Newbury Electronics Powers Racing Yachts

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Sailors in high performance racing yachts are the latest to benefit from advancements in electronics which allow them to monitor every aspect of their vessel's performance and the prevailing conditions.  Many will have fitted their yacht with a Bravo Systems solution which has at its heart PCBs from Newbury Electronics.

Jose Luis Vela, director at Spanish based Bravo Systems, explains more; "Our product consists of a central processor and acquisition nodes that are connected via a CAN bus. Different sensors and onboard instruments use analog and digital inputs, frequency meters and serial inputs to feed back live data to the acquisition node. This data is then calibrated and processed to obtain valuable information for the sailors and engineers onboard and their land based support teams. Other measures, including wind direction, heading, boat speed, position and time to tack, are also fed into the processor providing a comprehensive set of data on the onboard display system."

The processor is formed from an ATOM single board computer and a PCB from Newbury Electronics, with all the power supply protection, indicators LEDs and connectors. The acquisition node is formed by two PCBs, again built by Newbury Electronics, which incorporates a microcontroller, CAN drivers, 8 ADC channels, 2 Serial ports (RS232 – 485) and 6 x digital I/O.

"We chose Newbury Electronics because it was very easy to order PCBs and assemblies from anywhere in the world. Each crew has its own home port and we need to be able to operate efficiently and effectively from wherever that may be;" said Jose Luis Vela.  "It was very important to us when we started this project to set up the production with a company able to supply worldwide and we have not been disappointed."

"Sophisticated electronics are becoming present in every aspect of our lives and this is only going to increase further as the Internet of Things becomes an everyday reality. If our PCBs can meet the rigorous demands of ocean going racing yachts they will certainly be up to the job in less physically challenging environments either at home or at work;" said Philip King, managing director at Newbury Electronics and himself a keen sailor.

About Bravo Systems

Bravo Systems is based in Spain and has been developing solutions for a number of the top sailing events including the America's Cup teams, Vende Globe and Mini Transat for over ten years. Their range of products includes sailing instruments, navigation tools and data acquisition systems and they continue to lead innovation with database support, customized audio data output, a real time alarm system, auto sensor checking and fully user-customized navigation software.

About Newbury Electronics Ltd

Newbury Electronics Ltd started trading in 1956. A management buyout took place in 1987 and Philip King took on his role of Managing Director in 2011. The company offers a full electronic design, PCB design and layout service alongside PCB manufacture and assembly in Newbury, West Berkshire.  It employs 73 staff and is dedicated to small and medium batch PCB assembly, specialising in electronic design and manufacture incorporating SMD, SMT, surface mount, BGA, through hole, box build, soldering, test, & rework. Customers can select from electronics design and CAD layout through to printed circuit board design and fabrication, assembly and test, and the company is happy to undertake single, bespoke projects through to the design and supply of manufacture lots of up to 10,000 pcs on its automated SMD assembly lines.

 As a contract electronic manufacturer (CEM), each year, the company produces in excess of over 15,000 different PCB designs for its clients, who benefit from the economies of scale built from the volume of orders processed. For more information visit www.newburyelectronics.co.uk.