TZT2 issue

[MercuryPanama]

Hello Everyone, Thanks in advance for any help.

Im a Mercury dealer in Panama, Central America, and we have replaced some things on an old Furuno setup.
We used to have, all furuno:
(2) Navnet 3D
External GPS antenna
Hub 101
DFF1
1kw transducer
Radar

After some research for what was compatible and what was not we ended up replacing the screens for TZT2s connected to the existing Mercury NMEA200 network, radar was eliminated, 0183 external antenna was replaced with a NMEA2000 one, NavPilot 300 was added, TZT2s are connected to the existing HUB101 via ethernet cable and to NMEA2000, NavPilot goes to NMEA2000 and the DFF1 connects to the HUB101.

We turned off all the power sync switches in the HUB101 as we read somewhere this did not work with the TZT2s. We replaced the old ethernet cables with new off the shelf regular cables, not Furuno. We do not have the area map yet, we just purchased it, we are waiting to receive an email with the codes to unlock the maps in the TZT2.

We have 2 issues we need help with.
1. We have no depth reading. The TZT2 has this icons on the top right of the screen that are red when disconnected, white when ok (at least thats what I think). All icons are white, even the sounder one, however there is no reading, the screen keeps changing from small to large depth range, I go in the device list and find nothing related to a sounder, so I dont understand if this is a configuration issue, if by turning off the power sync in the HUB101 it doesnt turn on, I dont see any lights on the DFF1, not even on the ethernet port, we are heavy bottom fishers here so this is a big problem, hopefully its not a hardware situation.
2. We performed all the dockside programming to the NavPilot 300, went on seatrial, everything was perfect, boat did U turns, figure 8s, held heading, however when we set a waypoint on the TZT2 and hit "go to" we get the No NAV data available error. We then found the setting for navigation information source and set it up as TZT2 and we still get the same thing. GPS position is perfect in both TZT2 and NavPilot, heading sensor seems to be fine as it performs other functions, so im at a lost with this. I read another post about PGNs being missing but I dont understand what this means or how it can be set up. Could this be caused by not having any map information?

Thank you very much to anyone who can shine a light on this.

Frank M.
Mercury Panama

 

[Magnetron]

Greetings and welcome to the forum, thanks for posting.

A couple of things jump out at me that I'm sure could help with this setup.

1. If keeping the HUB101 from an existing boat you might want to check how old that hub is. If you remove the front cover and look at the PCB board in the upper right corner next to the serial no. should be the Furuno logo and a two digit designator. 11 and 22 are very old and should be replaced. "55" is the current hub made for TZT2 and later systems. (You could just try a off-the-shelf brand unmanaged hub like a TP-link/Netgear as well).

2. The "Furuno cables" were shielded Cat5E cables with shielded RJ45 connectors, by "normal cables" is this what they were replaced with? Unshielded Cat5e/6 with plastic RJ45 connectors can and will introduce electrical noise into the sounder system degrading performance rather quickly. Always best to use shielded network cabling with shielded connectors.

3. Nav data was missing, because the TZ Touch 2 may not have been told yet to output the nav data. On the plotter, go to HOME > SETTINGS > INITIAL SETUP > NMEA2000 PGN OUTPUT and validate you have nav data outputting (e.g. PGN129283/84/85) to the network.

4. How did the sea trial go? The DFF3D performs best when it has roughly 10' of depth or better. While in a marina, often depth may not come up properly if the transducer is echoing into soft mud - however it should have read depth while underway, if not check those cables.

5. Is the radar working okay? NN3D radars needed updated software, an independent power supply like a PSU012/13, with a jumper inserted into the J7 pins on the board in order to work on TZT systems.

Of course, if you ever need technical assistance Furuno's light marine technical support is available by phone M - F 8A - 8P EST.

Hope this helps, :sail

- Maggy

 

[MercuryPanama]

Thank you very much for your reply. I will check the 2 designator digits, however, I know this system is very old, probably what was originally installed 22 years ago with Optimax's when it came out of factory, the only upgrade it had had was to add a second NavNet.

So, just a regular hub will work fine? Then that rules out the issue being related to the power sync switches inside the hub, right?

Will get 3 new shielded ethernet cables.

I have not done any output configurations to the TZT2, will take care of that too.

We have a DFF1, not DFF3D, we had no depth reading anywhere during the seatrial, hopefully the shilded cables will take care of this. Who turns the DFF1 on? is it the TZT2 or the HUB101? Is it worth it to try and turn on the switch connected to that ethernet port and test if that helps?

Radar is no issue, for now it is eliminated, we will be installing a new radar soon.

I will check all of this as soon as I can get to the boat and will write an update, again thank you very much for your fast response.

MercuryPanama

 

[Magnetron]

So, just a regular hub will work fine? Then that rules out the issue being related to the power sync switches inside the hub, right?

A regular hub should work, as in any unmanaged 5-port switch. Without the NavNet3D the dip switches are no longer relevant.

Will get 3 new shielded ethernet cables.

Most excellent (if you are crimping the ends - note it is recommended to put a drop of solder where the shield of the Cat5e touches the RJ45 jack.)

I have not done any output configurations to the TZT2, will take care of that too.

That'll solve the nav data issue. The autopilot needs both nav data and GPS supplied by the MFD or by an external GPS like a GP330B or Sat Compass:
129025 (from GPS or MFD)
129026 (from GPS or MFD)
129029 (from GPS or MFD)
129283 (from MFD)
129284 (from MFD)
129285 (from MFD)

We have a DFF1, not DFF3D, we had no depth reading anywhere during the seatrial, hopefully the shilded cables will take care of this. Who turns the DFF1 on? is it the TZT2 or the HUB101? Is it worth it to try and turn on the switch connected to that ethernet port and test if that helps?

I suppose you could say the DFF1 turns itself on, with the latest software. That being said, you may want to run the network sensor software updater provided by Furuno Electric to make sure relevant sensors in the boat are up to date.

The ethernet cables will help the connection between the sounder and the MFD, however if the transducer is also 22 years old than it may have degraded performance over those years. For performance related issues, it might be best to have that transducer checked out by a qualified ACI Technician or tested with an Airmar TDT1000.

Best of luck, :sail

- Maggy