Go Digital: Furuno’s Precision Instruments
You like to get your data at a glance? Then you need to ditch all of those analog gauges, and go digital. Furuno has a new entry for NMEA 2000 digital gauges, with its 3.75” digital/virtual analog Precision Instrument Series. It includes six instruments. The FI501 and FI502 wind display units; the FI503 Digital for nav data; the FI504 multifunction for several different displays at once; the FI505 digital compass; and the FI506 rudder angle display. They all feature digits that are big and bold, but when I tried out the Precision series I thought they’d be even better if they were displayed in color. Stay tuned, though, because Furuno will surely bring color to the series in the future.
All of these gauges can be interfaced with any system via NMEA 2000, but many users will use ‘em as part of their NavNet system. In either case, integrating these instruments consists essentially of plug-and-play installation. Some data sets (such as weather,) require additional sensors and potentially a junction box. The F503 is one of the most versatile gauges and will be useful in many situations; it splits data boxes into three levels, each of which is still easy to make out when you’re peering across a large helm station. You can also use the Precision Series to display analog-style displays with digits in the center of the gauge. Worried they’ll get doused at the helm? No big deal—these are waterproof to IPX6 standards.
An automatic backlighting sensor fires up the lights for you when it’s dim out, and thanks to this auto-backlighting they have an extremely low power usage, and consume less than 0.1 amps. The FI50 series easy-to-read numerals may not have as much panache as color multifunction displays, but in the at-a-glance department, they take the cake. Those who desire the best numeric viewability, operational simplicity, and relatively low cost will make the FI50 their top pick.
Price: MSRP $595
The Highs: The best viewability you can hope for in a digital gauge.
The Lows: What, no color?
Who Wants It: Boaters looking to upgrade their ancient analog gauges.
Contact: www.furunousa.com
