing, it was more difficult removing the System View harness than putting in the Vessel View one. I was afraid of unplugging something that I needed (again, my ignorance was likely just the root of this fear).

Overall, this upgrade would be, in my opinion, about a 3 on a difficulty scale of 10. (Again, this is for an upgrade only. If you are installing the Vessel View sytem from scratch, it may be more difficult depending on the calibration and electronic system setup that must be done. I had that done by a professional when I installed the System View, so I have no idea what is involved.) Nearly everything is plug and play. Only MY NMEA/GPS connections were not plug and play. Other systems may be, but my Northstar system wasn't. Also, there are multiple people here on the board and the people at Mercury available to help. If you are considering upgrading from System View to Vessel View, I recommend it. I am glad I did. My System View will be available for purchase in another thread.

Other notes...
When I was asking the Mercury techs about the NMEA connections, the told me that I would need an NMEA backbone and/or gateway. I did not need that for getting GPS info to the Vessel View. I would need that if I wanted to be able to view engine information on my chart plotter from the Vessel View. I don't plan on doing this. But you can if you want.

Also, my local SR dealer got me information about connecting my generator (5.0ECD) to my vessel view (which I plan on doing). I will be able to view my generator information from the Vessel View. As a bonus, according to the Kohler documentation, I will be able to start and stop the generator from the Vessel View unit. Can anybody verify this to be true? :huh: The old cable and adapter are no longer available (1881575 and 1889401), even though they were used as late as on 2012 models. The new Mercury part numbers are: harness - 889232T03 and adaptor - 889280T01.

If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them. I posted this to help others who are considering doing this. I hope this writeup helps.

I will post final installed pictures soon. It seems that I forgot to take a pic of the final product when I was done. Turns out I just wanted to get out on the water.

Matt
 
Matthew, just curious why you changed from the Systems View to Vessel View? I have a '03 340 with the SC5000 and when I looked up the Vessel View system (your thread piqued my interest) it seemed pretty similar. Just wondering what you saw as the benefits of the Vessel View system.

Thks,
Tom
 
The biggest reason I changed was the color screen. It is much easier to read, especially in direct sunlight. I like the screen much better than the LCD screen of the System View. It also has some better features, see above about cruise control and troll control very much. Those weren't available on the SV. Finally, I THINK (but would have to verify) that the screen is slightly larger on the VV.
 
I talked to Mercury Marine and got the following drawing with part numbers to allow connecting the generator to the Vessel View.

image_zpsc03819f3.jpg
 
Also, my local SR dealer got me information about connecting my generator (5.0ECD) to my vessel view (which I plan on doing). I will be able to view my generator information from the Vessel View. As a bonus, according to the Kohler documentation, I will be able to start and stop the generator from the Vessel View unit. Can anybody verify this to be true? :huh: The old cable and adapter are no longer available (1881575 and 1889401), even though they were used as late as on 2012 models. The new Mercury part numbers are: harness - 889232T03 and adaptor - 889280T01.

If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them. I posted this to help others who are considering doing this. I hope this writeup helps.

I will post final installed pictures soon. It seems that I forgot to take a pic of the final product when I was done. Turns out I just wanted to get out on the water.

Matt[/QUOTE]


Matt, Curious if you ended up hooking the Gen to the VesselView, if so, was it just plug and play?
 
matthewmiller01,

Since my system view LCD screen is now almost dead, I am considering switching to VV4 as you have described above. Unfortunately all your pictures are now unavailable to view for some reason. Is there any way I can contact you to view the photo or ask for some advice?
 
matthewmiller01,

Since my system view LCD screen is now almost dead, I am considering switching to VV4 as you have described above. Unfortunately all your pictures are now unavailable to view for some reason. Is there any way I can contact you to view the photo or ask for some advice?
Wmg - welcome.

Mathew hasn’t been on the site since 2017 so I’m not holding out hope that he answers. I used his information as it was very helpful and I may have hard copies before the pictures went out. Keep in mind he went to a vessel view 1.5 not a 4 so I’m pretty sure this won’t apply. His first post mentioned this. I also installed a 1.5 so I can’t help much either.

The file is in my boat so the next time I’m there I’ll look. But again, I’m not sure it will help you.
 
matthewmiller01,

Since my system view LCD screen is now almost dead, I am considering switching to VV4 as you have described above. Unfortunately all your pictures are now unavailable to view for some reason. Is there any way I can contact you to view the photo or ask for some advice?

I'm in the same situation. I did see notes that the vesselview 4 is for 2007 and up. I have a 2006 290DA searay, so I'm not 100% sure it would be true plug and play to replace my fading SC5000 unit. If you find anything out please post and I will do the same ....
 

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