Optimax smartcraft alarm.

Jizm · 28 April 2013, 20:54

Keep getting 'paddle wheel' alarm on my gauges. Does this mean its fubar or something else? No idea if it worked or not before as I never paid attention!

Nos4r2 · 28 April 2013, 21:11

You haven't got a paddlewheel have you?

Apparently you can set the gauge to read GPS speed only if you've got them hooked up to it.

Jizm · 28 April 2013, 21:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

You haven't got a paddlewheel have you?

Apparently you can set the gauge to read GPS speed only if you've got them hooked up to it.

Yeah I do...
Not connected to GPS.

Nos4r2 · 28 April 2013, 21:55

You could always be the guineapig for what I was talking about a few weeks ago and hook it up to a nmea0183 out

and disable the paddlewheel?

uncle al · 29 April 2013, 08:46

you havent got a paddle wheel fitted just switch it of by going into callibration on your gauges ,sorry cant remember if its the tacho or speedo though.

Waterman · 29 April 2013, 11:38

I have my paddle wheel disabled and the speedo fed via GPS.

Waterman · 29 April 2013, 11:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waterman

I have my paddle wheel disabled and the speedo fed via GPS.

SMARTCRAFT gauge
on smartcraft guages with 'VDO' on them you hold '+' & '-' then switch the key on, then hold down 'MODE' for 2 seconds to enter calibration settings.

Scroll through the options and its pretty straight forward.

Jizm · 29 April 2013, 17:02

I do have a paddle wheel. Which wires do I connect to the GPS?

Nos4r2 · 29 April 2013, 17:20

IIRC, you said your smartcraft loom is the same as mine.

There's a white wire and a blue wire that are nmea0183 into the gauges.They should have a rubber blanking plug on the end of them, holding them together.

White should be +ve, blue should be -ve, but apparently the merc manual says if it doesn't work, try it with the wires the other way round and you wont damage the gauges.

<edit>(double checked with the PDF-white is +, blue is -.)

Waterman · 29 April 2013, 18:53

That's how mine is connected. Just make sure the nmea 'out' on your gps is turned on.

The speedo will only take the feed from the paddle wheel OR the GPS so if you choose the GPS your paddle wheel is redundant.

Jizm · 29 April 2013, 20:11

Cheers for the replies. So does the alarm mean the paddle wheel is knackered then?

PeterM · 29 April 2013, 20:33

I think you can set it to switch from paddle wheel to pitot speed at a set speed too ? ( the wheel cant be that accurate at speed can it?)

....Giving you speed through the water on smartcraft & the GPS showing over the ground......

Just an option

Jizm · 30 April 2013, 12:42

I will check the wiring behind the gauges and see what's there.

Jizm · 30 April 2013, 19:36

Typical. Just run the boat up and the bloody thing worked...

Nos4r2 · 30 April 2013, 19:41

Probably still worth connecting it up anyway if you've got the wiring there?

Nos4r2 · 02 May 2013, 19:23

I put my gauges into calibration mode earlier and told them to use the GPS.

It worked the way I said earlier with wiring.You'll know immediately if it works as it'll allow you to use the Smartcraft to display an updated time via GPS and COG.

Jizm · 02 May 2013, 20:29

I may well give that a go. So I'm assuming you can connect more than one other instrument to the NMEA output from the GPS with no adverse effect?

Nos4r2 · 02 May 2013, 21:29

Damn, I forgot to turn the VHF on!

I'll let you know tomorrow.

Cookee · 03 May 2013, 08:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jizm

I may well give that a go. So I'm assuming you can connect more than one other instrument to the NMEA output from the GPS with no adverse effect?

There is a limit but VHF and Smartcraft is fine on NMEA0183

Jizm · 03 May 2013, 08:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookee

There is a limit but VHF and Smartcraft is fine on NMEA0183

Cheers, will give it a go then...