Tige TouchPad Upgrade Project Thread

[kmkramer71]

The up/down buttons work. I didn't know there was an enter button. Perhaps I'm not doing it correctly.

There are 2 ways to set ii that I know of

Profiles - activate profile, full throttle, speedset should engage.

Speedset menu - set to on, adjust desired speed, full throttle, speedset should engage.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[IDBoating]

Do you use the touchpad to navigate the menu? Up and down move around in the menu system, while the center button "selects" the current choice? If the center button works in this way, then it's functional and the problem is elsewhere - not in the touchpad.

[kmkramer71]

These are my controls other that the profile menu. The center button doesn't seem to have a function.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[IDBoating]

Ah... we are talking about two different touchpads. The one I (and this thread) are talking about looks like this:

[jlogan]

My replacement panel has worked great for two years. The last time at the lake when I turned it on, the setpoint started at 250 mph and then dropped to 50, then down to 5, in 5 mph increments. Then it stayed at 5 mph. I tried to adjust it up and down and it will do both but then just jumps back to 5 mph. Thus it isn't working anymore. Thanks in advance for any input.

[IDBoating]

We have seen a couple of panels where the snapdome adhesive has allowed the snapdomes to slip out of alignment. Production has a fix for that and if you want to send it back we'll implement that for free and ship it back Priority Mail at no charge. We'll also fully test it again to confirm proper overall operation. No matter what, we'll take care of you.

Let me know... thanks!

[IDBoating]

Update to jlogan's post: His panel arrived today and it was what I expected. Early units used an adhesive provided by the snapdome manufacturer that, oddly enough, seems to degrade under some conditions (!!!). When that happens, it allows the snapdomes to shift position on the PCB such that they don't contact their gold-plated pads anymore. In Production now we are applying a sheet of adhesive backed mylar over the entire switch array to lock the snapdomes into place no matter what their own adhesive might do. Today, we applied that fix to jlogan's panel, completely retested it, confirmed proper operation, and shipped it back to him the same day.

As noted above, we've seen a small number of panels exhibit this behavior. We've corrected every one at no charge. If anyone with one of our panels has problems, please contact us and we'll work through diagnostics with you on the phone. If the panel needs it, we'll apply the Production fix, plus a full electrical retest, and then ship it back to you for free. BUT PLEASE CALL FIRST!!! There's no need to do any of this unless your panel actually exhibits problems, so don't "just send in the panel"... always call first!

Thanks for your ongoing support. It's our goal with these panels to keep those Tiges on the water for a very long time!

[KoolAid]

As always ID, thank you for making this part! It has helped so many people!

[IDBoating]

Something weird is going on with cruise control on some of these older Tiges. We received one PM about it a couple of weeks ago, and just got a phone call asking about it this morning, so I thought I'd post something useful here.

The symptoms, if I understand them correctly, are as follows:

* You turn on the helm toggle "Cruise Control" switch to enable cruise control.

* You set the desired speed using the up/down buttons and then the center button.

* You accelerate the boat and everything works fine.

* The rider drops, and you decelerate the boat to swing around and pick them up.

* When you ramp up the throttle the second (and subsequent) times, cruise control doesn't limit the speed - the boat accelerates right past the target speed. The cruise control display still shows the desired speed, but it's as if cruise control isn't working.

* Flipping the helm toggle switch off, and then back on, fixes the problem for one more throttle rampup. This "reset" operation can be repeated, but is annoying.

The questions we get are, of course, either "Could your upgraded touchpad be causing this?" or "Will your upgraded touchpad fix this?" The answer is no to both questions. Remember, on this era of boats the actual cruise control logic is in either the Medallion box (for those Tiges that have them) or the Engine Control Unit (ECU) on the engine itself. The touchpad sends three signals to either the box or the ECU: "Up", "Down", and "Center". How those signals are interpreted, and making decisions about increasing or decreasing the throttle, is entirely within the Medallion box or the ECU. The touchpad (this includes the original factory touchpad) doesn't have anything to do with those decisions.

Given that the cruise control works the first time the toggle switch is turned on, it's hard to know why some are now requiring a "reset" to work again. The display obviously shows that the system still remembers your desired cruise speed. The paddlewheel is obviously still working and isn't sensitive to "how many times" you've ramped up the throttle. The touchpad's three buttons are working or you wouldn't be able to set/adjust the speed in the first place. And the toggle switch is working because it can be used to "reset" the cruise system and make it work again.

If this happens to you, our suggestion is to call Tige and see what they recommend. They may direct you to Medallion, or to Marine Power (older) or PCM (newer), since Tige themselves did not build the hardware or software that implements cruise control. We don't know what solutions they may offer but we know they've heard of this problem at least a couple of times because WE'VE heard of it a couple of times and the next call those owners were going to make was to Tige in Abilene.

Sorry we don't have an easy "Heck, just do this!" solution, but the problem is in someone else's technology. If you get a solution, please post it here so that others who may experience it can benefit.

Thanks!

[freeheel4life]

Thanks for the info IDboating. I was under the helm in a Craz today and notice Waketouch LLC on the inclinometer under the dash. Are yall building the draft sensors as well??

[KoolAid]

It's either the ECM or the Mini. The last guy that called is going to pull the mini out of his friends boat to test. I have seen them repaired by ECM reflash and others by a new MINI. It's very strange the marine power era boats are doing this.

[IDBoating]

I was under the helm in a Craz today and notice Waketouch LLC on the inclinometer under the dash. Are yall building the draft sensors as well??

Yes, we manufacture a variety of sensors for the marine industry. We haven't started formally advertising them yet, but have been shipping hundreds a month for over a year. All of our sensors talk natively to the CAN network on modern boats.

We presently offer:

* Two different draft sensors (exclusive to Skier's Choice, since they purchased the draft sensor patent from us)

* 3 axis inclinometer (reports X/Y/Z hull angles)

* Hose sensor (typically used to detect water in ballast hoses)

* Ballast sensor

The last three sensor types are available to everyone, and we will be actively marketing our ballast sensor this fall for MY2020 boats. We're especially proud of the ballast sensor; many companies have tried many techniques to sense ballast amounts. Folks have tried everything: Rotational inline flow sensors, pressure plates, measuring air pressure above the water in the compartment, etc. and given up because they all have maintenance problems or are expensive or both.

Until now, everyone had given up and settled for timers. But timers are a nightmare: If you've spent ANY time on anyone's forums you'll know what a PITA timers are. There are hundreds of threads arguing about resetting, recalibrating, etc. and the best you'll ever get is a rough estimate. There are just too many variables when using a timer... the pumps run different speeds based on battery charge state or if the engine is running, the flow rate changes with hull speed, obstructions in the hose or thruhulls change things, and so forth. If you have a leak somewhere the timer will still report "100%" even if your ballast is half empty! Timers just basically suck for tracking ballast.

The industry needs an accurate solution for ballast levels. With today's more powerful pumps, running the pumps past full has been popping fat sac seams, blowing fittings off the bags, breaking engine dividers, etc. We know of at least two companies that have been losing a lot of money sending out replacement fat sacs and engine dividers because of inaccurate timers.

We took a fresh approach to the problem. And it was a serious design challenge, it took far longer than we ever expected to solve all sorts of issues that nobody even knew existed. But now we have a solid ballast sensor that doesn't cost much, has no moving parts, requires no maintenance, requires no calibration, and plumbs right into existing hull designs and ballast systems. We've shipped hundreds already for MY2019 and they are getting RAVE reviews from everyone including manufacturers, dealers, and owners. It provides 0-100% indication of ballast fill level in 1% increments. It plugs right into the CAN network, and Murphy has already updated their firmware to talk to it so there's no design risks nor delays. It's non-invasive, so nothing touches the water. It works regardless of pump speed, air bubbles, hull velocity, engine on or off, etc. If you have a leak, our ballast sensor will display your percentage going down - unlike a timer! - as the water leaks out (there's actually an opportunity here for the system to report leaks and, until you fix them, automatically keep your ballast where it belongs!).

So yes, we do build the inclinometer for Skier's Choice. And soon our ballast sensors will eliminate ballast timer problems for lots of other companies, and boat owners, too! 2019 is the last model year that anyone will tolerate ballast timers....

[freeheel4life]

I saw your new sensor in a Max that customer had issues with. Seems like a cool design. Was surprised at how low the vent is on the sac which lead me to following the hose until I found the sensor. Only down side I could see is adding aftermarket bags until everyone catches up. Thanks for all the great info.

I didnt realize there were two different draft sensors. Are they using one in each line and that is the difference?? Tend to figure this stuff out as it breaks and so far its been good.

[IDBoating]

I saw your new sensor in a Max that customer had issues with.

They weren't having issues with our sensor, I presume. I haven't heard of any problems in the field, at all.

Only down side I could see is adding aftermarket bags until everyone catches up.

Our ballast sensor can optionally be recalibrated, in the boat over the CAN network (so no removal/replacement, you don't even need to physically access the ballast sensor at all), to accommodate changes in ballast capacity (up OR down). My comment above was meant to explain that recalibration is not REQUIRED like it is for timers. But they support it if desired.

I didnt realize there were two different draft sensors. Are they using one in each line and that is the difference?? Tend to figure this stuff out as it breaks and so far its been good.

Only one draft sensor is required. There's an "old" model and a "new" model. We recommend the new model - they cost the same - but the old one was already in production on some existing boats so we maintain production for those cases where the manufacturer doesn't want to change things. Eventually the older design will be phased out but we don't orphan our customers, if they need something we continue to produce it for them.

[freeheel4life]

They weren't having issues with our sensor, I presume. I haven't heard of any problems in the field, at all.


Our ballast sensor can optionally be recalibrated, in the boat over the CAN network (so no removal/replacement, you don't even need to physically access the ballast sensor at all), to accommodate changes in ballast capacity (up OR down). My comment above was meant to explain that recalibration is not REQUIRED like it is for timers. But they support it if desired.

No problems, customer wants more weight. Thats when I noticed vent/sensor line wasnt on top of the bag. Assuming thats so that it can "sense" water level at all levels and not just full/venting level. I was getting at the fact that aftermarket bags typically always have vent right on top of the bag, so Im assuming there will need to be a change in aftermarket bags to accommodate sensor. Pretty neat stuff for 19, nice work