Turning Analogue Gauges Digital!!

Mr Googler

Mr Googler

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Hi All

I am in the process of buying a ex MOD rib with inboard diesel.

The console is pretty small and I want a flush fit plotter but there are quite a few gauges.

I am wondering if anyone knows much about taking obviously analogue feeds from the engine and turning them digital so I can have one panel to show me everything.

Currently there are gauges for rev, batt, oil pressure, water temp, turbo boost and fuel.

I found this company in the US http://www.seagauge.com/ who seem to do it but I got confused when they stated talking about wireless senders!!

Anyone got any experience with this and is anyone in the UK doing it?
 
hi ya mate , cant answer your question , but , with ref to fitting your plotter , it is sometimes better to have your plotter on an adjustable bracket , my boat has a plotter fitted into the dash its a pain in the arse . The sun shines on the screen and its so hard to read , my old boat had a bracket , you can swivel it about so as to get a good picture without to much glare . plus if it goes wrong you haven t got a gappin hole .
 
I did think that but it would all look much better inbuilt!!!

Looks over function....let the barrage of no no no commence!!
 
i would def move mine if it wasn t goin to leave such a big hole !!!!! may build a small shroud around it this year to help get rid of the sun glare on it . good luck with it chap
 
PaulFareham said:
Currently there are gauges for rev, batt, oil pressure, water temp, turbo boost and fuel.

I found this company in the US http://www.seagauge.com/ who seem to do it but I got confused when they stated talking about wireless senders!!

Anyone got any experience with this and is anyone in the UK doing it?
Click to expand...

Not on a boat but I had done some of this in a former life. The difficult bit is the Analogue to Digital convertion prior to sending the signal. Once received, the creating of a display would be expensive too.

Your link above to 'seaguage' seems to have done all the hard work for you. The choice of Bluetooth links means that you will have a wireless system that will be very easy to install. You could even link it 'Hurricane' style to a PC with WiFi on a boat with sufficient room available.

I think your best bet is to get in touch with this company, your questions will be pretty straight forward and frequently asked. I am sure their tech' team will be able to provide all the answers. I really like their White 3D displays.

With regard to GPS, I would also go for a bracket unless you can partially shade the display. Also in a Rib, it's easier to remove from a bracket to keep it safely at home in the dry and away from sticky fingers.
 
Hi,
If you fancy getting a bit involved with some home brew digital electronics then this could be of interest. http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/picaxe/
They have analogue inputs and can drive leds and the such. Quite a steep learning curve if you have not got any first hand experience, but many secondary schools use these systems with 13-15 year olds. -It can't be that hard??
 
timbartlett said:
Try www.maretron.com
UK distributors are SM Group in Plymouth
and www.garmin.comGarmin do some single-function converters, such as tank level
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the replys.

Looked at the Maretron stuff and its very expensive also you can only have 6 things contected to their sender. or buy another I guess.

What plotters will take NMEA 0813 and show me gauges etc. I know 0813 is a bit old now!!
 
PaulFareham said:
.What plotters will take NMEA 0813 and show me gauges etc. I know 0813 is a bit old now!!
Click to expand...
Almost all plotters will accept NMEA0183, but that won't help you, because AFAIK there are no NMEA sentences relating to engine data: that's why I suggest going for NMEA 2000.
I presume you've tried asking the relevant engine dealer if there's a data out port on the engine somewhere, or if the manufacturer produces an add-on that will do it? The engine manufacturers latched on to NMEA 2000 much quicker than the navigation people -- partly because it originally came from the world of cars and trucks, and partly because a lot of engines have electronic management systems!
 
Look at Raymarine E series.
Many of the bigger manufacturers do this and the dashboards look great as a result.

A lot will depend on what info is coming off your engine............the customer service folk at Raymarine have always been brilliantly helpful on the phone and will also welcome you to their showroom for demonstrations.

Cloggy.
 
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