Fly/Cruise by Wire

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:00 am

I was thinking of updating my controls and started looking around at what is available. Found this offering from Teleflex, the i6300 Electronic Control System which is designed as a direct replacement for mechanical shift and throttle systems. This would reduce my single engine application down to a single shorter lever and also look pretty cool on the top of my helm.

Has any one had any experience with this type of equipment?

Here's the link.
http://www.teleflexmarine.com/products/ ... c-control/

vabeach1234 · Post by **vabeach1234** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:57 am

Pretty cool but wow, look at the price! I would think this would be benefital to flybridge boats more than express boats. Routing wires instead of shift cables down from a flybridge to an engine would be a lot easier. I believe they do make single lever shifters for inboard boats that handle shifting and throttle. Not as pretty though.

http://www.teleflexmarine.com/products/ ... 3-control/

Commissionpoint · Post by **Commissionpoint** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:06 am

Yeah Paul. I've been thinking about doing the same.

My bridge controls are a little hinky. Nothing major or dangerous, just old and tired and a bit sloppy.

Hafta see whats in the finance box next summer.

Commissionpoint · Post by **Commissionpoint** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:18 am

Oh and FWIW, I was looking at the Morse KE4 and KE4+ systems. So there are options in this catagory as well. Just wanted to give you the heads up on selection.

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 12:41 pm

Looks like neat stuff - but I couldn't find a price anywhere. How much are they?

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:03 pm

I regularly run a boat with electronic controls , The big negative is the delay in shifting and the no effort throttle . Can make docking fun , just have to remember to shift a second before you need to have something to happen . Not bad once you get used to it .

Commissionpoint · Post by **Commissionpoint** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:23 pm

prowlersfish wrote: Can make docking fun , just have to remember to shift a second before you need to have something to happen . Not bad once you get used to it .

Oh. So its just like my bridge.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:50 pm

k9th wrote:Looks like neat stuff - but I couldn't find a price anywhere. How much are they?

I'm waiting for a couple more quotes but I did find one price for the single station, single engine application at $2880.

The Dog House · Post by **The Dog House** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 3:43 pm

Paul wrote: I'm waiting for a couple more quotes but I did find one price for the single station, single engine application at $2880.

I'm planning on replacing my control box next season. The electric box looks interesting, but I just can't justify spending $2880 on a control system when I only paid $3000 for my boat.

I think a Morse MT-3 is more likely to be in my future.

gettaway · Post by **gettaway** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 4:57 pm

Commissionpoint wrote:
prowlersfish wrote: Can make docking fun , just have to remember to shift a second before you need to have something to happen . Not bad once you get used to it .
Oh. So its just like my bridge.

thats funny stuff.... and me too

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:04 pm

Commissionpoint wrote:
prowlersfish wrote: Can make docking fun , just have to remember to shift a second before you need to have something to happen . Not bad once you get used to it .
Oh. So its just like my bridge.

Trust me its not . I'm sure yours has no more delay then my F36 . When I hop on the Viking its seems like it takes forever to shift in and out of gear but its only a second or so ( never timed it ) its a big difference from the 2 boats.

Commissionpoint · Post by **Commissionpoint** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:31 pm

I'm pretty convinced that when I move a shift lever on the bridge, a gerbil with a small telegraph set under the console sends Morse code to the bilge where a ferret is working the controls. So in a way I already have drive by wire(less).

Big D · Post by **Big D** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:42 pm

Paul, before you commit, do some homework like perhaps a Google search on issues they might be having under real world conditions. I know with Merc for example, there were a few quirks with the pots inside and software tweeks needed based on field experiences. If I recall, one was to address the lag in shifting. The lag hasn't dissapeared but has been minimized. As Paul said, I can't remember a fly-by-wire system that doesn't have a bit of a delay. The worse I ever experienced was a Vovlo unit. And yes, they have a completely different feel, and sometimes depending on the unit and conditions, hard to tell whether you're actually in gear. The Teleflex units have been around for a bit so may have picked up on Merc's tweeks years ago and have all the bugs out by now. I would also want to know what redundancies are in place and safety features. Though that's probably an industry standard by now, you should still familiarize yourself with systems in place to protect you should the unit fail. Keep in mind that there is no room for poor vessel wiring with these units. A 5 volt reference and CAN bus architecture has little tolerance for voltage drops. I know that's not an issue for you but may be for others reading this.

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:03 pm

Commissionpoint wrote:I'm pretty convinced that when I move a shift lever on the bridge, a gerbil with a small telegraph set under the console sends Morse code to the bilge where a ferret is working the controls. So in a way I already have drive by wire(less).

With a cable system your condition is not normal and can be corrected
Worn clutches /seals can cause a slow engagement . If it happens on both helms , And make sure the lever on the trans is moving fully from the controls less then full movement can cause a delay . if its slower from the upper station then mostly like like your not getting full movement . Just fixed a Post with this issue , the shifter bushings and worn cable housings prevented the trans lever from moving 100% right away . Have some one work the shift with you watching ( best while running ) your condition is not normal and can be corrected

Big D all the electronic shifters I have seen have some delay , the actuators are not very fast , The Glendinning controls I hav are not very quick but do a good job .

The newer systems are faster the the older systems I run into .

I like the electronic system but I would never speed the money to up grade , if the boat has it its stays in not then it won't get it .

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:24 pm

Big D wrote:Paul, before you commit, do some homework like perhaps a Google search on issues they might be having under real world conditions. I know with Merc for example, there were a few quirks with the pots inside and software tweeks needed based on field experiences. If I recall, one was to address the lag in shifting. The lag hasn't dissapeared but has been minimized. As Paul said, I can't remember a fly-by-wire system that doesn't have a bit of a delay. The worse I ever experienced was a Vovlo unit. And yes, they have a completely different feel, and sometimes depending on the unit and conditions, hard to tell whether you're actually in gear. The Teleflex units have been around for a bit so may have picked up on Merc's tweeks years ago and have all the bugs out by now. I would also want to know what redundancies are in place and safety features. Though that's probably an industry standard by now, you should still familiarize yourself with systems in place to protect you should the unit fail. Keep in mind that there is no room for poor vessel wiring with these units. A 5 volt reference and CAN bus architecture has little tolerance for voltage drops. I know that's not an issue for you but may be for others reading this.

All good advise Big D and I'm not sold on this system. I like the concept of this system. modern servos are very precise as well as reliable and for $2880 I would expect nothing less. The features and the style are neat and would look great on top of the helm. I don't like the idea of introducing any degree of lag into my control system so I'll need some info on reaction times for this system. I'm also not sure that I would like the throttle and transmission combined in one handle like an I/O.

The controls that I have now are the originals and still work well however they are showing their age. I'd like to upgrade them with something nicer than just a newer version of whats there. I've always found the levers to be too tall to have this type of controls mounted in this location so I like the idea of a shorter lever. Another option for me would be to design a custom set of controls and have a machine shop make the parts for me. Using a cable set up, I'm sure that I could do it for a lot less than $2880. Discussions like these are how winter projects are born.

I'll still be looking around and doing a little research before I choose a direction on this. I do appreciate the feedback.