MicroNet Dual Maxi User manual

Dual Maxi Display
User Guide

Dual Maxi Display
Important
Suitability
Due to the wireless communication systems used in Micronet
instruments they are only recommended for use on boats up to 18
metres (60 ft.) Before installing to a boat of aluminium, steel or
Carbon Fibre construction, please consult www.tacktick.com.
Aid to Navigation
Like any other electronic instruments your Micronet system is designed
to serve only as an aid to navigation and it remains the skippers
responsibility to maintain a permanent watch and be aware of
developing situations.
Dismantling the product
Any attempt to take a Micronet product apart will invalidate the warranty.
The battery may only be replaced by a person trained and approved for
this purpose.
Safety and Disposal
Your Maxi Display contains Manganese Lithium Dioxide batteries which
should be disposed of correctly. Do not dispose of any instrument in
domestic waste. Refer to regulations in force in your country.
If in doubt return the instrument to Tacktick Ltd. for correct disposal.
EMC Conformance
All Tacktick equipment is designed to the best industry standards for use
in the recreational marine environment. The design and manufacture of
Tacktick equipment conforms to the appropriate Electromagnetic
Compatibility (EMC) standards. Correct installation is required to ensure
that performance is not compromised.

Contents
1
1 Key Features 2
2 System Overview 3
2.1 Display Features - 3
2.2 Remote Control - 3
2.3 Switching the System On and Off - 4
2.4 Chapter and Page operation - 4
2.5 Power Management and Battery Life - 4
2.6 Backlighting - 5
2.7 Sleep Mode - 6
3 Performance Functions 7
3.1 Automatic Pages - 7
3.2 Optimising your start with the Maxi Display - 8
3.3 During the Race - 10
4 Operation 13
4.1 Data Chapters and Pages - 13
4.2 Audible Signals and Alarms - 14
4.3 Page Hiding - 15
4.4 Operating the Dual Maxi Display using the control button - 16
5 Setup and Calibration 18
5.1 Setup and Calibration Organisation - 18
5.2 Setup and calibration Operation - 19
5.3 Editing Setup Data - 19
5.4 Setup Page Descriptions - 20
6 Seatrial and Calibration 25
7 Installation 26
7.1 Bracket mounting - 26
7.2 Bulkhead mounting - 27
8 Maintenance and Fault Finding 29
8.1 Care and Maintenance - 29
8.2 Fault Finding - 29
Specifications 32
Warranty Information 33

1 Key Features
Simple to Install
Solar Powered: your Dual Maxi Display is powered for life by the Sun.
The innovative technology uses so little current and the power supply is
so efficient, that the display is independent from your boat's batteries.
Wireless: your Tactick displays communicate by wireless, they can be
sited anywhere on your boat without disruption or cables.
Dedicated to Performance
Optimise your start: the Dual Maxi Display's powerful functions for
Distance and Speed-Trim to the line, Line Bias and Race Timer help you
get the best possible start.
Enhance your performance with the built-in functions for Wind Shift,
Velocity Made Good and Tack Course
Simplify your tidal navigation with the Dual Maxi Display's Set, Drift,
Turn and Course to Steer functions.
Easy to Manage
Automatic data selection: the innovative Auto Leg function allows the
display to automatically show the information you need for each leg of
the course.
Page Hiding means you can avoid data duplication on different
displays, minimising the time to select the pages you really need.
Wireless Remote control: your Dual Maxi display can
be controlled and configured from anywhere in the boat
using a Tacktick Remote display.
Excellent visibility
The large, high contrast LCD gives the Dual Maxi Display a wide angle
of view and ensures excellent visibility from anywhere on your boat.
Two panes with 35mm digits maximise the information available.
The black background minimises disturbance to your night vision, and
the red/amber option allows you to choose the backlight colour of your
display at night.
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System Overview
3
2 System Overview
Important: Ensure that the "Auto Network" procedure described on the
yellow instruction sheet and full Setup and Calibration has been
performed correctly before attempting to use your Micronet system.
2.1 Display Features
2.2 Remote Control
Your Dual Maxi Display is designed to be controlled and configured
using a Tacktick Remote Display. See the user guide supplied with the
Remote Display for details of using the Remote Display in remote control
mode. All references in this user guide to the , , or
buttons refer to the appropriate button on the Remote Display.
Upper and Lower Panes
The upper and lower panes of the Dual Maxi Display function
independently; each pane acts as a separate display and can be
configured separately.
When a Dual Maxi Display is selected using the button of the
Remote Display, the upper pane of the Dual Maxi will flash, indicating
that it is selected for remote control. A further press of the button
will cause the lower pane of the Dual Maxi to flash, indicating that this
pane is now selected for remote control.
Note: If a Remote Display is not available, the single control button
provides a limited control capability, see page 16 for details.
Note: for configuration of the Dual Maxi Display a Remote Display is
required.
See page 18 for details of configuring your Dual Maxi Display.

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2.3 Switching the System On and Off
To switch your Micronet system on or off select any display and
press the button for 2 seconds. (See page 16 for use of the
Dual Maxi Display control button)
2.4 Chapter and Page operation
Data is shown on the panes of the Dual Maxi Display in Chapters,
each containing several pages of related data. The diagram on
page 13 shows the full set of chapters and data pages available.
For a detailed description of individual data items supported on the
Micronet network, see the Micronet Data user guide on your
product CD or on the Tacktick web site.
Selecting Chapters and Pages:
Use to scroll through the chapters and and to move
between the pages within a chapter.
Pressing at any time will move on to the next Chapter and on
scrolling through the Chapters the page last selected in that
Chapter will be displayed. Both Chapter and Page selection will
scroll back to the first page once a cycle has been completed.
Pages for which no data is available are displayed as dashes (- - -)
2.5 Power Management and Battery Life
What makes your Dual Maxi display possible is Tacktick's
revolutionary approach to power management. By reducing the
amount of power being used by the electronics and dual
Maximizing the potential of the sun to provide power, the Dual Maxi
display becomes a virtually perpetual device.
Power status is indicated by two icons on the display:
Battery Level and Charge Rate
Used together these icons will show the condition of the power
supply.
Note: If the internal battery is fully charged then it does not matter
how much the display is subjected to bright sunlight no further
charging is required and the Charge Rate Indicator will remain low.

If the displays are to be stored for a long period of time before next use
(Over Winter) ensure that the batteries are fully charged before storage.
If necessary connect to a 9 to 30V DC power supply for 24 hrs prior to
storage, using the external power leads.
Warning: Artificial light WILL NOT recharge the battery. Placing your
Dual Maxi Display close to an artificial light will seriously damage the
display. Only recharge in natural daylight.
2.6 Backlighting
At any stage of the display's operation press and hold for two
seconds to access the lighting control.
Pressing and will scroll through setting OFF, 1, 2
and 3 whilst changing the backlighting.
If using the displays at night, power usage can be reduced
dramatically by switching the Backlighting to level 1 or 2. To save power, it
is recommended that backlighting Level 3 is used only in dusk conditions.
The Dual Maxi Display can be configured to use either red or amber
backlighting (see page 23). Tacktick recommend that red backlighting is
used whenever possible as this uses less battery power.
Backlighting is automatically switched off in daylight as part of the
display's power saving feature and will not operate in daylight.
System Overview
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2.7 Sleep Mode
If there is no boat speed or change in heading registered on the system
for a period of 12 hours your Dual Maxi display will switch off to conserve
power. A "POWER SAVE" alarm will sound before the system switches
off. Pressing any button within 10 seconds of the alarm sounding will
allow the system to remain switched on.
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Performance Functions
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3 Performance Functions
3.1 Automatic Pages
You probably want different pages shown on your Dual Maxi Display for
each leg of the course.
The Dual Maxi display makes this easy by providing a special page: the
AUTO LEG page. Using this feature, you can programme your Dual Maxi
to show exactly the information you require for each leg of the course
without the need to manually change pages at each mark rounding.
For example, consider a boat with two Dual Maxi Displays on a mast
bracket. It may be decided that during the start the data required is Boat
Speed,Depart, Line Bias and Race Timer; for the windward leg Boat
Speed, Heading, VMG to Windward and Wind Shift; and downwind
Boat Speed, Heading, VMG to Waypoint and True Wind Direction.
Programming these pages into the Autoleg Page prior to the race would
automatically show these pages for the appropriate leg of the course;
leaving the tactician free to concentrate on the race, not on configuring
his instruments.
The legs and the pages displayed can be configured in setup to meet
your specific needs, see page 20.
Similarly, using the Page Hiding function to eliminate duplicate pages
across the three displays reduces the time and key presses required if
a manual reconfiguration of the data displayed becomes necessary.
Note: It is a good idea to programme the remote control display list of
your Remote Display to show your displays in the same order as their
physical location on the boat. See the Remote Display user guide.
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3.2 Optimising your start
The Dual Maxi display has three functions to help you get a great start:
The Depart page shows your distance from the start line and how
much faster (or slower) you must sail to hit the line at the start signal.
The Race Timer gives you a visual and audible count down.
The Line Bias page helps you choose the best position on the line.
Using the Depart page
Approaching the start, it is vital to know your distance from
the line and whether you will arrive before or after the signal.
The large digits show your distance from the nearest point
on the line in distance units or boat-lengths (see page 23).
Note: A negative distance shows that the boat is to windward of the start
line, not that the boat is on the course side of the line; i.e. for a downwind
start, a negative distance shows you are approaching the line correctly.
The small digits show the change in speed required for you to arrive at
the line at the signal; a negative value means that you must decrease
your speed to avoid arriving early.
Warning: These calculations rely on GPS data, so they are subject to
error, particularly as the distance from the line becomes small. Do not rely
on this information to determine if you are over the line at the start. Rather,
you should use the data to help optimise your approach to the line.
Note: Before using the Depart function, you must configure the Boat
Length and GPS Bow parameters in setup; see page 22.
Initialising the Depart page
With the depart page displayed, approach one end of the start line as if
starting; press when the bow touches the line. A popup page shows
that the first line position has been captured. Repeat at the other end of
the line. The popup shows the second line position has been captured.

Performance Functions
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Note: The line for Depart calculations is between the positions you set.
Set your points as close to the ends of the actual start line as possible.
Modifying the start line points
If it is necessary to modify one of the points, press while at the
correct location; the popup will show that position 1 has been captured.
Pressing or while the popup is visible will allow you to set the
captured location to position 2. or to discard it (-).
Note: the position is captured at the moment is pressed.
Starting and Start Line Bias
When the starting line is laid at exactly
right angles to the wind, the distance
sailed to the windward mark is the same
wherever the boat starts on the start line.
In real racing there is often a favoured end
to the line. If you start at the favoured end,
you are upwind and therefore ahead of a
boat starting at the other end of the line.
The larger the Line Bias angle, the more
you can gain from starting at the favoured
end of the line. The diagram shows how this works in practice.
Your Dual Maxi Display can calculate and display the Line Bias angle
and the favoured end of the line.
To initialise the line bias display
Go to the Line Bias page, Sail directly along the start line,
then press . The Line Bias angle and the favoured end
of the start line are displayed.
The line bias display is continually updated taking account of wind shifts
that may occur during the pre-start period.
Using the Start Timer
The most convenient way to operate the race timer is to use
the Timer Page of the Remote Display. Once started the
countdown is available on all displays. See the Remote
Display user guide for details of operating the race timer.

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3.3 During the Race
Sailing upwind.
VMG to Windward
To get to the windward mark as quickly as possible it is
necessary to balance pointing angle against boat speed to
maximise the speed directly towards the wind (this speed is
called the Velocity Made Good to Windward).
The Dual Maxi Display automatically calculates your VMG to windward.
Wind Shift
Like most things in sailing, the wind does not remain
constant in either strength or direction.
Every shift in the wind requires the boat to alter its heading
in order to maintain a close hauled course. A shift that allows the boat to
change its heading closer to the Mean Wind Direction is called a "lift"; a
shift that forces the boat to change course away from the Mean Wind
Direction is known as a "header".
In an oscillating wind, a boat that regularly tacks when headed will
spend more of its time sailing a lifted
course and will sail a shorter distance to
the windward mark than a boat that
regularly sails a headed course. This
gives the boat sailing in the lifts a
considerable advantage.
In the diagram, the boat on the right sails
a shorter course by tacking when headed
and thereby sailing mostly in lifts.
The system automatically calculates the
mean wind direction by averaging the
true wind direction over a period of time
Sail your boat for dual Maximum speed and use the Dual Maxi Display
to identify the headers and lifts to help you decide when to tack or gybe.
Permanent wind shifts can be recognised as a constant header on
one tack, and a constant lift on the other tack. In this situation, you can
reset the mean wind direction as follows:

1. Go to the Wind Shift page
2. Press , the mean wind direction is reset to the current True Wind
Direction.
3. The new value is displayed; if required, it may be adjusted using
and .
Note: resetting the mean wind direction manually disables averaging
until the system is switched off.
Sailing Downwind
Sailing downwind, it is rarely fastest to aim directly for the mark. Usually
it is better to sail at a higher angle to increase boat speed and gybe as
necessary to reach the mark. The increase in speed can more than
compensate for the additional distance sailed. In technical terms, you
aim to dual Maximise your VMG (Velocity Made Good) towards the
mark.
Use VMG-WP (VMG to Waypoint) together with the True
Wind Angle to optimise your VMG to the downwind mark
Use the SHIFT page to help you time your gybes. Aim to
gybe on lifts, to keep sailing on the headed tack.
Sailing in Tidal Waters
When you are sailing in tidal conditions, your boat's actual Course Over
the Ground (COG) and Speed Over the Ground (SOG) may differ
considerably from the heading of the boat and the speed through the
water shown by the speed sensor.
The Dual Maxi Display provides the following functions to make your
tidal navigation easier.
Turn
When steering towards a waypoint in tidal conditions, it is
often difficult to assess the course to steer to keep on the
direct track to the mark. Your Dual Maxi Display
automatically indicates when the course you are steering is taking you
off the direct track to your waypoint. The direction and required angle of
turn is displayed.
Performance Functions
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Course
Used in similar circumstances to the Turn page, the Course
page shows the course to steer to track directly to the
waypoint.
Drift and Set
Because the boat is not always moving directly in the
direction of its compass heading you need to know the
direction (SET) and the speed (DRIFT) by which the boat is
being pushed off course. Tactically this is important when assessing
when to tack or gybe to round a mark or clear an obstruction or headland.
Your Dual Maxi Display automatically
calculates this information using information
from your GPS, boat speed and compass.
The calculated set angle is rounded to the
nearest ten degrees.
Note: Set and Drift as calculated includes
the effect of both tide and leeway. Therefore
the value will be different on opposite tacks,
depending on whether the boat is sailing
into or against the tide. This will be
especially noticeable when the tidal effect is
small.
Warning: In conditions of little tide, this
calculation is very sensitive to inaccuracies
in the calibration of your speed and
compass transducers. It is not recommended that you rely on the
accuracy of this calculation in situations where the tide speed is less
than one Knot
Note: A flashing indicator will alert you if the calculated values are
uncertain).
See Sea Trial and Calibration on page 25 for information on how to
maximise the accuracy of the calibration of your speed and heading
transducers.

4 Operation
4.1 Data Chapters and Pages
Operation
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4.2 Audible Signals and Alarms
At stages during its operation your Dual Maxi Display will beep to
indicate alarms or moments of importance.
Power-up The display will beep once as it switches on.
Button Press The display will beep once each time a button is
pressed. A second beep is issued after a 2 second hold
down of the button.
Timer The display will beep once at each minute of the
countdown.
With 1 minute left to go a beep will sound every 10
seconds.
With 10 seconds to go a beep will sound every second.
Countdown complete will be indicated by a single burst
of three beeps.
Alarm Continuous bursts of three beeps will indicate an alarm.
The alarm activated will be indicated on the display,
accompanied by the flashing (BELL) symbol.
Pressing any button will silence the alarm. See fault finding section,
page 29.
The Alarms below will be indicated on the Dual Maxi Display, however
they must be configured using another Tacktick Micronet display
connected to the network. See the appropriate display user guide for
details of configuring alarms.
Depth Shallow Alarm
The water depth has fallen below the preset alarm level.
This alarm does not sound as the depth increases above
the preset alarm level.
Depth Deep Alarm
The water depth has increased above or fallen below the
preset alarm level.

Operation
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Wind High Alarm
The wind speed has increased beyond the preset alarm
level.
Cross Track Error Large Alarm
A large cross track error has been alerted by the GPS.
Waypoint Arrival Alarm
A waypoint arrival signal has been received from the GPS.
The waypoint name is shown on the top line of the display.
4.3 Page Hiding
When shipped from the factory a number of the less commonly used
pages are hidden by default; they do not appear when you scroll
through the chapters and pages. You may hide additional pages, or
unhide those already hidden to set up your Dual Maxi Display for your
individual requirements. The diagram on page 13 shows the pages that
are hidden by default.
To hide unwanted pages:
Press and hold to enter set up
Press to reach the OPTIONS chapter
Press to reach the Page Hiding page
Press to activate page hiding for 5 minutes
Press and hold to exit setup.
Once page hiding is activated:
Use the button to select the pane and , and to
navigate to the page to be hidden
Press for 2 seconds to hide the page.
A period of 5 minutes is allowed to select pages to hide.

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To clear Page Hiding and return to all pages visible:
Press and hold to enter set up
Press to reach the OPTIONS chapter
Press to reach the Pages Hidden page; the display
shows the total number of pages hidden
Press to return to all pages visible
Press and hold to exit setup.
Note: the factory reset function in setup will return page hiding to the
default setting.
4.4 Operating the Dual Maxi Display using the
control button
The Dual Maxi Display is designed to be operated and configured using
a Tacktick Remote Display; however for emergency use, there is a
limited control function available via the single control button.
To switch on the system press the button for two seconds.
Once switched on, the display has a cycle of four states, pressing the
button for two seconds moves the display to the next state in the cycle.
The display starts up in Upper Pane Chapter Mode; quick presses of
the button scroll through the available chapters. Each chapter title is
briefly shown, then the data page most recently accessed in each
chapter is displayed.
Pressing the button for two seconds changes the state to Upper Pane
Page Mode (the legend PAGE is shown briefly in the upper pane).
Quick presses of the button scrolls the upper pane through the available
pages in the chapter.
The next two second press of the button changes the state to Lower
Pane Chapter Mode (the legend CHAP-TER is briefly displayed in the
lower pane). Quick presses of the button scroll through the available
chapters.
The next two second press of the button changes the state to Lower
Pane Page Mode (the legend PAGE is shown briefly in the lower pane).
Quick presses of the button scrolls the lower pane through the available
pages in the chapter.

A further two second press of the button returns to the beginning of the
cycle, i.e. Upper Pane Chapter Mode (the legend CHAP-TER is briefly
displayed in the upper pane).
To switch off the system press the button for four seconds
Lighting any press of the button will set backlighting for the display to
level 1 unless it is already set to a higher level. The lighting will be auto
dimmed in daylight.
Note: it is not possible to configure the Dual Maxi Display using its
control button. This must be carried out using a Tacktick Remote
Display.
Operation
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5 Setup and Calibration
5.1 Setup and Calibration Organisation
Setup is organised into Chapters, each comprising a number of Pages.
Setup pages use both panes of the display.
The Dual Maxi Display is designed for remote control; the built in setup
mode only provides settings for functions that are local to the Dual Maxi
Display. These settings are configured by operating the setup function in
remote contol mode using a Tacktick Remote Display. See the Remote
Display user guide for details of remote control mode.
The diagram below shows the layout of the available setup chapters and
pages on the Dual Maxi Display. For a full description of each setup
page refer to section 5.4.
Generic system setup and configuration is carried out directly from the
Remote Display. See the Remote Display user guide for details.
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