All-New Marine Electronics Tech - Smartlink2 Load Cell
by Phil Anniss 10 Feb 2022 01:00 PST
All-New Marine Electronics Tech - Smartlink2 Load Cell © Cyclops Marine
Cyclops Marine and Sailmon have recently announced a direct link (removing need for additional gateways) between the Max GPS race computer and the smartlink Nano load cell.
Sailmon are one of the first mainstream electronics manufacturers to recognise the massive impact load data will bring to understanding performance sailing, by creating a seamless interface and a truly Plug & Play user experience. At the same time, Cyclops has also taken this opportunity to introduce a major technology update to create their smartlink2 Nano which will be rolled out across their full range over the coming months.
So what's new?
All-new battery technology sees battery life jump from 250 to a massive 2000 hours on one charge
- That is equivalent to 250, 8-hour sailing days which would be a full regatta season by anyone's standards!
The battery can now be charged wirelessly and the new smartlink2 Nano comes with wireless charger included
- Full charge in one hour
- 24hr of charge achieved in just 1 min of charging to get you on the water quickly
- The extended battery life together with wireless charging mean that the unit can be located in more difficult to reach locations - e.g. the top of the rig.
The wireless charging allows the unit to be 100% sealed from the elements, which improves durability and reliability
- The marine environment is traditionally harsh on electronics and so a fully sealed unit is a significant advantage
Bluetooth range has been improved by over 60% which significantly improves the reliability of communication with onboard systems and/or the Cyclops Marine App
The App has also seen a significant upgrade
- Intuitive logging with the App in the background
- Live data displayed, maximum sized digits for easy viewing
- Simple CSV upload of data for post sailing analysis
- This technology is only currently available in the new generation smartlink2 Nano but will be incorporated in the full smartlink range by the end of January 2022. It will then be rolled out across the smarttune range by the end of March 2022
Cyclops Marine CEO, Ian Howarth, commented on the new product rollout: "We are really excited by these latest developments. Our R&D team, and tech development in general, is moving so fast these days and it is a really exciting time for sailing technology. This will not be the last upgrade, we look at it a bit like mobile phones; every 1-2 years we expect to be able to launch product improvements which will open up some huge opportunities for gathering load data onboard."
This subject is very close to the heart of Upffront CEO Phil Anniss: "There are a lot of 'rules of thumb' and approximations involved in specifying sailing hardware and rigging systems. The reason for this is a general lack of understanding of dynamic rig loads on sailboats. If you do not know exactly what the working loads will be, designers tend to over specify, 'to be on the safe side'.
"At Upffront, we believe logging of load data, on a large scale, will lead to major developments and optimisation of sailing hardware and rigging over the coming years. And on a small scale, it provides a simple tool for individual boat owners to optimise their onboard systems, with the reassurance that they are maintaining sufficient factors of safety."
If you have any questions about Cyclops Marines load cell technology or performance optimisation in general please contact . Or browse the Cyclops Marine load cell range