NovaSail NS350 User manual

Operating Manual
v2.0

NS350 Operating Manual2
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Controls and display description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
• Modes and sub-modes.................................................................5
Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
• Switching power on and off..........................................................6
• Switching backlight on and off......................................................7
• Switching modes and sub-modes ................................................7
• Magnetic heading compass mode................................................8
• Wind shift indicator mode.............................................................8
• Tack incator mode......................................................................10
• ROLL angle indicator mode........................................................12
• TIMER mode..............................................................................13
Advanced Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
• SET mode ..................................................................................14
• Exit timer mode .........................................................................15
• Tack mode timer threshold ........................................................16
• Enable or disable the race functions .........................................16
• Reset to factory compass calibration values..............................17
User calibration of the magnetic compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Document History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Contents

NS350 Operating Manual 3
With the NS350 , you can find a magnetic compass along with the all-
essential race functions : wind shift indicator, direction, tactical compass and race
timer.
Compact (125mm x 80mm x 26mm) and intuitive, the NS350 is lighter (190
grams) than any existing system, wired or wireless. It is also waterproof and
robust, being made of bombproof polycarbonate and anodized aluminium.
Powered with only one AA battery, the NS350 gives sailors accurate information
for over 150 hours and can be installed in minutes.
We hope you enjoy sailing with the NS350 , and encourage you to read this
manual thoroughly to learn about the many features of your exciting new Novasail
product.
Introduction

NS350 Operating Manual4
The mounting location should be as far as possible from any magnetic objects to
avoid any interference with the compass sensor.
The
NS350 should be mounted as close as possible to the vertical and
horizontal planes.
Installation

NS350 Operating Manual 5
Modes and sub-modes
Magnetic Heading : MH
•MHH : High sensitivity
•MHM : Medium sensitivity
•MHL : Low sensitivity
Wind Shift Indicator : WIN
Tack Indicator : TAK
Roll angle indicator : ROL
TIMER : TIM
Battery
Backlight
Data
Mode
Controls and display description
Start/stop the NS350
Start/stop the backlight
Memorize the wind
direction
Memorize the tack
lines
Switchmodes
Primary
display
Secondary
display
To switch the sub-modes
Select the tack lines
Adjust the timer value

NS350 Operating Manual6
Switching power on and off
•Make sure the battery is installed with the correct polarity and has enough
remaining power (positive pole inserted first).
•Press to start the device. A beep will be emitted.
•Press and hold for more than 4 seconds until the screen displays OFF
and the sequence “3”, “2”, “1” is finished. A beep will be emitted when the
device turns off.
The device will turn off automatically when it remains in the horizontal position for
more than 3 minutes. A beep will be emitted 3 seconds before it turns off.
Note: If the device does not turn on, you need to check if the battery is fully
charged, that the battery compartment is dry, and the polarity is correct.
Note : Alkaline batteries should be used in order to result in a maximum
lifespan of 150 hours. When using a disposable battery, it is also recommended
to remove it if the device is not used for a prolonged period of time (in order to
avoid a possible leakage inside the battery compartment).
If using rechargeable batteries, low self discharge rate battery types are
preferred, because normal rechargeable batteries lose their stored energy more
quickly. Recommended batteries are SANYO ENELOOP, GP RECYKO+ or
UNIROSS HYBRIO. This kind of rechargeable battery will last for approximately
100 hours.
Operations

NS350 Operating Manual 7
Switching backlight on and off
•Press and hold for more than 1 second until the icon is displayed on
the screen. If the OFF sequence starts, simply release the button
before the sequence “3”, “2”, “1” is finished.
•To turn off the backlight, press and hold for more than 1 second until
the icon disappears from the screen.
Note : When you press and hold the select button to switch on/off the
backlight, you will not make any selection and therefore will not change any
parameter.
Switching modes and sub-modes
•To have two different separate readings, first choose the mode and sub-
mode required on the primary display by pushing and then the arrows
for the sub-mode selection. Then, display the selected sub-mode on
the secondary display using the button.
•You are free to choose another mode/sub-mode on the primary display.
Note : Any sub-mode selection on the primary display will affect automatically
the secondary display when both displays are in the same mode.
Operations

NS350 Operating Manual8
Magnetic Heading compass mode
To win races you need to react to even small wind shifts. The NS350 digital
compass delivers precise and reliable heading information to help you to tack and
gybe at the most suitable times.
The sensitivity of the compass can easily be adjusted to High, Medium or Low by
scrolling through the sub-modes.
•Use the arrows to scroll the sub-modes.
Sub-modes of the Magnetic Heading compass :
•MHH : Magnetic Heading High sensitivity
When sailing with light winds and flat seas, High sensitivity allows you to
appreciate very small wind variation.
•MHM : Magnetic Heading Medium sensitivity
Medium sensitivity is more suitable for race boats under medium wind and sea
conditions. Dinghy racers will appreciate this mode.
•MHL : Magnetic Heading Low sensitivity
Under Low sensitivity more subtile variations due to big waves and sudden gusts
are filtered.
WINd shift indicator mode
Used in Wind Shift Indicator (WIN) mode, the NS350 displays numerical values
of the wind shifts allowing an immediate and effortless interpretation. To use this
mode, you need to memorize the tack lines on starboard and port.
Operations

NS350 Operating Manual 9
Memorization of the tack lines :
•Sail upwind to your optimal VMG.
•“D 1” is displayed on the data line of the lower screen.
•Press to use the current magnetic compass heading as the one of the
tack line directions.
•The wind shift value is immediately displayed.
•Press the arrows to display “D 2” on the data line of the lower screen.
•Sail upwind to your optimal VMG on the other tack line.
•Press to use the current magnetic compass heading as the other tack
line direction.
Note : The sequence of memorization of the tack lines on starboard and port is
not defined. You can do starboard then port or vice versa.
The WIN mode displays an angle in degrees which corresponds to the difference
between the tack line direction and the current magnetic compass heading of the
boat. It displays ’H’ (for Heading) in front of the value if the wind is heading, and
’L’ (for Lift) in front of the value if the wind is lifting. When sailing upwind, you need
to sail inside the lifts ’L’.
When sailing down-wind, (Port) or (Starboard) will be displayed on the
screen, followed by the the value of the deviation from the wind direction .
Note: The first tack line memorized is by default considered to be the starboard
line. However, if this was the port tack line, the NS350 will understand it
automatically.
Operations

NS350 Operating Manual10
Tack indicator mode : TAK
Used in tack indicator mode (TAK), the NS350 displays :
•The time elapsed when the boat is sailing into a heading wind compared to
the average wind direction.
•The angle (bar graph) with the mean wind direction into a lifting wind.
This mode is particularly useful in order to minimize the time spent in a heading
wind, allowing an immediate action (tacking).
Note : To use this mode, the tack lines on starboard and port must have been
memorized in WIN mode.
When the boat is in a lifting wind, the display will show a bar graph.Each bar
(maximum 6 bars) corresponds to 5 degrees. 6 bars displayed means that the
boat is sailing in a wind lifting at least 25 degrees compared to the average wind
direction. 1 bar indicates that the wind is lifting up to 5 degrees port or starboard
direction.
fig.1 WIN mode diagram when sailing on starboard

LIFT
Wind direction
Starboard tack line Port tack line
HEADER
Operations

NS350 Operating Manual 11
When the boat is in a heading wind, the time spent in seconds is displayed. If the
value is greater than the threshold value set in SETUP mode, the timer value and
’TAK’ are displayed alternatively (see “SET mode”, page 14). If the boat goes
fig.2 TAK mode display when sailing with a lift wind on starboard

Di splay:IIIII
Wind lift: 21degrees
Display:I
fig.3 TAK mode display when sailing with a lift wind on port

Display:II

Wind lift: 11 degrees
Display:I
Operations

NS350 Operating Manual12
back to the lifting and the heading wind area again, the timer will restart up-
counting from 0. The maximum value of the timer is 90 seconds.
When sailing down-wind, (Port) or (Starboard) will be displayed on the
screen, followed by the the value of the deviation from the wind direction.
Roll angle indicator mode : ROL
Used in Roll angle indicator (ROL) mode, the NS350 displays the roll angle of
the boat. The angle range can vary from 0 to 70 degrees; if the angle is greater
than 70 degrees, the value blinks and remains unchanged.
fig.4 TAK mode display when sailing with a head wind

Displa
y
:
+1…+5, +6,+7
Head : 15 degrees
7 seconds
Displa
y
: I
Display:I
Operations

NS350 Operating Manual 13
TIMER mode
This mode offers a countdown timer which can be set from 1 to 9 minutes.
When counting down, a short beep sounds :
•each minute until the last minute
•each ten seconds until 10 seconds
•each second until the start time
At the start time :
•a long beep sounds
•the timer starts counting the race duration in minutes and hours
Adjust, start and stop the TIMER :
•Adjust the timer value with the arrows
•Press to start and stop the TIMER.
Resynchronize the TIMER to the nearest minute :
When the TIMER is running, at any time you can resynchronize to the upper or
lower minute
•Press the arrow to resynchronize the value to the upper minute.
•Press the arrow to resynchronize the value to the lower minute.
Note : The timer continues to count down until you press to stop it, even
during resynchronization. When stopped, the display blinks and the timer remains
frozen.
Note : After the start, the timer will switch automatically to the mode defined in
the SET mode. Please refer to the Advanced Operations “Exit Timer mode”, page
15 for more details. (The default value of the Exit Timer mode parameter is “WIN”
mode).
Operations

NS350 Operating Manual14
SET mode
The SET mode allows the adjustment of your NS350 parameters sequentially as
follows :
•Exit mode of the Timer
•Threshold value for the TAK mode
•Race functions activation : on/off
•Reset the product to the factory default values
•Compass calibration
Note : Race functions can be turned off if your sailing class does not allow
them. OFF is displayed when you select any mode using the Race functions.
To enter the SET mode :
•Press and the upper screen simultaneously. “SET” is displayed
on the data line of the upper screen .
•Each parameter is displayed on the mode line of the lower screen.
•Select the required value for each parameter using the arrows .
•Press to memorize the parameter value and switch to the next
parameter.
•You exit the SET mode automatically after the last parameter is memorized.
Note : Each parameter is memorized when is pressed and before the next
parameter is displayed, except for reset and calibration.
Name Display Description
Exit TImer mode WIN - Default alternate mode is the WIN
mode
- All other modes can be selected
Advanced Operations

NS350 Operating Manual 15
The NS350 will automatically exit the SET mode upon completion of all
parameters.
Note : You can also exit the SET mode anytime by switching OFF and ON.
Exit Timer mode : ETI
After the start, the Timer mode is not needed anymore, for this reason the
NS350 will switch automatically to the desired exit mode by simply setting the
parameter ETI (Exit Timer mode) as follows :
•Switch off your NS350
•Press and the upper screen simultaneously. ’SET’ is displayed
on the data line of the upper screen.
•Press until ETI (Exit Timer mode) is displayed on the data line of the
lower screen.
•Use the arrows to select the desired exit mode for your NS350 .
•Press to store the value, TAK is now displayed.
•Go through all the parameters to exit the SET mode or press and hold
for more than 4 seconds until the device turns off.
Tack mode Timer
threshold TAK - Default value is 10 seconds - Adjustable from 1 to 90 seconds
RACe functions
activation RAC - ON - OFF (if your sailing class does not
allow it during races)
RESet to factory
default values RES - ON to retrieve factory values - OFF by default
Compass
Calibration CAL - ON to start - OFF by default
Advanced Operations

NS350 Operating Manual16
Note : Only the MH mode and not its sub-mode (MHL, MHM, MHH) can be
memorized in the ETI parameter. However, the timer will switch automatically to
the memorized mode and the sub-mode that you are currently using.
Note : The mode by default is MH (magnetic compass mode).
Tack mode timer threshold : TAK
When the boat is in a heading wind, the time spent in seconds is displayed. If the
value is greater than the threshold value set, the timer value and ’TAK’ are
displayed alternatively. The value of the timer can be set from 1 to 90 seconds.
•Switch off your NS350
•Press and the upper screen simultaneously. ’SET’ is displayed
on the data line of the upper screen.
•Press until TAK is displayed on the mode line of the lower screen.
•Use the arrows to select the desired threshold value (in seconds).
•Press to store the value, RAC is now displayed.
•Go through all the parameters to exit the SET mode or press and hold
for more than 4 seconds until the device turns off.
Enable or disable the race functions : RAC
If your boat class does not allow on board electronic navigation aids, you may be
required to switch off the race functions. For more details about the modes
affected when switching off the race functions, please refer to the following table.
Advanced Operations

NS350 Operating Manual 17
Note : During normal usage, if you select a mode which has been disabled by
setting off the race functions, then ’OFF’ will be displayed on the screen.
RESet to factory compass calibration values : RES
When set to ’ON’ and when the select key is pushed, the default factory
calibration values of the compass are restored and the NS350 is powered off
automatically.
User CALibration of the magnetic compass : CAL
When set to ON and when the select key is pushed, the NS350 enters a set of
sub-menus to allow a user calibration of the magnetic compass. There are 10
sub-menus for which the user has to follow the sequence described below.
To allow the maximum accuracy of the calibration procedure, it is recommended
to perform this outdoors to avoid any magnetic disturbing fields. A wooden
surface is highly recommended (e.g. a table) and it is necessary to ensure that
there are no ferrous materials nearby (wrist watches should be removed).
To start with draw 2 perpendicular lines (X and Y axis) on a perfectly horizontal
plan. On the lower screen of the display, the calibration sub-menu number is
displayed. There are 10 steps to follow in order to complete the calibration of your
Table 1: Race functions activation
RAC Off
Magnetic Heading : MH
(MHH/ MHM/ MHL)On
Wind Shift Indicator : WIN Off
Tack Indicator : TAK Off
Roll Angle Indicator : ROL On
Timer : TIM On
Advanced Operations

NS350 Operating Manual18
NS350 . Upon completion of the sequence, the NS350 will memorize the new
values and shut down automatically. If the
NS350 is shut down during the
calibration, nothing will be memorized.
Note : Whenever necessary, the factory calibration values can be restored at
any time by setting the RES menu to ON in the SET mode.
•Step 1 : ’1’ is displayed on the lower screen. The NS350 must be oriented
as follows :
Push the select key when ready. The NS350 will enter the calibration along the
axis. After a few seconds, 3 beeps will be emitted to notify the end of step 1.
•Step 2 : ’2’ is now displayed on the lower screen. The NS350 must be
oriented as follows :
Advanced Operations

NS350 Operating Manual 19
Push the select key when ready. The NS350 will enter the calibration along the
axis. After a few seconds, 3 beeps will be emitted to notify the end of step 2.
•Step 3 : ’3’ is now displayed on the lower screen. The NS350 must be
oriented as follows :
Push the select key when ready. The NS350 will enter the calibration along the
axis. After a few seconds, 3 beeps will be emitted to notify the end of step 3.
•Step 4 : ’4’ is now displayed on the lower screen. The NS350 must be
oriented as follows :
Advanced Operations

NS350 Operating Manual20
Push the select key when ready. The NS350 will enter the calibration along the
axis. After a few seconds, 3 beeps will be emitted to notify the end of step 4.
•Step 5 : ’5’ is now displayed on the lower screen. The NS350 must be
oriented as follows :
Push the select key when ready. The
NS350 will enter the calibration along the
axis. After a few seconds, 3 beeps will be emitted to notify the end of step 5.
•Step 6 : ’6’ is now displayed on the lower screen. The NS350 must be
oriented as follows :
Advanced Operations