This projects objective was to improve the performance and reliability of the Maxi yacht in all areas related to hydraulics and propulsion. We installed a new main engine which is also the main source of hydraulic power when racing with two PTO variable displacement pumps. The whole engine control system was removed and replaced by a Marex system that we installed and setup.
The new engine we installed has a custom ECU programing that we developed with the manufacturer with this custom ECU to allow us to communicate with the PLC. We wrote code and communicated over CANBUS for the PLC to control the engine RPM and other parameters to improve performance during high power maneuvers when racing. This was to avoid hunting and issues with oscillations when winch loadings through the gybe maneuvers were making it difficult to achieve tight PID control.
We were also tasked to rewrite the PLC code and logic to improve the vessels use. There were many changes to the PLC and electrical systems including new distribution boards, engine start panels with backup controls and hydraulic load sensing/monitoring. We set up a trending system to be able to monitor the pressure, flow and therefore power of the hydraulic system.
There was a long list of projects which we went through improving all we could along the way.
