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arcsyst

By arcsyst
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arcsyst Contributor

arcsyst

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BoatMON

 

A comprehensive Monitoring & Control system for inland boaters

 

 

I am looking for a few people who would be interested in trialling a system that I have been working on for the last two years.

 

The genesis of the project was that I was new to boating at the time and was anxious that during the prolonged periods away from my expensive investment I could be confident that it i) hadn't sunk and ii) wasn't frozen up! As my background is in electronics and for the last 20 years IT it seemed reasonable to combine these skills; thus was born BoatMON. In it's original format it simply worked as a glorified frost protection system using the Webasto heating system to keep the cold out during the winter months and monitored whether or not I had shore power. However during the intervening period much has been added and what started off as a laptop and a large box of electrical ironmongery has reduced to a unit no bigger than a lunchbox.

 

I know there is at least one other product out there (Boat Warden) that purports to do a similar job but to me it seems that this device is not really aimed at inland boaters and to be honest seems expensive. My aims are thus:

 

  • Reliability
  • Cost effectiveness (I am hoping to be about the £350 mark for the finished article)
  • Flexibility, I am trying to build in as many features as people request.

 

What can it currently do?

 

  • Monitor 2 DC supplies up to 20v (Starter/Aux batteries)
  • Monitor 2 AC/DC supplies up to 300v (Shoreline/Generator/Solar output - nice to graph this!)
  • Can control diesel heating systems (tested on Webasto so far) via a clean relay contact, optionally can switch up to 2Kw of electrical heating.
  • Heating setting is set by a scheduler, essentially a heating 'diary', start time is automatically offset to achieve desired temperature & time. Additional On/Off and Custom temperature override settings are available, however even when Off it will still frost protect. If required can also use diesel heating to control hot water if piped to do so.
  • Multi-zone security system with most of the features that you would find on a modern alarm system, alarm time-out, auto rearm, zone omit etc.
  • Bilge alarm - operates a local alarm as well as remote notification.
  • Ability to remotely switch up to 4 x 240v/10A relays to operate something of your own choice. One thought I had for this was for an automatic generator start to recharge batteries.
  • Virtual Fuel gauge and electricity credit meter

 

 

The whole thing is driven from a web interface which can be accessed local through the WiFi network or remotely via an internet connection from anything that can browse the web, PC, smartphone, tablet .... If you don't already have an internet router I can supply one suitably configured with a 'Three' data sim.

 

As well as presenting real-time data in the web interface it also stores data for one year and presents this data graphically again in a web browser. I have found it fascinating over the two years (yes I know I'm sad!) watching the trends not only of temperatures but battery voltages as they change with temperature and age, the latter can be a useful tool in diagnosing failing batteries.

 

BoatMON can email or text you with messages which are prioretised as info/warning/critical so you can choose which to text & which to email

 

 

SO! where do YOU fit in?

 

I am initially looking for 2-3 people to trial this for me, during the trial you will obviously have direct support from myself, updates and fixes will be downloaded directly to your device and I will try to incorporate all reasonable requests for enhancements into the updates - so you get a chance to have your personal enhancements built in at no cost. I will unfortunately have to make a charge to cover the cost of the kit but I am offering a six month no questions money back guarantee if you are not happy, all I ask is that you have a reasonable attitude to bug fixing and product development and wait until the end of the six months before demanding a refund!

 

 

I genuinely welcome all comments, pro and against. Remember that I am happy to customise where practicable.

 

So... over to you!

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arcsyst Contributor

arcsyst

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What are you using to control this? something like a beagleboard?

Raspberry Pi plus some custom hardware

Happy to help, dependant on cost smile.png

OK, give me a bit of a profile of your boat, how you use it and what you would expect to gain from this project.

So up to 10Ah a day.

Too much for a boat which is not regularly attended, in my book.

 

Tim

I do take your point, however 400ma is fairly miserly for what it does but it was designed originally for a marina based boat so power wasn't/isn't really an issue.

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Kae Community Regular

Kae

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OK, give me a bit of a profile of your boat, how you use it and what you would expect to gain from this project.

 

Liveaboard, marina based, 12 and 240v systems. Starter and Domestic battery banks. No controllable heating though.

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blackrose Veteran II

blackrose

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Hmmm...

 

Even the most meagre of 'top-up' systems should be able to provide 6Ah/day.

 

Yes I'm sure you're right, but like many designers you're only thinking about your own product. The point is it's an additional 6Ah/day.

 

Anyway, isn't this thread just an ad masquerading as some sort of R&D trial? You're even asking your guinea pigs to pay!

 

Sorry but you did ask for all comments for and against.

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arcsyst Contributor

arcsyst

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Yes I'm sure you're right, but like many designers you're only thinking about your own product. The point is it's an additional 6Ah/day.

 

Anyway, isn't this thread just an ad masquerading as some sort of R&D trial? You're even asking your guinea pigs to pay!

 

Sorry but you did ask for all comments for and against.

You are a very cynical man blackrose. You cannot 'sell' a product that you haven't trialled, I am only asking for a contribution to the hardware costs as I am a boater not a corporate institution. If at the end people think it's crap they can have their money back, to coin a phrase simples.

 

But as I said I do welcome constructive comments.

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blackrose Veteran II

blackrose

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Posted (edited)

You are a very cynical man blackrose. You cannot 'sell' a product that you haven't trialled...

 

You can start to market a product though even if it isn't trialed, or are you going to tell us that this isn't marketing? I don't think I'm the only cynical one here... (cynical marketing).

 

BoatMON

 

A comprehensive Monitoring & Control system for inland boaters

Edited by blackrose
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keble Rising Star

keble

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Posted

Hmmm...

 

Even the most meagre of 'top-up' systems should be able to provide 6Ah/day.

Hi arcsyst, I'm another Rpi enthusiast (did a time lapse video thingy), and I have been thinking about a similar project to yours.

There are some on the market already.

Anyway, I reckon you could cut down that power consumption quite drastically by getting it to power up/down intermittently. You really don't need it powered up continuously.

Just a thought!

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NMEA Rising Star

NMEA

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I think finished cost is one of the main issues here, a Yacht Sentinel is around that price and is a tried and tested system from an established manufacture with good distribution and service back up, CE marking et. al.

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nicknorman Veteran II

nicknormanDonate to Canal World

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I suggest that what you are up against is existing technology that uses much less current, even if its not specifically boater-orientated. For instance I have a GSM controller that cost around £130. It has 8 digital inputs and 8 digital outputs, plus 4 analogue inputs. This would allow control of heating etc, detection of bilge level, burglar alarm status, battery voltages etc. It uses around 20mA, which I thought just about acceptable for something left on all the time.

 

Its all controlled by phone text (using customisable keywords). Obviously these days people are used to a web interface, but if you are putting a web server on the boat that is inevitably going to use a lot of power. An alternative would be to stick the "clever" bit ashore, for example by having a smartphone app to add an interface layer to the basic text control.

 

I know I am sounding negative - sorry - but I suspect you have found some technology and are looking for an application for it, rather than finding the application and then selecting the best technology to provide it.

 

Even though I'm a shiny boater with a "big" electrical system, I wouldn't contemplate putting a permanently-on system on my boat that took even 1/4 amp.

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arcsyst Contributor

arcsyst

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I suggest that what you are up against is existing technology that uses much less current, even if its not specifically boater-orientated. For instance I have a GSM controller that cost around £130. It has 8 digital inputs and 8 digital outputs, plus 4 analogue inputs. This would allow control of heating etc, detection of bilge level, burglar alarm status, battery voltages etc. It uses around 20mA, which I thought just about acceptable for something left on all the time.

 

Its all controlled by phone text (using customisable keywords). Obviously these days people are used to a web interface, but if you are putting a web server on the boat that is inevitably going to use a lot of power. An alternative would be to stick the "clever" bit ashore, for example by having a smartphone app to add an interface layer to the basic text control.

 

I know I am sounding negative - sorry - but I suspect you have found some technology and are looking for an application for it, rather than finding the application and then selecting the best technology to provide it.

 

Even though I'm a shiny boater with a "big" electrical system, I wouldn't contemplate putting a permanently-on system on my boat that took even 1/4 amp.

What is the system that you have?

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nicknorman Veteran II

nicknormanDonate to Canal World

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Posted (edited)

What is the system that you have?

Its this one, though I didn't get it from this supplier:

 

http://www.3gmobilecctv.com/gsm-alarm-controllers/rtu5011-gsm-controller-8-i-o-ports-4ad-inputs

 

I got it from a supplier in UK under a different model name, just a rebranding. Can't currently locate the supplier (stuff is at home and I'm on the boat)

 

Edite: I got it from here: http://www.gsm-secure.co.uk/GSM-250b-GSM-Alarm.php

 

Further edit: no datasheets on either of those site, datasheet here:

http://www.kentongan.com/download.php?file=gsm-rtu-controller-rtu5011-v2.pdf

Edited by nicknorman
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twelveeyedfish Contributor

twelveeyedfish

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I could help you more than half the power consumption. But it would be a significant power change. Less than 30 mA under zero output conditions.

 

I think you said it was Raspberry junk based - bad choice! Haha. MSP 430 or one of the more efficient arms would be better. I can think of even more efficient ways but that would be considerable hardware design effort. That change would also negate the need for paid for compilers though!

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