Lowrance networking ?

[sparkyaber]

Lets say a fella has an lms-332c mounted in his console, the transducer epoxied into the hull, and the gps puck mounted securely at the stern of the boat. Lets say this same guy has a trolling motor that has the universal sonar mounted at the bow of the boat. Could he buy a new lx-27c (with out a tranducer and with out gps) and just "replace" the 332? Is the 332 network compatable? if so, I am assuming that it is the blue connector, not the new (yellow I think). Do the make an adapter? Are the tranducer and power connections the same? Are the gps pucks the same? It would be really nice to be able to move the 332 to the bow, and have a bigger screen at the helm. Any help would be apprecciated.

Thanks

[LMITOUT]

I believe that the 332 has the "blue" network connectors while the 27 has the red, but something you'll need to verify. That would be the only issue and that can easily be overcome by using the blue-to-red adaptor cables sold by LEI.

[Valv]

My 27c has Enet yellow and Network red color connectors.... I am following this with a lot of interest.

[sparkyaber]

Quote:

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I believe that the 332 has the "blue" network connectors while the 27 has the red, but something you'll need to verify. That would be the only issue and that can easily be overcome by using the blue-to-red adaptor cables sold by LEI.

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Yep, it would be red, sorry.

Now I know they make an adapter to put an old (blue) device on a new (red) network, but how about putting a new device on an old network? That is a much easier description than the one that I typed up above. I also found that the gps pucks are different. I still don't know if they are interchangable.

[LMITOUT]

My boat came with all blue network components but it had the new LCX-28cHD and LMS-520c graphs (red connectors). At the time my boat was built the red network equipment was very limited so the factory used the blue T's with the blue-red adapter cables for the two graphs. My GPS puck is connected to a T in the network bus and so is the temperature probe.

edit - OK, the 332 did have the red connectors?..thanks for that.

The adapter cables are interchangeable....old to new or new to old...doesn't matter. Just a different type of connector for the most part. Do you have a network bus (blue or red T's)?

The yellow is for ethernet and not used for this application.

[sparkyaber]

It is actually on that reata that I am looking at. I am just assuming that the 332 uses a blue network cable to attach to the gps module? It is a 2005. Is there some other form connection to the puck? (Other than nema 2000).

LMIT- I was implying in my above post that the lcx-27c had the red connectors. Not the lms-332. I think those still have the blue. Anyways, we were trying to say the same thing, only a different way .

[LMITOUT]

I don't think the network is red on the 332 after some further searching. The 332 typically came with the LMS-2000 puck which is blue so you'd need a blue-red cable to connect to the X27 I'm sure. Is it your intention to network the 332 and 27, or just trying to put a 27 in place of the 332 and that's it?

[sparkyaber]

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Is it your intention to network the 332 and 27, or just trying to put a 27 in place of the 332 and that's it?

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Yes, and Yes. I would remove the 332 from the console and move it to the bow, and in its place, put in a 27. (using the existing transducer in the hull for the 27, and using the trolling motor transducer for the 332. Also networking the two units together to utilize the existing gps module.) I know it is almost 300 dollars cheaper to buy the 27 without the gps and without the transducer.

[LMITOUT]

Looks like the 332 and X27 utilize the same types of transducers, so the X27 should accept the 332 transducer just fine.

The power cable part numbers don't match, so that might be something you need to look into. Not sure why, but they have two different power cables listed for the X27 and the 332. That's fine I suppose since you'll need to take that power cable to the bow anyway. It'd be nice to not have to unwire that one and then put in the 27's power cable, but you may have to.

To network the two units together I would get the red network T's if you can find them. They've been trickling out very slowly this summer. Get three RED T's with two terminating resistors. Use a red network cable from the 27 to one T, a blue-red cable from the GPS puck (assuming it's a LMS-2000) to another T, and then a long blue-red cable from the bow (332) to the last T.

That would be my idea of how it would work, maybe someone else has a cleaner idea.

[sparkyaber]

Perfect! That is what I needed to know. I did not know that they made a cable to put a new device onto an old network. Are the adapter cables female-female, or female-male, or male-male? If I remember correctly they are female-female? I guess that would allow for putting a new unit on an old network, or an old unit on a new network.

I may have just answered my own question .

Thanks again

[Mykal]

Sparkyarber, I am running an X27 on the dash and a 332 and a 102 on the stearn at my kicker station. My 332 can also move to bow. I run a blue network and found the red to blue connector for the X27 but had to find female to female. They make differentversions so look at the ends closley and also make sure you term each end with 120 ohm and not the 60omh terminators. I use one blue and one red term. Works great. You will have to download the 1.7 or now the new 1,8 version softwre update on your 332 to work off the x27 3000 gps module. If your running the 2000 module then you will not need to update software. Yes it can be done either way.

[sparkyaber]

Mykal- did you update your 332 to the new version? 1.8. I updated a friends unit, just trying to be a nice guy and all, and It really messed up his sonar. We had to downdate his unit back to the original 1.6 version to remedy the situation. What is the resistance of each of the terminations? I didn't know there was a difference.

Thanks for all of the great info. It would have been impossible to get this information from lowrance.