Computer

[Ajax]

And they worked straight away? Man, that's great news.

Joel, I did see that monitor and I might get it now, based on Paul's information.

OpenCPN.org provides instructions for installing on top of Raspbian but I'm seeing that people are also using Ubuntu Mate. What are you using?
What did you do for a GPS antenna?

Hey, I found this regulated, DC-DC power supply to step down 12v to a regulated 5v that the Pi wants. It's just a BITL!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U2 ... 6W5M&psc=1

Yessssssssss... all DC, no inverters or big, blocky converters. High speed, low drag.

Later, I'll figure out how to tie in the AIS output of my Standard Horizon GX2200 into this thing as well.

[VALIS]

Yes, the HDMI monitors have just worked, with no fiddling required.

I've been able to run NMEA into the RPi using the common RS232-to-USB adaptors. There are Javascript libraries that let you control baud rate, etc, and there are also native linux methods as well. The Standard Horizon GX2200 outputs a differential NMEA signal (actually, two ports are available), but you can connect the NMEA+ output to the RS232 input and it usually works fine. It's more proper to use a differential receiver (RS422), and these are also available as USB adaptors (more expensive than the very common RS232 units though).

I currently have a RPi receiving a worldwide NMEA AIS feed (from AisHub.com, via the internet). It stores every message received to a small 2TByte USB HDD. It also stores a timestamp generated by the RPi once per second. This data adds up to about 2GBytes/day. I used a fun programming tool called "Node-Red" to do this. Node-Red is ridiculously easy to use for simple tasks, so I have it also driving two TCP/IP ports, one with just the timestamp, and the other with the full AIS + timestamp flow. Node-Red also runs on a Windows PC. It's free.

I like that in-line 12V/USB5V adaptor. It appears to deliver 2.5A continuous-duty, which is good enough for the RPi3. I have some panel-mounted 12V/USB adaptors on the boat, but having it in-line like that would be a clean solution.

[Olaf Hart]

I managed to get my Standard Horizon AIS talking to my Garmin plotter on NMEA, and I am hopeless with technology.

Went to the boat yesterday to fix a sticking motor control lever and a spare autopilot which didn’t work last outing.

They were both working just fine!

Dumb luck I guess....

[Anomaly]

Ajax,

Nothing, absolutely nothing. of value to contribute to this thread. But admiration. Keep going. When you're all done, have all the bugs worked out, can you put together an idiots guide for the rest of us Luddites? Thanks in advance. And thanks for this thread.

[BeauV]

Paul, the next time you're aboard MAYAN you get to do all the Computer Stuff with Lance. I'm staying out of it, I'm clearly not up to speed !

[VALIS]

Paul, the next time you're aboard MAYAN you get to do all the Computer Stuff with Lance. I'm staying out of it, I'm clearly not up to speed !

I would enjoy that! I hope I still get to pull the rope attached to that big flappy thing at the front of the boat...

[Slick470]

I was visiting a good friend last weekend and he was showing me a RPI3 media server that he had built... so I'm asking for a RPI3 kit for Christmas this year to start fooling around. Rich take notes on your setup so I can follow along behind you in the spring.

Meanwhile, I'll be following along with interest.

[Ajax]

Wow Paul, your collecting a lot of data. What do you do with it all? Do you periodically overwrite that data or are you archiving it somewhere?

Ok, I've found the method for activating bluetooth on the Pi (which isn't running right out of the box.) That'll be important to know later on so that I can move to a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo.

I've been spec'ing microSD cards, trying to find something fast and roomy so that I have lots of space for downloading charts, etc.
I've found a 16GB card with Raspbian pre-loaded on it and I'm buying a blank 32GB card in case I end up using a different OS like Ubuntu Mate and need to start from scratch.

Using Joel's suggestion for a monitor, and adding the GPS antenna, my total shopping cart is up to $214.00 I think I'm close to pulling the trigger.

I still barely understand what I'm about to do, and of course Rick tosses this idea-grenade into the room and disappears!

As near as I can tell, once the hardware is assembled, the task list looks something like this:

- Boot using the pre-loaded microSD card with the Raspbian OS. (pray that it actually boots and finds the HDMI monitor and displays something)
- Using USB keyboard and mouse, configure Bluetooth and pair the wireless keyboard/trackpad.
- Configure wi-fi and associated settings.
- Obtain Ubuntu PPA resources and transfer onto the Pi via a USB thumbdrive. Install. (Dependency for running OpenCPN according to their web page.)
- Obtain OpenCPN for Linux and transfer onto the Pi via USB thumbdrive. Install.
- Configure system to use the BU-353 GPS antenna.

Damn... there's even a lazier way called Openplotter. Apparently it's *everything*. Format an SD card, copy the image onto it, boot up and go.

[BeauV]

Paul, the next time you're aboard MAYAN you get to do all the Computer Stuff with Lance. I'm staying out of it, I'm clearly not up to speed !

I would enjoy that! I hope I still get to pull the rope attached to that big flappy thing at the front of the boat...

Paul,

All hands are welcome to pull on the rope tied to the flappy things up front!

To help with that, we've procured and are installing two bronze Barient #28 two-speed winches to replace the toooo-small Barient #22s that we were using to haul in the flappy thing called the Genoa. This way, we'll have the #35 for the giant Advance Staysail and the #28s for the Genoa. That should allow even smaller folks (like me) to get the darned sail in.

Also, we've procured and are installing a Bronze Lewmar electric winch for the main sheet. I figure that will allow us to get three 200 lbs sailors off the aft deck! That has to be worth at least a 1/4 knot

[VALIS]

I've been buying blank 16G and 32G micro-SD cards, downloading the latest Rasbian or NOOBS from https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/, then following the instructions there to put the files on the card. I use a SD-to_MicroSD adaptor that usually comes with the MicroSD card (I've got a bunch of these adaptors now). There are also USB/SD adaptors you can use. Slip the card into the Pi, plug in the HDMI monitor, keyboard, mouse, and power. It just works. I happen to be using an 8G card in the RPi2-B on my desk right now, but I don't have much stuff loaded on it.

If you want to operate "headless" or command-line, you will want to install tools such as "screen". I installed "ntfs-3g" so I could use a USB-connected drive formatted NTFS. You may need to fuss with the NTP time/date stuff, especially if you don't have a 24/7 internet connection. I installed something that let me use my USB-GPS to keep the RPi time synched -- I could remember what that was if anyone cares.

What am I doing with all this AIS data? I don't know yet. I've got a feature in NavMonPc called "RapidAIS", where I cache and store the AIS static data received from ships (this includes ship name, callsign, length, etc). Ships only transmit these static messages every six minutes, so it can take a while for an AIS display to show you the ship name (etc). RapisAIS uses it's stored static data to fill in the display info while we wait for the "live" message to be received. RapidAIS obviously only works for vessels already seen and in the database, so pre-populating that database would be useful. I can't realistically do that with NavMonPc (the worldwide or even regional database would be huge and I don't want to re-write the program to accommodate that), but other programs or products might interest me. The utility of a RapidAIS tool is somewhat less than it used to be, since we can now call ships using DSC and the always-transmitted MMSI, but I think it still has value. I've got a few other harebrained ideas bubbling around, so I'm storing the data just in case. That tiny 2TB drive should hold two years worth of data (if it doesn't crash), so I'm keeping it all, saved as daily logs. I'm actually collecting the identical data in two physical locations, for hardware and connectivity redundancy (plus, it's a fun project). I'm using a RPi for this in Friday Harbor, and in NorCal I'm using a PC that's already running 24/7 for other tasks.

[TheOffice]

The other option is an Intel ComputeStick. A few more bucks, but option to get Windows.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywo ... v489x1hu_e

[Slick470]

I bought one of those intel compute sticks for a kid's computer. Nice that it plugged into an old monitor through HDMI, has windows 10 preloaded and had USB, bluetooth, SD card slot, and WiFi. A few different options with processors, number of ports, etc. We bought the cheapest one preloaded with windows and it's been great for that. Not the quickest thing, but perfect for the application.

[Ajax]

I did consider the compute stick but I thought the pi might be a little faster.
If the pi is a flop, I'm not ruling it out.

[floating dutchman]

Yea hi Ajax.
I know I asked you to post your build but now I'm struggling just to keep up..
I don't know is this will create more issues than it will solve, and I'm sure you have thought of this:
I'll post it anyway.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Raspber ... 3c0c3c8f57

[kdh]

Why don't multifunction displays have internet browsers built in?

I use an ipad to get weather radar data and read mail, but if I could browse on the display I'd leave the ipad home, just connect the instrument ethernet network via wifi to my phone as a hotspot.

[Ajax]

Trust me guys, none of this is new or ground-breaking. It's all been done, many times before by other nerdy sailors.
I'm coming along at a point where things are even more proven and refined, so I barely have to do any real work. I'm not designing or building any hardware, nor am I writing any software code. At most, I'll be compiling a Linux kernel but more likely just downloading and installing packages.

I'm literally just selecting my preferred hardware and software and reading up on the hoops I'll have to jump through for software/firmware configuration.
This doesn't qualify as "engineering." It might barely qualify as "design."

Once I get a complete system running, if anyone is interested, I'll build and ship you a unit or step you through building your own. Gratis, of course.

[TheOffice]

Rich,

That's a great offer! If my windows unit blows up I might take you up on it!

Also found these monitors:

https://www.amazon.com/SuperSonic-1080p ... WQHUW?th=1

I'm getting a 19 inch for the nav station.

Joel

[Ajax]

Yea hi Ajax.
I know I asked you to post your build but now I'm struggling just to keep up..
I don't know is this will create more issues than it will solve, and I'm sure you have thought of this:
I'll post it anyway.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Raspber ... 3c0c3c8f57

Joer,

I've seen several of these add-ons, some are also called "HATs"- Hardware attached tops. My concern with building the GPS antenna into the case, is that the cabin may interfere with reception. That's why I went with the cabled antenna. I'm even considering a USB extender cable so that I can toss it up onto the cabin top outside, if I find my self struggling to catch a signal.

The BU-353 is magnetic, so I can glue a small, metal plate onto the underside of my sliding hatch and the antenna will grab onto it.

[TheOffice]

Rich,

FWIW I use a GPS antenna that plugs into the USB port. No problem with reception inside the cabin. Got it from the GPS Store.

[BeauV]

Why don't multifunction displays have internet browsers built in?

I use an ipad to get weather radar data and read mail, but if I could browse on the display I'd leave the ipad home, just connect the instrument ethernet network via wifi to my phone as a hotspot.

Keith, I've asked the same question a number of times. Not one the browser, but why in the world do they build their own operations systems, write all their own UI code, etc..... Some have started to use standard parts, but it took decades for them to stop building everything from scratch.

My Dad used to say: "Engineers want to engineer". I think Ajax has the right idea, assemble a solution from the parts that work. He'll get a perfectly good systems running in a few days vs a few years. The SailMail servers are entirely "assembled" instead of "engineered", to use Ajax definition of engineering. No hardware, very little software, and the team takes every single thing they do themselves and either open-sources the software or tries to give it away free to some vender; they know that the support is much more expensive than the engineering.

FWIW, the auto industry is the #1 failure at this. They have attempted to ignore industry standards for decades and still do. They've invented their own connectors, networks, even wire and optical fibre specs, and can't understand why Tesla can just slaughter them in the electronics area. The number of 2014 Porsche cars that needed their electronic entertainment/navigation system replaced was about 20%. Replacement required removing big pieces of the car. The computer was entirely proprietary. (I guess NASA is probably #1 and the auto boys are #2)

What folks in other industries don't get is that smartphones + pads shipped in 2016 was well over 3 billion. There were about 75 million automobiles shipped in the same year. Boat multi-function displays.... I can't find out on Google. The market is so small there isn't a publicly available study which I could find. I'm guessing a few hundred thousand units tops. If Oracle isn't big enough to support its own operating system, why in the world do Garmin, B&G, etc... thing they are?

[BeauV]

Rich,

FWIW I use a GPS antenna that plugs into the USB port. No problem with reception inside the cabin. Got it from the GPS Store.

Rich, we installed both the autopilot and the AIS GPS units inside of MAYAN, and decommissioned the GPS antennas that were mounted on deck. Everything works find below, as do the iPads and iPhones that are aboard. I'm guessing this is only true of GPS receivers built in the last few years. I think that solving the problem of making all the smart phones in the world work inside office buildings has made it so the off the shelf GPSs shipped to day have chips which will work fine in anything less than a Faraday cage.

[kdh]

Apparently the B&G operating system, NOS, Navico Operating System, is a flavor of Linux and has an html5 browser but it’s used for configuration of h5000 cpus and other peripherals. Not clear if this browser can access the web if the network has internet access. Probably easier to just use an iPad.

[BeauV]

Apparently the B&G operating system, NOS, Navico Operating System, is a flavor of Linux and has an html5 browser but it’s used for configuration of h5000 cpus and other peripherals. Not clear if this browser can access the web if the network has internet access. Probably easier to just use an iPad.

Not surprised that it's a 'flavor'. Engineers like open source software. What's ignored many times is that if you fork this stuff, your 'flavor' ends up being a giant mass of code which you now own. If there's a bug, you get to update your fork of the code and recompile/redistribute and worst of all regression check for any interaction problems the update may have caused.

Running anything other than a dead standard OS with thousands of folks supporting and advancing it (like Android, iOS or RedHat-or-Ubuntu Linux) is just nuts.