Need advices with some ship autopilot parts

Hi there! I've been working on a fully autonomous ship for a while. After some time of "sleeping", I've decided to take on the project again. I know how things get along, but I need some help with two small things. First, what is the best way to prevent water entering the hull via the propeller's (motor's) shaft?
Second, I need to know the best way the Arduino on that ship can send serial data all the way to me (specifically a PC connected to another Arduino bearing some kind of communication device, you name it).
Thanks a lot!

#1 some sort of gland / seal -arduino's can't help here! The marine industry has this sorted, surely?

#2 how far away are you from the sender? what environment are in? What data do you want to send?

If the ship's at sea satellite comms are generally used.

regards

Allan

EvhCo2000:
Hi there! I've been working on a fully autonomous ship for a while.

If you mean a full sized boat rather than a model boat have a look at the PSS Packless Shaft Seal

If you mean a model boat please say so.

...R

Thanks a lot for the answers.

allanhurst:
how far away are you from the sender? what environment are in? What data do you want to send

The main goal of this project is to get the ship to perform a transatlantic voyage autonomously, starting from the Black Sea. The destination is...call me crazy...Long Island. I want to send simple text regarding its coordinates, voltage etc. Speaking of satellites, what kind of such communications can help in my case? Thanks a lot.

Robin2:
If you mean a model boat please say so.

It's a model boat, about the size of SeaCharger, resembling an aircraft carrier (specifically USS Langley).

EvhCo2000:
It's a model boat,

Run the shaft in two or three O rings

...R

Robin2:
Run the shaft in two or three O rings

Will do. Thanks a lot.

Never mind the comms.. what are you using for fuel? Yes, you are crazy!

regards

Allan

Here is an example of a small model sailboat intended for transatlantic crossings (it has now failed twice while underway): https://sites.google.com/site/gortobot/home

The UBC Sailbot is underway, and has nearly made it across the Atlantic with a broken rudder.

Seacharger, a solar powered model boat, has nearly made it from Hawaii to New Zealand, after first crossing from the U.S. to Hawaii.

EvhCo2000:
what is the best way to prevent water entering the hull via the propeller's (motor's) shaft?

With a model a common way is to use a stern tube which extends above the waterline so no seal is required.
With big ships there are bilge pumps and a bloke to grease the bearings.

Do tell more.

I don't know about this. Sending a small autonomous ship from an area in the world that has many people who dislike the US to the US, Long Island especially, sounds like a really bad idea. The NSA,FBI,DHS,and CIA have no sense of humor in those matters

Aside from that, communications would be tricky. You would need a couple hundred watts to transmit HF/UHF LOS when you get out in the middle of the ocean, which eliminates any ship mounted antennas. Besides, even if you could overcome those obstacles, who is receiving and relaying the message?
Sat coms requires less power and is more reliable. Just adapting a satphone would allow 2 way data flow and be rechargeable by solar cells.

allanhurst:
what are you using for fuel?

I'm thinking of multiple PowerBanks (portable phone chargers, specifically), each connected to a solar panel.
One of the power cells gives power to the Arduino via USB, which in turn gives 5v to the parts.
The other cell gives power to the other Arduino, which is in charge of the GPS.

tinman13kup:
I don't know about this. Sending a small autonomous ship from an area in the world that has many people who dislike the US to the US, Long Island especially, sounds like a really bad idea. The NSA,FBI,DHS,and CIA have no sense of humor in those matters

I'm not sending the ship straight into the land. Just close enough to...like...take a picture. I will consider the project successful even if it at least makes it out of Europe in one piece.

tinman13kup:
Sat coms requires less power and is more reliable. Just adapting a satphone would allow 2 way data flow and be rechargeable by solar cells.

I see. What kind of Arduino-compatible components that accomplish this are there? Thanks.

EDIT: Found out about RockBlock. Maybe there's something out there that doesn't require me to sell a kidney for it?

EvhCo2000:

The NSA,FBI,DHS,and CIA have no sense of humor in those matters

I'm not sending the ship straight into the land. Just close enough to...like...take a picture.

They are not fond of spying either :slight_smile:

I suggest you start with a project that takes your boat out of sight round the nearest headland and brings it back to you. If that works in calm weather then try it again in a storm.

...R

EDIT: Found out about RockBlock. Maybe there's something out there that doesn't require me to sell a kidney for it?

If you can't afford that, you can't afford this project.

jremington:
If you can't afford that, you can't afford this project.

Thanks. Real helpful. Hope you're proud of yourself.

Robin2:
I'm not sending the ship straight into the land. Just close enough to...like...take a picture.

They are not fond of spying either :slight_smile:

Might as well have a friend near Long Beach to claim the ship as his. Might require a little explanation regarding how the ship appeared in the middle of the Atlantic out of nowhere but hey, how many spy gadgets are out there using Arduinos? :smiley:

Thanks to everyone who helped me sort things out so far. I hope you'll be as proud as I will be when (and if) the ship makes it into the Atlantic. I'll keep you in touch.

Quote from: jremington on Today at 07:41 am

If you can't afford that, you can't afford this project.

Thanks. Real helpful. Hope you're proud of yourself.

The RockBlock is cheap, especially considering that it is the only possibility for amateur robot communications out in the ocean.

It is certainly fun to dream, but at some point reality will come knocking at your door. Glance through the links I posted in reply #7 to see what I mean.

jremington:
The RockBlock is cheap, especially considering that it is the only possibility for amateur robot communications out in the ocean.

It is certainly fun to dream, but at some point reality will come knocking at your door. Glance through the links I posted in reply #7 to see what I mean.

I don't dream of impossible things. I'm an opportunist. I didn't say It's impossible for me to buy that module, just that it'll take a damn long time.
Well...Christmas is coming, so...who knows...maybe I'll find just the money in one of those boxes :slight_smile:

tinman13kup:
I don't know about this. Sending a small autonomous ship from an area in the world that has many people who dislike the US to the US, Long Island especially, sounds like a really bad idea.

If you follow the links , there are competitions for this that are published and known about.

Most so far have not even made it to the start line.
I suspect that the FBI etc know about them and have little concern.

If you cannot afford something like Rockblock however it's a non starter.

10 days without a position report is a disqualification.

Boardburner2:
If you follow the links , there are competitions for this that are published and known about.

Most so far have not even made it to the start line.
I suspect that the FBI etc know about them and have little concern.

If you cannot afford something like Rockblock however it's a non starter.

10 days without a position report is a disqualification.

Didn't notice the challenge. Might participate in the 2017 competition. Might even do this instead of my initial Black Sea - Long Island voyage.
The 300$ for the RockBLOCK is actually a small price to pay compared to what I've been through with other lesser, insignificant projects.

I'll launch a site soon enough so you can track the ship's development. On Google, you can make sites like you make your breakfast. (lol).

Looks like Gortobot V2 is the last ship standing so far, and it's way smaller than the other competitors (mine included). I bet SeaCharger could do the race, though.

The Microtransat Challenge is viewed as the "Mount Everest" of robotic boats.