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What is the SWASC Project all about?

I woke one morning with a thought about having a solar powered autonomous boat putting about on the Ocean.  Hey, program in the way points, and have it go around the world.  With a Satellite data phone on there, it could 'phone home' once a day, with record of where it has been, air-sea temperatures, photos, water depth, microsope photos of filtered sea water (I have an Intel QX3 USB microscope ).

This turned out to be a bit ambitious price wise, so starting small, I am working on Mark I:   (for lack of a better project name).  This will be a battery powered 'calm water' ASC.  This will putt around for a few hours at a time on a large estuary that is close at hand.

Mark II:   I hope will be similar to the Mark I, but will include a 120W Solar Panel.  Might be able to travel in carm water for long distances.

Mark III:  This should be a true ocean going ASC.  It will include dual 120W Solar Panels, Sonar, Satellite data feed, and a 3D compass.  I am thinking it will have to be a Trimaran.

 

See photo's of all the parts used in this project.

 

Relevent SWASC Blog posts:

  • Project photo gallery
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/Servo+Current+test
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/Installing+FreeBSD+5.4+onto+a+512+Compact+Flash+card
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/Car+Wiper+motor+current+test
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/Building+the+PC+housing
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/SWASC+Project+documentation
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/EPIA-PD+current+tests
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/Drawing+the+Mark-I+Hull+Assembly
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/The+PICAXE-28X+CPU+chip+has+arrived
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/FreeBSD+Servo+program+created
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/Epiphany+on+the+hull+structure
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/Playing+with+a+Netgear+WG311v3+wireless+card
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/projects/swasc/Trip+to+Perth
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/projects/swasc/Building+a+RS-232+interface+for+the+Digital+Compass
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/compass/design_building
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/gps/gis/bushwalk
  • http://www.bdug.org.au/project/swasc/gps/gis/drive

 

If anyone is interested in this sort of thing and would like more info, or would like to join in, you will find my email address below.  There is a low volume mailing list and a subversion repository of aprox. 500+MB of documents available.I would also love to hear from like minded people! 

 

Contact me.