P C - C E N T E R Version 4.00 Copyright 1995-2004 by Dinand van het Reve CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Installing PC-CENTER 3. Licence 4. Using PC-CENTER 5. Description of 'Small Windows' 6. Main Menu Description 7. Main Menu - Commands 8. Main Menu - Instrument Display 9. Main Menu - Analogue / Digital Instruments 10. Main Menu - Graphs 11. Main Menu - GPS Display 12. Main Menu - Maximum Readings Display 13. Problem and Solutions 14. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Chapter 1 - Introduction. Thank you and congratulations for using PC-CENTER, you will find this product to be a great asset, complementing your instruments aboard your vessel, adding to safety and convenience, being a useful companion you can rely on. PC-CENTER is a PC based program, which is a great utility to complement navigational and many other important instruments aboard your ship. PC-CENTER is able to present and manage a huge amount of vital navigational data and other useful information on a PC (or laptop) screen. It is ideal to place the PC with the running PC-CENTER program and installed modules in the navigational corner, the cockpit or within good view from the helm. You can display all kinds of information using analogue or digital presentations of instrument readings, and also view graphs of data recorded on the PC (Laptop) screen. It is necessary that your instrument/s is/are able to communicate with other devices, for this they require to have a NMEA 0183 output signal (which a great multitude of instruments have as a standard). PC-CENTER can also store data in a file so that it can be accessed again at a later stage or for printing out on a printer etc. PC-CENTER is obtained by downloading it from the internet, it comes in the form of a compressed self-extracting file., the PCC400.EXE file. This a self extracting file, incorporates a complete bundle. It includes all the modules you may require for your vessel as well as this manual you are reading now. The only restriction of the demo version lies within a time limit of 15 minutes. This is a more than adequate time span for you to test and experiment around with the program. Within this time limit, you can receive and display the data from a connected NMEA device (instrument) or a file, which will simulate several connected devices at the same time and display dummy information on the screen. This enables you to try out and play around with different screen configurations Page 1
and also enables you to see just how user friendly the program really is. Should you decide that this program proves to be useful and that it acts as an easy to use navigational utility and information companion, you may choose to purchase a license code. This license code will then remove all limitations or any restrictions making this application exactly like a very expensive high quality professional software product. Licensed users are also entitled to receiving update information and support. Chapter 2 - Installing PC-CENTER PC-CENTER is distributed by means of downloading it from the internet web site: http://www.fourever.nl/pccenter The file PCC400.EXE is self extracting, meaning that when executed, it unpacks itself and contains the following files:- INSTALL.EXE The programm to install PC-CENTER to a disk. PCCENTER.EXE The main program. LICENSE.EXE A program used for entering the purchased licence code, lifting up any restriction. PCCENTER.CFG A configuration file required for the user settings. MANUAL.TXT This manual which you are reading now. DEMO.NME A file consisting of typical NMEA information data used by the PC-CENTER to simulate connected instruments for the demo mode. README.TXT Information about PC-CENTER PC-CENTER will be installed in a separate directory on your hard disk. To do so you can use the INSTALL program. Install PC-CENTER: 1. Run the installation program by typing INSTALL<enter> 2. INSTALL will ask in wich directory PC-CENTER has to be installed. By default C:\PCCENTER is suggested, but you may enter another directory name of your choice if you prefer. 3. If a previous version of PC-CENTER was installed, INSTALL will ask if you want to use the configuration of the previous PC-CENTER to be used. 4. To run the demo - type: PCCENTER<enter> Connect the RS232-output from the instruments to the comport of your PC. If the output from the instruments is the NMEA 0183 format, then it is strongly recommended to use a converter. Chapter 3 - Licence If you have tried out PC-CENTER and have decided to now wish to use it aboard your vessel, you will require to obtain a licence to up-lift the limited time restriction. Otherwise you do not require any other software. To obtain a licence code number, please read the README.TXT file. Once a valid licence code has been entered, PC-CENTER then becomes a full working version. Page 2
How to enter the licence code:- Simply run the LICENCE.EXE program and enter the user and license codes. Then a file PCCENTER.LIC will be created on your disk. Now PC-CENTER will be a full working version. Chapter 4 - Using PC-CENTER. To run PC-CENTER, use the DOS internal command CD (abbreviated for change directory) to change to the directory containing PCCENTER.EXE, and type PCCENTER<enter>. Note: PC-CENTER is controlled only by the four cursor keys. The reason for this is to keep the operation as simple as possible. On every screen there is a type of a guide indicating the function of the cursor keys. On the screen, there are five windows. Four small windows at the top and a large window at the bottom. The four top windows display the basic information - please see chapter 5 for more details. In the large window you can display other information of your choice - by means of using the menus -.see chapter 8. Chapter 5 - Small Windows The top four windows on the screen permanently display information for reading anytime. These four main window functions are best described in the following table:- TIME - This window displays the date and time information which is received from either the PC's internal clock or the connected GPS. This option can be set in: Main Menu > Commands > Setup > Nav. or PC time. Trip - In this field the trip duration time and the total trip distance are displayed. The trip can be started automatically or manually, and this option is set in: Main Menu > Commands > Setup > Autostart Trip. BOAT - This window displays the LogSpeed,Compass-heading (true) and the Water depth. WIND - This window displays true and apparent wind speeds and angles/ directions. NAV - This windows displays the vessels position received from the GPS as well as the Course Over Ground (COG) and Speed Over Ground (SOG). Chapter 6 - Main Menu. With the Main Menu you can select all the functions from PC-CENTER. The structure of the menu is as follows: Main Menu - Commands - Setup - Serial port - Keyboard - Nav. or PC time Page 3
- UTC time - Instrument Display - Autostart Trip - Units - Night screen - Utilities - Write NMEA to disk - Save CSV data - Start/Stop Trip - About - Modules - Help - Instrument Display - Digital Instruments - Analogue Instruments - Graphs - GPS display - Waypoint Arrival Circle - Off-Course Lines - Maximum Readings Chapter 7 - Main Menu - Commands 7.1 Setup Serials port: Select the COM-port connected to your instruments. Keyboard: Select if the keys make an audible click. Nav. or PC time: Make the selection for controlling the TIME-display by the PC or GPS. The GPS time is the UTC time. To compensate for local time enter the next option. UTC time: Set the difference between the local- and UTC-time. Instrument Display: Altogether ten display types can be set. For every Display, you can set a name and select the shape. Select the protect marker if you wish the contents of the display to be protected. Autostart Trip: Select if the trip has to be started manually or by the LOG. If LOG is selected, the trip will start as soon as the boat accelerates. Stopping of the trip can only be done manually. Units: Setup the boatspeed units for knots or km/h. Setup the windspeed units for knots or m/s. Setup the distance units for Nautial miles or KM. Setup the depth units for meters or feet. Setup the temperature units for Centigrade or Fahrenheit. Night screen Switch screen between night or day vision. 7.2 Utilities In Utilities, you can save NMEA data on your disk. You have the option to save all data on disk, or only the data that PC-CENTER does not interpret. If there is a problem with PC-CENTER reading data from any of your connected instruments, the NMEA-data is very useful to the author of PC-CENTER, for analysis. Please store the information, you may be asked to e-mail it to be evaluated. Note: Don't use this utility for a very long time since the data-file becomes very large and could fill up your disk. In Utilities, you also can save data to a CSV file format. The CSV file format is a comma seperated field format. This Page 4
file format can be read by any spreadsheet program like Excel or Quattro for later data analysis. The data can be saved at intervals between 1 an 60 seconds. In the following table you can see in which field the data is saved. 1 : UTC time 2 : Latitude 3 : Longitude 4 : Log Speed 5 : True Wind Speed 6 : Apparent Wind Speed 7 : Apparent Wind Direction 8 : VMG to Wind 9 : Magnetic Wind Direction 10 : Magnetic Compass Heading 11 : True Compass Heading 12 : Speed Over Ground 13 : Cource Over Ground 14 : Air Pressure 15 : Air Temperature 7.3 Start/Stop Trip To start or stop your trip or voyage. The trip time and trip distance are displayed in the upper TIME-window. 7.4 About This is PC-CENTER's program information screen. It gives information about the program version as well as your registration number. 7.5 Modules This screen provides information about the modules PC-CENTER is reading data from. 7.6 Help This is a help screen, providing information about how to obtain help or instructions. Chapter 8 - Instrument Display On an Instrument Display you have the choice of two, three or four analogue or digital instruments that can be displayed. You can configure any combination of the instruments you choose. How to create a display: - Select Commands > Setup > Instrument Display. Make a choice of the display you like to change. Give the display a name and determine its shape. Go back to the Main Menu and select Instrument Display. Select the display you like to change. Select the instruments on the display in every frame. How to protect your configuration settings: - Select Commands > Setup > Instrument Display. Make a choice of the display you like to protect, and select Protected. Page 5
Chapter 9 - Analogue / Digital instruments (A/D) indicates that an instrument is available in the Analogue and the Digital menu. Log speed: (A/D) The speed of the boat. Magnetic Compass Heading: (A/D) The magnetic heading. True Compass Heading: (A/D) The true compass heading. Magnetic Wind Direction: (A/D) The magnetic wind direction. True Wind Direction: (A/D) True wind direction on the bow of the boat. Close Hauled True Wind: (A) True wind direction with enlarged scale for upwind and downwind sailing True Wind Speed: (A/D) True wind speed with digital Beaufort indicator. Apparent Wind Direction: (A/D) Apparent wind speed on the bow of the boat. Close Hauled Apparent Wind: (A) Apparent wind direction with enlarged scale for upwind and downwind sailing Apparent Wind Speed: (A/D) Apparent wind speed. VMG to wind: (A/D) Boat speed towards the wind direction. VMG to waypoint: (A/D) Boat speed towards the waypoint. Locked Compass Heading: (D) Locked heading to steer set by auto pilot or compass. Water Temperature: (D) The temperature of the water in centigrade. Water Depth: (D) The depth of the water in metres. Bearing to waypoint: (D) The true compass heading to the waypoint. Distance to Waypoint: (D) The distance to the waypoint. Time to Waypoint: (D) Calculated time for reaching the waypoint. If the time is longer than 100 hours 99:99 will be displayed. Speed Over Ground: (A/D) Speed over ground measured by the GPS. Course Over Ground: (A/D) True heading measured by the GPS. Page 6
Steer to Locked Heading: (A) Heading to steer is displayed digitally. The steer correction is indicated by the needle. Steer to waypoint: (A) Heading to steer to the waypoint is displayed digitally. The steer correction is indicated by the needle. Tack to waypoint: (A) This instrument is very useful if you are sailing to a windward waypoint. It shows the VMG to waypoint in percents if your are sailing over portside or starboard. If it's best to tack, an indicator will blink to indicate. This instrument can only be of use on non tidal waters. UTC time: (D) The UTC time received from the GPS. Air Pressure: (D) The air pressure received from a Weather Instrument. Air Temperature: (D) The air temperature received from a Weather Instrument. Water Current: (A) This meter displays the direction and speed of the Water Current (in Knots or Km/h). Chapter 10 - Graphs On these graphs you can see the recorded history of several data types to a maximum of up to 24 hours. The time scale can be set to 1 minute, 12 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours or 1 day. The vertical scale automatically adjusts itself to the largest value to display on the graph (auto-scaling). This assures optimal readability. Chapter 11 - GPS display In then GPS display menu there are two configuration settings which can be set. > Waypoint Arrival Circle: With this setup screen, you can adjust the size of the Waypoint Arrival Circle. This can be considered as a circle around the target area waypoint. The smaller the circle, the more accurate the target. > Off-Course Lines: This option allows you to set up the maximum distance range you wish to travel from the intended track. Since it is nearly impossible to travel in a perfectly straight line (esp. in a sailing vessel), this is yet another very useful feature of PC- CENTER. On the left side of the screen, you will see three windows. The upper window shows the waypoint information. The waypoint name and the latitude and longitude co-ordinates of the waypoint are shown. In the middle window, the travel information is displayed. BTW = Bearing To Waypoint Page 7
DTW = Distance To Waypoint TTW = Time To Waypoint MANUAL The lower window displays the boats position, in other words, the latitude and longitude co-ordinates. The Course (COG) and Speed Over Ground (SOG) are also displayed in this window. The XTE shows the Cross Track Error. This is the distance from the intended track line to the selected waypoint. The right window is the Waypoint Arrival Monitor which has the purpose to represent and graphically display a real time boat position and steering direction down the track towards a destination point. This destination point, which lies 'ahead' of the represented travelling indicator, is situated in the middle of, what is termed, the Waypoint Arrival Circle. So, the exact position of the destination point is surrounded by a circle, which is also user adjustable in diameter. The smaller the circle the more accurate the navigation requires to be. The circle diameter has a default (the standard original program setting) of 0.100 Nautical Miles (the units can be changed in the setup by the user to Km if preferred). The boat is represented by the 'X' symbol, and you will see the real-time position of the boat to the waypoint and the track lane. This enables you to easily identify weather the boat is travelling between the off-course lines or not and how the course is relative to the destination point. The distance between the off-course lines can also be set to according to your choice. Chapter 12 - Maximum Readings In this screen, maximum recorded (or logged) readings are displayed. Every reading can be reset at any time. Chapter 13 - Problems and Solutions Known problem: Using PC CENTER with the ST50 type Autohelm If PC-CENTER receives its information from a ST50 Multi Autohelm, the LAT position will not be displayed correctly because West and East are exchanged. Solution: This problem can easily be corrected simply by starting PC-CENTER with the parameter /M50. OTHER PROBLEMS: If you come across any other problems, please report them with the important details, such as a good description of the problem and about the attached equipment (model and type) used etc. Preferably to the following Email address: pc-center@reve.demon.nl Any suggestions or comments are also much appreciated! Chapter 14 - Frequently Asked Questions: Why is PC-CENTER a DOS program - and not a Windows version? Reason 1 - Because of Mouse Problems: Regular Windows programs which are typically mouse controlled work well at home, however, on a moving and rocking ship at sea, especially in heavy waters, it would be almost impossible to keep good control of the mouse. Page 8
Besides that, there is not always enough space at the navigation table of a smaller vessel to have a mouse-pad and the hand held mouse being in the way of the charts etc. Since many PC's and Laptops (esp. the older models) use one of the COM ports to connect the mouse to, PC-CENTER has an extra port available, which it can use for connecting additional instruments when it uses the cursor keys instead of a being mouse controlled. Often the computer mouse itself has proved to be very inconvenient, unreliable and sensitive moisture and to static electricity, causing the PC to crash and even causing permanent damage. Reason 2 - DOS is more stable and reliable: While Windows is not a very stable environment for many applications, which means that the computer may often 'hang up' or 'crash', PC-CENTER runs very reliably in DOS, which is far less complicated and also a much more compact operating system. To date, PC-CENTER has never caused a PC (or Laptop) to 'crash'! And, because PC-CENTER operates in DOS, it will even run on very old and basic PC machines, which are far less expensive and easier to use. Reason 3 - PC-CENTER Can run on far less expensive and more reliable computer: Not even a hard disk drive is required when you run PC-CENTER in DOS - unlike Windows. So the minimum system requirements to run PC-CENTER reliably are very basic, saving you any extra costs of expensive PC equipment, such as RAM memory or a massive hard disk drive to accommodate for other less practical operating systems. Page 9