Way to disable ballast fill?

[Jetjock15]

Crazy I have to ask this question right? Not happy. My screen goes rouge at times on my 15 Z3, read my post here
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...chscreen-issue

Anyway last trip the phantom operator filled a front ballast without me knowing. My fam camps via boat on Powell and on the 40 mile trek in and out all my compartments are filled. The rear ones get filled with bagged firewood, BBQ, ect. I'm afraid of a rear bag filled it would press up against that stuff and break something. So until I get the screen issue figured out, is there a fuse or something I could pull to protect that from happening? Was thinking if I left screen off that might prevent. But then I can't see what the system is trying to do and that makes me nervous.
So happy I have to deal with this on a 2015 boat. Any advice. Yes replacing screen might help but many are reporting issues still after screen replace. A ballast disable would be nice

[chpthril]

Pop the cover off the viper control box that exposes the fuses and pull the ones labeled for ballast.

[Jetjock15]

I'll look thank you. Is that up under steering wheel area? Thanks

[chpthril]

yes should be the black box on the helm wall with the wire exiting.

[jslayde1]

Pop the cover off the viper control box that exposes the fuses and pull the ones labeled for ballast.

@Mike - I'm not sure we have fuse protection/breakers in a control box as other models before. I believe it is only digital input/output... I ran into this when I first got our Z3 looking for a drain pump that wouldn't come on. School me if I'm wrong...

@Jetjock - If you kill the screen for a couple of minutes and then restart it (with the blue button), it normally will start working correctly. On one occasion, I had to kill the whole boat for a bout 15 minutes (battery switch to off) and the TT started working after that. I have not yet had to load the boat with a full ballast (hope that never happens...)

[Jetjock15]

Thanks JS. Yes that normally works for me too, either screen off or battery always resets it. But last trip it caught me off gaurd when it filled a front ballast uncommanded. Now it's got me nervous.

[Dandy]

Couldn't you just close the valves for the ballast fill pumps in the bilge? I am pretty sure that even if a pump was to kick on (assuming that they are still using aerator pumps) there is no issue with them running dry. If the valve is closed, there is no way for water, either through a pump coming on or passive filling, to enter into the boat.

[BLucas86]

Dandy is right, but if you also want to disable quickly without opening the floor, go to settings and set your ballast fill times to 1 second. That should "trick" it, if something is going haywire. Remember what your original fill/drain times are though.

[freeheel4life]

@Mike - I'm not sure we have fuse protection/breakers in a control box as other models before. I believe it is only digital input/output... I ran into this when I first got our Z3 looking for a drain pump that wouldn't come on. School me if I'm wrong...

So, I cant recall having any issues YET with post medallion Tiges, but I am also very sure there is a box behind the panel under helm with fuses in it. Yes, there are digital inputs to outputs as you stated but there has to be circuit protection. You just haven't found it yet. If there wasn't and you had a direct short to ground your conductors are at best fried, at worst your boat is on fire. Believe said box has a viper logo on it. Will usually be behind panel above your sub

[jslayde1]

So, I cant recall having any issues YET with post medallion Tiges, but I am also very sure there is a box behind the panel under helm with fuses in it. Yes, there are digital inputs to outputs as you stated but there has to be circuit protection. You just haven't found it yet. If there wasn't and you had a direct short to ground your conductors are at best fried, at worst your boat is on fire. Believe said box has a viper logo on it. Will usually be behind panel above your sub

Man I hope you are right - hopefully you can help me find it if that is the case. Here is what Tige Support told me via email:


Tige - ...The 2015 models and up do not have the redundant switches under the dash like the pre 2015 models....

me - So, I have checked voltage and definitely not getting power when the TT is activated. I will check the connection tonight when I get home. So there is no fuse protecting the pump now?

Tige - The PDM (the two black boxes under the dash with all of the wires for digital switching) monitors amperage. Each bank has a set limit and if it goes beyond that it shuts off that bank until a repair is made. It’s pretty much digital circuit protection...


I can tell you for sure that the startboard front ballast drain does NOT have any kind of fuse/breaker inline between the PDM and pump. I traced that stinking wire the whole way... I don't know if that is the case for sure on the rest of the components or any other boat. Just on mine...

I'll post a couple of picture this afternoon of the helm - I would love to find this said box...

[chpthril]

does NOT have any kind of fuse/breaker inline between the PDM and pump.

I agree with this statement 100%. Since moving to the viper helm system, the fuses are located ON the PDM, under the cover, not anywhere in line downstream toward the pump.

Here is how i interpret that statement from Tige. The unit, or PDM as they call it, monitors current draw through itself, and disables a bank that is drawing too much current. Bank as in a grouped BUS output of multiple devises. It does not seem to indicate that it is monitoring individual outputs, but rather collective current draw. So in theory, each device should still have its own circuit protection. However, the PDM can sense excessive current draw on each bank. So if you have for example: stereo, blower, all ballast, underwater lights, etc, all on and together they are drawing excessive current, the PDM will disable that bank, even though each individual circuit is within its rated capacity. Its basic circuit protection design. Protection for the trunk supply and additional for each individual branch.

May be wrong, just my interpretation.

[freeheel4life]

Good info jslayde. Like I said, haven't had many electrical gremlins since the medallion went away, so haven't had the privilege of tearing helms apart. Tend to learn how these systems work as they break/have issues. Also haven't had as much dealer training on Murphy systems from the crew at Tige, but have gotten some from Skiers Choice.
Sounds like everything will be internal to Power Distribution Module then. This is an interesting problem you are having. Supras have a screens on the touch where you can monitor pdm switching/function of each circuit. Would certainly be handy in this case. Would be interesting to find out if the pdm is getting the input from your screen somehow and starting up the pump, or if somehow the PDM is the problem and giving rouge outputs. Don't know if that's even possible, beyond internal shorts in PDM.
In the meantime, it sounds like shutting your thru hull valves would be about your only real gauruntee. That or bypassing all your pumps and wiring then into switches with your own circuit protection, but that's would be ridiculous.
One thing that Skiers stressed was good power and ground connections at PDMs. They mentioned loose grounds causing all kinds of gremlins on the PDM. Not even sure where yours are located, sounds like there are going to be two. Skiers Choice is using three of them. If you can find them it may be worth checking their connections. Please keep us updated!! Issues like this are the reason I'm on here, so when same problem comes into our shop we have cut out a lot of the diagnosis time.