[TG] Operation and functionality of p70s

[Maxim!]

I have now used my P70S autopilot controller for 6 months or so.

I would like to point out some problems I have identified, especially compared to the ST6002 controller that I have used for more than 10 years.

My opinion is that the operation and functionality of P70S is not as good as the ST6002, the problems are related to the buttom design and layout.

1. it is only possible to activate each button on a very small area at the center of each button, i.e. if you push on the up/down arrow nothing will happen and you need to move your finger to the center of the button. It is also difficult to push the very narrow buttons with gloves on.

2. If you dim the LCD display the light also dims in the buttons, they become so weak that you can't read them when its dark. All the buttons have the same shape so you need to memorize where each button is located.

3. The STBY button is the same as the one for dimming the display. This means if you run on autopilot or are tracking to a point, you need to steer manually while changing the brightness of the LCD.

It seems like design has been chosen over functionality and I find it a little disappointing that a company like Raymarine has been willing to make such sacrifices. I often wish I had kept my old ST6002 where these problems were none existing.

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hello Maxim,

Thanks for the feedback. There are always compromises with every product design, but I like to think that we seldom compromise functionality because of design.

Quote:1. it is only possible to activate each button on a very small area at the center of each button, i.e. if you push on the up/down arrow nothing will happen and you need to move your finger to the center of the button. It is also difficult to push the very narrow buttons with gloves on.

We had the feedback on the previous p70/p70R that people didn't like the hard key surface as much as the softer, rubbery surface of the ST6002 and earlier, but it's easier to make a large, rectangular key operable across its whole surface with a hard key surface than a more flexible one. I think that the choice of lower, wider rectangular keys was made in order to maximise the available screen area and fit the p70RS's rotary controller, which wasn't available on the ST6002. I think that it was indeed also felt that the ST6002's buttons looked very dated and whether we all like it or not, not many people are keen on installing onto their helm a new product that looks old.

Quote:2. If you dim the LCD display the light also dims in the buttons, they become so weak that you can't read them when its dark. All the buttons have the same shape so you need to memorize where each button is located.

We design our products' keypad backlights so that the backlight is off when the screen backlight is on 100% (assuming full daylight), at its brightest when the screen backlight is mid-way (assuming twilight) and on dimly when the screen backlight is at a low level. The key and screen backlights should both be visible when the screen backlight is at a very low level, and personally I've not received any other reports of problems with the p70S's key backlight. Possibly your lighting conditions are unusual or your key backlight isn't working properly - it may be worth getting this checked by your dealer.

Quote:3. The STBY button is the same as the one for dimming the display. This means if you run on autopilot or are tracking to a point, you need to steer manually while changing the brightness of the LCD.

I would guess that this is by design for safety reasons, so that you can't accidentally dim the screen so much that it's not visible when the pilot is in active use. If you have the p70S networked into a larger Raymarine system though, are you aware of the Group Dimming backlight control? If you pair the p70 backlight control with your MFD, for example, you can control the backlight easily on the MFD whilst the pilot is still in Auto or Track. On the p70S the group backlight control setup is in Menu > Setup > System Setup. Configure displays into the same network group and then set the backlight control from This Display to This Group. How you do backlight grouping on your other products depends on what you have, but in current Axiom displays it's in Settings > This Display and is called Shared Brightness.

Regards,
Tom