Automated RC Fishing boat advice please
07-28-2017, 02:36 PM
#1
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Automated RC Fishing boat advice please
Hi all,
Complete noobie to rc boats and this site but appreciate any advice you may be able to give me.
Here in New Zealand a popular style of fishing is 'Kontiki' fishing, where essentially an electric 'torpedo' (many in DIY homemade form) is set from a beach and takes a set longline out to sea. The line and torpedo is then reeled back into the beach from an electric winch. Basic torpedo's usually have a timer control that is set from the beach and runs an external electric motor for a set amount of time then stops when the time is up but gets the line 1-2kms out to sea.
I am wanting to build a torpedo for this purpose but draw on a combination of RC boat and quadcopter elements to give the unit some 'smarts' and added functionality. My end objective is to be able to point the torpedo in the desired course (bearing), the bearing is then set, the torpedo heads out following the bearing for set distance (say 2kms) a servo is activated that releases the line from the torpedo and the torpedo then follows the course back to the starting point (GPS) where it is retrieved.
I have done a fair bit of research and cant find anything proprietary that could do this. I'm sure it could be achieved with an Arduino and accessories but the programming is likely beyond my capabilities. I have given some thought to the likes of a quadcopter flight controller as I believe drones can be set up for this type of autopilot operation and see that Pixhawk notes it can be used in boat applications however could not find any worked examples online. The controller would only need to operate a servo to move a single rudder to stay on course in addition a servo to operate the line release mechanism. The motor does not necessarily need speed control and would just run at a set speed until the set distance was achieved. Telemetry to a remote control for manual override etc.........
Any ideas, suggestions and examples would be hugely appreciated,.
thanks!
heres an example
Complete noobie to rc boats and this site but appreciate any advice you may be able to give me.
Here in New Zealand a popular style of fishing is 'Kontiki' fishing, where essentially an electric 'torpedo' (many in DIY homemade form) is set from a beach and takes a set longline out to sea. The line and torpedo is then reeled back into the beach from an electric winch. Basic torpedo's usually have a timer control that is set from the beach and runs an external electric motor for a set amount of time then stops when the time is up but gets the line 1-2kms out to sea.
I am wanting to build a torpedo for this purpose but draw on a combination of RC boat and quadcopter elements to give the unit some 'smarts' and added functionality. My end objective is to be able to point the torpedo in the desired course (bearing), the bearing is then set, the torpedo heads out following the bearing for set distance (say 2kms) a servo is activated that releases the line from the torpedo and the torpedo then follows the course back to the starting point (GPS) where it is retrieved.
I have done a fair bit of research and cant find anything proprietary that could do this. I'm sure it could be achieved with an Arduino and accessories but the programming is likely beyond my capabilities. I have given some thought to the likes of a quadcopter flight controller as I believe drones can be set up for this type of autopilot operation and see that Pixhawk notes it can be used in boat applications however could not find any worked examples online. The controller would only need to operate a servo to move a single rudder to stay on course in addition a servo to operate the line release mechanism. The motor does not necessarily need speed control and would just run at a set speed until the set distance was achieved. Telemetry to a remote control for manual override etc.........
Any ideas, suggestions and examples would be hugely appreciated,.
thanks!
heres an example
Last edited by StulyonsNZ; 07-28-2017 at 02:38 PM. Reason: photo added
07-29-2017, 07:26 AM
#2
Don't expect R/C control out to 2 km with a hobby radio, it's not going to happen especially on the salt. Your best bet may be a combination of a timer and a Heading Hold gyro. The latter are used in R/C helicopters and will keep the boat on course (as opposed to finding a specific GPS location). This is far out of the norm for this forum so reasonable suggestions may be few, but an interesting project nonetheless. Good luck!
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