Category: Electrical & Engines
Victron makes an impressive line of electrical products for boats, RVs and off-grid systems. They offer a similarly broad — and maybe even dizzying — array of connectivity options. But, despite those options, there is a big gap between a simple Victron setup with just a few devices connected to your cell phone via Bluetooth and a full-blown GX system with a Cerbo, Ekrano, or other control hardware. Digital Yacht aims to fill that void with the veLink, a Victron Bluetooth to NMEA 2000 converter.
Victron just announced the Nucleo GX, another option in the GX family of devices joining the Cerbo GX, Ekrano GX, and Venus GX. The Nucleo is positioned as a higher performing, lower cost option than the Cerbo GX. I’ll be honest, I sat down to write this entry thinking I was going to write about a great new option for marine use. My conversations with Victron representatives helped me better understand Nucleo GX and the market it serves. Spoiler alert: Nucleo will be best leveraged managing off-grid and battery backup systems, not systems on boats. The better news for boaters came from my conversations with Victron: a much more powerful Cerbo is coming this year.
Arco Marine introduced the Zeus Omega, a product family they are calling an Alternator Control System. Zeus Omega builds on the original Arco Zeus regulator while promising easier installations, greater scale, and operational improvements. In a call with Arco’s CEO Ben Stoddard and their head of engineering, Nick Ernst, Arco walked me through the benefits of Omega and how it incorporates many improvements Arco discovered through the original Zeus.
Over the last few months, I’ve been hearing some rumbling about Safiery’s new solid state batteries and the sublime specs they offer. So, it was a bit of good fortune when I ran into Bruce Loxton, the man behind Safiery’s impressive mix of products, at the Palm Beach International Boat Show. A short conversation with Bruce left me excited about what the batteries offer and his promise to send me a battery got my wheels spinning. How would I test this battery and just what is it capable of delivering?
Have you ever used a traditional engine cut-off tether, forgot you were wearing it and strayed just a bit too far from the switch? I have, and it always ends the same way. The engines shut down, the boat, if it’s in gear, lurches and you’re left dead in the water. A wireless tether provides a longer and less tangle prone virtual leash to replace the physical one. Garmin is not the first company to offer a wireless tether or man overboard system, but theirs works extremely well and integrates beautifully with Garmin MFDs. So, if you have a boat with Garmin displays, this system might be for you.
The end of last year, I posted my first entry comparing the lifespan of a LiFePO4 battery to the claims made by the manufacturer. That entry relied on data from 525 cycles on the battery. Since then, I have continued my testing and added a second battery and testing rig to the mix. Let’s check in on the testing of both batteries and an interesting trend developing with the first battery as it crosses 1,000 cycles.
Each of the last few years, the Palm Beach International Boat Show has gained momentum and prominence. This year that momentum continues with several new product announcements. The CayCube from Cay Electronics is making its Florida debut after an appearance at the Newport show and caught my eye. This self contained AC and DC power system offers numerous integration options and helps solve numerous problems for boaters, boat yards, and service providers.
After a successful pre-launch marked by the prestigious Newport Boat Show Innovation Award last fall, Cay Electronics will be showcasing the cutting-edge CayCube technology at Palm Beach International Boat Show from March 25 to 29. CayCube is the culmination of 40 years of maritime experience resulting in a revolutionary alternative to standard generators on board…
Digital Yacht has been on a roll recently with clever, relatively simple products to solve specific needs. Well, they’ve done it agian. This time, Digital Yacht has introduced a small converter that connects to Victron products via Bluetooth, convert their data, and share it on a NMEA 2000 network. The veLINK gateway solves problems on boats without a GX device and for Victron devices without wired connectivity.
Blue Heron is a relatively small battery brand. So, you may not have heard of them as they have less marketing power than the bigger battery brands I’ve reviewed. But, that doesn’t stop them from offering a premium battery with impressive features and customer service. Perhaps in part because of their smaller size, Blue Heron provides services not typical of similar batteries, like testing and balancing the batteries prior to shipping. Let’s take a look at the battery, the service, and the value that Blue Heron offers.
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