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Ben on Vacation = "So many days, so little gizmos!" rather than "So many gizmos, so little time!"

http://goo.gl/OFHIh

While the twist-lock idea is clever, it certainly hinders "tight" installations where instruments need to be packed together as closely as possible. A recessed press-to-remove tab would work just as well and not require twisting. I see the very large rectangular flange on the back which will interfere with mounting next to other instruments as well and often require trimming to fit.

Well, let's note that the twist only requires 0.14 inch on each side, and you need most of that anyway for the sun cover. You can see these details if you click/enlarge the top photo.

I don't understand what you mean by "the very large rectangular flange on the back"?

By the way, the rectangular Triton ap control pad uses the same install scheme, including the optional bracket.

As Ben noted above I have had this B&G Triton T-41 on board our Beneteau Oc-400 12 meter sailboat for a few months now. This instrument was installed in a cut-out hole in a teak "dashboard" mounted just over the companionway. This dash set-up had four Simrad IS-20's mounted in it...(from port-starboard) Graphic, Combi, Tack and Wind instruments. I removed the IS20 Tack, moved the IS20 wind into the hole from the Tack and installed the new B&G Triton T-41 in its place. I must first digress a little; these mounting holes were originally filled with Raytheon/Autohelm then Raymarine ST-60's then the Simrad IS-20's...all had different cut out holes. All four IS20 units were installed very close to each other and as Dan noted above the twist-lock set up of the T-41 made this change very tight but it was doable.

The installation issue was with the mounting clip, as the original hole was just slightly larger than is necessary for this unit. There was not really enough surface area for the mounting screws that held the mounting clip in place and this clip sort of floated in the larger mounting hole. I have been meaning to create a "donut" filler piece for this but just have not been able to find the time. Now with the release of the "Additional Retention Bracket" I will not need to fabricate that filler. Currently if you grab the unit to take off the Suncover, the unit sometimes comes loose and has to be snapped back into place.

Because there is an IS20 next to this unit that uses four face mounting screws it will be an easy retro fit to install that retention bracket using the adjacent hole. As far as the wiring goes it was literally plug & play. Used a Simnet to NMEA 2000 cable out of the adjacent IS20 to the new T-41 and turned on the equipment. The addition of the rear mounting clip will also allow me to add some thin but IMHO necessary gasket material to seal the back of the T-41 to the dashboard. I am not sure if the twist lock even if done correclty will hold the unit tight enough against the mounting surface to be water tight.

I find the display to very bright in daylight with sharp/crisp graphics as well as large and easy to read text from the helm position. In this install the wide viewing angle helps when trimming the headsail from the port winch on the opposite side from where the instrument is mounted. When racing at night the Red night mode works well. I also like the fact that it has extremely low power consumption.

In addition to still having to add the rear mounting clip I also need to find out why the wind speed display on the IS20 do not match that on the T-41? Direction matches perfectly but the speed does not? Wind data is sourced from the Airmar PB-200 located at the top of the mast and fed via NMEA 2000 to all other instruments which are all mostly Simrad. There is an additional AP24 autopilot head and IS20 Graphic at the nav station below, along with the NAIS 300 & BSM-1. Topside in addition to the three IS20's and T-41 we have Simrad 2k radar, AC42 Autopilot, HLD 2000L Linear Drive, RF300 Rudder/Feedback, RC42 Rate Compass with the AP28 head feeding the NSE-8 and a Lowrance HDS-7 at the helm.

Other than the mounting issue this install had and different wind speed readings which are still a mystery to me, I am very happy using this new T-41 instrument, especially when racing.
Jeffrey Schwartz

A customer of ours has opted for the Triton display and autopilot controller for his Simrad autopilot, instead of the usual Simrad AP24.

A better, brighter, and more reliable (bonded) display, it also offers more flexibility (it can display other things when pilot is not in use).

His Simrad MFD can be used to control the pilot for advanced features such as turn patterns and depth contour tracking, as only the core autopilot functions can be accessed from the Triton control panel (but are still available on the "Triton" autopilot).

I suspect many more will become fans of this display for both Autopilot and as a replacement for the Simrad IS20.

www.invisiblecommunications.com.au
ben@invisiblecommunications.com.au

The main NMEA worry is that if one chained display fails, others upstream will also lose contact with the boat's backbone
That's what I thought the NMEA issue was too, but it may be slightly different. Someone with the full standard could check. Maretron's catalog says this:
it is a requirement to be able to remove a component from the network without affecting any other device -- the subtlety here is that there is no momentary break while you reconnect cables.

Can it make any difference whether an external Tee is used or if it is built in? NMEA thinks so.
http://www.nmea.org/Assets/20100414%20daisychaining%20internal%20diagrams%20drawing%202.pdf
Note the text here:
Internal Wiring of Data Pair and Power Pair are not Controlled Impedance or Gauge, which Affects Downstream Products
It must be possible to design the product to meet any standard. However, this is not the real issue. Note the other huge but subtle difference in the two diagrams in that web page -- they are breaking the *trunk* with that device. Does anybody put displays on the trunk? Is that even legal?

Now read this NMEA quote:
http://www.nmea.org/Assets/final_rtcm_2002_white_paper.pdf

Two methods are provided for connecting to the network backbone cable: a standard connector or barrier strips. These connections are used for connecting segments of backbone cable together, for connecting terminations at the two ends of the cable, for connecting the network power source, and for connecting nodes. The drop cable, the short cable running from the backbone connection to the node equipment, may connect to the equipment anyway the manufacturer chooses. It is the connections at the backbone that are controlled by the NMEA 2000® standard.

That might say you can daisy-chain as much as you want on a drop; just don't do it on a backbone. If a barrier strip connection is approved, I'm sure the wiring in an internal Tee would be have an even better quality. Maretron has a multi-port box which is approved; replacing that device would definitely affect downstream devices.

NMEA should rethink this.

Nice looking AP control/display.

Exactly which APs is BandG specifying that the Triton is compatible with? I ask because I wanted to know the same answer about its cousin, the Simrad AP24 and the TP32. I asked Navico support and got this:

We've never tested the TP32 with the AP 24 and AC12. The Simnet version from the older products was very primitive, and I'm not sure what information will pass to and from the AP24. I wouldn't recommend the interface as it HASN'T been tested.

One issue that has not been mentioned about any new instrument display is the readability during the day in bright sunlight and at night. Do any of these displays have an ambient light sensor to auto-dim when the sun goes down? If not, how well buried is the menu item that changes brightness.

My Garmin GMI 10, displays beautiful color and ample brightness during the day, but requires going into the menu to change both brightness and night color. The GMI-10 is supposed to change both brightness and color for all displays on the N2K network when you change one, however, I have yet to find this works. I do have the first generation GMI-10's with the latest software so maybe the older ones never had this ability.

So far, I have not seen better night readability then our prehistoric NEXUS instruments. At night I just throw one switch and all instruments are on night color. They never blind the navigator and are readable during the day.

New displays need to address Day/Night readability and ability to quickly change from day to night. Auto sensing should be the target feature for any new display just like it is on a Garmin chartplotter. Brilliant lighting and color on new displays at the boat show, does not always translate into a better display out on the water.

I'm not a fan of these colour graphic displays as a general rule, too much information crammed into the available screen real estate to make them useful in the cockpit. They also tend to be too bright at night with fiddly brightness controls. The viewing angles at low levels of illumination are very bad. The large screens also make the area available for the bottoms too small making operation difficult with wet, cold or gloved hands. All of those comments apply to many of the new units coming onto the market.

This mount looks flimsy to me and not very waterproof. Theft must also be a big concern; perhaps the rear mount retention bar will help, but what a ball-ache. Rear access is essential for secure mounting and waterproofness IMO.

buttons not bottoms ;) Damned 'smart' spell checkers!

How can displays show too much information if you can make custom screens that show just what you want? For instance, what could be simpler and more visible across a cockpit than those big depth numbers above? (There is an argument that the decimal feet are necessary but I think the reduced font size takes care of that.)

Sorry, Tweed, but I also think you're wrong about viewing angles and night lighting. I know for sure that the i70 does very good low lighting and that the Triton has very large left and right viewing angles but will check all on boat soon.

Tweed, what color graphic display has you so turned off? Except for the fiddly brightness controls in earlier models, I struggle to understand where your coming from.

Take a look at this Panbo entry on how color graphic displays have added to my boating enjoyment: http://goo.gl/UYhdb

You are actually supporting my argument there Ben, If you switch the display to only show big digits you may as well not install a multifunction display. Install a few cheaper ones that will do a single function well instead and still see all the information.

They'll probably have buttons you can operate too :)

I don't have experience with this unit but generally speaking the viewing angles with the lighting turned down to about 15% or so; which you need on a moonless night, are rubbish on the colour displays. This also applies to most plotters and MFDs. Go on many boats that do a lot of miles offshore at night and you'll see all manner of devices to reduce glare from the lighting Ive seen, and used, shades, , neutral density filters and even resorted to putting the sun cover on when it's been really dark.

Everybody is entitled to an opinion but in my opinion you are not entitled to tell me that I am 'wrong'. I have a different opinion to you but it's a valid opinion based on my experience at sea.

I am an electronics engineer and a gadget person; I love trying the new toys. I'm also an active sailor sailing some 20,000 or so miles a year on long enough trips that means that probably a third of that is at night. I'm not making this up.

I'll hold my hands up and state that I have no experience of this unit,. If somebody gives me one I'll happily install it and let everybody know how it works.

Nah, Tweed, that's a new argument you think I'm supporting. Of course there are less expensive monochrome instrument displays that can deliver some numeric data pretty well. (But I'm not sure they're a good deal anymore when you realize how versatile the color all-in-ones have gotten, and how they can become more so right on your boat.)

The argument you failed to address -- understandably, I think -- is the one about "too much information crammed into the available screen real estate to make them useful in the cockpit." That just doesn't make sense because these all-in-ones offer so many ways to display data even if you don't include either the fancy pre-made screens or the simple single value didgets like those depth screens.

Ok I'll start with what I agree with you on. A set of multi-function displays all identical should be able to replace a set of individual single function instruments. That would be fantastic. These displays look good (170 degree viewing angle), perhaps the best so far but I'll reserve judgement until I get to some place where I can see them. It's great that these units can display all of this data, nothing wrong with having lots of information.

These seem to be reasonably priced units, given the quality one would expect, and that's always good! Price should be cheaper if you can manufacture and equip a boat with just one type of display both in initial purchase and spares stock.

There a bunch of downsides to this type of unit, mainly because it is still immature technology and because they are trying to sell thousands/millions of units and they have to look fancy in the showroom.

- they use a lot of gimicky graphics, for example the depth display doesn't need a photo-realistic picture of your boat in it, or coloured sea complete with ripple diffraction effect.

- Power consumption is high - compare the 165mA in the spec of this unit to the 50-60mA spec of typical monochrome unit (Raymarine ST60+ in this case). That is important in sailing yacht whatever it's power capacity.

-The crowded screens are a pain to use and can be difficult to read. Look at the composite displays with those small numbers in the corners (sure they can be switched to display just one or two sets of data and that's great). The steering composite display on this is a total pigs ear of overcrowded real estate.

- Putting the brightness display inside menus is just stupid. It should be accessible directly from a button - many of the old school units had three of four brightness levels accessed by pressing and holding a button which allowed you to cycle through the levels. In these units you have to go down a couple of levels of menu and then slowly scroll the brightness up or down. Doesn't seem like much but when you have to do that say three times as the sun goes down and comes up it's an unnecessary PITA.

And those little buttons, hard to see, hard to feel, small. Trust me they are not easy to use when your cold and wet and thrashing to weather. The tactile part of the ergonomic design process seems to have been forgotten or at least given a back seat in favour of appearance.

I will say that the composite displays do have a place and that is in the nav station where it's generally easier to see, but then you'd probably have an MFD there!

As for having too much information on display, yes that is definitely possible. Compare professional ships radars and aircraft cockpits with the graphic tat that we are seeing on yacht targeted instruments and MFDs, they are austere by comparison but the information is all there in a beautifully concise and instantly sensed and processed format.

Apologies for the rant and for going on so long and getting off topic. I should also be clear that many of these comments apply to most of the current crop of instruments coming from all the major players not just B&G.

I'm not against this technology, but I do think the PR and graphic design people are having too much influence over the designs.

Regarding setting the brightness on these displays: pressing and holding the "enter" key for 3 seconds takes you straight into the brightness adjustment. Day/night mode is accessed this way also.

Regarding multifunction vs single function: one does not have to set up 9 areas of data on a multifunction unit, nor be stuck with single functionality to get simpler data. The advantage of multifunction displays like these is that one can set up multiple pages of data that can easily be cycled through with a button press. So a multifunction display can have multiple pages of single datum and different data of interest can be access with an easy push of a button. Best of both worlds.

Regarding your first paragraph. Great - I couldn't find it in the manual, but it is the norm on older units - often dropped on the latest and greatest models though.

Second paragraph.. I am not arguing that the one-line, two-line, even three-line modes of data display are fine. You don't need one of these to achieve that though the old LCD units do it - lets not take a step back just for the sake of a colour screen, some fancy graphics and more power consumption.

The wind display does look nice, but a windex is even better ;)

"often dropped on the latest and greatest models"

Which models, Tweed, or is that another assumption?

Also, I'm still wondering why you've expended such energy slagging screens that are entirely optional. I don't particularly like the Triton's fancy depth history screen myself (though it does show off the display's graphic capabilities well) but I'm pretty sure I can build a simpler version with the custom templates.

It's also quite possible that some other boater will like that screen, and what's wrong with that? Are you presuming that you know how all of us should look at data? When you complain about screens that are too dense, are you aware that some people will be looking at them close on a pedestal or on a pilothouse overhead, not across a cockpit?

By the way, I've sailed many thousands of miles with just telltales, windex, or the hair on my neck, but I learned a long time ago that a wind instrument is far better if you're on a boat that can sail in truly light conditions or one set up for high performance.

There are no assumptions in my statements Ben, that is an assumption of yours.

Which models Raymarine ST70(+) series off the top of my head. Perhaps fixed now as I know they had taken the complaint on board. Other skipper and crew I have talked to have the same complaint.

Of course I am aware that some people will be looking at these instruments from close up, as I oftem am, and that is where the viewing angle limitations really hurt because a small head movement changes the angle considerably. I have already stated that these displays can be useful at a nav. station or other close in applications in a previous post.

The windex comment was somewhat tongue in cheek ;)

The screens are optional of course, and it's a free world I don't have to like them. I am not telling anybody how to look at data just making observations on the usability of this stuff, or not.

The main point I was making was that these units can be difficult to use, especially in tough conditions. You and many others seem to be placing a lot of emphasis on the eye candy aspects; there is quite a message there! My comments on the screens were tertiary to the main points about the view angles, button design/placement and general ergonomics.

I'm not sure Tweed is the target customer for this type of product :-)

Greetings

@Tweed

Unless you have actually tried this unit, most of your concerns seem directed at an older crop of displays. This B&G seems to have addressed your concerns with custom display detail, viewing angle, and brightness/day-night control. I will take your word for it that you find the buttons too small for a gloved hand and power consumption is high versus other displays.

@Tweed

Where are these less expensive NMEA 2K displays, several of which you claim I can purchase for the price of one of these B&G?

@Ben

Any documentation available re: PGN capability of this unit? I can't locate these details in the B&G docs.

Cheers

@Jon B - yes an no, I'd love the functionality, but these are not there in usability yet IMO, and there is the power conumption issue.

@Paul, never said you could do it N2K old chap

Interestingly only a few years ago I would be fully in agreement with Tweed (to the extent that I could have written his words!). The early colour instruments were, IMO, very power hungry and had poor viewability both in sunlight and at night. They also didn't make great use of the flexibility of graphic screens.

Suffice to say I was *not* a fan.

Now we've released a multi-function colour instrument, but I still hold the same values. Here are my comments on a few of the headline issues raised (based on Triton, but some applies to others):

***Power: Triton is 150mA maximum - at night with lights very low it is around 60mA. Monochrome displays are generally less (B&G's 20/20 mast displays are around 20mA lights off, 75mA lights on IIRC) but for many people the advantages of colour graphics outweigh the minor increase in power. Power capacity on boats has also increased with the "requirement" for more equipment, it isn't exactly rare to see a 40' boat with a TV and DVD, along with dual 12" MFDs, Pilot, Radar etc.

***Visibility: This is the big reason B&G never had a colour display before, they were nothing like as easy to see. And if you can't see an instrument on deck then it is pretty much useless. Technology has improved - the display we use in Triton was selected on performance grounds rather than cost(the project team were just slightly concerned when I selected the most expensive display on their list...). Viewing angles are now very wide. Most importantly backlighting is now LED which enables us to dim it very close to off for night use - this was previously impossible. Bonding the display with glass (vs. having an air gap and plastic window) also improves contrast, removes risk of condensation and ensures it will look as good after a couple of years onboard as it does at a boat show.

***Buttons: The Triton buttons are deliberately scaled and set proud of the front case - this ensures they pass my test of "easily operable with a cold and wet gloved thumb at night" - setting them in pairs, vs. clumping them all together, also assists with this. As @Mark mentions there is a shortcut to the lighting (including night mode) settings.

***Composite ("busy") screens: This always provokes opinion, and we can generally see which groups have which opinion. Those who have grown up on racing yachts or who have spent a large amount of time sailing with instruments instinctively visualise data (e.g. they know that "=135" indicates True Wind is blowing from the port quarter). This means they tend to see composite screens as a bit gimmicky. But for many of us time on the boat is all too rare - in that situation a graphic for True Wind Angle, Cross Track Error, Off Course etc. can be invaluable - especially in moments of uncertainty. Most sailors don't have the experience of Tweed, or spend as much time afloat. These sailors generally appreciate these screens. Interestingly we did de-clutter the Composite Wind screen during beta testing (the screenshot Ben has - and on our website [oops!] isn't the latest version) due to it not being as clear as we would have liked.

If you were to go and visit a Volvo Ocean Race stopover you wouldn't see any colour displays, no analogue displays, no composite screens - for those guys it is all about the numbers. But those guys aren't exactly "normal" (!) and their systems wouldn't suit the "average" owner (a term I detest - no-one is average).

B&G is staffed by sailors who both race and cruise, so we generally understand real life on a yacht, this is (hopefully!) reflected in the products we make.

(Slight disclaimer - this is from memory on a Friday afternoon... might not be perfect!)

Rgds

Alan

p.s. Tweed - I tend to agree with you on the "photo-realistic" boat on the Depth page. We will add an option to switch that off for those that don't want it.

Alan, thanks for taking the time to respond. I am actually looking forward to seeing these units; as mentioned in previous posts I like the idea of being able to have on display unit perform a multitude of tasks and that a set of one type of display could replace several standalones.

How have you solved the problem of LED lighting being able to achieve very low levels? In the past there was always a problem with LEDs that below a certain voltage they turn off so you can't dim them efficiently. Has there been an improvement in led technology or have you worked aroundn that optically?

I agree that power capacity has improved on many modern boats, but I still like to design for and use as little as possible :) its my green side; which conflicts with my geeky toy loving side! I'm seeing improvements all the time though........ Oh for a low power colour radar display

Studying the images I see that buttons are proud which should help a lot in operating by feel. I operate some functions by feel quite a bit, such as the pilot and it's nice to know you can confidently hit the button to come up a couple rather than tack! Pairs of buttons are always good in this respect.

How do these units look through polarised sunnies ? That's always an issue

Sorry Alan, another question. How does one prevent these units from being stolen? Does the rear retention bar also act as an anti-theft lock? In other words what is to stop somebody just walking up and un latching the instrument?

Tweed, I'm surprised you don't understand that boat security is more a function of location than a small difference in how long it takes to remove particular bits of gear.

Besides, the boat world is full of on-deck bracket-mounted chartplotters, radar displays, and fishfinders that are more valuable and more easily fenced than instruments, and their ease of removal is obvious even to thieves without marine electronics expertise. That's why boat owners in some locations remove their electronics and lock them up below when they leave the boat.

And if that's how you protect your gear, than there's an argument that the Triton twist/lock mount is more secure than competitor mounts that require a thief or owner to spend a minute snapping off fastener covers and removing a few screws.

But you don't think like that, do you, old chap?

More in the Tweed-refuses-to-smell-the-coffee department:

* It has been possible to dim LED backlighting to very low levels for a long time (though most consumer electronics like my boat's LED monitor/TV don't bother). It's also possible with color displays to change them to night friendly modes.

* The four buttons on the Raymarine i70 are bigger than those on any other similar style instrument display I can recall, including the older style monochrome ones, and, like the Triton, the i70 design includes plenty of tactile clues as to which button is which.

Ben, cruisers and working boats can't always choose where they park. Simple as that. Instruments can be stolen or exchanged by other boaters to , for example, replace a faulty one of their own, no need to fence. Those people have the knowledge.

It's not a criticism if there is a way of locking them in. It's needed in certain applications and places.

Marinas might be secure in some places, other places definitely not, a lot of time boats are Parked in very public places.

I agree you can remove instruments etc and put them below and lock up, but it's good to have the option where you can design to have just a few instruments outside but the mfd etc. are safe inside , pilot house configuration for example. If those outside instruments are secure there is no need to remove and leave a hole, expose wiring , let the bugs in etc.

Are you smelling the coffee yet? :)

LEDs typically dim to 'low' levels, not 'very low levels'

I can smell the coffee Ben.

What I said, Tweed; it's all about location. Pray tell how you secure electronics in a really public, rough area? Do you have a better way than using instruments that can twist out and unplug in a moment without tools and without damage, and then be locked away?

There's actually little that's "typical" about LEDs. It's a vast technology, and moving at a rapid clip. It has been possible to make marine LED lighting and backlighting that "dims to black" (0 nits) for a while. Smoothly too. I've seen it. Often. It's a fact.

I can attest from personal experience with the Triton T41 that the LED backlighting does indeed go to "very low levels". Almost to black, and definitely too dark to read well. At night, even the daylight mode at the lowest lighting level is not obtrusive. The night mode has to be turned up a notch or two from the lowest setting for me to comfortably read the displays at night.

Mark

Hi,

Just as a comment for anyone thinking about the following, I was looking at the Triton to control a Simrad AC42 AP. I think the display is significantly better than the AP24/28 display heads. I didn't go ahead with that however because there are several key AC42 modes which cannot be accessed through the Triton display (such as the "no drift" mode, which I think is very useful).

So I went with the AP28 display for the cockpit controller.

As noted in a previous post on this thread, if you have one of the Simrad MFDs, then you can fully control the AP from that, and so a Triton may work for you as a secondary, but for us, we want a fully functioning separate AP controller next to the helm, and the Triton couldn't provide that (at this time).

We may install a Triton as our back-up controller at the nav station.

The AP28 is nice, but is now a little dated - the ergonomics of the Triton display is excellent. (I personally think that colour graphics displays are a huge advance on b&w numbers for some applications)

Hopefully Simrad or B&G will release a sailing version of the AP70/80 control heads to upgrade the AP28.

Cheers,
Paul.

What about using the OP40 controller?
It has no display, but all the functions to control NSO/NSE/NSS and Zeus

I guess OP40 could control the AP too. But we like a separate display and controller at the helm (sailboat). That adds redundancy and means that we don't need the chartplotter on all the time.

If you have Triton T-41's is it possible to update its software / firmware using a Garmin 4212 chartplotter like is done with the GMI-10's?

Also, Does the Triton masthead wind sensor connect directly into NMEA 2000? None of the B&G literature mentions anything about this, (that I can find).

Richard, I don't think there are any cases where cross manufacturer firmware updating is possible. I'm not even sure you could update a Triton from a Lowrance MFD , though I suspect you can from a Simrad, especially as the IS40 Color is essentially a T-41: http://tinyurl.com/Simrad-IS40Color

So to update a Triton T-41 on a boat without a Simrad or B&G SD card slot, you'll have to take it to a boat or shop that has the right gear or vice versa. To my knowledge the only company that has a better solution for these situations is Garmin with their NMEA 2000 SD updater gadget: http://tinyurl.com/Panbo-Garmin-updater

But while I've never seen a B&G Triton wind sensor, I'm sure that it either delivers straight PGNs to a N2K backbone or it has an interface box that accomplishes the same end. That has to be true as the T-41 only has N2K ports (two for daisy chaining). The Simrad wind sensor that works with the IS40 Color definitely outputs native N2K and either version of instrument head can apply calibrations to any N2K wind input.

Richard/Ben, the "508" wind sensor (developed from the existing H3000 sensor by the B&G guys) for the Triton range is now also used on IS40 systems (since early this year).

It isn't NMEA 2000 certified (not yet at least), but uses the standard PGNs for the data. B&G and Simrad devices are able to calibrate the sensor directly - other devices would need to apply local calibrations in the displays (normal NMEA 2000 situation).

Updating a Triton T-41 without a B&G MFD on the system requires a dealer with the SWUP (software update) tool at the moment. Cross-manufacturer updating isn't likely to happen anytime soon.

Rgds

Alan

I own two T41s and also a Simrad NSS7. According to Ben, I should be able to upgrade the T41s using the SD card slot in the NSS7.
I downloaded the software upgrade from bandg.com (file T41_1_4_00_01.swup).
I expected an instruction document detailing the steps of the upgrade process. Instead I found Windows installable software (a .msi package) called "NAVICO Software Upgrade Tool". Only after I installed this did I find a pdf document mixed with the installed software (in C:\Program Files (x86)\Navico Egersund AS\Software Upgrade).
This tells me that a "NAVICO USB IO Computer" is needed for the software to work.
Judging from this, it is not possible to upgrade a T41 using a NSS.
Do you confirm?
If yes, where do I get a "NAVICO USB IO Computer"? What is the approximate cost? Or will an Actisense NGT-1 do?

Alan/Ben,
Is there any way to increase the size of the numbers on the Triton's composite wind display?
I have a tiller steered boat where the instrument is in front of the main hatch quite far away, so I'd gladly have as big numbers as possible.

Cheers,

Henning,

I did some searching and found the "Navico USB IO Computer" is only available to Navico dealers of which there seems to be only one authorized in the USA, In Kansas no less - (according to the B&G Triton web support page). You would think that B&G would update that page if this is wrong. The Navico USB IO Computer has to be plugged into a PC's USB port and also plugged into the Simnet network. The on screen menu is a throw back to just post Microsoft DOS days. Maybe B&G/Navico got the T-41 features right, but they did nothing about making it an easy end user upgrade even if you have all B&G equipment. Sorry, but I'm used to Mac updates that are one button software upgrades while I check my mail and listen to music.

The bottom line is if you don't have a B&G MFD you will be stuck with whatever software came on the T-41 when you bought it. I doubt many sailors with only the Triton are going to pull the T-41 out of the boat and ship it to an authorized dealer and pay a large fee just for a software upgrade that is free on the B&G web site.

As you mentioned, it would be very helpful if the Actisense NGT-1 can upload the software update to the Triton display. Anyone try this?

According to Simrad Denmark it is possible to update the is40/triton display with new firmware fron any of the newer Navico plotters (lowrance,simrad,B&G).

I had quite a long talk with them yesterday and they insisted this was possible.

Mikkel,
That sounds good. At least it gives me the opportunity to search around for a fellow sailor in the boat yard who has Lowrance,Simrad or B&G and ask if they would be gracious enough to connect my Triton and update the software. This is a somewhat inconvenient solution to the problem but at least one way to get the latest V2.6 update into the Triton display. Thanks for making the call.

Richard - if you are in the South Florida area I will be glad to update this for you. It is simple and fast with the set up that we have on board... I have one Simrad NSE8 and one B&G Zeus to support the IS20's and one Ttriton-41 displays.

Thanks, Jeffrey
I did find a local friend with a Lowrance system onboard who will do the update - problem solved. I really like the Triton's wind display and added the instrument for this specific feature. I'm sure the software update will prove other benefits as well, even for a user with a non- B&G chartplotter.

It would be good to get confirmation that Triton can be updated with a Lowrance or Simrad MFD. I presume that's true, since they all run the Navico Operating System (NOS), but the B&G update page only says:

"It is also possible to update Triton using the updater within Zeus MFD software versions 1.1.37.103 and later."

http://www.bandg.com/en-GB/Products/Triton-Display/Triton-Display-Version-2_6-Software-Update/

There are some nice tweaks in Triton v2.6. I showed the Wind Plot screen in latest "B&G Las Palmas..." entry but there's also analog gauge enhancements like "Magnified Wind Analogues (AWA, TWA) using Quick Zoom" and "Alarm Sector display – shows sectors where alarms are set"

And hopefully some Panbots will appreciate a new simplified Depth History screen without sailboat drawing and shimmery water, because apparently its inclusion is a direct result of your criticism. B&G reads Panbo!

Yes I have updated my own personal system via SD Card and/or USB Thumb Drive.

Thanks, Jeff, but did you update your Tritons with your Simrad NSE8 or your B&G Zeus?

Yes I don't remember what was the update but I did this via the Simrad NSE 8 via thumb drive and SD card slot.
Jeffrey Schwartz

Upgrading from Lowrance HDS works as well. I tested an actual upgrading using a HDS 2 Touch and I verified that a HDS 1 has the capability to do upgrades [but didn't have a Triton ready in that network so I could not actually do any upgrading.]

I swupped two Tritons yesterday from a NSS7. The update went parallel (simultaneous) on both devices because I left them both checked in a table of upgradeable devices in the NSS. Both Tritons showed an "upgrade in progress" message with % complete and the same also in the NSS. The whole thing took a good 10 minutes, though (for a 4MB size upgrade file) so for raw data throughput, NMEA2000 is probably not the best choice.
After restart, all my extensive settings (customize pages) were gone. Had I known before, I would have a least taken a picture of my 9 by 9 data display page :-( So another hour of fiddling to come.
And while I'm slightly agitated at Navico, here's another rant: My AP24 autopilot control came with a cutting template that apparently was photocopied (by Navico) with automatic scaling active on the copier. I didn't notice and had laser-cut the openings from the template into acrylic glass last winter.
Ironically, the cutting template that came with the Tritons has a warning on it to not use photocopies. Maybe Navico should read their own warnings better.

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