Hello,
Back in 2016 we've been reaching out to the CruisersForum to look for individuals that are interested and willing to test our SharksHead (SH) wireless vessel management system. It took us an additional 18 months to improve the system, test it further on our own sailing vessel and set up a website.
The main feature of SH at this stage would be the
battery management option, not to be confused with a
battery charging system. What sets SH apart from most existing solutions is:
- the continuous monitoring and logging of voltages and currents
- the possibility of removing a battery from the bus using a relay
- it's wireless, hence easy to retrofit
SH also records (cabin) temperature, air pressure and humidity and displays historical data in a graphical format via a web browser.
We will also send you a consumer controller which can remotely turn an on-board device on and off and report its
current consumption.
Future extensions might include an
engine monitoring system, tank level monitoring, as well as fire, gas,
bilge and intruder alerts.
The first complete sets have already been shipped to a small number of beta testers and we now have one spot left in the
current program.
If you're interested, please let us know via a reply post or direct message on this forum or via an
email to
beta_test@sharkshead.com.
We would then send a complete base set of SH modules at no cost to you, wherever you are in the world. You can keep the system and you can extend it later with more modules if you like it and find it useful, otherwise just throw it away or give it someone you don't like... We're not going to hassle you with emails for years to come.
What we expect from you is feedback on how the system performs and what you like or dislike about it. And feel free to tell others about your experience.
The limitations of today's system are also mentioned on our website, most notably:
- it only supports 12V bus voltage, this could be two 6V batts in series
- the battery controller we ship at the moment can handle up to 30 A in or out per battery
Ideally, we are looking for a beta tester who is not only fluent in Englsh but also in a second language and would be willing to help us translate the user interface.
For further information please visit our website, in particular, have a read of the "Beta test" page under the "Documentation" tab:
https://www.sharkshead.com/documentation/