Boating Software Ideas ?

[mintyspilot]

What about this......

[goboatingnow]

One idea Im working on myself is an integrated monitoring and alarm system. I using a small panel pc and some simple Zigbee monitors. ( not yet set on Zigbee) The idea being to sense as many variables as possible on the boat and display them in a consistent fashion,

( Bilge water levels)
(through hull valve positions)
( Engine variables)
( environment & fire )
( gas & CO)
(Fridge and heating temps)
Tankage, battery etc,

It always bugs me that in boats costing small fortunes, theres virtually no automated feedback.

dave

[MarkJ]

LG has a refrigerator that has internet in the door... see small piccy below.

I'm stuffed if I know why the fridge should have internet... but, well, I have 2 fridges - a front opener and a top opener. I want internet installed in both fridges so they have connectivity with each other (sorta rolls off the tongue that word "connectivity"... Very 2010's)

Is this possible?

[ktrout153]

Originally Posted by Arch Stanton

All I want is to be able to select an area on a map and let your app interface with Google Earth to pre-cache that image data into an overlay for OpenCPN (or whatever), with no limitations aside from the size of my hard drive.

Garmin Birdseye lets you do this for $30 per year. Probably not exactly what you would want (free and not Garmin) but it works here and now. You download anything you want and you even get to keep it after the year is up.

[brankin]

What I am looking for is an android based tablet that can replace the chart plotter. I would like to move away from windows for several reasons that I don't want to get into. A chart plotter is an overpriced single purpose PC and a tablet will do everything a plotter can do and the everything else I can dream up. I want it to use the navtronics charts and then have it operate like the maptech offshore navigator. I have found several 10" tablets that have wifi and GPS built in for less than $300. any ideas welcome

[ktrout153]

I started developing a set of hardware monitors that would utilize the Dallas 1-wire interface as the network. Parts are typically very simple to interface and the variety of devices lend themselves to lots of applications. I have prototype designs/boards for current monitors, IO sensors (i.e. bilge monitor, relay output, etc), capacitive tank level sensor, and temperature sensors. My geek "going-away" present was an Arduino clone for the 1-wire to USB conversion. Unfortunately, until I find the round-to-it I won't know when/if I will finish...

I have also written a couple small NMEA instrument programs to interface with my onboard NMEA data. I have one for wind/heading and one for depth. They are made to be configurable with transparent backgrounds, startup position, size, always-on-top, audio options, etc. I made them with OpenCPN in mind before the plugin interface was started. If anyone is interested, I will post them on my website for download. I would very much appreciate constructive comments but I'm not interested in whiny critiques.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Anti theft (sinking?).

I'd like a couple of small (pin head & wireless?) cameras onboard and maybe a couple of fisheyes at the top of the mast (looking down and around).

connected via WIFI to the internet. and downloading images, say every few hours from the mast. and interior activated by movement and downloaded immediately. Solar powered obviously

Also able to be activated on demand by me - just to have a looksee now and again.

Probably not very cutting edge. and possible even already available but I don't want something that I have to DIY. nor have to learn gobble-dee-gook to install / use

[DeepFrz]

I'll tell ya, if I have to learn gobble-dee-gook to write it, you will have to learn gobble-dee-gook to install/use it. Hey, that's just the way I am...

Hey, I learned a new (word?) today. (must be an English word)

I think its time to surf Mark's fridge.

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

.... but I don't want something that I have to DIY. nor have to learn gobble-dee-gook to install / use

life = new LifeObject();
if ( life->isBummer( "DOJ") ) {
echo "Ha ha ha";
exit;
}

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

I'll tell ya, if I have to learn gobble-dee-gook to write it, you will have to learn gobble-dee-gook to install/use it. Hey, that's just the way I am...

Hey, I learned a new (word?) today. (must be an English word)

I think its time to surf Mark's fridge.

ok, my spelling was a bit off but definately an American word:-

The term gobbledygook was coined by former US RepresentativeMaury Maverick, then working for the Smaller War Plants Corporation, in a March 30, 1944 memo banning "gobbledygook language".[2] It was a reaction to his frustration with the "convoluted language of bureaucrats."[3] He made up the word as an onomatopoeic imitation of a turkey's gobble.[2]

Gobbledygook - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by mintyspilot

life = new LifeObject();
if ( life->isBummer( "DOJ") ) {
echo "Ha ha ha";
exit;
}

Nice to see someone still using BBC BASIC

[IdoraKeeper]

There are a couple of items I can think of-
Automated sensor for bilge dust and Low Beer detector....How about automatic bird detection and removal?

Todd

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

LG has a refrigerator that has internet in the door... see small piccy below.

I'm stuffed if I know why the fridge should have internet... but, well, I have 2 fridges - a front opener and a top opener. I want internet installed in both fridges so they have connectivity with each other (sorta rolls off the tongue that word "connectivity"... Very 2010's)

Is this possible?

There's 2 of them, and one of you, and you want them talking to each other???
... ok, I am watching I, Robot...

[David_Old_Jersey]

Again, probably already out there..........

But I would like my electrickery made simple to understand

A box that translates volts / amps / warp drive (or whatever ) into something I can relate to. Both on consumption and generation.

What I am thinking is that when I switch on (only) a light it says "draws xx - if you keep that on the batteries would run down in 2 hours / 2 months". And also how much power I am generating (and have been each day over the last month). And says that given the current power generation and consumption the batteries would run down in xxxx or confirming that I am self sustaining and telling me how long to fully recharge the batteries. The idea being that I could balance my electrical consumption to generation by simply switching things off and therefore know in real time what is actually happening - not relying on calculations to tell me what should be happening.

Wireless with a self adhesive backing would be nice

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by kevingy

I'd like to create software related to sailing and/or boating.

That's easy enough to say, but hard to do. I'm having difficulty finding something to create. Navigation is one obvious application of computer software, but there are enough options there already. Outside of that, what is there?

I'd like to hear from you. Thanks!

First up, I'm an IT disaster zone so I've got no idea if what I'm suggesting is feasable.

But when I was deciding to go cruising full time, I looked around for something equivalent to the flight simulator programs, and couldn't find anything.

I wanted to be able to simulate a trip from say, Panama to New Zealand, stopping at a range of islands. There was nothing I could find at all.

It would be good if the program could have variables entered such as wind speed and direction, same for currents, seas conditions etc.
Then setting up for the trip, maybe have strms approach that could be picked up on radar, use of gps, plotter, depth sounder for finding anchorages, setting the anchor... of course choosing sloop, cutter, ketch, and the different sailing characteristics, sail selection, settings...
Anyway, just a thought jogger...

There are so many inexperienced people who come on CF with a big dream, or those like myself who are between coastal sailing and becoming full time cruisers... who would find something like this interesting, instructional, and entertaining...

My 2c worth.

Vic