Picture this: out on the open water, with nothing but the sea and the sun, but suddenly something happens to your engine, and the frustration and dread set in quickly. It's easy to forget about the intricate machinery humming away beneath the surface.
Over the last few years, as more and more people take to the water, there has been a surge in preventable breakdowns and expensive repairs that could be easily avoided. The demand for reliable engine monitoring tools, and your own peace of mind while taking friends & family out on the water, was our primary motivation to develop this 10-in-1 digital boat gauges instrument.
Unlocking the Power of Boat Gauges: our honest comparison of the Toba MEMU-7 unit vs. analogue marine gauges.
Every experienced Skipper will no doubt attest to the fact that you always keep a close eye on your instruments while at sea. The need to monitor your gauges is not just the peace of mind, but most importantly the desire to avoid any breakdowns on the water and incredibly expensive repairs later. Did you know that BOAT stands for Bring On Another Thousand? Yes, it is an eye-rolling-worthy statement, but true nonetheless: boating can be very expensive. In saying that, like many of our customers and friends, we have always done our boating on a budget. All of our vessels have been older and typically required a full refit or re-build. By the time we’d get to the bells and whistles, the budget would be gone, and we’d have to put up with the original, often faulty or unreliable gauges and switches.
Navigating the essential boat gauges on your helm (also known as taming the dashboard beast).
Before the idea to design and produce our own piece of marine technology, we searched high and low across all popular marketplaces to find a reasonable digital solution for our previous boat. After weeks and weeks of research, it became clear that the new technology at the time was either too expensive (and requiring multiple converters and displays) OR simply too cheap and unreliable. Good quality analogue gauges were considered but also came at a steep price and were unimpressive in operation. After-market and cheaper versions had already proven to be completely unreliable in the harsh environment of UV, salt and water exposure.
Having done this exercise again recently, we found that whilst there are many more options available now, the boat owners are still facing the same dilemma: too expensive or too poorly made. We strongly believe that what we have come up with is a brilliant solution, not yet available anywhere else (our Australian Patent application of the MEMU-7 unique compatibility to all analogue marine systems shows just that).
What’s included in a full analogue boat gauge set:
Tachometer: Whether you're cruising at 10 knots or revving up for a race, tachometer gauges are your go-to for tracking engine RPMs. They keep you in the sweet spot for optimal performance and the all-important fuel burn.
Speedometer: Speed gauges tell you just how fast you're moving across the water. Analogue gauge uses a Pitot Tube and is essentially a pressure gauge which is old tech and can be hopelessly unreliable. Speed is determined by measuring the water pressure entering the tube that extends into the water in the path of your boat.
Battery voltage: voltmeter indicators monitor your boat's electrical system, alerting you to any voltage fluctuations that could spell trouble; most notably, an alternator that is not charging.
Water temperature: monitors your engine's coolant temperature, ensuring it stays within safe operating limits.
Oil pressure gauge: monitors your engine's oil pressure, ensuring the engine is not suffering from a lack of lubrication.
Fuel level gauge: running out of fuel in the middle of the ocean is a huge disappointment (and a source of embarrassment which we know all too much about). A working fuel level gauge is a must-have in order to be informed about how much juice is left in the tank, so you can plan your refuelling stops accordingly.
Trim level indicator: adjusts your boat's trim, keeping it balanced and stable on the water and ensuring a smooth, safe and economical ride.
How is the MEMU-7 digital boat gauges unit different?
The Toba MEMU-7 is a 7-inch digital touchscreen – a single unit installed on your helm taking away the clutter and instead introducing a modern and sleek approach to your boat instruments panel.
All 7 essential gauges are displayed on the main screen, including:
Tachometer: in our case, the tacho gauge is adaptable to a variety of engines using its existing signal.
Speedometer: the MEMU-7 was developed with a GPS chip onboard in order to reflect an accurate speed reading by tracking multiple satellites, the same way your MFD does.
Battery Voltage, Oil Pressure, Coolant Temperature, Fuel Level.
Rudder indicator: the guessing game is taken away with this essential gauge to give you a clear picture of your vessel's steering position in order to manoeuvre with precision.
As you swipe the main screen of the MEMU-7, you will find 3 additional gauges.
We recognize that every boat owner has a very different set of preferences and equipment onboard, therefore we have provided additional flexibility with these generic gauges. You can simply nominate what additional systems you’d like to monitor, be it other tank levels, pressures or temperatures.
One of our favourite features of the MEMU-7 unit is its compatibility to ALL ENGINES and systems that use standard analogue technology which has been used for decades. As long as your existing sensors and wiring are in good working order you won’t need to replace them! Our unit connects directly to the sensors the same way your old gauges did and then calibrated.
The main goal of bringing this design to life was to ensure that every skipper would have the ability to configure and set up their own gauges to match their boat’s needs.
Whether your vessel has outboards, sterndrives, or operates with big diesel engines, the MEMU-7 can be set up to match your own requirements for every single gauge.
We have considered the mounting of our unit.
whether you prefer a modern flush-mounted look or like the flexibility and safety of removing your electronics from the helm when not in use, our dual-purpose bracket is designed for both applications. The packaging includes a template to assist with the layout and precise placement of the hole in your dash.
Regular firmware upgrades are automatically available whenever we release an update.
You can simply connect your MEMU-7 unit to the WIFI hotspot (eg. your phone) and the download will be performed and installed automatically. The current list of planned software upgrades includes:
Trim indicator to be displayed on the main screen for outboards and sterndrives;
Daytime/nighttime graphics conversion (light and dark);
Fuel gauge/oil pressure gauge to be optioned with a generic gauge if not required;
Rudder indicator to be hidden if not required;
Engine hour meter, Servicing record meter, and Trip meter will be added.
A watertight design was a priority.
The MEMU-7 is equipped with multiple high-quality seals around the screen and the back of the unit to prevent water ingress. Whilst we are yet to pursue an official IP rating, we have performed several tests to ensure that the unit can withstand the elements and gentle freshwater washing. We, however, don’t recommend pressure washing.
Liquid Optically Clear Adhesive (LOCA) bonding technology is used to securely bind the touch panel to the display of the unit. This kind of bonding improves the optical characteristics and durability of the screen and provides an extra level of protection against damage. The unit is also equipped with a screen cover to prevent unnecessary exposure to UV, heat, dust and accidental impact.
Easily readable graphics to ensure you can understand your engine stats at a glance.
Both the needles and the number are displayed on each gauge. The screen is dimmable for comfortable day/night viewing. Units of measurement are chosen by the user.
Alarming is one of the features that made the most sense at the design stage.
The analogue gauges miss this critical feature for the most part. This alone can save your engine from irreparable or expensive damage. Both visual (gauge turns red) and audible (Piezo alarm included) alarms are going to take care of your piece of mind while on the water. The values of each alarmable range or setting are configurable by the user and will match your boating requirements (eg. Alarm when fuel is at 20%; OR Alarm when oil pressure is less than 20psi, or when coolant temp is higher than 92C)
We have always been mindful of the additional expense when it comes to installing various boat accessories.
Our unit is suitable for DIY (Do It Yourself) installation, and a comprehensive manual, set-up guide and wiring diagram are available on our website. We are also preparing installation videos to assist in this process.
Finally, the Toba MEMU-7 is a brainchild of an Australian family-owned business. Whilst some parts are outsourced internationally, we develop, manufacture and test our electronics right here in Perth, Western Australia.
Whilst analogue vs digital will remain the Great Debate, it is clear that whatever your preference is, these essential instruments play a vital role in ensuring smooth sailing for boats of all kinds. Whilst we stand excited by the brilliance and adaptability of the MEMU-7, we believe that some classic boats are better off with a beautiful array of traditional gauges, and we enthusiastically support those of you who are passionate about restoring and/or building those kinds of vessels. If, however, you are looking to modernize and simplify your boat gauges display we would be thrilled to equip your boat with our digital boat gauges.
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