Replacement Instrument Displays

[roblpm]

New to me 1991 Parker 275 came with a Stowe Dataline System. Wind instruments were knackered and so was databox.

In my rush to get the boat in the water over the winter I didnt really think about it and paid a reasonable amount of money to get the wind instrument refurbished, the databox fixed and also bought the NMEA box which converts to NMEA0183 and broadcasts on bluetooth (I like gadgets!).

HOWEVER........................

The system has 4 displays in the cockpit, Wind, Close Hauled Wind, Log and Depth. And they are more or less knackered!! The buttons have corroded, my mate has taken them apart and got some of them going but they are irritating me as they look terrible and are obviously on the way out.

So..............

I want new displays but don't want to pour any more money in to this obsolete system.

All I need is Speed - Depth and Wind Speed. I have a Windex which seems to do fine for figuring out where the wind is comin from??!! I dont have a chart plotter at all, PC with OpenCPN, chartes from VMH, phone with navionics, could get another tablet if necessary. Displays are necessary for racing.

Plan...................

Buy 1 (or possibly 2) new displays. They seem ridiculously expensive but this 60 page thread fizzled when looking at a cheaper home grown solution? http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?328981-cheaper-large-instrument-displays-mast-mount

So how about 1 of these: (furuno RD33)
http://www.panbo.com/archives/2011/...onsWeblog+(Panbo:+The+Marine+Electronics+Hub)

Apparantly can take NMEA0183 input

Or would I be better off with 2 fancy ones of these??

http://www.panbo.com/archives/2011/...onsWeblog+(Panbo:+The+Marine+Electronics+Hub)

Advantage of this is that if I am clever I can get the AIS from my SH2100 to a display in the cockpit.

I think if I go this route I will need an NMEA0183 to NMEA2000 convertor.

Plan is take other instruments off, store them somewhere dry. Then when I sell the boat (5 years plus) I will put them back!!

So..........................

What is the best future proof investment????!!

Should I worry about power draw?

Is 1 display enough for Boat Speed, Depth and Wind Speed? (for cruising I could have a tablet with vitual instruments on!?)

Any other ideas. Money isnt too much of a problem as long as it isn't down the drain?

 

[pvb]

If the core system works, why not simply buy a couple of Dataline displays? Or even just a Dataline Central display, which will display speed and depth on one screen (although you'd have to scroll to another screen to see wind speed).

I have a Dataline Wind display, and a Dataline Central display, which I was going to put on eBay sometime.

 

[roblpm]

Hi

The new Stowe displays are proper money, £350 each. The displays I have sort of work so I can't justify spending another £700 on the system.

So my thinking was spend £700 on something that I could use for the next 15 years..........

(ps all boatie electric stuff seems much cheaper in the USA. I think my friend might be bringing back some "used" displays that he needs for his boat over here!!)

 

[rogerthebodger]

As you say you have a PC with OpenCPN if you add NavMonPC you can display all the NMEA 0183 data on your PC.

I have the same IS11 simrad/dataline instruments and that is what I did.

My PC has duel displays at nav station and in cockpit steering station.

NavMonPC will also display AIS as will OpenCPN from NMEA0183 input even at different data rates

 

[Norman_E]

As far as I am concerned the best displays are B&G Tritons, they are bright and clear with the best wind display of any but they are NMEA2000 and not compatible with your existing masthead unit. The Simrad IS40 is almost identical but uses Simnet connectors instead of standard NMEA2000 micro connectors. It is marginally cheaper that the B&G when bought as a kit with transducers and cables. The cheapest NMEA2000 wind, log and depth kit option is the Garmin GMi10 kit at just under £800 with masthead unit and through hull log and depth transducer.

 

[roblpm]

As you say you have a PC with OpenCPN if you add NavMonPC you can display all the NMEA 0183 data on your PC.

I have the same IS11 simrad/dataline instruments and that is what I did.

My PC has duel displays at nav station and in cockpit steering station.

NavMonPC will also display AIS as will OpenCPN from NMEA0183 input even at different data rates

Thanks for that. What do you use to repeat the pc in the cockpit?

The only trouble with this is that I don't tend to bother with the pc when we are racing as we tend to fling the boat about a bit!!

 

[roblpm]

As far as I am concerned the best displays are B&G Tritons, they are bright and clear with the best wind display of any but they are NMEA2000 and not compatible with your existing masthead unit. The Simrad IS40 is almost identical but uses Simnet connectors instead of standard NMEA2000 micro connectors. It is marginally cheaper that the B&G when bought as a kit with transducers and cables. The cheapest NMEA2000 wind, log and depth kit option is the Garmin GMi10 kit at just under £800 with masthead unit and through hull log and depth transducer.

I should have done that last winter but now I have sunk the money into the Stowe system I feel the need to use those sensors and upgrade the displays!

 

[pvb]

I should have done that last winter but now I have sunk the money into the Stowe system I feel the need to use those sensors and upgrade the displays!

So would you be interested in my secondhand displays? Nowhere near £700!

 

[roblpm]

Also I think I can get a 0183 to 2000 convertor for £100. Then one display which will display 3 things. I can always then add a dedicated wind display later if I feel like it.

 

[roblpm]

So would you be interested in my secondhand displays? Nowhere near £700!

Which ones are they?? What's the going rate for second hand displays??!!

 

[rogerthebodger]

Thanks for that. What do you use to repeat the pc in the cockpit?

A car DVD display that is mounted in a sealed stainless steel and perspex box. The display being video input needs a VGA to video converter from E Bay.

 

[pvb]

Which ones are they?? What's the going rate for second hand displays??!!

As posted earlier, I have a Dataline Wind and a Dataline Central. I can email photos to you if you'd like to PM me with your email address. I'd expect they'd go on eBay for around £70 each inc postage.

 

[roblpm]

A car DVD display that is mounted in a sealed stainless steel and perspex box. The display being video input needs a VGA to video converter from E Bay.

U got a pic? Can u see it at all in daylight??

 

[roblpm]

As posted earlier, I have a Dataline Wind and a Dataline Central. I can email photos to you if you'd like to PM me with your email address. I'd expect they'd go on eBay for around £70 each inc postage.

Pm sent. U are ruining my fun but this is obviously the sensible way forward!!

 

[rogerthebodger]

U got a pic? Can u see it at all in daylight??

No pic at home at the mo. Daylight viewing is OK with non reflect perspex as long as the tropical sun we get does not shine direct onto the screen.

 

[Norman_E]

I have one of these http://www.actisense.com/products/nmea-2000/ngw1.html to input the wind data from my old VDO Logic wind display into the NMEA2000 system. NMEA0183 is a one talker, multiple listener system, which means that if you have multiple NMEA0183 outputs you need one converter for each one, or an NMEA0183 multiplexer http://www.actisense.com/products/nmea-0183/ndc4.html plus a converter.

To gain an understanding of NMEA0183 I suggest you go to this page http://www.actisense.com/products/nmea-0183/nbf2/downloads-nbf2.html and download the NMEA 0183 Information Sheet Issue 3.pdf (the bottom item)
Also see PBO issue 566, October 2013 for my article on installing NMEA2000 instruments.

 

[roblpm]

I have one of these http://www.actisense.com/products/nmea-2000/ngw1.html to input the wind data from my old VDO Logic wind display into the NMEA2000 system. NMEA0183 is a one talker, multiple listener system, which means that if you have multiple NMEA0183 outputs you need one converter for each one, or an NMEA0183 multiplexer http://www.actisense.com/products/nmea-0183/ndc4.html plus a converter.

To gain an understanding of NMEA0183 I suggest you go to this page http://www.actisense.com/products/nmea-0183/nbf2/downloads-nbf2.html and download the NMEA 0183 Information Sheet Issue 3.pdf (the bottom item)
Also see PBO issue 566, October 2013 for my article on installing NMEA2000 instruments.

I have the Stowe nmea databox which has a multiplexed nmea 0183 output so I should be good to go with the actisense. Does it work???!!!!

 

[Norman_E]

The Actisense unit does a good job on my setup, transferring the apparent wind data from the VDO instrument to the NMEA2000 bus where it can be read and displayed by B&G Triton and Garmin GMi10 instruments. The only snag was that wind angle seemed rather slow to change, but I traced that to the VDO instrument having been set to maximum damping, with added damping from the NMEA2000 instruments, Setting the VDO to minimum damping has largely solved the problem, and so far I have not tried to adjust the damping rates of the new instruments.

 

[jfkal]

I got an unused never installed Dataline X Depth and Dataline Analogue Speed in the store room. PM me