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Boat Projects Forum

Regal 2250 - Remote boat monitor

by ian h » 22 Nov 2015, 21:31

liking this more and more.

would it be mains powered via transformer or is it battery powered ?

for me the boat is connected to the mains so would prefer that option :D
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by mlines » 22 Nov 2015, 22:06

Its battery powered in the sense that it takes its power from one of the boat batteries (the house battery). This is also the battery that has the intelligent charger fitted so it is effectively mains powered through the charger topping up the battery. You can see the top up charges on the house battery in the trace, the engine battery stays level as there is no load on it. There is a voltage sensitive switch that would connect the charger to the engine battery if its charge drops.

The downside is that if the shore power fails then the device is running off the house battery. I have measured its current draw at around 220mA so it will run for a long time on a big boat battery and I will notice through the web display and my watch app the house battery starting to drain and the humidity becoming un-regulated (as the de-humidifier will fail with the mains as well).

I need to put a shore power alarm on it. Either I can use a digital input to take a feed from a powered relay or I can use a software to do some maths using the internal voltage reference. There is a 1.1volt internal reference on the processor which can be read and compared with the overall power and I can generate an SMS alarm if it spots a variation. However I think I prefer the relay method as the maths for the internal voltage regulator are confusing to me.
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by shibbs » 22 Nov 2015, 23:30

mlines wrote: the maths for the internal voltage regulator are confusing to me.

So you are human then.. That's the only bit that is confusing..? :ugeek: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:
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by _Ed_ » 23 Nov 2015, 01:08

mlines wrote:I have measured its current draw at around 220mA.


That is actually really quite high. The UNO has a linear voltage regulator (very inefficient) at around 14-40%. You would be much better swapping to an external switching regulator. Power consumption on the 5v rails on that alone would over half, as the regulator would be around 85-90% efficient. Also good idea is to put the lcd back light into sleep, if its doing nothing and no one is there to see it (if that is left on anyway)

I need to put a shore power alarm on it. Either I can use a digital input to take a feed from a powered relay or I can use a software to do some maths using the internal voltage reference. There is a 1.1volt internal reference on the processor which can be read and compared with the overall power and I can generate an SMS alarm if it spots a variation. However I think I prefer the relay method as the maths for the internal voltage regulator are confusing to me.


Don't understand the 1.1v reference idea, the relay one however is simple. Also you can capacitively decouple the mains rectify it and run power an opto isolator to detect mains failure with no need for a relay. Relay is probably the most simple however.
www.aboardmyboat.co.uk - boat projects and stuff!
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by Centaur » 23 Nov 2015, 14:00

I've just been down to my boat over the weekend and left the dehumidifier running. It seems to do a great job but it would be fascinating to be able to remotely monitor the temperature, humidity and voltage. Are you thinking of building these units for sale (even if just for forumites)? If so, what sort of installation is required?
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by mlines » 23 Nov 2015, 14:37

Mark

Installation is simply "croc clips" to the batteries. It derives its power from the battery it is monitoring. I had not really thought about production, certainly the "Mk 1" prototype is exactly that, a prototype full of "rats nest" wiring etc. I am building a cleaner Mk 2 version for myself so will think about what could be built. I know a number of suppliers do very small production runs of custom circuit boards for Arduino projects that have been prepared in "Fritzing" or "Eagle" format (This are online design packages)

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by ColinR » 23 Nov 2015, 14:42

If you do go into production I would be interested. It would be nice to know what state the batteries are before leaving home :geek:
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by shibbs » 23 Nov 2015, 14:57

ColinR wrote:If you do go into production I would be interested. It would be nice to know what state the batteries are before leaving home :geek:

+1, certainly would be nice to know the temp onboard during the winter months too.
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by Centaur » 23 Nov 2015, 14:58

I haven't seen anything similar commercially, so I would be happy to contribute towards 'development' costs. :D

My main concern at the moment is the temperature on board. I have a tube heater in the engine bay and, along with the de-humidifier, I have left the heater thermostat on its lowest setting (about 5*C I think). As I am planning on keeping the boat in commission until mid-January (when I have a hoist-out booked), I have not drained down the fresh water system etc. It would, therefore, be quite reassuring to be able to monitor the boat from home and, should something go wrong, be able to get someone local out to deal with it.
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by ian h » 23 Nov 2015, 20:55

I am definately intrested in a version for my boat too :D
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