Smartcraft Guages Dead

[darnice]

A little background first:
Had just the TACH SC1000 on my boat with a 2009 Merc 90HP 4 stroke.
Worked fine direct connected with no junction box.
Added the SC1000 Speedo last fall and Junction box and everything worked fine but the gauges would lockup after a few min operation.
Discovered that the Engine to Junction box cable did not have the terminator at the engine end so I suspect it was getting noise and locking the guages.
Ordered the corrrect cable and installed it. Both guages are now dead when going through the Junction box. If I connect the cable directly to either guage, they both power up. Neither Engine to Junction box cable works when using the junction box.
It looks like my junction box went bad. but wanted to ask to be sure.
Also, the cable that came with the gauges has a ground that needs to be grounded to the boat, but the cables listed in the instructiion booklet that came with the new Engine to Junction box do not show grounds on the gauges cables.
Do I ground?
Has anyone ever seen a Junction box go bad?

P.S I have a terminator on the open connector on the junction box.

 

[darnice]

Re: Smartcraft Guages Dead

Thought I would update this thread. Problem was that Mercury in it's infinate stupidity ships a cable with the Gauges that is NOT compatable with using anything. It does not have the ground wire in it on the Junction box end so the gauges did not power up. Had a spare cable so I added the required ground wire in the cable from the junction box to the Gauges and everyting works perfect!!
Why did merk ship them with uselsees cables, who knows.