Raspberry ideas

[jsjudd]

If any Pi user here succeeds in reading data from the NMEA bus, please post how you did it. I have successfully read the data from an Actisense bridge, but only on my old Mac laptop. When I try it on a rPi (either 3rd or 4th generation), everything *almost* works but there are error messages every second, and each one seems to obliterate other data for many milliseconds. I cannot see why.

 

[Annie V]

current monitor and priority shutoff

I have been looking at programming a small device to monitor the current on the shore power cable. So that as I plug in or turn on things that bring my current close to the max amperage, something of a lower priority would shut off. Like i turn on the toaster in the kitchen. That should trigger shutting off maybe my water heater, or my battery charger or maybe a heater until my toaster stops.

This way I would never trip a shore power breaker because I forgot what I had running
There are lots of ways to shut off each circuit. I would use a solid state relay with a 12v or 5v switch voltage .
A raspberry pi would do this type of thing very easily.

Small marina users with small breakers on the dock would be able to use such a device. So would most rv users.


Hope this is clear enough what I'm trying to do.


Doug

 

[DLaNeve]

A RPi is a brilliant solution in the boating world. I had 3 Pi's performing various tasks. The original app has been running for over 2 years without so much as a reboot. What I am doing primarily is monitoring my Bilge Pumps. I record which pump is running and for exactly how long. This info is timestamped and then sent to me by email and text. It is also logged for historical reasons. This Pi also monitors incoming power. Again it alerts me if shore power is lost and for how long. This has been VERY useful to say the least.

The second Pi is monitoring my main battery bank. It provides me with voltage, frequency, total amp hours consumed while it a discharge state and SOC (state of charge).

My third Pi is a new RPI4 and is used for my on-gong development efforts and the conversion of all my work to Signal-K (the future of marine protocols...).

 

[The Brockerts]

Is anyone running any brand of Home Automation software on their boat using a raspberry pi? Something like Homeseer?

 

[The Brockerts]

Look at this link, https://openmarine.net/openplotter. This seems to say their software solution reads NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000. I've not figured their system out just yet.

The Brockerts

 

[Olebird]

As best I can tell Openmarine is a collection of parts and pieces that can be made to work to provide the features they tout. Does not appear to be an integrated solution like Homeseer or some of the other home automation systems.

Several of the Opencpn based packages suggest using IBM's "Node Red" software as a mid level integration tool. I would normally use Python to stitch together various functions and hardware but after digging thru Node Red I'm thinking it may in fact be a good solution for marine automation and SCADA functionality.

Answering directly, I've looked at several home automation systems and rejected them all as being overkill - don't need theme or scheduled lighting for example - but I do need to monitor bilge pump cycles in as close to real time as possible and send txt or email status reports and warnings. Lastly - regards the NMEA buses, none of the Home Automation packages that I've looked at have any native capacity to integrate that particular data stream into the monitoring or control functionality

 

[Olebird]

https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/node-red-tutorial-featured.jpg?w=800


Example of NODE RED' User dashboard interface - very simple integration.

 

[twistedtree]

This NODE RED raises a question I've had, and maybe I'm looking at the answer...


But does anyone know of any good dials and gauges display software package? Something that could be used to create displays a-la Maretron?

 

[danderer]

Several of the Opencpn based packages suggest using IBM's "Node Red" software as a mid level integration tool. I would normally use Python to stitch together various functions and hardware but after digging thru Node Red I'm thinking it may in fact be a good solution for marine automation and SCADA functionality.

That is what I've been using for my experimentation. What I've done so far is admittedly simple but Node Red has worked very nicely for those applications.

Will see how it scales to more ambitious ideas down the road.

 

[danderer]

But does anyone know of any good dials and gauges display software package? Something that could be used to create displays a-la Maretron?

Possibly Node RED. I've just started playing with this piece. Two issues for me on this type of thing are does it have the functionality I need, and do I like the aesthetics?

Google "Node RED dashboard" and look at the images returned -- seems like there is a lot you could do.

 

[Olebird]

A NODE RED application is built from a catalogue of "NODES" - modules or packages of functional blocks of code that can be picked up and dropped into the "flow" of the application.

One of the NODES available is the DASHBOARD node which includes Gauges, Charts and graphs, buttons and switches, everything you need to create a comprehensive user interface.

Another useful NODE is "EMAIL" - a complete package that automates sending and receiving emails. Makes it extremely easy to have the system send a daily report on bilge pump activity.

I'm working on an application segment to send an alert to our marina manager and maintenance manager(and me) Email when the high bilge water sensor activates - asking them to check the boat ASAP. I can do the same in Python but requires several hours of coding, debugging and testing, where as in NODE RED it take about five minutes to drop the node into the flow and work out the supporting logic.

There are hundreds of NODEs available - including one to capture NMEA bus data - haven't totally figured it out yet.

https://flows.nodered.org/flow/8159758f688ab52ac753

Have fun!
Larry

 

[The Brockerts]

Thanks for the update. I been looking for something to do while floating around in retirement(that's happening in the next 90-180 days) I've been programming since the mid 70's so looks like NODE RED will be my retirement(and last) programming langauage, and doing it on rack of Pi's.

The Brockerts

 

[Olebird]

Similar situation here - started out writing code to go to the moon in 60's. Hard to believe how far we've come. Few give credit to the space program, but that's where it all started.

If you haven't found them yet check out ESP-32 modules to augment RPI's - $10 SBC - run's node red. wifi and BT - on board, very low power - just amazing.

I'm thinking about one on the genny - so it can "phone home" when it needs attention!!

https://www.banggood.com/LILYGO-TTG...rd-p-1522925.html?rmmds=buy&cur_warehouse=USA

Now if I could just come up with a self guiding system for the lawn mower!!

 

[The Brockerts]

DLaNeve,
Can you comment on your sensors choice for these projects?

What is the preferred sensor method to monitor these?
splice into the float wires and add
1 - Couple of resisters to knock the 12v down to 3v?
2 - opto-isolation like an 4N25?
3 - ???

The Brockerts

 

[TimC-]

Very Interested

Victron has made the software for their range of controllers, Venus, CGX, Cerbo etc open source and it runs on a raspberry


I myself use the rasp berry for ...

automation of the engine room and electric room blowers, turn the 1st set on at a Delta of 10 F and the 2nd set at 25 F

Keeping the bilges totally clean
by making an additional controller for the bilge pump. normally activated by the float, BUT if there is just a 1/6 or 1/8 if an inch the float won't activate. so the bilge goes on for a few seconds, if there is no water it rests for a period like 5 minutes, then it tries again. once it has tried twice and not discovered any water, t makes the wait interval 10 minutes etc...until it only checks once every 24 hrs.
IF it detected water more than once in succession it halves the rest period. so my bilges are always totally dry.

Hello Dutch-barge,
Any chance you'd share your hardware selection and code for your dry bilge solution?
Thanks,
Tim

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Welcome aboard Mr./Ms TC.

 

[hytedin]

Cool stuff being done

Hi all,

I’ve been spending a ton of time researching this topic.

It seems the stick-boat folks are well versed in open source and cheap computing for boats. Many have negate a branded mfd.

http://signalk.org/ (As mentioned earlier)

https://opencpn.org/

https://bareboat-necessities.github.io/

https://www.wilhelmsk.com/

Use examples….

https://youtu.be/S9hHBXGgp7Q?si=A701TJFAzOpAf9xb

https://youtu.be/3zMjUs2X3qU?si=aKPRAFaH5bBZRAVW

All NMEA data and singalk can be pushed over a normal WiFi or cabled network. There are far more options for presentation than the big manufacturers offer.

I have zero code experience, but much of this can be done with a little reading and experimenting.

A small request: this is a good discussion thread, please take the debate of mfd trustworthiness versus open source to another thread.