Connecting Axiom to Mercury's Smartcraft
I've have been unable to get my new Merc to talk to the Raymarine network and display engine info the the Axiom displays. It is connected via Seatalk adaptor cable to the NMEA 2000 network, which otherwise, works perfectly. There is a process for initial connection to the engine on the display, simple enough, but the network can't see it. All Smartcraft settings re data connection are as recommended-gateway set to NMEA 2000, and Transmit.
I noticed someone on THT having exactly the same problem, but with dual mercs and the dual engine gateway. he's been doing exactly the same thing, we've had some advice which didn't change things, then, today, he posts this
I have an update and thought I would share in case someone is going through the same issue. I have been discussing this issue with Raymarine on and off the past week. They seemed particularly focused on the 3rd party gateway (engines) are not producing a standard NMEA 2000 chit-chat and thus the Axiom wasn't listening. I have since renovated my network by throwing a lot of money at it for components and cables, and still no identification of engines on the Axiom setup page. I gave up for the time being with the hopes that a new LH version may in fact cure this. Out on the water today playing with the Axiom screens I chose the default Dashboard. To my surprise the screen is immediately populated with RPMs, pressures, temps, and fuel burn rates from both engines! Whaaaat? Apparently I didn't need to identify the engines in the Axiom setup at all. The info was just there the whole time on the network. Silly me. I am learning a lot about NMEA 2000 the past couple of weeks. Interesting.
I'll be interested to try it when I get home.
z00m
Posts: 1086
Date Joined: 10/05/14
Gateway
Have you got any info showing on your axiom from the Merc like the post you quoted or nothing at all?
Have you got your smartcraft to nmea2000 gateway installed on the merc side?
forum.raymarine.com/showthread.php
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
No Info showing at all.
i have plugged the Seatalk adaptor cable from the backbone into the outlet port for NMEA 2000 from the Merc loom ( well, it is labelled NMEA 200, so you have to assume) Installed, as in plugged in? yes. Mercmonitor has the gateway built in, it is set to Transmit, and the gateway as NMEA 2000. I posted on the Raymarine forum on this, and just got referred to the same FAQ as you posted in that link. No real help unless you have an NMEA 2000 network analyser.
gruntre69
Posts: 533
Date Joined: 15/10/16
Ranmar, have you installed a
Ranmar, have you installed a backbone?
If it's any consolation,
I have the NMEA2K cable from the backbone to both the Axiom pro 9 and the Mecr Vesselview 7 and I get the engine data. However I only get this data on the realestate hungry instrument screens which I find quite annoying. I would much prefer the flexability to put the bits of engine data in the slide out data box. If the axiom provided this I would consider getting another axiom7 to use as my plotter. Actually My greater preference is that the Simrad and axiom unit could accept create waypoint MNEA2K sentence.
I'm not sure if the smartcraft gateway you have operates the same way as the vesselview but I would assume both are just an MNEA2K gateway from the engine out to the backbone.
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ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Yes, i have an NMEA 2000 backbone
I had that all up and running before the motor was installed. The Mercmonitor has the gateway included, and i'm plugged into that. The post I quoted was interesting--he was doing the same as me, then went back to default for his dashboard on the Axiom, and suddenly it was all there. I'll try a reset to default on mine and see what happens.
I deliberately didn't go with the the Vessel View displays--I knew I'd be pushing for space on the dash. The motor came supplied with the SC1000 type twin gauges--the yanks must love that bloody analogue look, I hate it--swapped them for the Mercmonitor to get everything on one configurable guage, and with the gateway built in.
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Look what I found today
Bouncing along across a fresh nor-easter, hit Dashboard by mistake on the homescreen--bingo, all my engine info is there!. i hadn'teven looked at it as it was aaying it couldn't identify the engine
gruntre69
Posts: 533
Date Joined: 15/10/16
Yep, and that's the only
Yep, and that's the only place you can see it. Best you can do is split into a half screen which reformats the dashboard into a bit of a jumble. It would be nice to have it available to the slide out data panel..
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ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
it's really just a nice- to- have
For me anyway. Running the bigger screen as the plotter while travelling, run that on the smaller one. Need to get the fuel % working, the installer has stuffed up the tank connection, somehow. I like working off trip fuel, reset when filled, but a % would be useful as as a quick glance thing.
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Just went out on the boat and tried it.
The screen when you split, at least on the 9 Pro, is the same , just smaller. I also seem to have got the fuel manager working. It has to work on flow vs time, as the merc can't read the fuel tank, as mentioned above, but I'm getting there.
gruntre69
Posts: 533
Date Joined: 15/10/16
Yes maybe it was the steer
Yes maybe it was the steer to navigational dash board I was thinking of.
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