# Please Help With Wiring A Lowrance Elite HDI



## Sluggo

I bought a Lowrance Elite 5 HDI with GPS Chartplotter for my bass boat. The installation/wiring manual that was included in the package is just a basic wiring diagram. Nevertheless, I don't understand some things and I want to make sure I get it right when I wire it. So I am asking fellow OGFer's for help! 

Please click on the link below to see a scan of the wiring diagram sent with my Elite 5 HDI combo unit. I have written the questions I have in RED on the scanned diagram. If any of you can help by answering any or all of these questions.....and/or offering any other helpful advice . . . . I would GREATLY appreciate it. You can either answer by posting to this thread or pm me. I thank you ahead of time.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z9d5x5vbj3jc78a/Elite_5_HDI_Wiring.pdf?dl=0


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## Workdog

The Yellow wire is not connected to anything (N/C = not connected). Disregard the NMEA 0183 unless you are going to connect a radio or non NMEA 2000 autopilot to the unit.


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## MassillonBuckeye

If you have a ground bus and a power bus, you can certainly run your wiring to that. Or a switch running off said bus. Just make sure +(red) goes to +12v and black goes to a ground. There's all sorts of configurations that can happen between the battery and an electronic device. Panels, switches etc.

TX+ and - is referring to "Talker" or transmitter. Its basically saying "information sends on this cable". If you aren't connecting more than your transducer to your fish finder, you don't use those connections.

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/UniversalNMEA0183.html

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMEA_0183


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## Sluggo

Thanks for your help. With it I was able to get the unit hooked up!!!


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## large6er

Make sure you go to the lowrance web site and get there latest update on the unit. I have the elite 7 I purchased just over a year ago and I have had 3 updates on the unit. Each one has has improved the unit a little each time. 

Also watch this site some of the posters on here will let you know when the new updates are out.


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## All Eyes

I had the same questions when installing mine, along with probably most other people who bought one. They could have done a much better job of describing the NMEA wiring and explaining what they were IMO. But once it's installed, I found that the Elite is real easy to learn how to operate. They made it very user friendly to navigate through the menu pages and user controls on them. If you are like me, you will love that thing out on the water. I like to use the split screen of both the conventional color and down scan side by side. Between the two, there is no guess work as to what's under the boat. 
Do yourself a big favor and buy the static film protectors for your screen! Once finger smudges and water drops get on them it's almost impossible to get them off. They are available from several manufacturers online. I found them on E-Bay, and are pre cut to fit the screen perfectly.


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## large6er

I second the screen protector film


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## Sluggo

Unfortunately, I did not know/think about the screen protector for the unit. Wish I had as I already have water and fingerprint smears on my screen. How do you get the screen clean again? If I can get it clean again I can get the screen protector and install it on it. 

Also, how do I update the unit? 

And can I leave the transducer on the boat throughout winter? Will the low temps hurt it? I will have the boat in unheated storage?

I GREATLY appreciate all the help!


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## large6er

there are a a few home remedies that guys use and I tried some of them but for removing water spots and finger prints I use this stuff called, Wave Away Sonar/GPS Screen-Cleaner Kit. It cost about $10 for a spray bottle and it comes with a cleaning cloth, you can get it from Cabelas, it works great. 

To do updates go to www.lowrance.com click on the USA (for which country) while here I would register your unit first, because there have been a few problems with these units and you may need the warranty maintence department. Next go to the support tab and Follow the directions for updates on that tab for your unit. You will need a *micro SD card* to download this update and transfer it to your unit. I think you may need a 4G to do this but I have seen that sometimes a 8G card will work. I have no idea why the larger ones won''t work but I nearly pulled my hair out trying to do an update and I found out it doesn't like the larger cards. ???? 

Good luck

Mike


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## All Eyes

It's a shame that Lowrance did not include the protective film with those units. The HDI's are relatively inexpensive for the features that they offer, so I guess it's another thing to keep the cost down. At a minimum, they could have stressed the importance of the protectors in the operators manual. I'm just glad I got a heads up from other owners before taking mine out on the water.
As far as the transducer goes, I've never had any problems with similar ones being left out in my unheated garage through the winter. I don't suppose these would be any different.


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## Nauti cat

(alleyes)Do yourself a big favor and buy the static film protectors for your screen! Once finger smudges and water drops get on them it's almost impossible to get them off.) 
I bought a product at the home&garden show z-wax it works on gps/sonar screens www.zooke.com just cleaned my screens with it will be buying a screen saver


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## large6er

If you think its bad that lowrance didn't include a screen protector. Wait until you figure out the HDI units don't work smoothly until you buy the point 1 antenna for $200 and the nmea starter kit for another $70. But after I invested $1000 in $700 unit it work like a champ now. I just wish I had saved a few more dollars and got the HDS gen 2


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## MassillonBuckeye

You can treat these like a normal LCD. Here's a good article. 

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Computer-Monitor/LCD-Screen


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## ssv1761982

large6er said:


> If you think its bad that lowrance didn't include a screen protector. Wait until you figure out the HDI units don't work smoothly until you buy the point 1 antenna for $200 and the nmea starter kit for another $70. But after I invested $1000 in $700 unit it work like a champ now. I just wish I had saved a few more dollars and got the HDS gen 2


Huh? Please explain. I am considering one of the Elite 7 hdi that Cabelas is going to have on sale.


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## All Eyes

large6er said:


> If you think its bad that lowrance didn't include a screen protector. Wait until you figure out the HDI units don't work smoothly until you buy the point 1 antenna for $200 and the nmea starter kit for another $70. But after I invested $1000 in $700 unit it work like a champ now. I just wish I had saved a few more dollars and got the HDS gen 2


Not sure what you mean regarding them not working smoothly. All functions on my HDI unit work great. The internal GPS antenna is accurate enough to detect when I move my boat a couple ft. in the garage so again, no problems there. I'm assuming you had an issue with your NMEA communication connections, but mine aren't hooked up as I don't have a need for them.


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## large6er

I am talking about the processor speed in the unit it's self. When I first got the unit and used it out on the lake the unit continuely lost signal (satelite/GPS) so the screen would freeze until it could reestablish contact. It would reconnect in 5 seconds or it may take 5 minutes. Also When I did have connection the SOG would bounce all over from .8 to 4 or 5 mph so I had to rely on my I-pilot on the trolling motor to show my trolling speed, so to me it didn't work smoothly. This also affected my duel or triple display/page, which ever I had on the screen (GPS, sonar, and down image). So after a couple times of this happening I called Lowrance and the only fix they offered was for me to buy the point-1 antenna at $200. The point-1 recieves 10 inputs per second for positioning vs. the internal which I beleive and could be wrong only recieved 3-6 inputs. Not being an electronics expert I guess that had an effect on how the processor worked. Now by the time Lowrance did there two new updates and with the addition of the point-1 I added my unit works well now. What you will notice now is when you hit your cursor to move it to a location it's slow to respond and I was told that is still do to the processor being slow. 

The NMEA was added the same time the point-1 was added because thats the only way the antenna can be connected to the unit. There is no communication issue with the NMEA it worked fine. I just complained because Lowrance told me to buy the antenna and I didn't know I had to buy the starter kit to plug everything into so I had to spend another $70 and wait a few more days for the starter kit to hook everything up. 

Now don't get me wrong, as of right now I like the unit and I am very impressed with the down imaging it's amazing. But right now Cabelas and some other places have the HDS 7 gen 2 touch on sale for less than $1000. Thats what I have in my elite 7 now with the addition of the antenna and starter kit and hardware. Now you can get the elite 7 on sale now for about $400 so with the updates you can get a nice unit for cheap even *IF* you would have to add an antenna


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