Latest ZF Marine System provides TotalCommand
by ZF Friedrichshafen AG 20 May 2021 15:09 AEST
ZF TotalCommand marine propulsion system © ZF Marine
Launching at the 2021 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, TotalCommand is the latest marine propulsion controls family from ZF, continuing on the tradition of sixty years of innovation in the field.
- Local launch of the ZF TotalCommand marine propulsion system at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show
- TotalCommand delivers improved responsiveness and optimised control
- Elegant Italian styling to suit any installation
- Future-proofed electronic architecture
A reliable and customisable solution for both leisure and commercial vessels, TotalCommand features a series of functionalities that fully utilise ZF's industry-leading transmission technology, including unmatchable clutch responsiveness, optimised control of proportional valves, and adaptive gear engagement.
The system also provides detailed telematics data for temperature, pressure, and output speed, giving a vessel's captain a complete overview of the total propulsion system's health.
Providing unprecedented control and precision, TotalCommand allows for smooth shifting and seamless transitions between operating modes.
Combining function with style, ZF collaborated with famed Italian styling housing Giorgetto and Fabrizio on the control levers and joystick design, allowing the units to integrate into any vessel elegantly.
The system is future-proofed by being Wi-Fi ready, complete with electronic manuals, diagnostics and maintenance data available via smartphone, with Smart Transmission predictive maintenance also enabled.
Unparalleled user experience
From a user standpoint, the system offers many advantages, including the fact that all parameters can be configurable from the bridge.
Synchronisation is at the heart of the design, with the option to automatically maintain the same speeds on multiple engines, improving operating efficiency, fuel economy, noise and vibration, with all engines and transmissions coming under the control of one lever.
TotalCommand also features emergency reversal protection, allowing for the safe response to emergencies, protecting engines and transmissions from shifting between full ahead to full astern in one motion.
Trolling, AutoTroll, Easidock, and Warm-Up functions also add to the user experience.
Easidock mode allows the user to balance clutch engagement and engine RPM to obtain the optimum propeller speed for safe docking and precise manoeuvring in confined areas.
At the same time, AutoTroll is an intelligent solution for sport fishing, and navigating inside channels with stringent speed limits.
TotalCommand's market-leading CAN-bus communication control system automatically synchronises engines in all modes, without the need for dedicated buttons or switches.
ZF JMS
The TotalCommand system can be further enhanced with the fitting of ZF's acclaimed Joystick Maneuvering System, (JMS), which in traditional shaft-line vessels automatically assists in the control of the engines' functions, transmission and thrusters.
Through JMS, manoeuvres such as moving sideways to the dock, 360 degrees rotation on the spot and other complicated operations, become a simple joystick glide.
The electronic JMS system also assists in the control of the engines' throttle and shifts the transmissions, with automatically actuated trolling valves providing the precise speed required for smooth manoeuvring and easy docking.
JMS offers multiple mode options, including Boost, for use in challenging environmental conditions, such as strong wind or current, to obtain more vessel responsiveness.
Thruster Only meanwhile allows standalone bow thruster use, without the need for a dedicated control panel.
iAnchor on the other hand provides stable and seamless station keeping at the press of a button, by holding a vessel's position and heading using an integrated GPS receiver, and proprietary algorithms to compensate for wind and current.
Along similar lines, iDrift offers the ability to assist in maintaining both drift speed and direction when the vessel is in windy conditions or an active current, all while maintaining the bow's heading.
iDrift is the perfect solution to support the vessel's drift speed and heading when kite fishing, bottom fishing, or reef fishing.
Adaptable and reliable
For boat builders and designers, TotalCommand reduces the complexity at installation with a plug and play architecture that features fewer harnesses, and the option for a transmission-mounted processor.
Simplifying matters more for production boat builders, custom-designed looms can be provided directly from ZF, with the systems allowing for up to six control stations on any vessel.
Following in the tradition of ZF ClearCommand and MicroCommand, TotalCommand can be used in a wide array of commercial applications, no matter if the engines and transmissions are mechanically or electronically actuated.
Rigorously tested to the highest industry standards, the system is 100 per cent compliant with classification societies such as AMSA, Maritime NZ, ABS, DNV, Lloyds, USCG, ABYC and more.
Further details on the full range of ZF Marine Propulsion Systems for the region are available through ZF Services Australia, via the website at zf.com/au, or by calling 1800 ZF SALES (1800 93 72537).
To see and learn more about the TotalCommand marine propulsion system, visit the ZF team at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show on The Parkway, stand PW16.