windlass rode counter
 

Anyone ever attempt to build one of these?
http://www.dv-fansler.com/Projects/9.../900gd-dro.htm

I downloaded and compiled the code but would like to know if it is reliable
before I go to the trouble to design and make the boards. Considering all
the parts can be had for under $50 and an AutoAnchor cost over $500 it looks
pretty attractive.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Even if the code does not work well, fixing it so it does can't be all that
difficult. Making sure the hardware is able to tell the truth is a bigger
challenge.

Doug

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:CKNXd.60125$SF.51555@lakeread08...
Anyone ever attempt to build one of these?
http://www.dv-fansler.com/Projects/9.../900gd-dro.htm

I downloaded and compiled the code but would like to know if it is
reliable
before I go to the trouble to design and make the boards. Considering all
the parts can be had for under $50 and an AutoAnchor cost over $500 it
looks
pretty attractive.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Doug Dotson" dougdotson@NOSPAMcablespeedNOSPAMcom wrote in message
...
Even if the code does not work well, fixing it so it does can't be all
that
difficult. Making sure the hardware is able to tell the truth is a bigger
challenge.

Software seems pretty solid. I have run it on a simulator board changing
the sensor pulse width and screwing around with the various inputs. Kinda
hard to to emulate the surges and spikes you get on a boat power system
though.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

I cannot imagine why the spikes should cause a problem unless the
voltage outside the range that the regulator can manage. I have built
loads of stuff for the boat using microcontollers and not seen any real
problems. Bigger capacitors and a choke are always a good idea.

I am not sure why there are two micro controller based components
though. Why not just use one and get it to do everything? The MAX232
could still be used to send the pulse signals to prevent noise issues
and the up/down voltages I assume are 12V anyway and should be pretty
solid is configured as a current loop type signal. I am not saying that
two uPs is a bad idea but I just don't see what it buys you. I guess you
could have multiple display units but this does not seem to be
mentioned. However, only one could send commands as RS232 is not a bus.
Another thought would be to transmit the deployed length as a NMEA
string which could be displayed on a repeater (even one used for
something else like speed or depth)

Only other comment is that I have seen (somewhere) magnetic sensors
available that claim to be able to detect the teeth on a cog moving
past. If these could be tracked down it would be a simpler mod to the
windlass.

Glenn Ashmore wrote:

"Doug Dotson" dougdotson@NOSPAMcablespeedNOSPAMcom wrote in message
...

Even if the code does not work well, fixing it so it does can't be all

that

difficult. Making sure the hardware is able to tell the truth is a bigger
challenge.


Software seems pretty solid. I have run it on a simulator board changing
the sensor pulse width and screwing around with the various inputs. Kinda
hard to to emulate the surges and spikes you get on a boat power system
though.

I can see how it could all be done with a single mcu but the code is free
and I have some extra 873s in the junk box so I am not going to reinvent it.
I do like the idea of putting out a NMEA statement though. Wonder if there
is a standard prefix for rode length?

He used a Hall effect sensor but I have several Omron industrial strength
proximity sensors left over from the engine driven watermaker project. I
used one to detect the bolt heads on the PTO to limit operation to safe
engine speeds. They put out a nice clean square edged pulse. The windlass
is a Lofrans vertical so I figure I could just bolt a little chunk of steel
to the bottom of the shaft and mount a sensor to the bottom of the gearbox.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

On Wed, 9 Mar 2005 20:51:36 -0500, "Glenn Ashmore" wrote:

Anyone ever attempt to build one of these?
http://www.dv-fansler.com/Projects/9.../900gd-dro.htm

I downloaded and compiled the code but would like to know if it is reliable
before I go to the trouble to design and make the boards. Considering all
the parts can be had for under $50 and an AutoAnchor cost over $500 it looks
pretty attractive.


I've used the proximity devices in several projects, and they work
well. They are available from the usual suspects, Allied, Newark, etc.

I visited the web site...the source code is a dot src file, which I refuse
to open...any one have it in a dot txt format? I've looked at a ton of
de-bounce routines, and have invented a pretty fool-proof one. I'm
always curious how others do it.

Norm B

engsol wrote:

snip
I visited the web site...the source code is a dot src file, which I refuse
to open...any one have it in a dot txt format? snip

What is the threat? A virus? Are you running a system without any
antivirus protection?

You should be able to download and check the file for viruses without
opening it if you are running a virus checker.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

engsol wrote:
I visited the web site...the source code is a dot src file, which I refuse
to open...any one have it in a dot txt format?

type file.src in a DOS box is pretty safe ;-)

Or, use a proper OS or get cygwin and type

od -c filename


-- Kees

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:PtQXd.60139$SF.25861@lakeread08...



"Doug Dotson" dougdotson@NOSPAMcablespeedNOSPAMcom wrote in message
...
Even if the code does not work well, fixing it so it does can't be all
that
difficult. Making sure the hardware is able to tell the truth is a bigger
challenge.

Software seems pretty solid. I have run it on a simulator board changing
the sensor pulse width and screwing around with the various inputs. Kinda
hard to to emulate the surges and spikes you get on a boat power system
though.

I would hope that it has a regulated and filtered power supply. If it
doesn;t then
you can add some surge protection yourself to clean up the nasties.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:0vXXd.60154$SF.59029@lakeread08...
I can see how it could all be done with a single mcu but the code is free
and I have some extra 873s in the junk box so I am not going to reinvent
it.
I do like the idea of putting out a NMEA statement though. Wonder if
there
is a standard prefix for rode length?

I have the NMEA specs here and I don't see any sentence type for rode
length.

He used a Hall effect sensor but I have several Omron industrial strength
proximity sensors left over from the engine driven watermaker project. I
used one to detect the bolt heads on the PTO to limit operation to safe
engine speeds. They put out a nice clean square edged pulse. The
windlass
is a Lofrans vertical so I figure I could just bolt a little chunk of
steel
to the bottom of the shaft and mount a sensor to the bottom of the
gearbox.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

I got it to open with wordpad but compiling was a real problem. It would not
compile with MBLAB because a lot of statements were missing operands. For
example bit tests with no second argument. Had to download the TechTools
compiler that he used and it compiled and loaded fine.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"engsol" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 9 Mar 2005 20:51:36 -0500, "Glenn Ashmore"
wrote:

Anyone ever attempt to build one of these?
http://www.dv-fansler.com/Projects/9.../900gd-dro.htm

I downloaded and compiled the code but would like to know if it is
reliable
before I go to the trouble to design and make the boards. Considering
all
the parts can be had for under $50 and an AutoAnchor cost over $500 it
looks
pretty attractive.


I've used the proximity devices in several projects, and they work
well. They are available from the usual suspects, Allied, Newark, etc.

I visited the web site...the source code is a dot src file, which I refuse
to open...any one have it in a dot txt format? I've looked at a ton of
de-bounce routines, and have invented a pretty fool-proof one. I'm
always curious how others do it.

Norm B

First - we manufacture a chain counter (www.cruzpro.com.ch30.html) that
controls the windlass in an intelligent manner (slows anchor when nearing
bow roller, etc.) but it retails for US$400.

For those people really wanting to build their own you might look at
www.microtronz.com. 95% of the hard part is already done and the case is
waterproof from the front. The unit costs US$80 and comes with working
BASIC, C and ASSEMBLER programs. You would have to write the software your
self and use the scratchpad area to interface to the reed relays, but most
of the hard bits to read keys and put information on the LCD, etc. are
already done for you.

Best Regards,

Bert

Bert van den Berg
CruzPro Ltd.
www.cruzpro.com
35 Keeling Road, #A4
Henderson 1008
New Zealand
Tel: 64-9-838-3331
Fax: 64-9-838-3332




"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:CKNXd.60125$SF.51555@lakeread08...
Anyone ever attempt to build one of these?
http://www.dv-fansler.com/Projects/9.../900gd-dro.htm

I downloaded and compiled the code but would like to know if it is
reliable
before I go to the trouble to design and make the boards. Considering all
the parts can be had for under $50 and an AutoAnchor cost over $500 it
looks
pretty attractive.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Bert,

Looked at yours and the AutoAnchor and feature for feature you are pretty
close to the 550RCX but without the mixed rode feature. However, with most
windlasses the mixed rode is a non-issue and the price advantage definitely
goes to your product while the esthetic advantage goes to to the AutoAnchor.
But as a compulsive do-it-yourselfer with a well furnished "Renaissance junk
box" I will build my own now that I have found some code that seems to work
well and I can build on with the parts I have available.

If I may, a couple of items of critique that I hope will be helpful. First,
your on-line user manual is a recreation of the file used to produce a 4
fold booklet. That means that the pages don't follow sequencially. It is
almost impossible for someone viewing it on the web to make sense out of it.
I hate to see a good product that you have obviously put so much work in be
represented so poorly.

Second, I am a bit concerned about how you are implementing the soft stop
feature. I assume from the available liturature that you are using some
form of pulse width modulation to slow the windlass. This can be very hard
on the mechanical relays in a normal windlass solenoid. You might consider
an optional SSRor MOSFET based control box to get around this.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Bert van den Berg" wrote in message
...
First - we manufacture a chain counter (www.cruzpro.com.ch30.html) that
controls the windlass in an intelligent manner (slows anchor when nearing
bow roller, etc.) but it retails for US$400.

For those people really wanting to build their own you might look at
www.microtronz.com. 95% of the hard part is already done and the case is
waterproof from the front. The unit costs US$80 and comes with working
BASIC, C and ASSEMBLER programs. You would have to write the software
your
self and use the scratchpad area to interface to the reed relays, but most
of the hard bits to read keys and put information on the LCD, etc. are
already done for you.

Best Regards,

Bert

Bert van den Berg
CruzPro Ltd.
www.cruzpro.com
35 Keeling Road, #A4
Henderson 1008
New Zealand
Tel: 64-9-838-3331
Fax: 64-9-838-3332




"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:CKNXd.60125$SF.51555@lakeread08...
Anyone ever attempt to build one of these?
http://www.dv-fansler.com/Projects/9.../900gd-dro.htm

I downloaded and compiled the code but would like to know if it is
reliable
before I go to the trouble to design and make the boards. Considering
all
the parts can be had for under $50 and an AutoAnchor cost over $500 it
looks
pretty attractive.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

engsol wrote in
:

I visited the web site...the source code is a dot src file, which I
refuse to open...any one have it in a dot txt format? I've looked at a
ton of de-bounce routines, and have invented a pretty fool-proof one.
I'm always curious how others do it.



One of the best things you can do to protect a Windoze computer is to
UNinstall Windows Scripting Host, or whatever new name Billy has morphed it
into to try to make them think XP is "new", not just NT repackaged.....

No scripts can run if it's not on the system to run it.

No Active-X....

No Macromedia products, which have all been hacked, either!

Larry W4CSC wrote:

and I have corrected through judicious snipping

One of the best things you can do to protect a Windoze computer is to
UNinstall Windows.

ahhh...that's better

prodigal1 wrote in :

Larry W4CSC wrote:

and I have corrected through judicious snipping

One of the best things you can do to protect a Windoze computer is to
UNinstall Windows.

ahhh...that's better



The only problems are the alternatives. I use Linux on one computer here.
Nice O/S, works great, but, unfortunately, the hackers writing applications
for it have short attention spans. They get to ver .996b then lose
interest and move on to another, more interesting project, never returning
to finally incorporate all the bug reports into ver 1.0. At least with
Windoze there's enough shareware money coming in to hold their attention to
fixing the bugs. (I'm a shareware payer, by the way.)

I suppose you could buy a Mac, some do, but Apple has always been so
proprietary with their O/S it almost killed the company. Mac, with its
training wheels you can't remove, just isn't worth buying a $200 program to
do something when the same functionality program for Windoze is $29 from
some shareware coder. For that reason, I've never been an Apple fan....

What else do we use, Sun Sparc?...(c;

"Bert van den Berg" wrote in
:

You would have to write the software your
self

Real men use:

COPY CON PROGRAM.EXE

Larry W4CSC wrote:
prodigal1 wrote in :


Larry W4CSC wrote:

and I have corrected through judicious snipping


One of the best things you can do to protect a Windoze computer is to
UNinstall Windows.

ahhh...that's better




The only problems are the alternatives.

no-no Larry, the alternatives _are_ the solutions

I use Linux on one computer here.
Nice O/S, works great, but, unfortunately, the hackers writing applications
for it have short attention spans...Snip

your perspective is valid, however updating is over-rated. Some of my
Linux boxen are 4 generations "out-of-date", still function perfectly
and are approaching the security through obscurity zone. I've been using
Unix/Linux/Mac for almost 15 years now and quite frankly there is
nothing one can do on a Windows box that you can't do on one of the
alternatives, and have it done in a more robust and secure fashion,
which I think was the gist of your response


I suppose you could buy a Mac, some do, but Apple has always been so
proprietary with their O/S it almost killed the company.

Have you checked Mac's stock performance in the last 6 months? I was
snoozin'...I be losin'

Mac, with its
training wheels you can't remove,

give it another look, OSX is really just the 2005 version of circa 1993
OpenStep/NeXTStep which was essentially BSD Unix. Now more than ever,
Mac is the way to go for non-technical people who want their computers
to function like toasters and with the vermin-free Unix OS under the
hood, and the more robust Mac hardware...you do get what you pay for.

In article ,
Larry W4CSC wrote:

prodigal1 wrote in :

Larry W4CSC wrote:

and I have corrected through judicious snipping

One of the best things you can do to protect a Windoze computer is to
UNinstall Windows.

ahhh...that's better



The only problems are the alternatives. I use Linux on one computer here.
Nice O/S, works great, but, unfortunately, the hackers writing applications
for it have short attention spans. They get to ver .996b then lose
interest and move on to another, more interesting project, never returning
to finally incorporate all the bug reports into ver 1.0. At least with
Windoze there's enough shareware money coming in to hold their attention to
fixing the bugs. (I'm a shareware payer, by the way.)

I suppose you could buy a Mac, some do, but Apple has always been so
proprietary with their O/S it almost killed the company. Mac, with its
training wheels you can't remove, just isn't worth buying a $200 program to
do something when the same functionality program for Windoze is $29 from
some shareware coder. For that reason, I've never been an Apple fan....

What else do we use, Sun Sparc?...(c;

Your view of MacOS is about 4 years old, anchored in MacOS-9.
almost everything you said about it has changed dramatically.

MacOS X is a very modern operating system,
open-source Unix at its core, great shareware apps,
and with an exemplary level of quality never seen in
a product from suburban Redmond.

-mo

"Mike O'Dell" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Larry W4CSC wrote:

prodigal1 wrote in :

Larry W4CSC wrote:

and I have corrected through judicious snipping

One of the best things you can do to protect a Windoze computer is to
UNinstall Windows.

ahhh...that's better



The only problems are the alternatives. I use Linux on one computer
here.
Nice O/S, works great, but, unfortunately, the hackers writing
applications
for it have short attention spans. They get to ver .996b then lose
interest and move on to another, more interesting project, never
returning
to finally incorporate all the bug reports into ver 1.0. At least with
Windoze there's enough shareware money coming in to hold their attention
to
fixing the bugs. (I'm a shareware payer, by the way.)

I suppose you could buy a Mac, some do, but Apple has always been so
proprietary with their O/S it almost killed the company. Mac, with its
training wheels you can't remove, just isn't worth buying a $200 program
to
do something when the same functionality program for Windoze is $29 from
some shareware coder. For that reason, I've never been an Apple fan....

What else do we use, Sun Sparc?...(c;

Your view of MacOS is about 4 years old, anchored in MacOS-9.
almost everything you said about it has changed dramatically.

MacOS X is a very modern operating system,
open-source Unix at its core, great shareware apps,
and with an exemplary level of quality never seen in
a product from suburban Redmond.

I spent a week using a Mac this winter. It hung up on the average of twice
a day. My XP machine hasn't hung up in over 1.5 years of almost
24/7 use.

-mo