Perfect pass, star gazer, z box question

[jsta281]

Oh and what do you save $ wise getting V8.0 and not Zbox?

[east tx skier]

Originally Posted by CantRepeat

Not sure what I did that would change that behavior.

Unlocked, let me know when you are done.

Thanks Doug.

All done. Thanks.

[east tx skier]

Originally Posted by jsta281

Oh and what do you save $ wise getting V8.0 and not Zbox?

Yes. You can opt for the V8 with SG last I checked. I think it locks in a bit more quickly and also does away with the need for magnets. I think it's about $99 to purchase separately. The zbox upgrade is around $500. So about $400.

[Phntmski]

So, to help me understand. My SG adjusts speed at entry gates and each ball through the course so the (virtual) course is broken into 7 segments (?). Z Box makes it one constant with adjustments on the fly by reacting to the skiers pull. Right now my segments are generally either right on or .01 second off. It almost always finishes with actual times. So if I'm fast in the first part of the course I'm slow in the second half, and visa versa. Will Z Box erase this by holding a speed and not balancing a time? Is the system strong enough to stay on top of it? I think my boat is. Will it actually feel like ZO? Trying to decide if another $439 to PP will really make a noticable difference. Is V8 included in Z Box?

[jsta281]

Last question hopefully :-) if somebody has one of these for sale used are they interchangeable between boat manufacturers? Could I put a stargazer that was installed on Malibu on a Mastercraft?

[east tx skier]

The gauge is interchangeable, but may have a competing brand on it. The master module is interchangeable, but if you find an older one, check the serial number with PP to make sure it can take the V8 update (some of the older ones cannot). The servo cable to throttle is length specific depending on year, make, and model. The wiring harness may be specific, but these typically don't come up for sale too often.

All in all, you can cobble some parts together, but some of it, i.e., wiring harness, servo motor, and cable, you'll just have to buy new.

[jsta281]

Awesome info thanks!

[east tx skier]

Originally Posted by Phntmski

So, to help me understand. My SG adjusts speed at entry gates and each ball through the course so the (virtual) course is broken into 7 segments (?). Z Box makes it one constant with adjustments on the fly by reacting to the skiers pull. Right now my segments are generally either right on or .01 second off. It almost always finishes with actual times. So if I'm fast in the first part of the course I'm slow in the second half, and visa versa. Will Z Box erase this by holding a speed and not balancing a time? Is the system strong enough to stay on top of it? I think my boat is. Will it actually feel like ZO? Trying to decide if another $439 to PP will really make a noticable difference. Is V8 included in Z Box?

To start, version 8(z) is included with zbox. If you have an older Master Module, you may need to sell it and start new. That's what I did. But mine was one of the very early SG models. My understanding is that SG is constantly adjusting based on what the GPS is telling it, not just at the balls. However, it is not reacting as quickly as ZO does because it is reacting to changes in speed rather than, how should I say it, anticipating them based on additionally input from an accelerometer. In that way, it is reacting before the boat has a chance to slow down, at least in theory.

I liked regular SG fine. End of course times were always spot on. However, unless you really have the Gate, 1, and 3 numbers dialed in, it tends to run away from you a little at the 3 ball to make up time.

Does it feel like Zero Off? Well, I can't tell much of a difference. But at my level, I can't tell much of a difference between ZO and SG. Again, at my level. The guys I ski with like it. One of them has Zero Off in his 2012 197. The other has ordered SG with a Zbox for his Malibu. From the driver's seat, you can hear the engine reving with the pulls. If you go on ballofspray, you can see what the hard core skiers have to say about it. In short, I think the consensus is that it's as close as you're going to get, but it's not perfect. They need perfect more than I do.

On my boat, it ran pretty well out of the box. However, I forgot to get the crew weight dialed in one time and it was pretty far off. I tweaked the settings (lowered the z-setting that controls how quickly the zbox information gets responded to, and it now runs really well. As I mentioned earlier, on my boat, the new software settles into the set point much more quickly than the older software did.

[Phntmski]

Originally Posted by east tx skier

To start, version 8(z) is included with zbox. If you have an older Master Module, you may need to sell it and start new. That's what I did. But mine was one of the very early SG models. My understanding is that SG is constantly adjusting based on what the GPS is telling it, not just at the balls. However, it is not reacting as quickly as ZO does because it is reacting to changes in speed rather than, how should I say it, anticipating them based on additionally input from an accelerometer. In that way, it is reacting before the boat has a chance to slow down, at least in theory.

I liked regular SG fine. End of course times were always spot on. However, unless you really have the Gate, 1, and 3 numbers dialed in, it tends to run away from you a little at the 3 ball to make up time.

Does it feel like Zero Off? Well, I can't tell much of a difference. But at my level, I can't tell much of a difference between ZO and SG. Again, at my level. The guys I ski with like it. One of them has Zero Off in his 2012 197. The other has ordered SG with a Zbox for his Malibu. From the driver's seat, you can hear the engine reving with the pulls. If you go on ballofspray, you can see what the hard core skiers have to say about it. In short, I think the consensus is that it's as close as you're going to get, but it's not perfect. They need perfect more than I do.

On my boat, it ran pretty well out of the box. However, I forgot to get the crew weight dialed in one time and it was pretty far off. I tweaked the settings (lowered the z-setting that controls how quickly the zbox information gets responded to, and it now runs really well. As I mentioned earlier, on my boat, the new software settles into the set point much more quickly than the older software did.

Got my SG late 2010. Gotta have gate magnets. It does great but the processor seems a little slow. With plenty of set up time it's near perfect with anyone driving it, all segment times. But where I ski we have a short set up on one end which requires a soft touch to get right and like you said, if segment times are off for 1 and 3 ball it's wacked the rest of the way. Seems like it's trying to crunch so much info it takes a little while to settle in. To be honest the old DP seemed to settle in a little faster. All that said I'm beginning to think I might give that Z Box a try. Or at least talk to PP about that $150 gizmo that will allow me to map (#, I believe) courses, especially if it'll speed things up for getting everything locked in.

Thanks Doug