I've talked about the convergence of traditional marine electrical systems with electronic systems in the past. Another fine example of what this means went across my radar screen last week.


Simrad Yachting and BEP Marine, a company known for its traditional electrical gear have formed a partnership to incorporate digital switching, system monitoring, and control capability into a multifunction display. An example of what a typical screen display might look like is shown here:



Utilizing Simrad's new NSE software, BEP's CZone system integrates onboard electrical and mechanical systems and brings control of such things as lighting, pumps, and general DC circuitry to a centralized display or multiple displays if desired. Tank level monitoring, and electrical system status can all be displayed.


The idea behind all of this integration is simplification. Imagine all of your system monitoring and electical circuit control on one display screen. That's the goal here and the partnership between Simrad Yachting and BEP Marine is yet another example of the convergence of traditional electrical system switching and digital electronic control. The system is also NMEA 2000 capable and will be able to easily communicate with other onboard electronics via the NMEA 2000 network. I look forward to trying this system out soon.


Some may wonder what this convergence all means to boaters and marine technicians. For me as a marine industry educator, it means that much of the do it yourself capabilty for boaters is probably going to be eliminated due to the complexity of these systems, but then again the "plug and play" aspects of these systems may actually make things easier. For technicians, it means evolving their knowledge from basic electrical wiring schemes, to understanding the nuances of electronic systems.


I see all of this as an opportunity for new training programs both for boaters and technicians. This convergence is not going to stop, its a natural evolution and one I look forward to seeing more of.


To learn more about this new system, check out www.simrad-yachting.com or www.bepmarine.com

Written by: Ed Sherman
Ed Sherman is a regular contributor to boats.com, as well as to Professional Boatbuilder and Cruising World, where he previously was electronics editor. He also is the curriculum director for the American Boat and Yacht Council. Previously, Ed was chairman of the Marine Technology Department at the New England Institute of Technology. Ed’s blog posts appear courtesy of his website, EdsBoatTips.