BS2 Tiller Pilot
Microyacht
Posts: 10
Hi, New to the group but not to the Stamp. I used BS1's in my automated Searchlights in the 90's. The beams scanned across the sky at many shows here in the UK and worldwide!
However, this is my current project:
A Tiller Pilot to steer a miniature sailing yacht. I've spent the past 2 years designing and making scale Radio Controlled models of a miniature yacht that will take one person down rivers, across sea and even cross oceans. The boat is small in size as will be the current drain on all the devices and gadgets require to keep her on course. I'm about to test the final model and if all goes well, be starting on the full-size model within the next few weeks.
I already have a linear actuator and a BS2. The actuator is a new, spare part for a Navico 1000 Tiller Pilot. It is based on a 6V DC motor which I guess in the original unit would be suspended between a ± 6V supply, held at 0V when no correction is required. I wish to be able to manually steer using an analogue joystick, or for a fixed heading using either a fluxgate compass or GPS.
I soon realized that with 16+ "Pins" available, it would also be possible to turn on/off over items such as Navigation Lights (could be controlled by a light sensitive device), Interior Lights, alarms and controls for battery charging/management etc. In fact the BS2 could become the control center for almost every onboard. Now I'm worried in case of failure! (Plan "B" ~ backup-BS2 required!).
The drawing board is mostly blank sheets of paper BUT this is the starting point!
Attached, picture of the Linear Actuator.
Bye for now
Steve Carey
http://www.microyacht.com
http://www.aroundinten.com
http://www.withamweather.co.uk
However, this is my current project:
A Tiller Pilot to steer a miniature sailing yacht. I've spent the past 2 years designing and making scale Radio Controlled models of a miniature yacht that will take one person down rivers, across sea and even cross oceans. The boat is small in size as will be the current drain on all the devices and gadgets require to keep her on course. I'm about to test the final model and if all goes well, be starting on the full-size model within the next few weeks.
I already have a linear actuator and a BS2. The actuator is a new, spare part for a Navico 1000 Tiller Pilot. It is based on a 6V DC motor which I guess in the original unit would be suspended between a ± 6V supply, held at 0V when no correction is required. I wish to be able to manually steer using an analogue joystick, or for a fixed heading using either a fluxgate compass or GPS.
I soon realized that with 16+ "Pins" available, it would also be possible to turn on/off over items such as Navigation Lights (could be controlled by a light sensitive device), Interior Lights, alarms and controls for battery charging/management etc. In fact the BS2 could become the control center for almost every onboard. Now I'm worried in case of failure! (Plan "B" ~ backup-BS2 required!).
The drawing board is mostly blank sheets of paper BUT this is the starting point!
Attached, picture of the Linear Actuator.
Steve Carey
http://www.microyacht.com
http://www.aroundinten.com
http://www.withamweather.co.uk
800 x 695 - 602K
Comments
Always interested in good applications!
You might want to look at the Parallax HB-25 motor driver. You could use a single 12 volt source and get variable speed forward-reverse action on the linear drive with ease. To accomodate the 6 volt motor, a dropping resistor could take care of that.
Or, a traditional 2 relay h-bridge would work equally well.
Keep us up to date.
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Tom Sisk
http://www.siskconsult.com
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Neat project, I hope you succeed. Reminds me of Yankee Girl.
I have some sailing experience, hence an opinion. I have sailed offshore, singlehanded in a small sailboat. Not as small as the one you are proposing of course but still small. It was a Sea Bird Yawl, gaff rigged, 26 ft on deck -32 LOA including bowsprit and bumpkin. The hull was hard chined as is your micro yacht. It is the hull design that I wish to comment on. The hard chines make for simple construction especially when using plywood but I would advise against it. Sailing before the wind off shore or pretty much any point in protected waters presents no problems. But offshore the hard chine has an irritating characteristic which caused me at first great alarm, and later much annoyance and unease. Every few minutes there would be a very loud concussion sending vibrations and shuddering throughout the vessel. This was caused by the boat coming down, presenting part of the hull which is curved in only one dimension onto a wave which fairly matched the shape of the oncoming portion of hull - resulting in the hull slapping the water with great force. One thing that is extremely desirous when sailing alone is confidence in your vessel. The periodic slamming would continually raise doubts as to the integrity of the boat. How much could it take? Would it work something loose? I can't count how many times I lifted the floorboards to check the inside of the hull for signs of weakening. The Sea Bird Yawl was a great design and I am very fond of it but I curse those hard chines.
Since you will be building this vessel I urge you to soften those chines and have all parts of the hull developed in two dimensions. I suspect that you will be building out of FRP, if that's the case it would be easy to avoid the chines and it will be a stronger structure without them. If you do decide to keep the chines - just remember when you are out in the middle of the Pacific all alone, and you keep impacting waves that send shock waves through your vessel, that Rich H told you so.
Rich H
With regard to the boat Rich, I take all your points. I've been playing around with this design since building the Bateau D4 many years ago. Also an extended 10ft version. It sails well. I've made a very wide bodied version, added a bit more sail, a bit more ballast and it still sails well. It's very stable and in very rough seas and muddled flows (junction of 3 rivers, in storm like conditions, she handles very well. Moving on, my final version will be totally enclosed and sealed against almost everything. As long as she is not smashed on rocks or hit some submerged object, she can't sink. Having said that, I have no experience out on an ocean. What I have found though offshore is that she rides up and down the slopes of a wave (so to speak) whereas larger craft seam to bridge two or more crests and come crashing down. We shall see.
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Bye for now
Steve Carey/G4MJW
www.microyacht.com
www.aroundinten.com
www.withamweather.co.uk
I have decided to treat the Linear Actuator as a R/C servo thus allowing it to be positioned by a PMW of 1.0ms to 2.0ms
1.0ms = full left
1.5ms = middle (Sailing straight ahead)
2.0ms = full right
This will allow me to use the STAMP "Pulsout" command. Things just get easier and easier. To steer the boat, hang an analogue joystick across another "pin". For autopilot, a fluxgate module.
I could remove the PCB from a standard R/C servo and buffer the output to handle the current for my larger motor OR i could start from scratch with a servo chip and make a new PCB including the power H-bridge.
Next step: see what components I have in the cupboard
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Bye for now
Steve Carey/G4MJW
www.microyacht.com
www.aroundinten.com
www.withamweather.co.uk