Hi All,

I've got a 2008 Tournament Bluewater 2000 with the original 150 E-Tec which is still going strong.  The E-Tec had 2 I-Command Gauges which I found good to use.  But one of the I-command Gauges died recently and all my internet searches showed that this was a discontinued item and you can't get them anymore.

I did some research and came across the Veratron VMH35 which is exactly the same size as the I-Command gauges so no extra cutting required.  It connects to my existing NMEA2000 network and shows all the engine data and sounder & Heading values from the Lowrance Elite9 I have.   It also has it's own internal GPS that can be used on the NMEA network if there is an issue with the GPS in the Lowrance.  It also setup to show any alarms from the engine.  Not cheap at just under $600 but I thought I'd need a decent gauge compatable with the E-Tec that could report any alarms just in case the the second I-Command dies in the near future.  Also, it looks mint.

I'm not a wiring expert but I have installed and wired in the Lowarance Elite, Fusion Stereo, VHF radio with no issue in the past.  The wiring setup in the boat from factory is pretty basic.  There's a positive post and a negative post behind the dash which pretty much everything is attached to.  The Nav lights, Anchor light, and Bilge are on a switch panel.

The I-command gauges were just powered through the NMEA network cable but because there is a bit more going on in the VMH35 it has to be powered through the 12 volt system.  The wiring harness that comes with VMH35 unit has the standard red(+), Black (-), Yellow (+ ignition) wires, and some other random wires if you needed to hook into analog devices.

My Lowrance Elite had a similar coloured wire setup but all I needed to connect was the Red & Black wires and the NMEA200 drop cable.  I didn't connect the Yellow wire to anything.  This just meant that I had to turn it on/off manually which is preferable anyway.

With the VMH35 it won't turn on unless the yellow wire is attached as well. I attached the Yellow wire to a slot on my switch panel, with the red and black wires on their repsective posts.  When I turn the batteries on and then turn on the switch the yellow wire is connected to the VMH35 lights up and I can toggle through all the menus with no issue.  The volt meter on the VMH35 reads ~12.5v as expected. But, when I turn on the ignition I immediately get an over-voltage warning on the VMH35 and volt meter was displaying ~55 volts. As soon as the ignition gets turned off it will return to 12 volts.  Apparently 55 volts is what the Alternator in the E-tec generates to power the electrics in the engine but didn't think this would reach the accessories.

According to the wiring diagram I've attached the Yellow wire needs to be attached to  'Terminal 15' where Terminal 30 is the positive and Terminal 31 is negative.  This is where I'm stumped.  At the moment I've got the Yellow wire attached the Terminal 30 line which is no doubt the issue.  But I have no idea how to attach the Yellow wire to the Terminal 15 line or if my boat even has one. 

If it's a matter of splicing the Yellow wire into wires coming out of the throttle ignition then I'll have to wave the white flag and get a professional involved as that is beyond my skill set and don't want to damage other systems that are currently working fine.  I've searched the Internet and Youtube and can't find anything relevent to my issue at hand.

Just hoped there might be someone on the forums that could point me in right direction, especially if it's somthing straight forward.  Photos & screensnips attached.  Any guidance will be much appricated.  If it needs an Auto Sparky any recommendations?

Cheers.

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