Numerous Ockam equipped boats have onboard computers linked to their instruments. Most reside at the NAV station, occasionally with touch screen monitors in the cockpit. Some boats are equipped with special purpose on-deck devices like our ESP or Sailmath’s Deckman. Certainly the benefit of an interfaced computer is significant but so is the cost and complexity, making it imperative to fully use the information without hindering or otherwise compromising the actual sailing of the boat: this is, in fact, quite a tall order.

Ockam Eye enables Pocket PCs to affordably and wirelessly display and control your instrument system from the rail.

The Eye PDA system:

• Is compatible with ALL Ockam instrument systems.
• Provides up to 20 pages of numeric or graphical information. Each page can contain up to 8 numeric or 4 graphical items.
• Full instrument control including Cals, Averages and Options.
• Built-in function controller.
• Designed for finger-only operation where possible. Setup and some system control functions involving keyboard input may require the stylus.
• Any number of PDAs can be used with the Eye system, but each requires a separate unlock code.

 

How it works
 

• Instrument data comes from the instrument system (1) via a DB9 connector to the PC or laptop COM: port.
• The PC or Laptop (2) runs OckamSoft 4 EtherServer software which takes the instrument data from the COM: port, organizes it into User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets and broadcasts them out of the Ethernet port.
• The UDP packets are received by the Router (3) and sent over the air to all devices receiving it's 802.11b (WiFi) radio.
• WiFi has several built-in mechanisms designed to keep your data private.
• The PDA receives the instrument data via WiFi and displays it.
• The process works the other way when the PDA sends a command to the instruments.

Requirements (including tested components)

Instrument system	Tryad CPU or 001 CPU with 050 RS232 interface.
PDA's	PocketPC 2002 with 802.11b WLAN. HP iPAQ 5450 with built-in WLAN. Dell Axim X5 with Linksys WCF11 net card. Toshiba e740 with built-in WLAN.
PC or Laptop	Windows 2000, XP, XP Pro with COM: & Ethernet ports.
Wireless Access Point/Router	Linksys BEFW11S4.

Getting started

• Download and review the How-To.
• If you intend to use Eye, don't install OS4 until you have your PDA installed on your PC.
• Download and install OS4.
• Get your PC working with an Ethernet LAN using TCP/IP.
• Configure your Wireless Cable/DSL router.

The Eye application will only run as a demonstration (fully functional but short-lived) until registered. Install it and try it out. If you like it, get your plastic and call or email us. Details are included in the How-To.

View the installation How-To. (160Kb PDF).

 Download OS4 (SFX installer 11.3 Mb).