XENTA Helm by Wire: steering a yacht has never been so good and effective Ferretti Yachts has chosen XENTA technology for the new Ferretti 670 steering system. Drive by Wire control system, present on board the Ferretti Yacht 670, takes full advantage of electronics and mechatronics to make points of connection between the main deck and the systems responsible for motion (engines, inverters and thrusters) and for boat control (rudders), substituting all mechanical connections with electrical signals. The latter creates a network able to provide vehicle information within the XENTA electronic control system.
The digital information exchanged between the steering wheel placed on both the control stations (internal and external) of the XENTA steering system and the main Control Unit, allows dedicated software to control the yacht’s rudders with micrometric precision. The rudders, activated by electro hydraulic actuators. It is no longer necessary for them to remain coupled, but are now independent units, released and able to rotate on their own vertical axis, with different impacts according to steering conditions. The two rudders’ independent operation, at different rates, enhances boat’s turning performances and ensures the maximum safety in all situations XENTA Helm by Wire’s “Tactile” version, offers unique sensations to the captain, a proper automotive driving feeling. The steering wheel is self-centering and able to return autonomously to its center position, optimizing the turns end.
At the end of the turn, when the wheel is in its center position, autohelm is automatically activated, relieving the captain of the need to make continuous corrections. Under navigation, the “Tactile” system adapts the wheel sensitivity and the ends of stroke, to experience a never felt before precision and turning fluidity. The effectiveness of the system designed by XENTA for the Ferretti 670 becomes even more evident when, through the use of the joystick, maneuvers are performed in restricted quarters, in port or in a marina. It makes it possible to perform millimeter evolutions in a water tissue, literally with two fingers, making lateral translations, virtually unthinkable with traditional steering systems.