IBEX 365 News

2021 IBEX Innovation Award Interview with Ride Controller

News Date: July 11, 2022

LED+ Power Module

The LED+ Power Module by Ride Controller brings concert-level lighting control to the marine market. It’s the ultimate lighting experience featuring up to four digitally addressable zones, a simple control API, full customization, and real-time adaptive music synchronization.

What problem does this product solve?
A richer LED mood lighting solution is now available with improved lighting to audio synchronization. LED+ has high-frequency drivers (which drastically reduce the risk of audio noise from RGB lighting) and a smaller footprint. This system allows customers to drive all types or LEDs, RGB/WW, digital LEDs/neo pixels, and standard underwater lights.

How did you become aware of this problem?
“The genesis of this product was 18 months ago,” says Andrew Miller of Ride Controller. “We surveyed boat builders who were attempting to integrate RGB controllers into their boat designs. We were told these integration efforts were encountering problems and that it was taking too much of their in-house engineering time to resolve. We decided to leverage our expertise in digitally switched power systems to create a transformative LED RGBWW lighting experience. We enlisted the help of a Malibu Boats to aid in real-world testing and give us valuable feedback that would ultimately help us create the superior LED+ Power Module.”

What audience is this product designed to reach?
There are multiple markets including ski/wakeboarding boats, center consoles, and small yachts.

What is noteworthy about the technology used?
LED+ doesn’t just track volume but instead, it processes audio frequency for concert-level visual effects. It’s a solid-state power system and an NMEA2K / J1939 API control platform. This product provides eight control zones and intelligent control processing for all types of responsive lighting experiences. It can operate a greater variety of LEDs – standard (solid color), RGB (any color), and digital addressable (each light module in the lighting strip can be controlled individually). LED+ controls all lights aboard including those under the waterline and it’s designed to have a five-year lifecycle. Because it was designed completely in-house in the US, it’s also offered with full technical support.

How is it different from any other solution on the market?
LED+ doesn’t just synchronize with volume. It allows you to map each of the eight control zones to unique frequency bands (mids, highs, lows, etc.).

What obstacles did you encounter in the R&D process?
“We had to address the audio system noise caused by low frequency driving of RGB LEDs as well as the flickering that is seen when shooting a vessel in slow motion video,” adds Miller. “The problem was solved using high frequency drivers that targeted both problems and we’re the first to do this. LED+ was designed to show everyone in the market what is possible when a passionate team of engineers and designers sweat every detail during the development process.”

What customizations can be enabled to personalize this product?
Custom color themes and programs that run on digitally addressable LEDs are available.

How has the product been received?
“The product has been received very well, and many have taken notice because we received the Innovation Award,” says Miller. “It will be offered on boats for the 2023 model year which will become available in June 2022.”

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
RideController is dedicated to designing the most intelligent power systems that simplify design, reduce manufacturing labor, improve diagnostic capabilities, and improve post-sale support.

For more information about the 2021 IBEX Innovation Award winners, click here.