Raymarine Axiom 7-RV MFD with RealVision Transducer

[jimmy alonso]

I'm currently bench testing my Raymarine Axiom 7 system before installing. I was wondering if the touchscreens are always borderline unusable or do I just have a defective unit? I have a 7" axiom with Lighthouse 3. Did the software update, etc. It seems as though the screen is just not calibrated properly though I can't find a way to calibrate it anywhere in the settings and the manual is useless. Sometimes it won't register an input at all, sometimes it will rapid fire. It made typing in the wifi password to get updates incredibly frustrating and turning the unit on/off is simply impossible because you have to hold the power button for like 10 seconds and it won't register a finger input for that long no matter how hard you push...

Nice setup. I have an older Raymarine touchscreen eS78. Touchscreen should work just like your phone touchscreen or iPad

Maybe you tried some of the following already.

1. Try using the Axiom stand alone with only the power cable connected.
2. Use the Ray Control app on your phone connected to the Axiom's wifi to see if you control the Axiom from your phone without any problem.

if #1 works something is interfering with the Axiom on the network. reconnect devices one by one back to isolate the problem device.
if #2 works fine the touchscreen may be faulty.

[imjustinbraun]

I thought I'd give everyone an update. I managed to get the screen working reliably without issue. It turns out that the chassis ground connection really needs to be grounded to the person touching the screen. ON my bench test setup the ground was just grounded to all of the other chassis grounds for all of the other equipment. If you hold the ground line, the screen works fine.

On the boat I'm running the chassis ground to the mast and possibly the motor chassis which I believe will be sufficient for the touchscreen. I might even ground it to the steering wheel as well so that I can just grab the wheel if the touch screen isn't responsive.

[adudinsk]

Good to know!

I am starting by getting some used Raymarine Pods for Wind and Speed. (SeaTalkNG) and then a Raymarine SeaTalk to SeaTalkNG bridge thingie..
The Axiom + has no SeaTalk.. just SeaTalk NG.. so this will allow me to reduce the "screens" to one Axiom+ on the pedestal, and put remotes elsewhere if needed. Need the Old SeaTalk, as my autopilot is not NG completable. Adding a paddle wheel speed transducer so I can get Speed over Land, AND speed over water (with current's effect)

just collecting kibbles and bits then I can pull the trigger.




AD

[Be Free]

......
On the boat I'm running the chassis ground to the mast and possibly the motor chassis which I believe will be sufficient for the touchscreen. I might even ground it to the steering wheel as well so that I can just grab the wheel if the touch screen isn't responsive.

I'm curious as to why you plan to run a ground wire to the mast?

[imjustinbraun]

I'm curious as to why you plan to run a ground wire to the mast?

After a bit more research, I'm opting not to do this. My thinking at the time was that I wanted to ground to a current sink and the mast seemed to be the biggest one I could think of. With that said, doing this will fry all of the electronics onboard in the event of a lightning strike.

[Starscream]

I just climbed on board for the first time this spring, the snow has receded enough to allow me to slip under the tarp at the back.

A few measurements confirm that the axiom 7 won't be able to flush-mount on the port bulkhead under the winch with the included hardware. The transducer cable is heavy-gauge and plugs directly in the back with a beefy connector, so even with a tight radius bend there isn't enough room between the bulkhead and the back of the electrical panel.

I still don't want it on the pedestal: too in the way of lines and too much of a theft target.

So I just ordered the A80498 flush mount kit from Binnacle. The plan is to use a 1/2" HDPE spacer mounted on the bulkhead, with the template cutout through the HDPE and the bulkhead together. The flush-mount kit looks like it adds another maybe 1/2", so together they'll gain about an inch. It still might not be enough, and if it isn't I'll have to either go to a 1" HDPE spacer, or maybe route the transducer cable through the inner liner beside the electrical panel...ugly with exposed wires so I'll try to avoid this.

Boat doesn't smell bad, so that's a good start.

[imjustinbraun]

So I just ordered the A80498 flush mount kit from Binnacle. The plan is to use a 1/2" HDPE spacer mounted on the bulkhead, with the template cutout through the HDPE and the bulkhead together. The flush-mount kit looks like it adds another maybe 1/2", so together they'll gain about an inch. It still might not be enough, and if it isn't I'll have to either go to a 1" HDPE spacer, or maybe route the transducer cable through the inner liner beside the electrical panel...ugly with exposed wires so I'll try to avoid this.

If that doesn't end up working out, check out sailpods. There's a few different manufacturers with various features but I'll link the 2 popular ones here:

https://navpod.com/manufacturer-model/axiom-7/
https://www.seaviewglobal.com/products/ ... 9257912418

[Starscream]

I'm starting the spring renovations.

Today I cut the mounting hole for the Axiom 7 in the bulkhead. It was a little nerve-racking, with all the wires that are jammed into that compartment. I took out the main fuse panel and continuously checked the depth of the jigsaw blade. Most of the cutting was done with the jigsaw held off of the surface to keep the blade penetration distance to an absolute minimum.

It looks like everything will fit fine, and I may not even need the 1/4" HDPE spacer that I fabricated. We'll see once I get the wires run, and plugged in.

The front-mount part that I ordered was the right way to go. A80498 is the Raymarine part number, and it was about $80 cdn. This allows mounting from outside, with four screws, and makes connecting the wires easy because the unit just pops out the front and you have access to the entire bulkhead wiring space behind the panel.

I was previously a bit disappointed that the unit wouldn't fit on the pedestal, but in retrospect this is the best way to go because the unit comes with its own wi-fi, and you can download the Raymarine app to integrate any cell or tablet into the network wirelessly. So I can put a cheap tablet at the helm and still have all the functionality I need while driving. I'd rather have the mainsheet wrap around a cheap tablet than the not-cheap Axiom. At least, that's how I understood the documentation, so I'll confirm once I have it up and running.

Here's the dry-fit with the 1/4" HDPE spacer. All the screws are hidden behind the A80498 faceplate, so it looks clean. The fiberglass was about 1/4" thick on the bulkhead, and I worried a bit about cutting so much out, right under the winch.



The faceplate mount makes the unit look larger than it is. The Axiom 7 is recessed into it and is a bit smaller than it looks in the photo here. The A80498 came with a new sun-cover, once that is slightly bigger than the original one, to account for the additional faceplate border around the unit.

Now, to run the wires...this is always an exercise in frustration on an X.

[Starscream]

Gotta hand it to Raymarine, it was truly plug-n-play with zero mystery. Recognized the Autopilot right away after a simple setup. Going to clip on the two screw-cover pieces and call the display portion complete.

Wiring the transducer for the RV display, now there's another challenge. The transducer wire's gotta be a half inch thick.

[Starscream]

Does anyone have any comments or advice in drilling a 1" hole through the transom to pass the transducer cable? I already have a 5/8" hole from the previous cable, and I'm planning to fill it temporarily with some light epoxy so that I can re-drill a 1" hole for the new connector.

The new cable is maybe 1/4" diameter but the connector is a full inch.

Should I sheath, or wrap, the cable where it passes through the transom and then fill the rest of the hole with thickened 105 epoxy?

[Starscream]

I'm combining threads a bit, here.

I am a little concerned about the transom because of the 90 HP, the transducer hole, and the damage done by the now-bankrupt Evinrude dealer. They left the swim ladder down, attached a tugger, and backed my boat up a hill, mangling the ladder in the process and leaving the straightened ladder just a bit wiggly on its bolts. It cracked the exterior trim around the ladder bolts.

I've always wondered if the transom actually cracked around the ladder bolts or if the cracking was just superficial on the exterior trim. So yesterday I crawled in to the back for a good inspection from the inside.

The transom is several different thicknesses. Where the motor mounts, it is extremely thick, and where the rudders mount as well. At the rudders, it looks like two vertical "beams" of thicker fiberglass, and all around the motor mounts it looks like a large square-ish mounting "plate". In between the motor mount and the rudder beams, the transom is much less thick. The ladder bolts and transducer cable go through this thinner part.

From the inside, the ladder bolts look perfect; no sign of cracking or damage. I'll take the bolts out when it's warmer , cut out the cracked trim, sand and epoxy the area around the bolts, then re-drill the holes.

All that to say, I'm just gonna drill a 1"hole in the transom where the 5/8 hole was, and not worry about it. I epoxied the hole yesterday to give the drill something to bite into, hopefully it will be set today. Temps in the 30s so we'll see.

Oh, and I tried the RayConnect app. It's perfect, giving full control and functionality from my cell, including autopilot control, charts, and every function that I could thing of to test. It's like the cell is an exact copy of the MFD display, with only the slightest lag between the two.

[Starscream]

Now that I just posted how great the Rayconnect app is, Raymarine just updated it, called it Raymarine (instead of Rayconnect) and now it doesn't work anymore. Reinstalling it just gives an error message about the developer. Samsung S20.

I installed the RV100 (dry fit). I used three previous holes from the transducer to mount a 1/2 HDPE plate. There were six holes below the waterline from the PO, so I drilled them all wider, filled them with thickened epoxy, and redrilled the mounting holes in the epoxy. Now I can use the HDPE to add a paddlewheel, or who knows, maybe an underwater LED for some night fishing.

That RV-100 transducer is huge.

The Axiom 7 recognized it right away, of course, and now I have depth and temp. Looking forward to checking out the realvision sonar.

[adudinsk]

Hi Starscream.. noticed one Mac had a BLACK mast..
Is this a carbon fiber one? A remast? Or a paint job?

Considering changing my mast..

AD

[adudinsk]

Also.. just wondering.. is the Axiom 7" big enough.. all the ppl at the club (Garmin ppl.. so who knows..) say 9"-12" is the way to go.

AD

[Starscream]

Hi Starscream.. noticed one Mac had a BLACK mast..
Is this a carbon fiber one? A remast? Or a paint job?

Considering changing my mast..

AD

The black mast is on the Jill Kristy (Ris). It's a short trawler mast, made of wood I believe, and not used for sailing, just for holding stuff like the loud-hailer.

The 7" isn't huge, but it's more than enough for a 26X. I wouldn't want a larger unit anwhere in the cockpit. Plus, the Axiom comes with Wi-Fi so you can connect a cheap tablet, as large as you want, and have full controllability of the MFD.