Although a connection of the Lowrance HDS Gen3 and HDS Gen2 Touch series and the Simrad GO (including GO XSE), NSS evo2, and NSO evo2 series to the Mercury Smartcraft engines has been possible for a long time with a Mercury-brand Smartcraft gateway device, the new features to be added by the new software and new Navico interface module appear to be the ability of the Lowrance and Simrad multi-function displays to control engine mode of operation such as Smart Tow, Troll Control, and Cruise Control modes. The Navico devices will also be able to display engine warnings and engine alerts from the Mercury Smartcraft engines, such as descriptive fault text and maintenance reminders.
In a related announcement, Brunswick's Mercury Marine have announced new 5-inch and 7-inch VesselVew gauges, designated as the VesselView 502 and VesselView 702. These new products are described as being complementary to the Navico multi-function displays.
To take advantage of the coming software update to the Navico devices, a boater with a Mercury Smartcraft engine will have to purchase, install, and configure the new Simrad or Lowrance VesselView Link interface module into their boat's Smartcraft network, then connect their boat's NMEA-2000 network to the VesselView Link interface module, and then update the software for their specific model of Lowrance and SImrad multi-function touch screen display.
Boaters will have to wait until sometime after June 2016 to be able to purchase the new hardware and install the new software to create this new functionality between Mercury engines and Lowrance or Simrad multi-function displays.
The Simrad product is called the "Mercury VesselView Link" interface module. Its housing is embossed with the Mercury Marine logotype and its part number 8M0109594. The logo and the part number both are common elements of Mercury-branded products, and this creates a bit of confusion in my mind about who is actually making this product. Its features are described as:
--interface displays Mercury Smartcraft engine information on Simrad GO, NSS evo2 or NSO evo2 display including RPM, Speed, Fuel Tanks, Battery Voltage and Trim Tab data;
--provides quick access to Mercury Smart Modes such as Eco, Smart Tow, Troll Control and Cruise Control;
--a Quick Access control bar provides an integrated view of engine data without dedicating an entire page to Smartcraft engine data;
--can view fault warnings and maintenance reminders on compatible Simrad display;
--fully integrate the VesselView® Link view with radar, chart plotter or radar split-screen functionality, and easily adjust panel sizes, as needed;
--is a convenient size for beneath-the-helm installation to help preserve dash space;
--works with up to four Mercury engines
--requires Simrad GO, NSS evo2, NSO evo2 software update and VesselView® Link installation, both scheduled for June 2016 delivery.
- VesselView Link Interface Module
- vesselViewLinkInterfaceModule.png (31.75 KiB) Viewed 10653 times
The related Brunswick new products, the Mercury VesselView502 (sometimes called VesselView 502) and VesselView702 (sometimes called VesselView 702) appear to be based on Simrad products. The 502 looks like it is a variant of the Simrad GO5xse. These Mercury-branded prouducts also will have GNSS receivers, chart plotter functions, and SONAR functions; they're not just dedicated engine information displays. The 702 appears to be based on the Simrad NSS7m evo2
A youTube presentation gives a look at these devices in operation. See
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR6afVNk3Ns
Another marine electronics website gives a thorough review. See
http://www.marine-review.com/2016/02/fe ... view-link/
