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3D RoboticsPermalink Reply by Chris Anderson on October 1, 2009 at 8:25pm

Tony,

Before I answer your boat questions, can you help me understand where we're going wrong on the list of what you need? It's in the tabs above, on the ArduPilot home page and in the manual. How did you come up with your list, which is wrong? (in particular, the "Arduino Duemilanove 2009 AVR ATmega328P-PU USB", whatever that is!)

We've tried hard to make this as clear as possible, but we've obviously failed! Can you help us understand how to do a better job?

Chris

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Permalink Reply by Mike on October 1, 2009 at 11:23pm

Tony,
is it a yacht or motor boat and if a yacht is it tiller or wheel steering? What waters are you proposing to use it on - are they calm inland, inshore or offshore?

Mike

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Permalink Reply by Tony K. on October 2, 2009 at 4:33am

Chris, I got the list from the following forum topic and the manual. http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/ardupilot-boat-requirements. Again, I'm very new to this but I was actually pretty confident in the list. The Arduino board mentioned above was the most popular one on ebay so I thought that one would probably work for transferring data. Looking now, I see that you suggest the xbee modules for transferring data. I am also under the impression that for a boat, I would not require the shield expansion board. Am I closer now? I really appreciate the help.

Mike, the boat is a 28 ft. sailboat with a tiller for steering. I was hoping to sail in many types of waters but I probably wouldn't be using autopilot in very rough seas. Its more for me to go on a course while I run the sails.

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3D RoboticsPermalink Reply by Chris Anderson on October 2, 2009 at 6:04am

Tony,

Thanks for the clarification. Yes, you don't need another Arduino board to transfer data (I'm not even sure how you would even use an Arduino board to transfer data!). That's correct that you would not need the shield for boat use. You just turn in the "walk around" mode flag in the configuration file, and it no longer uses the stabilization functions.

Chris

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Permalink Reply by Tony K. on October 2, 2009 at 6:14am

Thanks Chris,

I feel I have a better understanding of how it is set up now and after reading more, I've realized the FTDI cable goes directly to usb so I don't need a data transfer board.

I still am unsure on the other questions I had though. Can I use a GPS with nema output such as a Garmin instead of buying a new GPS module and can the ArduPilot use the waypoints from the Garmin to navigate or can I only put in waypoints from the computer.

Also, if I ran a 12V car battery to the ArduPilot, would it fry?

Thanks,
Tony

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3D RoboticsPermalink Reply by Chris Anderson on October 2, 2009 at 6:46am

Yes, you can use any GPS module that can output NMEA in TTL serial.

No, you can't use the waypoints in the Garmin.

ArduPilot does have a built-in power regulator, but I have no idea if it can handle the current from a car battery! There's one way to find out (although it might cost you $24.95 to buy a new board if it fries) ;-) Either way. you'd have to switch the solder jumper on the bottom, as directed in the manual.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on October 3, 2009 at 8:55am

Tony,
You may already know all of this but here goes anyway: I would have thought that a handheld GPS ($150) and a tiller pilot (maybe $400 for your boat) would be your best bet. A route can be programmed on yournlaptop, uploaded to the GPS which can be connected to the tiller pilot should you want autonomous navigation. But if it is to use purely to hold the tiller whilst you are in the cockpit or trimming the sails etc it would be fine without the GPS as it has a fluxgate compass and at the press of a button it will hold the present course. For long trips you can't beat a wind vane. And there is also the option to use a tiller pilot to drive your wind vane servo which gives a massive reduction in power consumption.

If you are looking for a project to satisfy your intellect then some of the ArduoPilot code will be helpful in getting you started but from personal experience at sea there is nothing like a reliable proprietary unit to put your mind at ease. And of course a backup system.....

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