I have a Raymarine C80 shart plotter / sounder with a DSM 300. I can't get the "status" light to come on and therefore I can't do a DSM reset. The fuse on the power input to the DSM was blown so I changed that. I did a factory reset when I turned the C80 unit on but to no avail. Anyone have any other ideas why the "status" light doesn't come on?

My Raymarine E80 depth display kept freezing up (display then says "DSM connection lost"). Of course, this seems to happen more often when entering a tight shallow anchorage in Alaska's inside passage. Raymarine tech support recommended that I update the display software and then update the DSM300 sounder software. I did this to no avail. Then Raymarine told me to install a dashboard mounted toggle switch inline with the positive power input of the DSM300 module so I could do hard re-sets (turning off the system power or powering down the displays does not reset the sounder module). This I did. Now when entering a tight anchorage, the display still freezes, but at least I can do a hard re-set with the new toggle switch and have the unit back up in about 40 seconds (a life time in a tight channel with the current running, etc.). Now, Raymarine says that if I send in the DSM module to them, they will replace it with their new circuit boards that solve this chronic problem that they have known about for a long time (hello, this is a significant safety issue - why no recall?).
Don't mess with this - send your DSM300 in to Raymarine!
Bob S.

Make sure that your battery is in perfect condition. Low battery may trigger that alarm

Murray,

Has the DSM and the E120 software been upgraded to the latest software: 4.12 for the DSM and 5.52 for the E120?

Try this first. You can download the software off Raymarine.com and burn each to a separate compact flash card.

I have seen many problems like you are experiencing solved with this simple change.

If this doesn't solve the problem, the DSM will have to go back to Raymarine for repair.

Check to see if this is a power issue by connecting to shore power and fully charging your batteries overnight with instruments off. While still connected to shore power, with batteries fully charged, turn on C80 navigation system. If the loading screen comes on and does not reset, then try holding down the button immediately to the right of the red power button for at least 3 seconds to see if the system re-boots.

your feeling is correct on this it is still probably software! but also be aware that the power in connections are very susceptible to vibration and strains and once cracked inside they get a mind of their own. If this is a come and go problem that won't resolve, reflow the solder joints inside the DSM.

The only other way would be to change the PSU board in the unit. The connector back plane is connected to this board.I am a authorized Raymarine repairer. I could drop ship you the board from Raymarine and email you an instruction manual on how to change it.I am not located in the US so shipping the unit to me for repair becomes expensive.You can also check with your dealer in Seattle first but I do not think that he can buy the board from Raymarine. Raymarine policy on repairing product is different from country to country. We are on the other side of the world so Raymarine allows us to repair there product as it is to costly to ship it all back to there repair facility in the states or the UK.If your unit is still under factory warranty then if you open it it will void the warranty.So then you would have to send it to Raymarine. With a diagram if you are natural a technical person you will not have a problem changing the board.If you are technically challenged I would say send it to Raymarine. Hope this helps.

The C Series units have a specific cable that connects directly to the DSM. The GPS antenna has multiple wires that will need to be connected to the "SeaTalk" port on the C80. The SeaTalk cable comes with the display. The GPS connects as indicated in the following link :

http://raymarine.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/raymarine.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1359&p_created=1222441077&p_sid=aIunftHj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTUsMTUmcF9wcm9kcz03LDczJnBfY2F0cz04NiZwX3B2PTIuNzMmcF9jdj0xLjg2JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD13aXJpbmcgdG8gQzgw&p_li=&p_topview=1

I don't have the sounder so can't address your question directly, but you can download all Raymarine manuals for your gear directly at www.raymarine.com

You have either the DSM250 or DSM300 digital depth sounder module installed. The C80 is not seeing it.

There is an LED status light on the DSM. For starters, it should be lit either red, yellow or green to confirm it is actually powered on. We are hoping for a green light.

Double-check the cable between DSM and C80 for tightness. Also double-check the DSM's power cable for tightness.

The DSM's are sensitive to voltage level onboard. Make sure the DSM's connections to the circuit breaker panel or battery are tight and clean. Double check with a multimeter the there is 12V DC available to the DSM.

Let me know what you find.