Still having transducer problems

[bobcoy]

You are going to get it fixed. If you don't have resistance on the circuit (no load) it will always read whatever the battery is. It means nothing as far as voltage drop. All the things on that circuit have to be operating to measure voltage drop. The solix is trying to tell you that your voltage drop is over .4 volts.(if your Solix is close to being accurate) It may not be(but probably very close) that is why your highly accurate meter should be used on both ends with the load applied. Bob

[zelmo]

Thanks. I will admit that I only know enough about electronics to make me dangerous.

Since I can’t test the voltage at the plug when it is plugged in, can I test the voltage at the buss/fuse block with the head unit powered up to get a good reading? I believe that the Solix 6’ power cord runs directly to it.

[bobcoy]

Close enough

[zelmo]

I apologize for discounting the idea that my problem is a power issue. I had specified that I wanted 10AWG wire on a separate circuit for the graphs, and since it had worked fine for so long I didn’t believe that could be the problem.

I still have work to do to be certain but I can say that my wiring instructions were not followed. A separate circuit was run for each graph, but the fuse box is in the engine compartment under the rear deck. Then 16AWG wire was run to the end of the Solix 6’ power cord. That would certainly explain the voltage drop. It also explains why I have about 0.1v less at the helm. The way the wiring is run that is a little longer run.

I will run new 10AWG wire and I am sure that will fix it. I still don’t understand why I have issues with the bow unit using the US2 but don’t have issues at the helm using the SI transducer. I would think that it would be the other way around.

[bobcoy]

I doubt .1 volts is gonna change a thing. You had all the loads on the circuit and you took a reading at the battery and then at the units at their power connection? Then saw only .1 volts difference with #16 wire? Something is not jiving here. The wire size will make a difference. I don't think the attached transducer makes much difference. It would be the additional wire length to the bow and/or poor connections. Bob

[zelmo]

That’s not what I meant. The Solix at the helm always displays 0.1v less than the Solix at the bow. I now know that is due to a slightly longer wire run.

I was trying to say that I am surprised that both units have problems with the US2 at the bow, but neither have problems with the SI at the helm even though the voltage is slightly lower.

[bobcoy]

.1 volts will not be the difference between working and not. The current draw will not be much different between 2D and SI, 2D and Di. Put in the bigger wire to the front and I think it will work better if all connections are good. Bob

[zelmo]

I did an inventory of the parts I have on hand and I need to order some more connectors, so I haven’t actually done any wiring yet. I did, however, dig deeper into my existing wiring and I found another potential problem.

The current setup has two 16 AWG wires running to the graphs, one at the helm and another at the bow. It then has a 10 AWG wire running to the helm to power the accessories.

The potential problem is the ground. There is a buss that everything is attached to and then one 10 AWG wire running back to the battery. Could this be causing the voltage drop? If so can I just run another 10 AWG wire from the buss back to the battery? I should add that there are two batteries in the engine compartment - one for the graphs and accessories and another for the motor.

[bobcoy]

The entire circuit counts from the positive all the way back to the negative. It kind of depends what everything amounts to in load. This is the reason this "home run" thing started to eliminate the unknown or at least the unknown actual load that is on the circuit. This is why separate wires are run, to and from the Solix units. Electrically speaking it matters not if they are separate wires(providing wire size is adequate and connections are good . I personally have connecting fuse blocks, but I know what is hooked to what. If one #10 wire carries all the load( 2 solix plus other stuff)back to the battery I would think 10 to be on the small side. JMO Bob

[zelmo]

If one #10 wire carries all the load( 2 solix plus other stuff)back to the battery I would think 10 to be on the small side. JMO Bob

That is what I was thinking also except that I wasn’t sure if it mattered when only one Solix was powered up and nothing else was turned on.

Here’s the rub - I have enough black 10 AWG on hand to easily run another wire to the buss. I also have 6 AWG that I could use, but again only enough for one run. If I want to run both positive and negative wires to each Solix I need to buy more wire. This isn’t a money issue but a desire to figure out if this is the problem. I had to remove storage compartments to get to the wiring and I am not putting them back in until the job is done. Ordering more wire will cause additional delay.

[bobcoy]

I would use the 6.As long as you have it, on the longest run. The mixture of sizes is not a problem as long they are both large enough. The total resistance of the circuit will be less with the use of the bigger wire. The only downside is you have to use larger size connections for the #6. Saving money and not having to store it are both plusses. Bob

[zelmo]

I didn't have enough connectors on hand so there has been a delay in getting this done. I finally have what I need and started by cutting the power cord to shorten it .

I will admit that I only know enough about electronics to make me dangerous.

Here is an example. This is a piece of that cord after I took the red and black wires out.



I am assuming the foil is a shield, but what about the other wire? Is that there so this wire could be set up with a ground in a different application?

[Wayne P.]

I didn't have enough connectors on hand so there has been a delay in getting this done. I finally have what I need and started by cutting the power cord to shorten it .



Here is an example. This is a piece of that cord after I took the red and black wires out.



I am assuming the foil is a shield, but what about the other wire? Is that there so this wire could be set up with a ground in a different application?

That is the DRAIN wire used for some accessories like MEGA 360.

[zelmo]

Thanks.

[zelmo]

New wiring did not work any better than before. By that I mean the Solix at the bow has the stalled sonar screen roughly half the time on start up. When that happens the US2 has a very slow tick as opposed to a rapid ticking when it is working properly.

I ran 10AWG positive and negative wire from the fuse box to the power cord of the Solix at the bow. I didn’t change the wiring to the helm since it is working properly. Reading at the fuse box with no load was 12.82v. After turning on the bow unit it dropped to 12.68v at the fuse box and 12.6 on the Solix display. I then tried the Solix at the helm with the bow unit off and got the same numbers, except that unit always turns on without a hiccup.

I am going to put the boat back together and hope for the best because I don’t know what else to try.

Edit: I just couldn’t leave it alone. I tried checking all terminals to make sure they were tight and didn’t find any problems. I then went into Sonar Settings. On that screen “2D Chirp” was set to on, while right below it there is a radio button for 2D that was set to automatic. I changed “2D Chirp” to off and the screen immediately started scrolling. If it stays fixed I guess those two settings were creating a conflict that caused it to freeze.

[OK_BassBum]

yeah buddy and beware of the global settings. You can change something at the helm and it can change
the unit at the bow. That led to this statement from wayne on your original post.

You got lost in the details.
A US2 transducer does 83/200 kHz 2D-only. 800 kHz is an Imaging frequency.

The HW 2D transducer is CHIRP rated Low-Q and tuned to 140-240 kHz.
The unit should be set to use that frequency range. The first generation SOLIX units are default 83/200 kHz.

Turn off Global settings!

[zelmo]

yeah buddy and beware of the global settings. You can change something at the helm and it can change
the unit at the bow. That led to this statement from wayne on your original post.

You got lost in the details.
A US2 transducer does 83/200 kHz 2D-only. 800 kHz is an Imaging frequency.

The HW 2D transducer is CHIRP rated Low-Q and tuned to 140-240 kHz.
The unit should be set to use that frequency range. The first generation SOLIX units are default 83/200 kHz.

Turn off Global settings!

Global settings are only applicable if you have a network. These units are independent and are not networked.

The strange thing is that the settings were fine for many hours on the water. I didn’t change a thing; it just stopped working.

[zelmo]

I have been trying to get a handle on this. Does the US2 not support CHIRP? If that is the case then my problem is easy to understand.

[OK_BassBum]

You are correct sir, the US2 does not do chirp or High-Wide. And if you update your unit, you can
get reset to different settings on the unit. It's the factory default, gets me all the time.

A US2 transducer does 83/200 kHz 2D-only.

To have the US2 work, your sonar settings for the bow will have to be set to use the 83/200 kHz.


​

[Wayne P.]

I have been trying to get a handle on this. Does the US2 not support CHIRP? If that is the case then my problem is easy to understand.

Yes the US2 can be CHIRPed. All the second generation Helix units CHIRP 83/200 kHz at 75-95 kHz / 175-225 kHz.
The first generation Helix 12's CHIRPed the same frequencies.

That is BEFORE Humminbird used a true CHIRP rated Low-Q piezo with the HW frequency band.
Current units can still be set to CHIRP or not CHIRP a 83/200 kHz transducer.

AND you can use the 83/200 kHz US2 for the HW CHIRP if you want, just won't be as precise as a true CHIRP piezo. Humminbird's HW CHIRP frequency spectrum is 140-240 kHz.