Diagnosing Sonar Problem

Unit won't turn on:
1. Check the power cable's connection at the unit. Also check the wir-ing.
2. Make certain the power cable is wired properly. The red wire con-nects to the positive battery terminal, black to negative or ground.
3. Check the fuse.
4. Measure the battery voltage at the unit's power connector. It shouldbe at least 11 volts. If it isn't, the wiring to the unit is defective, thebattery terminals or wiring on the terminals are corroded, or the bat-tery needs charging.



This is from an operation/installation manual I found online for an eagle 320 sea finder

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cane Pole

wires at battery metered to associated connector pin when unplugged at back of unit. clip meter to either battery wire and search for continuity at connector. both wires should read continuity to their associated pin.

you didn't reverse connect your battery did you? 2 red wires makes me nervous.

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Not a chance. (Famous last words! LOL!) Good observation though. The reason being is that when I put the battery connectors on the wires, I made sure to put the fuse link on the positive end (see picture above). And it's been working out for me for quite a number of years. Could I have made a mistake.....of course.....anyone can. But I'm very confident that I did not make that mistake; that's the first thing that I double check when hooking up the boat.

And that would not explain the unit working sometimes and sometimes not - and then just stopping altogether? Some good thoughts here - Thanks!

I prefer continuity testing when dealing with intermittent problems. Lots safer to jiggle for ohms than jiggle for voltage.


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be sure to disconnect wires from battery when continuity testing. you are testing wires between battery and plug pins.

I looked for a pinout diagram for the connector for that unit but couldn't find one. Being the power and transducer are contained within one connector, it makes it a little more difficult to troubleshoot. Check continuity from the connections at the battery to the connector at the ff. If you don't have continuity from each battery connector to a pin on the ff connector, you have an open wire. If your ff connector is female, use a paper clip to access the circuit.

also, if you test for 12v at the pins and read 12v, this can be misleading. if you have a resistive connection, such as corrosion or bad crimp or cold solder, etc. you would probably still read 12v with a meter.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cane Pole

also, if you test for 12v at the pins and read 12v, this can be misleading. if you have a resistive connection, such as corrosion or bad crimp or cold solder, etc. you would probably still read 12v with a meter.

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So true. I would still look for that splice, no electronic manufacturer would have two red wires for a power cable.

Hey, Cane Pole, where is Pumphouse, TN? I'm originally from Lawrence County, TN.

pumphouse is springville, tn. springville is a community area, there is no city or town per se.

about 15 miles from paris, tn.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cane Pole

pumphouse is springville, tn. springville is a community area, there is no city or town per se.

about 15 miles from paris, tn.

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Lots of good water around you.

Could the on /off button be the culprit ? Sometimes the button will stick .