In modern ship bridge design, the flexibility, reliability, and maintainability of instrument systems have increasingly become the focus of attention for ship owners, designers, and crew members. Traditional analog indicators are limited by mechanical structures, and each parameter requires an independent instrument, which not only occupies a large amount of panel space, but also increases spare parts inventory and maintenance complexity. The XDi series flexible display indicators launched by DEIF, with virtual indicator technology as its core, completely breaks this limitation and provides a new instrument solution for applications such as ship propulsion control, navigation monitoring, and power positioning.
Product positioning and core philosophy
The XDi series is a patented lighting indicator display series developed by DEIF, which uses virtual display technology to integrate the functions of traditional multiple physical instruments into one or more high-resolution displays. This series of products breaks through the physical limitations of mechanical instruments, and through pre installed indicator libraries and flexible configuration options, allows crew members to combine and display multiple parameters on a single display screen, such as speed, pitch, azimuth, or speed, heading, water depth, etc.
1. Industry disruptors
The XDi series is known as the "game changer" of bridge instruments, mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Save panel space: A single XDi indicator can replace multiple traditional instruments, significantly reducing the footprint of bridge control consoles
Simplified installation: reduces wiring workload, lowers installation time and costs
Flexible configuration: Indicator layout and parameter settings can be completed on site during installation
Convenient maintenance: Backup units can be quickly replaced without waiting for customized instrument spare parts
2. Application case: ZF Marine Krippen
ZF Marine Krippen adopts the XDi solution in its scalable azimuth thruster control. The traditional solution requires configuring different indicator dials for different working modes, while XDi can automatically switch the indicator display range according to the thruster mode. R&D engineer Johan Spruyt said, "With XDi, we have greatly saved space on the bridge operation panel, while simplifying daily operations. Regardless of the working mode, only one thruster indicator display screen is needed. ”
3. Application case: The world's first zero emission electric tugboat
ZeeTug, the world's first zero emission all electric tug, was built by Navtek Naval Technologies, a Türkiye ship designer. Its propulsion control system is integrated by BMA Technology. In this project, BMA Technology selected the highly customizable XDI 192 N indicator from DEIF and utilized its mode switching function to preset up to 4 screens on a single indicator, displaying relevant data for different combinations.
Product series and variants
The XDi series is divided into the following models based on display capability and interface configuration:
Model Function Description
XDi Dual displays 1 or 2 input values, suitable for dual parameter monitoring scenarios
XDi Multi displays multiple input values according to application requirements, suitable for complex parameter combinations
XDi-N is equipped with NX2 NMEA input/output module, supports XDi-net network sharing, and can switch between up to 4 screens for display
As a platform 2 product, XDi-N has more powerful features:
Supports analog, digital, and CAN interfaces
Equipped with hidden buttons (only for settings)
Optional front frame with 4 buttons for dimming and color control
Support mode group control through CAN bus

Technical architecture and pre installed libraries
1. Indicator library
The XDi series products come pre installed with a library file containing over 100 indicator layouts and functions, covering various application scenarios for ships. Library files are classified by application type for easy selection and ordering by users:
Promotion category (Owner 1):
Example of Application Type Library Number
Azimuth thruster Dual 001/Multi 001 azimuth angle and pitch
Tunnel thrusters Dual 011/Multi 011 thrust and direction
Main propulsion Dual 021/Multi 021 speed, pitch, power
Steering angle/Spray propulsion Dual 031/032 Steering angle, Spray angle
Dual 041/042 engine speed, shaft speed
Universal Digital Dual 051/052/Multi 051/052 Digital Parameters
Navigation category (owner 2):
Example of Application Type Library Number
Wind Direction Navigation 001 Relative Wind Speed, Wind Direction
Meteorological Navigation 011 Air pressure, temperature, humidity
Navigation class (owner 3):
Example of Application Type Library Number
Navigation 001 True heading and magnetic heading
Rotation rate Dual 002 Rotation rate
Speed and Depth Navigation 011 Speed and Depth
2. Product configuration files and virtual indicators
The library file contains preset content at the following three levels:
Product configuration file: includes CAN bus default parameters, dimmer group, input types, alarm and sound settings. NMEA settings are also pre-defined in the configuration file.