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It would be really helpful if you experienced guys would post photos and maybe even a description of your installation of pypilot, tinypilot and or openplotter.

As a new user it has taken me quite a while to decipher the posts and decide how to set it up.

Here is a link to my installation blog: https://svkatielee.blogspot.com/2019/07/...rking.html

Post your's as comments/replies on this thread.
(2019-07-01, 01:46 PM)svkatielee Wrote: [ -> ]It would be really helpful if you experienced guys would post photos and maybe even a description of your installation of pypilot, tinypilot and or openplotter.

As a new user it has taken me quite a while to decipher the posts and decide how to set it up.

Here is a link to my installation blog: https://svkatielee.blogspot.com/2019/07/...rking.html

Post your's as comments/replies on this thread.

Good idea; here's a compilation of the making of my pypilot: https://youtu.be/hoFl5Uv_Rn4 (edited as previous link was invalid)

No blog, but some bullets:
  • Converted Raymarine ST2000+ into a PyPilot, putting TinyPilot on a RaspBerry PiZero with wifi and Arduino motor driver in the original casing.
  • Latest TinyPilot image downloaded onto a PiZero, and adjusted to be a client to the OpenPlotter access point (see elsewhere on this forum).
  • Works also stand-alone, as the LCD interface was replaced with user interface that emulates original keystrokes of raymarine keyboard (see github).
  • Motor driver H-bridge made with schematics and FET's reused from the old raymarine.
  • OpenPlotter runs on a Raspberry Pi 3B+, is fed through a RS232-to-USB cable from Emtrak EM-100 AIS/GPS device. Charts are OSENC charts.
The idea behind this is to have a pypilot that can be interchanged with an original raymarine, so it can be commissioned gradually and there's always the original one as fallback option. Hardware can be swapped, and also software allows track steering from OpenCPN in both old and new.

Today was the first trial, and there are some follow-up items from it:
  • find out more about compass calibration
  • find out more about behaviour of manual rudder adjustment
  • better power supply for arduino (now fed straight from battery Confused)) 
  • more decoupling capacitors everywhere.
Cheers,

-

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EDIT MAY-2020: after a few iterations, finally replaced motor driver with a Pololu #2991 
Also installed end-of-tavel switches.
That's looking very exciting!

Did it basically work to steer your boat? How was the current draw?
In the spirit of honest sharing I feel obliged to tell you all that the h-bridge diagram that I briefly showed in the movie above did not last long. I'm new to h-bridges and pwm, and I think I overlooked something that made one of the FETs recently blow. Without wanting to go into a tedious post-mortem I just ordered the parts to replicate Sean's (can I say proven) controller design that's on the store site now - that is, making use of proper integrated half bridge drivers.

If you do have the physical space for it I'd recommend to buy it off the site as it comes working and tested. For me it did not fit inside the tiller pilot though.
(2019-08-19, 08:29 PM)ironman Wrote: [ -> ]In the spirit of honest sharing I feel obliged to tell you all that the h-bridge diagram that I briefly showed in the movie above did not last long. I'm new to h-bridges and pwm, and I think I overlooked something that made one of the FETs recently blow. Without wanting to go into a tedious post-mortem I just ordered the parts to replicate Sean's (can I say proven) controller design that's on the store site now - that is, making use of proper integrated half bridge drivers.

If you do have the physical space for it I'd recommend to buy it off the site as it comes working and tested. For me it did not fit inside the tiller pilot though.

Could you post the parts list if possible? (save me/people some time)
Was wondering if resistors were 1/8 or 1/4 watt!
I too need a very compact solution; so must roll my own.
Thanks!
Yah a parts list and/or schematic would be great, I already purchased the motor controller from Sean and it works great, but would be interested in building my own, if not just to have a better understanding of how it all works...
I tried to follow along his motor.ino instructions but need a bit more hand feeding...
I just finished the layout for a new version which is much more compact (40x42x20mm) and also higher power (hopefully works for up to 10-12 amp motors) It uses 4 layer PCB.


If the design needs to be flat and skinny or different shapes, it's easily possible but has various tradeoffs. It can also be much smaller and less efficient but ok for small motors, I didn't bother to consider this case much. There are many possibilities.
(2019-08-20, 05:47 PM)wdee Wrote: [ -> ]Could you post the parts list if possible? (save me/people some time)
Was wondering if resistors were 1/8 or 1/4 watt!
I too need a very compact solution; so must roll my own.
Thanks!

The schematic is in the link I sent (click); scroll down. The resistors in Sean's product are 1/8 watt, except for the 0.01 ohm one, but depending of your current draw it really does not need to be huge (P=R x I^2).
R1 should be more than 1/8
Hello all,

We are 4 friends on a 40ft sailing boat, we took a gap year to sail Smile
Currently we are stuck in the Canarias, because of our B&G autopilot which is 20 yo and has decided to retire...
So we are looking into pypilot, nothing final yet but we have a general layout in head and I would like some feedback and general warnings before hands!

What do we have?
- 1 developer + 2 mechanical engineers so limited electronics experience...
- Old installation http://www.dahlberg-sa.com/wp-content/up...42-ing.pdf
-- hydraulic ram 12V with a reversible electric pump (20-25A and a clutch (solenoid - 2A)
-- B&G Compass
-- Rudder angle reference
- New equipment
-- Raspberry Pi3
-- MPU 9250/6500


Well this is our first Raspberry Pi project, so we will take it slow, at the moment we are getting stared with the raspberry. I imagine next step is to download openplotter and py pilot and have them working on the raspberry.
Then comes the issue of the controller.
Our ram uses typically around 5-7A, I dont know for the bursts? Direction is by reversed polarity, the solenoid clutch is to allows to move the rudder when the pilot is off.
So I am guessing that this current is too hig for Sean's controller? Can we adapt the scheme you posted above? Or are we better off looking for an available one?

thanks in advance for any advice and comments! As I said we are complete beginners, so do not hesitate if you feel we are going the wrong way!

Hub
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