This forum uses cookies
This forum makes use of cookies to store your login information if you are registered, and your last visit if you are not. Cookies are small text documents stored on your computer; the cookies set by this forum can only be used on this website and pose no security risk. Cookies on this forum also track the specific topics you have read and when you last read them. Please confirm whether you accept or reject these cookies being set.

A cookie will be stored in your browser regardless of choice to prevent you being asked this question again. You will be able to change your cookie settings at any time using the link in the footer.

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Best of both worlds?
#1
Next up on my OP project list is integration between my OP, my MFD and my Raymarine ST1000+. I've just started reading up on old posts after an unsuccessful attempt at getting in touch with it through pypilot and NMEA 0183 serial yesterday. When reading some of the alternatives for pypilot and rebuilds that people have done, I see that some of y'all scrap the factory functionality with the +/- 1, 10 push button setup. This all got me thinking - how about doing both - keeping the original setup, but rather than having NMEA in, (Edit for clarity) Rewiring the NMEA input wires in the connector to use them for power from the the pypilot motor controller and run them to the motor instead. (To be able to get pypilot power to the ST1000 through the std interface.) 
In that way I SHOULD be able to control via Openplotter (and thereby my MDF through signal K right?) AND have instant access at the push of a button on the ST1000+? Am I off field here? or is there an easier way. SHOULD I be able to do this already through the NMEA 0183 interface?

Help me out here.

BR,
Ranur
Reply
#2
nmea0183 is optional for pypilot for wind, gps and route messages.

unfortunately there is not support for buttons on the motor controller, but this may be possible in the future. The motor controller uses a binary protocol.

Otherwise, you can run the buttons to the raspberry gpio with one wire per button plus a ground. Another way is to use an RF transmitter, or a wifi connection to support the buttons.
Reply
#3
ST1000+ support remote buttons though Seatalk interface
(on my previous boat i made RF remote with arduino and TTL->Seatalk converter)

But to control it from openplotter you will need to develop some kind of new software....

with NMEA you only able to send waypoints to ST1000 for "Track" mode and send wind sentences for "Wind Trim" mode (if available)

You can't just rewire NMEA wires from st1000 controller to motor terminals inside ST1000 and connect to pypilot motor controller.
I dont think this is good idea, maybe i am wrong, but there will really unpredictable behavior when ST1000 controller and pypilot will try to control motor at same time
Reply
#4
(2020-02-21, 04:01 PM)beholder77 Wrote: I dont think this is good idea, maybe i am wrong, but there will really unpredictable behavior when ST1000 controller and pypilot will try to control motor at same time
Giving it further thought, I realize this is a huge problem of course, as the two might give contradicting msg to the motor...
Reply
#5
If they gave a contradicting message it would short the controllers.

If using pypilot you can wire the buttons use wifi/rc/ir/gpio, but it goes through the raspberry not the motor controller.
Reply
#6
(2020-02-21, 07:36 PM)seandepagnier Wrote: If they gave a contradicting message it would short the controllers.

If using pypilot you can wire the buttons use wifi/rc/ir/gpio, but it goes through the raspberry not the motor controller.

Great idea - any link to "How to..?"
Reply
#7
Came across this post last night and it.... http://forum.raymarine.com/showthread.php?tid=3005
...kind of suck. So - new ideas are starting to develop around Sean's answer above.
Reply
#8
I got esp8266 communicating with pypilot for possible wireless remote.

the esp8266 doesn't have enough ram to run the pypilot scripts in micropython. A simple python script does communicate over wifi to pypilot and is working.

Rather than write the lcd rendering bit in c, I will try an esp32 and see if it can run the same python script used on the pi.

If it can, it might eventually be viable to run pypilot itself on the esp32 which would probably be ok for the basic pilots but not machine learning.

If esp32 cannot run pypilot, then maybe it can work if pypilot is precompiled to c, or eventually just use c code to at least make a working wifi remote on the esp32 in the worst case.

It might be interesting to use ultra capacitors and rectify the power to the drive motor to refresh them to power this if it is wired to the same tillerpilot buttons rather than needing a separate battery.
Reply
#9
(2020-02-25, 05:16 PM)seandepagnier Wrote: I got esp8266 communicating with pypilot for possible wireless remote.

the esp8266 doesn't have enough ram to run the pypilot scripts in micropython.   So a simpler tcp client is needed but it works ok and can command pypilot using gpio.

Rather than write the lcd rendering bit in c, I will try an esp32 and see if it can run the same python script used on the pi..   If it can, it might eventually be viable to run pypilot itself on the esp32 which would probably be ok for the basic pilots but not machine learning.


I am thinking more in using OP on the RPI, with your motor controller (tucked away in a bench outside the ST1000+ and just use the mechanical hardware of the ST), and to ADD an ESP inside the ST1000 to get push button functionality at hand ON the ST1000, using it's original buttons. Doable?
Reply
#10
(2020-02-21, 11:05 AM)Ranur Wrote: Next up on my OP project list is integration between my OP, my MFD and my Raymarine ST1000+. I've just started reading up on old posts after an unsuccessful attempt at getting in touch with it through pypilot and NMEA 0183 serial yesterday. 

Without knowing details of your unsuccessful attempt, or what exactly your goal is with the integration: from OpenCPN you can directly send APB or RMB messages to the Raymarine tiller pilot, which should enable the tiller pilot to follow the 'route' that is activated in OpenCPN. You don't even need to have OpenPlotter functionality for that. I used this before I had pypilot and this is still operational for backup purposes. In theory, you could plug in a USB-to-RS232 interface into a Raspberry that runs OpenCPN (e.g., openplotter) and tie the TxD to the NMEA+ of the tiller pilot; practically you should do this with an electrically decoupled cable, as anybody else will advise you. With my ST2000+ compass somewhat calibrated and after some messing with the variation, this gave me a max crosstrack error of about 0.04 NM in calm conditions, which is better than nothing, and it might be what you want.
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 3 Guest(s)