[C320-list] Instruments Not Working?

[John Brennan]

Hi Rollie:

Maybe your next step should be to test whether the transducers are sending electrical pulses to the instruments. I’m not familiar with B&G, but you should have positive, negative, network and transducer wires connecting in the rear. Usually, they are marked.

Again, I don’t know about B&G, but the pulses are usually a couple of volts. 

Calling B&G might yield an expert who could give you some tips. Could a network problem cause it? The fact that both instruments are out certainly points to an electrical problem rather than an instrument problem.

On my new-to-me 320, the B&B knotmeter doesn’t work because someone replaced the transducer with the dummy plug. The wind transducer was wiped out in Hurricane Irma. But the depth sounder works fine.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.



Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: argates2nd
Sent: Wednesday, November 7, 2018 12:03 AM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Instruments Not Working?


    
There was a disconnected ground in the depth sounder wire where it runs through the bilge but repair yielded no read out for any of the 3 blank instruments.  Contacts also rechecked.Any other ideas?Thanks,  Rollie. #182Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE smartphone

-------- Original message --------
From: John Brennan <jackbrennan at bellsouth.net> 
Date: 11/6/18  10:20 AM  (GMT-05:00) 
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com 
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Instruments Not Working? 

If they have power but aren’t reading data, check the ground connection. They likely share common wiring, and a loosely connected ground would act like that.I recently lost all electrical power in a similar way, except, strangely, the diesel started right up. I had to cut short a trip to investigate. After much digging, I found the simple solution.It turns out the main cable from the batteries to the ground buss bar was loose. In fact, the screw dropped out when I brushed the wire. When I reconnected it, everything worked.The diesel started because the starter is grounded to the engine.Like many problems on my new-to-me320, it’s not clear whether it was just poor maintenance or whether it was a parting gift from the owner before it was repossessed.Jack BrennanSonas, 1998 Catalina 320 no. 528Tierra Verde, Fl.Sent from Mail for Windows 10From: ARTHUR GATESSent: Tuesday, November 6, 2018 9:36 AMTo: C320-List at Catalina320.comSubject: [C320-list] Instruments Not Working?Our 1995 #182 sat in a FL boatyard the past 6 months and was launched 2 weeks ago.Everything is fine except that the knotmeter, depth sounder, and wind machine do not read out.The instruments are B&G NEMA 83 networked.  They all have power and illuminate for night running.The wind machine repeats at the binnacle and bulkhead.  I also have a Raymarine S-1 autohelm, VHF and Garmin chart plotter networked.Naturally there are 3 different transducers and I have checked connections for corrosion.Any suggestions or things I might be missing?Rollie