News from Floscan for the non electronic engine users

[Codger2]

This is great news for those of us that use FloScans





FloScan has released the FloNET Series Fuel Monitoring System designed to interface with NMEA 2000® devices which includes our new 2 Fuel-Tron Instrument. This system provides a powerful new tool for skippers allowing them to see fuel consumption and other fuel-related data while underway. Features displayed may include:

Gallons / Liters per hour
Gallons / Liters consumed
Gallons / Liters remaining
Nautical miles per gallon / Liters per nautical mile
Distance / Time to empty
Fuel required to reach next waypoint under current conditions
Fuel required to complete trip under current conditions An equally important benefit is the considerable reduction in installation time and expense by connecting directly to a NMEA 2000 trunk (network) line. The trunk line supplies 12V power & ground requirements and DeviceNet® cabling and connectors provide true plug-and-play connectivity.
Our FloNET Interface System allows other marine electronics manufacturers to utilize our 30+ years of experience and expertise in marine fuel monitoring. This collaboration benefits the end user who may have a preference for a particular manufacturers line of NMEA 2000 devices. And with today's high cost of fuel, skippers can use our data to run their vessels at peak fuel efficiency. *Typical fuel savings can range from 5% to 20% or more.



Furuno®, Garmin®, Lowrance®, Maretron®, Raymarine®, and Simrad® are a few of the manufacturers offering product compatibility. Models are available for diesel engines rated from 25 6000 hp.
For pricing and availability, e-mail us at sales@floscan.com or call Joe Dydasco at 206-524-6625 Ext. 316. Please note we require the engine make, model number, and horsepower rating for quotes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you're an existing FloScan customer, call or email for a special discount price for the FloNET Interface hub only. Your existing fuel flow sensors can be used with this new NMEA 2000 system.

FloScan*** 3016 NE Blakeley St.*** Seattle, WA*** 98105*** [url]www.floscan.com[/url]
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[Baker]

Cool. Dunno if we're there yet but we are getting there. Being a pilot, we have extremely simple computers(Flight Management Computers) that pretty much take all the data from everything and put it into one very simple single interface with only a few buttons.(1-0 and A-Z and 12 "soft keys"). I have always wondered when boats would adopt this and "bring it all together". This is a step in the right direction. Also, the electric engines will provide a lot of easily accessible data that will simplify this.

 

[Codger2]

The FloScan/FloNet system is only available to a few electronic manufacture's equipment at present. Those using the NMEA 2000 protocol. Knowing that there are a ton of guys (like me) who use chart plotters, etc with the NMEA183 protocol, I called the company yesterday to ask when it would be available to the non NMEA 2000 community. They advised me that help was on its way and to call back in a month or so. Unlike electronic engines, that display a <u>calculated </u>fuel flow, based on formulas in their software, FloScan data is <u>actually measured fuel flow. </u>( I don't want to get in a debate, again, over this last statement as I got quite a bit of flack the last time I said this. Since then, I have spent considerable time researching the question, talking to engine manufacturers, etc and <u>I stand by my remark</u>s!)
ELECTRONIC ENGINE FUEL DATA IS A CALCULATED VALUE (and very close) BUT FLOSCAN DATA IS AN ACTUAL MEASUREMENT!

Walt

 

[FF]

BUT FLOSCAN DATA IS AN ACTUAL MEASUREMENT!

And if you take the time (go longer and longer between resets) the flo scan will get really accurate results.

We frequently are within 3 gal on 500 gal of burn.

Not bad ,

FF

 

[Baker]

SeaHorse II wrote:

The FloScan/FloNet system is only available to a few electronic manufacture's equipment at present. Those using the NMEA 2000 protocol. Knowing that there are a ton of guys (like me) who use chart plotters, etc with the NMEA183 protocol, I called the company yesterday to ask when it would be available to the non NMEA 2000 community. They advised me that help was on its way and to call back in a month or so. Unlike electronic engines, that display a <u>calculated </u>fuel flow, based on formulas in their software, FloScan data is <u>actually measured fuel flow. </u>( I don't want to get in a debate, again, over this last statement as I got quite a bit of flack the last time I said this. Since then, I have spent considerable time researching the question, talking to engine manufacturers, etc and <u>I stand by my remark</u>s!)
ELECTRONIC ENGINE FUEL DATA IS A CALCULATED VALUE (and very close) BUT FLOSCAN DATA IS AN ACTUAL MEASUREMENT!

Walt

And hopefully they will take it a step further.* I hate relating everything to airplanes(it just provides a pretty good standard ref system redundancy and safety), but in the newer airplanes they use both of these figures...the "totalizer" and the FMC computed fuel.* If there is an anomaly between the 2 figures, then something is wrong*and you would be alerted by a message.*

.....maybe overkill for the average boat but not on a "voyager".

 

[MV At Last]

John:

Only a pilot would call an FMC an "extremely simple computer".

 

[Baker]

MV At Last wrote:

John:

Only a pilot would call an FMC an "extremely simple computer".

Boeing....engineered by geniuses to be flown by idiots!!!!

 

[FF]

Only a pilot would call an FMC an "extremely simple computer"

An older pilot would call it all your eggs in one basket , one fuse away from ZERO .

I never contemplate ANY electric toys that are not back up to standard mechanical gages.

Murphy is with us always.

FF

 

[2bucks]

Geez FF, you talk like you'd fall out of the sky if something went wrong.......... hmmmmm...... maybe you would.

Ken

 

[Baker]

FF wrote:

Only a pilot would call an FMC an "extremely simple computer"

An older pilot would call it all your eggs in one basket , one fuse away from ZERO .

I never contemplate ANY electric toys that are not back up to standard mechanical gages.

Murphy is with us always.

FF

That is a little melodramatic considering that there are 2 FMCs and that life would go on like it used to if both of those took a dump.....just tune the VOR and fly along.* While the chances of you losing both are there... the chances of flying a "ghost ship" are astronomically low.

To get back on topic was that I still believe there is a business opportunity and a long way to go for the marine industry to catch up to aviation.* And it is not really a matter of catching up, it is just a matter of connecting all of the hardware and software together to get one nice big picture.* The technology is there and has been there.* The advent and soon to be proliferation of electric diesels will definitely help.

 

[Chris Foster]

John -

Funny you should state that the marine industry has a long way to go to catch up with aviation. I've been thinking just the opposite - probably because I'm coming from light aircraft and not heavy iron.

The vacuum-powered mechanical gyros in common use on singles and light twins up 'til a few years ago are really pretty horrid things. The vacuum pumps that drive them are notoriously unreliable, the instruments themselves not a lot better, and when they do fail, they tend to fail insidiously - no indication of erroneous readings.

The homebuilt/experimental market has been blasting ahead with first-rate electronic flight instruments that are easily one and probably two orders of magnitude more reliable than the mechanical ones. But that giant three-letter impediment to aviation safety - FAA - has kept these unavailable to the certificated aircraft market.

A trip to any marine electronics store gives you a display of really incredible products for dirt cheap (compared to similar "certificated" aircraft products). True, the integration isn't completely there yet, but it's getting steadily better. And none of it - possibly except for a depth sounder - should be stuff that'll get you in deep doo-doo if it goes TU.