Trim Indicators - mechanical vs electrical
#1
Trim Indicators - mechanical vs electrical
Just picked up a boat that has the standard electric trim guage. Any idea of how accurate this is compared to the mechanical/cable indicator style?
Always had the mechanical setup but not sure its worth changing if the electrical is a proven setup. Thoughts???
Always had the mechanical setup but not sure its worth changing if the electrical is a proven setup. Thoughts???
#5
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Maybe a generic explanation, but hope it helps!
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The most important points are resulution and lack of freeplay. By resolution, I mean enough travel in the dash indicator that you can tell exactly where you are set. By lack of freeplay, I mean that the indicator moves immediately when the tab does. Many mechanical systems deal with cable freeplay by using preload springs that keep the cable in constant tension, so it doesn't shift from tension to compression as it changes direction.
The newest electronic systems use high-resolution sensors, but can still be prone to freeplay issues depending on the type of linkages used between the tab and the sensor.
One thing that I have done on my tabs is to install spacers on top of and below the piston inside the ram to limit the tab travel to only the amount that I need. This way, I can spread that smaller amount of travel over the entire range of the display, giving me better resolution of where I am set.
Funny thing, though: In the end, you adjust the tabs to get the result that you want, not to a particular number... Go figure.
The newest electronic systems use high-resolution sensors, but can still be prone to freeplay issues depending on the type of linkages used between the tab and the sensor.
One thing that I have done on my tabs is to install spacers on top of and below the piston inside the ram to limit the tab travel to only the amount that I need. This way, I can spread that smaller amount of travel over the entire range of the display, giving me better resolution of where I am set.
Funny thing, though: In the end, you adjust the tabs to get the result that you want, not to a particular number... Go figure.
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Last edited by C_Spray; 06-08-2011 at 07:28 PM.