Fix for Connext Battery Voltage Issue - Confirmed

[Kens]

Nice find, I brought this up to Yamaha 2 years ago and I was told they are not going to look into fixing the issue. I even talked to the development team from Yamaha. I will be looking at doing this.

Thanks again.

 

[fraserjr]

View attachment 48747 There is a black box with two large wire packs under the starboard rear seat known as a gateway. This is the device that allows the Connext screen to control the bilge, lights, etc by communicating with Connext screen over the N2k network. The wire pack on the left contains the two voltage sensing wires. The are both red and one is labeled SYS BATT and the other is labeled AUX BATT. The issue is that they have continuity courtesy of the SPU. So if you clip the SYS BATT wire and run a direct wire from the start battery switch to the SYS BATT wire on the gateway (cover the end coming from the SPU) and do the same for the AUX BATT to the house battery this should kind of fix the issue ... read on for more before doing this.

In the stock set up you will almost always read nearly the same voltage because of the DVSR. The DVSR keeps the batteries connected in the stock configuration even after the motors are off for quite some time. If you have done the cut the DVSR red loop mod and are triggering the DVSR only when the engines are running with the engine on wire then the voltage fix will be a bit more worthwhile. Even then once the DVSR engages you will be getting nearly the same voltage for both. The next issue is latent surface charge voltage. Unless you have something to draw just a bit of power off the batteries after they have been charging they will continue to show the surface charge voltage. The stereo takes care of this for the house battery but there is nothing to take care of this for the start battery. Just reading the voltage through Connext draws so little amperage (milli amps) that the surface charge remains for some time.

All of that said this mod would help anyone to diagnose a low voltage condition it just won't be the most accurate after charging.

Update - @swatski has done this mod and posted proof on page 2 of this thread.

Update 2 - Added quick graphic how to due to questions that I have received.

@Mainah do we know where the original wires run to? Rather than making another long wire run, I was thinking it might be possible to make the cut and new connection closer to the actual batteries than in the helm storage compartment.

 

[Julian]

@Mainah do we know where the original wires run to? Rather than making another long wire run, I was thinking it might be possible to make the cut and new connection closer to the actual batteries than in the helm storage compartment.

The wires from the SPU run to the connext screen, which is why you need to make the cut there. Cutting wires closer to the battery will not prevent the continuity issue at the SPU. You need to ensure a direct connect between the aux battery and the connext screen (with no continuity problem) - the only way to do this is to wire around the SPU.

 

[Julian]

@Mainah how do you disassemble to plugs that go into the SPU? There are white tabs on both sides, when I push in on the big tab on one side, it pushes the tabs out on the other, do I have to press both sides at once????

 

[Mainah]

@Mainah how do you disassemble to plugs that go into the SPU? There are white tabs on both sides, when I push in on the big tab on one side, it pushes the tabs out on the other, do I have to press both sides at once????

In my photo of the spu plug on the first page there is a little white rectangle. Press that rectangle out ( one direction) and the wires will be able to be removed individually. At least that is how I recall at the moment. We just had some heavy rain wash away most of the snow and it looks like the wind and sun could be very nice to me allowing me to move my boat tomorrow afternoon meaning it could be unwrapped this weekend so I can start doing mods like this!

 

[swatski]

We just had some heavy rain wash away most of the snow and it looks like the wind and sun could be very nice to me allowing me to move my boat tomorrow afternoon meaning it could be unwrapped this weekend so I can start doing mods like this!

About time!!! lol.

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[mraz72]

shouldn't the dealer be fixing this issue? Are the dealers saying they don't have a fix yet?

 

[FloJet]

Most dealers have no clue about anything of this. They just want your money!

 

[swatski]

I can't say a bad word about my dealer, but they really don't know. Yamaha has never addressed this in any productive fashion, as far as I know, and I have been following this about as closely as any average customer could.

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[mraz72]

so it sounds like, in general, boat dealers are worst than car dealers?

I have a 2016 E series so I am sure I have to get this issue fixed. Sounds like its a DIY operation....

 

[swatski]

so it sounds like, in general, boat dealers are worst than car dealers?

I have a 2016 E series so I am sure I have to get this issue fixed. Sounds like its a DIY operation....

I think many boat dealers, including mine, are pretty awesome at what they do and I would describe the guys at St. Charles Boat and Motor as consummate professionals.
But there is only that much they can do. Boats are not like cars but more like exotic cars.

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[FloJet]

So one of my friends just bought an Ex series and he wants to know why the reverse do not work on that model @Mainah @swatski @Julian. I don't have experience with that so I told him I would ask the forum. Advised him to sign up here too. Finally got to look under the helm of an E series boat.

SO GAME ON NOW! More upgrades coming lol.

 

[swatski]

So one of my friends just bought an Ex series and he wants to know why the reverse do not work on that model @Mainah @swatski @Julian. I don't have experience with that so I told him I would ask the forum. Advised him to sign up here too. Finally got to look under the helm of an E series boat.

SO GAME ON NOW! More upgrades coming lol.

That is a very well know design issue with the E-throttles -- the limit on reverse at speed.
It's been proposed that it is the lawyers forcing Yamaha's hand - I don't quite get that argument though - I have used my reverse to slow down or stop many, many times, and I would consider the reverse to be an important safety feature rather than not.
Another thought is that the E-throttles are so smooth it is too easy to (inadvertently) go into reverse at speed, which could cause harm to passengers or even submarine the boat.

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[FloJet]

That makes sense in a way. I thought about that and even tested my boat with reverse at good amount of speed. To be honest, It didn't stop the boat like I thought it would have when moving pretty good and slamming back into reverse. Just not having much rpms coming out on the AR I just don't see what they would be worried about with the E series. Now if we got about 5-6k rpms in reverse, than that might be a different beast.

 

[swatski]

That makes sense in a way. I thought about that and even tested my boat with reverse at good amount of speed. To be honest, It didn't stop the boat like I thought it would have when moving pretty good and slamming back into reverse. Just not having much rpms coming out on the AR I just don't see what they would be worried about with the E series. Now if we got about 5-6k rpms in reverse, than that might be a different beast.

Yes, you are right, the ARs are also limited in reverse but to by GPS and to a (more reasonable) 4-5k RPM or so - you can still use the reverse to help slow or stop.

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[FloJet]

True. Dang I didn't realize the rpm was that high in reverse lol. But I do know when at stop or unloading off trailer, reverse works good enough for me tho.

 

[Julian]

My discussions with Yamaha on the topic were that the lawyers wanted the reverse RPMs limited as it was so easy to quickly flip the E-Throttle from full forward to full reverse with no effort at all. They were afraid people would do that by accident and then there would be a thread on the forum titled "I sank my boat--Why didn't Yamaha limit the reverse on E-Throttles", or "I hit my head on the windshield when I accidently went full reverse". No winning for Yamaha on this topic, but I wish they'd provide a way to change the stock setting with a warning with all sorts of legal language if they want!

 

[FloJet]

Ya that is interesting enough. Well I played with the throttles while he was beached and I just don't know if I could justify all the head aches for that supposedly smoothness feel? I guess what I'm trying to say is, it wasn't like what I thought it was going to be. But can't say much when I haven't really gotten to drive it yet. I will ask him for test cruise soon hahaha.

 

[Bill D]

The electronic throttles are a great improvement. I've wondered for a while they they hadn't done that. But Yamaha integrating anything electrical is sure to be less than great. I can't help but think how much better a multifunction device by Simrad or Garmin would be than the Connext. If only Yamaha didn't have the engine communication on lockdown...

 

[WildCatFan54]

I think it worked!
I guess what had me confused was I was thinking of the gateway as a SPU...
But think I got it right this time. I soldered and heat shrinked with a bit of silicon (since I am old fashioned and low tech, as you know, LOL).


I too am getting a little confused with the acronyms (SPU , DVSR , Gateway ) ? I'm clear now on the Gateway and DVSR. I have them located and ready to proceed but still unclear on the SPU ? What is that short for and where is it ? IF its in the storage area to the bow side of the helm and I clip a wire going to it that is part of the ConneX system then how am I going to get any voltage reading on the screen ? Thanks