........another (intelligent) person who discovered that the world can be conquered with an ESP32. ...... I already have a Pelagic autopilot from Scanmar (very simple and reliable). With your project I can have a backup control unit in case of failure. I wish you all the best !
I am going to adapt this for my servo controlled trolling motor. I can do the left and right with a normal servo PWM signal (I use a vert large servo to steer the trolling motor). Is there any possibility you could add a speed control to the app? I am using an 60 AMP ESC that is also controlled by a PWM servo signal and it would be quite easy to control that with the ESP32 as well.
@@PieterOskam Usually the speed is just set (like normal trolling) and when/if you get to the end of a route it just stops. I did not yet think of station keeping because it is a PITA with the motor on the back of the boat. What is the maximum number you send in the "motor" command you send? I need to know that to calculate how far to move the servo.
Would it be possible to connect a compass unit to the ESP32 so the mobile phone wasnt needed or maybe move it over to Arduino as there are plenty of cheap sensor units and associated libraries available for the platform
Wow, a real nice piece of work... I've been using opencpn but this is a very different approach... I'll give it a try.. Many thanks for sharing your hard work
For the Huawei GT watches, are there plans to add the satalite image of the course and scoring options? I imagine with your app being the only one available for Huawei watches that it would be worth developing it fairly quickly.
ia m very new to this, when I run serial manager it just cycles through the same load/entry random things I dont understand and does not look like what you have. I have tried re uploading it and it does the same thing and doesnt appear to connect to my phone
Dan, I was away for a long weekend. So you are replying on the Fitbit Ionic video. I assume you have a Fitbit Ionic ? If you, that is on a recall procedure. The device is not supported, perhaps that has something to do with it. For further conversations, please reply to my email just sent to you.
Looks like I am part of your beta testing group ,😊 Yea!!! After listening to your videos and scratching my head a few times I did get the ESP32 firmware updated, linear actuator connected and the Autopilot program installed. Thanks for all of the great programming and videos. Boat should be on the water early May and start using the program.
@@PieterOskam thank you for your answer. My 150hp honda is too heavy that I cannot rotate it by hand. I was afraid of harming the hydraulic system if I apply more force. I am happy to hear it wont make any harm. What type of linear actuator should I use please?
@@victorfrankenstein1995 If it is too heavy steer, check for any resistance. de link it and turn the motor by hand. I am not an expert on this, but you have to google it yourself. Just steer stronger, there are pressure relieve valves if it becomes too high. If you already have hydraulic steering, just place a hydraulic reversible pump parallel to the existing lines. Many youtube tutorials on that one. Then you dodnt need an electric linear actuator. Hydraulics are stronger than electric actuators!
@@PieterOskam dear pieter, I believe I misinterpreted my question. There is nothing wrong about my existing hydraulic pump or system. I just want to use your autopilot system with my heavy 150hp outboard. So I belive I must have an electric linear actuator. I belive there is no way to use your autopilot system without an extra electric steering i.e an extra linear actuator? Thank you for your concern.
@@victorfrankenstein1995 Ok. The best is to put a hydraulic motor. That motor has a red and black cable and will do the steering. It costs arround 300 dollars Now you can use an electric linear actuator but you have to attach and detach it every time you use it. You dont have this problem with the hydraulic. Also, this linear actuator pushes the hydraulic fluids trough the cilinder so you need to insert a bypass valve if your helm has one way valves.
The code is different, the hardware is different, the control methods are different. Pypilot can do more in terms of integration with nmea and openplotters. My aim is to be a realy easy to setup and install
Thanks. There is room for improvement though. I first tried existing autopilot builds, but found them too complicated to setup. That frustration led me to start this project.
Was looking for a way to remote control my autopilot and you popped up again Pieter! Now I'm going to need to get this working too, expect plenty of questions soon 😂
The youtube algorithm pushed you here :). What kind of autopilot do you have now? I am working on a new version and even printing 10 units in a few months.
@@PieterOskam Yes Yes okay, but I mean, I imagine the system as a stand-alone system that CAN BE also set by the phone… Maybe I’m not explaining what I mean to say, sorry. Does the system rely on the phone compass? If so, it could be disastrous to move the phone itself by mistake while underway. I’m sure I’m getting it wrong, hence the asking 😊
@@RaveUniverseAll That question makes more sense. So, how this project started was because i was good and programming but bad at electronics. So when developing the autopilot, it was much easier to update the software on the phone instead of the autopilot. I could develop super fast. I found using the phone compass is hassle free and pretty reliable. Yes, moving the phone is disastrous, so dont do it. I turns out that many sailors like this solution above the more complex / expensive autopilots. I do work now on a auto pilot version with an internal compass and phone compass can be used as emergency backup.
@@PieterOskamOkay thanks for answering. Yes I could have said this is by far the most complex way to do it… for me. Well I’m trying to use a compass board (6€) and one arduino thus totally removing the electronic complexity. Still not sure about the proper sw logic
@@RaveUniverseAll The software logic I used is by using a PID controller. where P is compass heading and D is the Gyro. The difficulty is of having a tilt stabilized compass, and also the Gyro (rate of turn over the earths surface) Now the phone already does this for you. I initialy used an MPU9250 (6 euro magnetometer+acc+gyro). on an ESP32 (Arduino equivalent with bluetooth power). And also 6 buttons and a display. But the development after assembly went too slow, hence moving to the phone.
Currently working on that. Buttons work. Now working on staying in sync with phone. I also added a compass, so the unit can be completely used without a phone.
My complements to you. Found your videos by chance while reviewing pypilot videos. I ordered the larger BT1 Power Supply, a couple of esp32 boards and a linear actuator. All arrived today. I set up a RPI 4 with Openplotter last fall, but I will set up your build design also. It doesn’t hurt to have a redundant system. Hopefully, I can follow your software instructions. What is the ESP32 plugged into? Is that a 12 volt power supply that you show in your video?
@@rusty19481 I also started with pypilot and openplotter. But the system were rather complicated and too complex for my needs. Where i plug the ESP32 into is a sort of adapter boards. It has a built in 12v->3.3V converter and also you have a lot more pins to connect to for easy wiring
Zou kunnen maar dan zou je even moeten checken waarom die koof warm is, stel dat die dikke koperen buis de warmte veroorzaakt dan is isoleren nog beter want dan breng je de warmte nog meer in de waterleiding. Er is nog wel een gevaar op de loer en dat is zo mogelijk legionella. Check dit goed!
@@simplesimon112 mijn huis is 19 graden, zo is de Koof ook. Het koude water wat er in komt is 8 graden.. hoe warm het water uit komt weet ik niet, maar niet hoger dan 25 graden. Isoleren heeft dan een negatief effect. Bovendien mag je het niet isoleren volgens de Kiwa normen.
you did not explain at all how the phone works with this?? do you need to open the fitbit app on the phone?? so much info you left out. I am still very confused how this works
Hi Pieter. Amazing and simple app, works really well on my ultra watch! Far better than any other apps available. Missing one of my regular courses unfortunately. What are the chances you could load Monzi golf course to the app. Shot Mike 🇿🇦
Hi Michael, Thanks for the compliment. The monzi course is added. Can you add the tee an hole markers? It is realy easy if you know the course. Just drag and drop de flag and tee. golf4watch.com/courses/9f119ba7-2cd3-4b40-84c8-e06240fdb959
@@michaelabraham9623 Ah. Well, The workflow normally is intended that you get a token on your watch to register. On the Apple Watch, click Scores & Shots. You will see a token with which you can register. You can also mail me via golf4watch.com/contact and I can create the account so you can make the course changes.
i am not a sailor so i think sails are complicated does the auto pilot understand wind direction? i mean i think (or laways thought) it is unwise to to have a strong wind 90 degrees from the side if you auto pilot anywhere i wonder what could go wrong?
Currently it can steer by gps or compass, so not by wind direction. I leave it to the captain if it is wise to use the autopilot. If the wind is too strong, you have to reef accordingly.
Thats the Beauty i see in this hybrid solution (DIY Brain with industrial drive mechanics); a Techie can add as many sensors and algorithms as he likes !! Add an Anchor Watch (GPS), a Sea State that calls you ( IMS sensor and text to speech over VHF if you're ashore when the wind&waves pick up), Constantly monitoring the bilge and engine so the crew need not: Add & Add until you have LEXX , LoL
This is a great find (I have been searching for some time) I already have the NMEA 0183 output from my Oxiexplorer but need to make the next step to add autopilot, actually you would call it autosteer because it's for off road use but no in agriculture like what AgOpenGPS is for. Does this just accept the NMEA output & convert it to a signal for either left or right? I will jump on github shortly to have a look. I presume the use of the ESP32 is to get the Bluetooth? Thanks any info would be fantastic, thanks for sharing! 👍
I have edited a course I play at but the satellite image is out dated and the course has moved holes and changed yardage for others. Is there anyway to update the satellite image or are we at the mercy of google maps and have to just hope they do it eventually?
We are at the mercy of google maps. It can take a couple of years though. I thought about making a simple app to mark the positions while on the course. But to be honest, the work for the app, the work by the users doesn't outweighs the benefits. There aren't many new courses being built the latest years.
In the github link you can find the details how to make it yourself. If you know an electronics engineer he can make it for. I can make it as well. It is not a commercial product, But I can make one. Price will be something like 80 dollars. The app is free to download. What is your intended use and current hardware on the boat?
