Krill Systems, a manufacturer of digital marine-instrument solutions, offers the Krill Soft Display, a software interface for personal-computer navigation systems. (The concept has previously been available as a self-contained networkable unit in Krill’s DU-840 8.4-inch flush- or bracket-mount display.)
The Krill Soft Display’s system of wiring and sensors is simple to set up and use, with the ability to monitor critical shipboard systems. This provides the small-boat skipper with an intuitive way to control a vessel’s varied mechanical, electrical and maintenance-requiring systems in exactly the same manner as captains of megayachts and other large craft.
With sensors placed in areas such as fuel tanks, water and holding tanks, bilges, engine rooms, etc., the Krill Soft Display also allows the transmission of information via Wi-Fi, cell phone or satellite communications, making it an intrinsic part of vessel safety and security systems, whether you’re aboard or not. The software complements chart plotters by accepting a multitude of nav inputs from networked directional equipment, thus acting as a backup navigational system providing enough information to function as a primary (sans charts).
Entry-level digital instrumentation systems featuring the Soft Display price out at $4,500, and systems that include a DU-840 display start at $6,500. Both include all necessary software, two sensor pods, 10 sensors and wiring, and are currently NMEA 0183 compliant, with NMEA 2000 compliance expected by the year’s end. Future improvements include engine- performance monitoring, available as a software upgrade. Krill Systems, 206-780-2901, www.krillsystems.com.
