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28-09-2020, 15:55
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 870
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Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
Is anyone aware of some sort of device that will make you push a button or flip a switch within a given period of time? Failing to do so would raise some sort of alarm.
I've got a long passage (at least for me) coming up and I want to ensure that whomever is on watch is actually awake and at least quasi paying attention every 15 or 20 minutes.
Thanks in advance
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28-09-2020, 16:17
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: W Carib
Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33
Posts: 13,479
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
Kitchen timer, alarm on cell phone, etc...
Would be easy to build a simple circuit if you wanted something dedicated/custom.
Would be an easy Arduino (or other SBC) thing to build...a non-latching push button and bright LED/alarm at helm, software timer on SBC, every "x" period of time set off notification at helm, if button is not pressed in time then set off similar in captain's bunk.
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28-09-2020, 16:20
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Bay of Fundy,Grand Manan,N.B.,Canada N44.40 W66.50
Boat: Mascot 28 pilothouse motorsailer 28ft
Posts: 3,197
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
__________________
My personal experience & humble opinions-feel free to ignore both
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28-09-2020, 16:22
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 870
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
Quote:
Originally Posted by belizesailor
Kitchen timer, alarm on cell phone, etc...
Would be easy to build a simple circuit if you wanted something dedicated/custom.
Would be an easy Arduino (or other SBC) thing to build...a non-latching push button and bright LED/alarm at helm, software timer on SBC, every "x" period of time set off notification at helm, if button is not pressed in time then set off similar in captain's bunk.
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Only problem with these is the watchkeeper could forget to reset them so it doesn't restart the counter.
Before I re-invent the wheel, I'm just checking to see if one already exists.
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28-09-2020, 16:24
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 870
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
Quote:
Originally Posted by deblen
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Brilliant, this is exactly what I had in mind.
Cheers.
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28-09-2020, 16:36
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Bundaberg, Qld.
Posts: 2,192
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
The official term in the commercial world is a "Bridge Navigational Watch & Alarm System (BNWAS)"
All vessels of a certain tonnage/age are required to have them fitted, some are fairly complex and monitor movement through motion sensors as well as having timers that need resetting on a regular basis and alarms that sound in off-watch officers cabins if the unit is not reset.
If the unit times out without been reset an alarm will sound on the bridge, if after 60 seconds that alarm has not elicited a reset then it goes to the off-watch cabins whereupon the bridge is invaded by a bunch of pissedoff off duty crew.
The commercially approved systems are fairly expensive but im certain someone with basic electronics knowledge could build a similar reliable system......or get a wind up Kitchen timer as belizesailor suggests....
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28-09-2020, 16:50
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: W Carib
Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33
Posts: 13,479
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NaClyDog
Only problem with these is the watchkeeper could forget to reset them so it doesn't restart the counter.
Before I re-invent the wheel, I'm just checking to see if one already exists.
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Last one I suggested, simple custom circuit/software, doesnt require watch keeper to reset, it resets itself. Search around, someone likely has built something similar.
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28-09-2020, 16:57
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Somewhere in French Polynesia
Boat: Dean 440 13.4m catamaran
Posts: 2,333
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
most auto-pilots have a built in watch alarm
cheers,
__________________
"home is where the anchor drops"...living onboard in French Polynesia...maintaining social distancing
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28-09-2020, 16:57
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: W Carib
Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33
Posts: 13,479
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
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29-09-2020, 08:09
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: W Carib
Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33
Posts: 13,479
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
You could have some fun w a project like this and make them do something different each time the timer expires....like press colored buttons in a certain sequence...would help keep the watch keeper awake...like the old "simon says" electronic game! [emoji6]
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29-09-2020, 08:27
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Skagit City, WA
Posts: 25,453
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
__________________
"I spent most of my money on Booze, Broads and Boats. The rest I wasted" - Elmore Leonard
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29-09-2020, 08:33
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 870
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
Quote:
Originally Posted by belizesailor
You could have some fun w a project like this and make them do something different each time the timer expires....like press colored buttons in a certain sequence...would help keep the watch keeper awake...like the old "simon says" electronic game! [emoji6]
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I do appreciate the sentiment in this but since I will be subjected to the same rules, I'm confident I would fail to find the humour in it at 3:30am.
Cheers.
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29-09-2020, 08:33
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 870
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheechako
Wind up egg timer.
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Too easily ignored once it has finished going off the first time.
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29-09-2020, 08:44
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 7,310
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
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29-09-2020, 10:01
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Madeira Park, BC
Boat: Custom steel, 41' LOD
Posts: 1,372
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Re: Night Watch Deadman's Switch?
When we were offshore I built one and it was a godsend. It beeped every ten minutes and if you didn't hit the reset button after two minutes it sounded the main ship's alarm - which would wake the dead.
When you DID hit the reset button it would shut the beeper (or alarm) off and automatically reset the timer for another ten minutes.
It was inspired by an incident off the west coast of the Baja when the watchkeeper fell overboard and was lost. Of course she then didn't rouse the off-watch crew (her husband) at the correct time and he slept in. She could have been up to six hours behind at that point and so impossible to locate. At least with my system it would be a maximum of 12 minutes. Still too long and so led to my idea for a man overboard system (not yet built).
Also inspired by my sleeping through a kitchen timer a few times.
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