Test system

Alongside the dashboard and console displays, I have also been developing the equipment needed for dealers to maintain an electric drive system. So this is a smaller display with all control PLUS extra dealer configuration information that I have been working on.

The 20 HP Honda outboard

The little 20 HP Honda outboard has served us well and at the next lift out we will remove it and we'll look more like a yacht again! This is good news because it means that the electric drive system has now done more than a year on King Malu without a problem and we are prepared to trust it as our primary source of propulsion (excluding the sails of course).

Dashboard display

I've been working on the dashboard display for the hybrid electric drive. On the Nicholson 39 the dashboard is small, being an old style yacht so the space for the chart plotter is also small.

This means than the chart display is small, which in turn means you can either see chart clearly or numbers (SOG, etc) clearly.

So the intention is that the navionics numbers will also be displayed on the new touch screen I'm working on.

The display has multiple display modes and allows you to set the motor drive mode too. More on this later when we make it all public.

Power busbar

One of the things important for electric drives is the power feeding the motor. The EU and US Coastguard have produced a lot of new regulations for electric boats and we have been busy reading them and developing the systems to comply with all the regulations.

Firstly all battery banks must be able to be isolated with double pole isolators. Secondly they must all break down into 48v banks. Thirdly you must not connect them to earth/ground. Fouthly you must monitor and alert the user if there is earth/ground leakage...

I must admit that to start with I thought they were a pain, but having developed them I now realise that they really help and have found none of them that are un-necessary.

End users, of course, are not really interested in complexity. They want it simple. So I have designed a PCB to integrate all the power control systems into the touch screen controller. Worked first time... well, actually second time but I was thrilled to see how easy it makes it for normal sailors.

No sailing... being a Grandpa

I've just spent the last month with absolutely no sailing. That I missed.

BUT... I have been in the UK with my son, daughter-in-law and... wait for it... my new grandson. It kind of makes up for the lack of sailing!

So when will I get a chance to teach him to sail?

Another short test of the display for the electric motor.

A short test of the display for the electric motor.

OK, I admit it we did raise the sails and sail for a very few minutes. But sadly it wasn't long enough!

And... you've learned we test on real boats not just in the workshop!

A short test of the display for the electric motor

A short test of the display for the electric motor