Raymarine Axiom Pro Display from Smartcraft Engine

[joc1212]

Describe how to configure a Raymarine Axiom Pro display to show engine data from a Mercury engine of unspecified model and horsepower and to monitor fuel used.

Q1: can engine data be taken from the Smartcraft gauges?

Q2: do I need to buy a Mercury branded [NMEA-2000 gateway] at a cost of $400?

I want a cost saving solution.

[jimh]

Generally a Mercury engine sends data in the Smartcraft protocol. The data format and the electrical characteristics of Smartcraft are not revealed publically.

The existence of a Mercury-branded protocol convertor to provide a NMEA-2000 to Smartcraft or Smartcraft to NMEA-2000 data exchange suggests that perhaps there is some electrical incompatibility and most certainly a data format protocol incompatibility.

However, that said, there have been some developments whereby manufacturers of generic, that is non-Mercury branded, displays have been able to read data from Mercury engines.

On that basis, I think the best answer will come from Raymarine, as they will know specifically what capabilities the display device in question here will have.

This webpage from RAYMARINE seems to suggest there is newer technology related to their displays and Mercury engines, but I don't find it particularly informative about the details:

https://www.raymarine.com/multifunction-displays/accessories/engine-interfacing/mercury-vesselview/

Also, exactly what engine data will be available often depends on the particular Mercury engine, and often on the capabilities provided by the protocol convertor that is sold in tiers, where more expensive models give more data.

I think--this is my guess because there are not details available to me--that perhaps what is being done now is that some non-Mercury display devices can read the Smartcraft data format directly without a protocol convertor needed to reformat the data in a NMEA-2000 parameter group equivalent, but in order to get the Smartcraft data to those devices, there must be some sort of connection to the Smartcraft network and transport of that dat to the display device. Exactly how that is done is unknown to me. Maybe the display device has a Smartcraft port. Again, check with the manufacturer of the display device that advertises it can show Mercury engine data.

[jimh]

Describe how too...monitor fuel used.

Fuel used data never comes from the engine. Typically an engine just sends data about the rate of fuel low occuring at a particular instant.

In order to get data about FUEL USE some external device must provide a FUEL MANAGER function. The typical FUEL MANAGER function will receive data from an engine about the instantaneous rate of fuel flow. This rate will be integrated over time to become a volume. A sum called FUEL USED will be continually updated by the new calculation of fuel volume consumed over certain time period. This accumulation goes on until the user resets the FUEL USED accumulator to zero. Nothing comes from the engine except real time data about instantaneous rate of fuel flow.

With regard to the particular display device you are asking about, all I can offer is this: if that device provides a FUEL MANAGER function and that function includes FUEL USED and if that display gets engine data about instantaneous rate of fuel flow, then that device should be able to show you a value of FUEL USED. In some devices there are multiple accumulators and there can be several categories of fuel used, such as

• TODAY'S FUEL
• TRIP 1 FUEL USED
• TRIP 2 FUEL USED, and
• SEASON FUEL USED

Whether the device you have can do this is unknown to me.

Also unknown to me is how much it will cost and exactly what components are need and exactly how to connect those components. That information will have to come the two manufacturers involved here, Mercury and Raymarine, and from their authorized dealers who sell their products.

[jimh]

You probably will need a device called a Vessel View Link to carry the Smartcraft data to NMEA-2000.

If you check the prices of Mercury Vessel View displays, you may find they are less expensive than buying a Vessel View Link module and another non-Mercury display to show the engine data.