Come on down! Where? To the Tampa Boat Show. This coming weekend at the Tampa Convention Center, (Sept. 10,11,12) I'll be one of several speakers in a track combining the ABYC, Best Buy and the Power Squadron that we think will cover some topics of interest to every boat owner, or prospective boat owner.

 I'm going to be giving a 1/2 hour presentation throughout the show covering the top four things that can trash the performance of your marine electronic systems. I'm not going to tell you here, so if you're in the Tampa area next weekend, stop in and check it out. To find out more about the show and get a speaker's schedule go to the show website at: http://www.tampaboatshow.com/

We're really hoping for good attendance at this show because if its successful, we'll bring the show on the road and we can get to other cities around the country.

Tomorrow, I'll post here and let you know what I'll be checking out at the show so we can compare notes. In the meantime I'm checking out the exhibitor list to see what's hot.

Regular visitors to Ed's Boat Tips may notice some changes to the header today. One of the companies I report on periodically, Mastervolt, is a new sponsor for the site.

Im really quite excited about this because over the years I've followed Mastervolt closely as they have developed new and innovative products for the marine industry. I have truly admired their attention to detail, the quality of their products and the innovative approach they have taken from an engineering perspective with many of their products . So, a big welcome to my friends at Mastervolt!

Over the next year you can count on some really interesting and helpful entries here that I'll be working on with the Mastervolt team.

For example, over the next few months you can look for more "how to" tips for things like sizing a new battery charger to fit your boating habits and needs, how to wire a battery bank properly, and in that category, how to install and deal with some of the newest battery technology available today and coming our way. Mastervolt is one of the leaders in this area and there is a lot to know and learn about these new battery types. Count on Ed's Boat Tips to keep you on top of what's going on in this exciting area of marine technology.

For now, since I live in RI, I need to get ready for the incoming hurricane/tropical storm Earl that's heading my way. My boat Fly Zone is out of the water and secured in my back yard so I'm good on that count. I need to deal with the deck furniture, bird feeders and such next. Have a great Labor Day weekend! 

Xantrex announced a major re-design for their webstire today. The new site offers vastly improved customer assistance and technical support features. Check it out...

Xantrex launches new redesigned website with enhanced features, new options, more technical resources

VANCOUVER, B.C., August 31, 2010 -- Xantrex Technology Inc., a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, today launched its redesigned website, www.xantrex.com.

Senior Manager, Marketing & Product Development Grant Dunbar reports that the new website design offers not only a fresh, clean new look, but also much improved, user-friendly navigation featuring an intuitive interactive menu and a vast resource of technical, troubleshooting and product information.

“Working from our own experience and in analyzing select feedback from the field, we have strategically redeveloped and redesigned our Internet presence to create a much stronger and greatly improved tool for our end users, dealers/distributors and aftermarket retailers,” said Dunbar. “Our new website is very engaging and allows visitors to efficiently access information, compare and find related product accessories, plus locate technical and educational data with ease.”

The new website serves the company’s core markets including RV, Marine and Commercial/Industrial Vehicles, via distinguishable sections designed to meet the unique requirements of distributors/dealers, aftermarket retailers, end users, installers, electricians and media.

Besides its cleaner, streamlined interface, the site also offers dedicated product pages with all relevant content and imagery, media library/newsroom, technical downloads, FAQs and educational documents featuring topics of general interest in power electronics, including archival resources housing the company’s recently launched Tech Doctor editorial series. Visitors from all markets can sign up and opt-in to receive the company’s latest product updates including the introduction of new innovative power solutions, and more.      

Another major upgrade to the site is the dedicated Custom Power Solutions section designed for OEMs and aftermarket partners. Site content highlights the capabilities and services offered by the newly created Xantrex Business Development Team in the emerging niche markets of backup solar, wind, electric vehicle and automotive markets, including direct contact inquiry links.   

On Friday I shared a press release on one of the new Hella LED light fixtures. Since then I've heard from one of our readers about a potential problem that I always forget about, using modern LEDS with dimmer controls.

The bottom line here is simple, some of the new generation LED lamps may not be compatible with dimmer controls used in some lighting installations. The rather sophisticated control circuitry used on some of the latest (Hella included) light fixtures is designed to overcome an earlier problem with the LEDS operating under varying voltages found on board. Well with a simple resistive dimmer control, guess what, the variable voltage output from the dimmer might end up being compensated for by this newer circuitry, rendering your dimmer useless. So, if you have light dimmers and are going to swap out older incandescent lighting with LEDS, check with your LED manufacturer about how to deal with dimmer controls and get their recommendation.