What is claimed to be the world's first solid state marine PC will be introduced by Bristol-based Digital Yacht at the 2008 London Boat Show.
Unlike traditional PCs which have a magnetic hard drive, the new CF60 utilises a patented solid state, flash memory device which the manufacturer says makes the PC impervious to any data loss through vibration or rapid movement such as a boat crashing off a wave.
The solid state hard drive also brings other benefits including faster boot-up and operation speeds, reduced power consumption and tolerance of a wider range of operating temperatures.
The CF60 is designed to be powered directly from the boat's DC (12V) battery system without the need for an inverter or AC generator. It utilises a state-of-the-art Intel mobile processor and comes pre-loaded with Windows XP operating system as standard. Vista is an option but many electronic chart manufacturers do not support this technology as yet.
It has all the normal PC-type connectivity including USB, Fire Wire and a traditional RS232 type connection for NMEA devices.
Thanks to a heavy die-cast chassis, the CF60 does not require any extra internal cooling fans, as heat is dissipated through its enclosure. This greatly improves reliability as salty, moist air is not drawn through the machine for cooling purposes.
The unit ships with 515Mb of built-in RAM and a CD/DVD drive suitable for loading software. Digital Yacht can pre-install chart plotting programmes such as Nobeltec's VNS or Raymarine's Raytech navigation software. A range of LCD monitors from 12” to 24” are also available.
The CF60, priced at £999 including VAT, ships complete with cordless keyboard and mouse, and is available immediately. It will be on Marine Electronic Services stand at the Excel show.
