Raymarine E 120 Depth Finder Problem

[lorenzo b]

My E 120 Raymarine depth finder keeps freezing up on me just when I need it most. I have heard this is a common problem but I have not found the solution.
Any ideas?

[Ram]

never heard of it, mines working great for years

[r.furborough]

There is an issue with some Raymarine DSM's. The backplane connector/header solder joints need to be re-soldered, this is a known issue and a quick fix. Also, some earlier software revisions caused a problem. A quick call to your local Raymarine dealer should provide the solution.

The latest software versions are noted here:

Raymarine is pleased to announce the immediate availability of two software releases.

• Version 5.52 software for all E-Series Classic Multifunction displays (MFDs)
• Version 4.11 software for the DSM30/300 Digital Sounder Modules.

E-Series Classic version 5.52 software provides a number of new features and improvements for MFD/Autopilot integration, Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), chartplotter functionality and general performance.
Version 4.11 software for the DSM30/300 Digital Sounder Modules in conjunction with E-Series Classic version 5.52 resolves SeaTalkhs communication issues between the two products.

[lorenzo b]

Thank you so much. Very helpful.
I'll call them today.

[lorenzo b]

Joyce called them this morning and they thought maybe the unit wasn't getting enough amps, they claim it's a real power hog, so I jumped the on off fused switch and it seems to work fine. I need to take it out for a long voyage to really check it out, quite often it worked fine for a few hours before freezing up. I'll report back as soon as I know.

[tzt]

Hi. From experience with these systems - first, update to v5.52 and v4.11.
Make sure there is enough juice for the DSM, it can draw upwards of 12A. Although I've seen maybe one case where power was the issue.

For the freezing - I have seen this on systems in the past where the freezing issue was a bad ducer - typically in those systems the ducers were the P319 units.

If you press and hold the data key while a CF card is inserted you can grab a screenshot of the issue when it happen, it is saved to the CF as a JPEG. Useful tool.