LMS-520C Installation ?

[broken line]

Picked up an LMS-520C at the Sportsman's Show and now its time to install in the boat. My question is : The power cable has three different sets of bare wires (data cable, display unit power cable and NMEA 2000 power cable). I'm fairly sure I don't have to use the data cable - and I'm pretty sure I connect the display unit power to the battery like normal - but do I have to connect the NMEA wires to power as well (I am not sure what they are for). I'm just looking for the depth finder and GPS to work.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[PerchJerker]

You need to power both set of power cables to get the unit and the gps to work. You don't need to use the data cables.

[LMITOUT]

Another thing that people like to do with the NMEA cable is wire in a switch so that you can manually drop the power to the NMEA circuit. (this is mentioned in the manual as well) The GPS will use a small amount of power even with the graph turned off, so if you don't use the boat for a period of time you may return to find the battery dead. You might have a master power switch in your boat and that will do the job as well. Wiring in a disconnect switch for the NMEA is not required, but I thought you may want to be aware of it if you weren't already.

Have fun with your 520. It's a nice graph!

[broken line]

Thanks Guys!

[midwesthunter]

So the GPS receiver has its own power cord? I guess I assumed it was getting the power from the unit.

[LMITOUT]

The puck doesn't have a power cord, but it does use a small amount of power within the NMEA communications circuit that goes to it. As said earlier, there is a power connection for the graph itself, and another for the NMEA circuit to "energize" all the devices on that line....the GPS being one of them. This is where the switch comes into play to disconnect the power from the NMEA circuit and prevent battery drain.

[PerchJerker]

So the GPS receiver has its own power cord? I guess I assumed it was getting the power from the unit.

Correct. Like Dan said, you have to make 2 power connections to the unit, 1 to power the unit, 1 to power the devices on the network (ie. the gps puck).