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[on:]

I am after someone who can help design then build a controller for me i am struggling here in New Zealand to find someone who is capable
my thoughts were to use arduino but there may be other alternatives
basically i want to control 2x low voltage dc motors remotely over a 3 km range
one motor is a hobby servo motor which i want to control proportionally  (not sure if a steeper motor may be better)
the other is a 12V 350W motor which draws a max 37A under full load
my thoughts for the remote was to use the gsm network and control the unit with a android or smart phone
any assistance would be much appreciated

[Reply #1 on:]

Does it really need to go 3 Km. what is it for, why does it have to go that far?

[Reply #2 on:]

Does it really need to go 3 Km. what is it for, why does it have to go that far?

So how far do you want it to go? 

[Reply #3 on:]

Does it really need to go 3 Km. what is it for, why does it have to go that far?

yes 3km would be its limit it would prob only do 2-2.5km but thought it should have a bit up its sleeve so to speak.
Its a type of boat roughly 1200mm in length powered by a 350W 12V motor
Works really well just the circuit board in it at the moment is kind of on its way out still functions as it should its just lost all its LED lights which indicates its battery status and the length of time it is set to run.
The crowd that makes these want considerable money to replace the circuit board and its not a very good one
so i would rather spend my money on up grading to something i want.
There's a market for for these over here for this type of controller and im keen to distribute it

[Reply #4 on:]

Does it really need to go 3 Km. what is it for, why does it have to go that far?

So how far do you want it to go? 

yes you read right 3km
i was thinking gsm/gprs sheild and send sms signals from my android phone
you will have to bear with me my electronic knowledge is very limited

[Reply #5 on:]

Does it really need to go 3 Km. what is it for, why does it have to go that far?

yes 3km would be its limit it would prob only do 2-2.5km but thought it should have a bit up its sleeve so to speak.
Its a type of boat roughly 1200mm in length powered by a 350W 12V motor
Works really well just the circuit board in it at the moment is kind of on its way out still functions as it should its just lost all its LED lights which indicates its battery status and the length of time it is set to run.
The crowd that makes these want considerable money to replace the circuit board and its not a very good one
so i would rather spend my money on up grading to something i want.
There's a market for for these over here for this type of controller and im keen to distribute it

Do you have a website link?, I`m curious as what purpose this is used for.

[Reply #6 on:]

no i dont have a web site.
you could email me for more info if you like
I use this small remote boat for fishing
its quite common here in NZ

[Reply #7 on:]

If the distance is open line of sight then you might use bridged wireless routers with high gain antennas span the distance.

[Reply #8 on:]

no i dont have a web site.
you could email me for more info if you like
I use this small remote boat for fishing
its quite common here in NZ

A remote controlled fishing boat?
Over 2Km away?
There`s no-one actually on the boat, its all remote controlled?
How does the Fishing part happen?

Curiouser and curiouser!

[Reply #9 on:]

The only one I can think of is mobile phone (Gsm) type tech.

WiFi, far to short range (about /100 or 1/0000) of the range you need.

XBee's are near to the range you want but still a factor of ten ( I think off).

So yes am be mobile phone tech may do it, but this could depend on the local mobile coverage.

Satellite phone may be the best option.

I'll try to find the link, but there is a web site about and competition to get an automatic/robot boat across the Atlantic. One of the rules is that it must report daily by satellite once a day.

Mark

[Reply #10 on:]

It is probably so expensive because that is an awfully long range for something remote controlled. It is not entirely likely that you would be able to duplicate it yourself for less money....

It would be incredibly helpful if you provided more information about the product (like a website for it) so that we can get an idea of what you are working with. Maybe whatever radio receiver is in it can be used for your new board. But we can't know without knowing more about it.

A satellite phone would also be very expensive, but we need more information as to what kind of budget you had in mind.

[Reply #11 on:]

WiFi, far to short range (about /100 or 1/0000) of the range you need.

[Reply #12 on:]

no i dont have a web site.
you could email me for more info if you like
I use this small remote boat for fishing
its quite common here in NZ

A remote controlled fishing boat?
Over 2Km away?
There`s no-one actually on the boat, its all remote controlled?
How does the Fishing part happen?

Curiouser and curiouser!

on the small boat is a small version of me holding a small fishing rod
once the boat reaches its desired destination i want to activate a steeper motor which is connected to the small fishing reel, this in-turn lowers the pre-baited hooks to the bottom and hey presto mini me is out there fishing remotely while im on the beach having a beer with my feet up. sorry im pissing myself with laughter writing this haven't had a good laugh in a while
seriously though back to this project
yes you are correct there is no one on the boat (its more of a surface type submarine than a boat)
its cylindrical in shape and is water tight in side it.
It doesn't go under water but the majority of it sits below the waterline the 350w 12v motor pulls the boat through the water 40min run time would get you 2-3km off the shore line.
so at the ass end of the boat you attach your main line (350lb line)
as the boat is heading out you attach clip on traces to your main line (25 hooks is the limit here in nz)
leave it out for an hour or so then winch it back in retrieving your line hooks and boat and if your lucky fish
at the moment the boat has a manual rudder so you have to work out if there is a current and which direction it is going and adjust the rudder to compensate for that current the idea is to get the boat heading out straight
the motor is controlled by a pcb board which has a timer, low voltage cut out, battery status indicator and motor start/stop
so i want to upgrade and hook the rudder up to a servo and control that either with sms signals through the gsm network or gps logging in way points or using xbee transmitter/receiver
As well as controlling the the main drive motor the same way

have you got any sugestions?

[Reply #13 on:]

The only one I can think of is mobile phone (Gsm) type tech.

WiFi, far to short range (about /100 or 1/0000) of the range you need.

XBee's are near to the range you want but still a factor of ten ( I think off).

So yes am be mobile phone tech may do it, but this could depend on the local mobile coverage.

Satellite phone may be the best option.

I'll try to find the link, but there is a web site about and competition to get an automatic/robot boat across the Atlantic. One of the rules is that it must report daily by satellite once a day.

Mark

what do you mean by the factor of ten with the xbee?
i was thinking of using xbee rather than gsm because of the coverage issue, not that i fish many beaches without coverage
satellite sounds costly
that competition sounds cool I recon my boat would have to be in the running if you could hook the batteries up to a solar panel

[Reply #14 on:]

It is probably so expensive because that is an awfully long range for something remote controlled. It is not entirely likely that you would be able to duplicate it yourself for less money....

It would be incredibly helpful if you provided more information about the product (like a website for it) so that we can get an idea of what you are working with. Maybe whatever radio receiver is in it can be used for your new board. But we can't know without knowing more about it.

A satellite phone would also be very expensive, but we need more information as to what kind of budget you had in mind.

my electronic knowledge is limited but from what i have read xbee will do 10km and more remotely
would i be wrong in saying that if i used gsm i could control it from the other side of the world as long as my boat was in coverage (there might be a small delay of coarse but that would be understandable)
The boat at the moment isn't remote it works on a timer and the rudder is set manually so once its set that's it there's no changing it while it is going out this is why i want to make it remote