{"id":105,"date":"2011-08-28T11:11:26","date_gmt":"2011-08-28T16:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/roboboatblog.net\/blog\/?p=105"},"modified":"2011-09-29T19:19:36","modified_gmt":"2011-09-30T00:19:36","slug":"early-boat-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/?p=105","title":{"rendered":"Early Boat Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Now that I have been working with the proposed control system I realize the subject boat (to be controlled) does not have to be as big as I first envisioned. The first tests will be remote basic control. Just taking control response and range into consideration.<\/p>\n<p>To me that indicates I can run early tests on a smaller and cheaper to build model boat. The smaller size will also mean a smaller single motor will be needed. Less battery size will also be a benefit.<\/p>\n<p>For these reasons, I am considering downsizing my first vision of the model boat required. This change justifies my plan to start with the control system first. I am learning what I need as I go. I am not sure when I will be able to commit to the actual boat selection.<\/p>\n<p>At first I was thinking the bigger the model the better. Still a good plan but a lot more cost than needed for an untested communication system. I was thinking of about a 48+ inch length and a 10-12 inch beam.\u00a0 Now I am considering 24-36 inch length and as wide a beam I can find for stability (and space to work)<\/p>\n<p>If plans go astray, I will have less invested in this experiment. My biggest concern is the reliability of the wireless network. I will spend a lot of time testing that before I have to figure out how to put it in the boat.<\/p>\n<p>The second concern is water proofing. I have built model boats and know I have to seal the electronics from the moisture. I am using an experiment board for now. Next step for installation in the boat will be a prototype board. This will provide permanently soldered components and connections. It will also be larger than a custom designed circuit. I do not know exactly what size the prototype board will be. I have a general idea from the boards I know that are available. So that is why I think I can downsize the model.<\/p>\n<p>The truth I have considered is the first test vessel can be a very simple and crude \u201cpointy box\u201d with a motor and rudder. Ugly yes, but a consideration. I&#8217;d rather have a scale\u00a0model looking test bed for the pictures, but I can be practical if I want or need to be.<\/p>\n<p>When I get to GPS and other enhancements, then I will have to go to a larger test platform. Perhaps then I will include dual motor controls. Fun to think about but first things first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now that I have been working with the proposed control system I realize the subject boat (to be controlled) does not have to be as big as I first envisioned. The first tests will be remote basic control. Just taking control response and range into consideration. To me that indicates I can run early tests [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[8],"tags":[13,9,11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=105"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":341,"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105\/revisions\/341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modelboatblog.tedatum.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}