"Sub $600 Autopilot" Progress

[SENCMac26x]

Thanks for the update Vic, I look forward to getting the chance to play around with that thing.

Hopefully you'll get the production issues worked out soon.

[Don T]

Hi Victor,
If the hardware is finished is there a possibility I can purchase the helm drive unit so I can fabricate my mod to fit my rotary helm?

Thanks,

Don T

[Tumbleweed]

Hi Victor,

Hey... we're hungry. Is it soup yet

[Russ]

Hey Vic,

I assume you are busy enjoying summer. Any progress?
I'm not doing any new mods this season. However, can I put this on the Christmas present list from the Admiral?

[Obelix]

Hi Victor,
Still holding and waiting here in FL
Any good news on the horizon?

Obelix

[vkmaynard]

Actually working on it.

We filed the square filler patents.

Ran into some final production issues along with personal issues like the James adding a new baby to his family.

Erik is testing the production electronics with the beta wiring harness. Ron and Dimitri have beta boxes.

I have production electronics for final testing. For some reason the last few changes are taking a long time. We added belt tensioning check software and broke the main tracking software. We also added all the alarms that were missing from the beta software.

We'll have three units running in Edenton this weekend.

Still making parts now at a higher rate.

We tried 3D printing the remote cases but did not like the finish so back to the CNC for the first run units.

Victor

[Obelix]

Vic,
To ease short term money issues, why don't you take reservations with a reasonable down-payment
Balance on delivery, I would be game.

Obelix

[u12fly]

I made one 3D print set of parts for my project, before committing $10K in hard tooling... It was a scary moment in the life of the Wind Sailor. The tooling house did a great job and the production parts are real good quality. I evaluated CNC for some pieces but ultimately decide to cast everything in a "family" mold. Going into production is easily 10x harder then making one or two. Good luck, love reading the updates.

Chris.

[BOAT]

That's another thing I need to look at - that wind indicator.

I just keep putting off projects - I really need to get busy on this stuff!

[u12fly]

That's another thing I need to look at - that wind indicator.

I just keep putting off projects - I really need to get busy on this stuff!

We just started shipping the RM-10 this year, which is a lower cost - remote sensor system that you interface to your chartploter for display of wind data.

[Neo]

This is interesting stuff

[Don T]

Hey Victor,
How's it going on that there AP sys you were working on?

[npsrangerchuck]

I'm so glad this thread has been resurrected! Seems a very dedicated Mac owner is generous enough to provide us all hope! You can count me in! Thanks!!

[BOAT]

Really guys?

You can get a top notch aeronautical multi axis AP from RayMarine now for less than 1000 bucks by shopping the discount marine places like Anchor Express when they have a sale and when Ray Marine is running their rebate programs. The Evolution Pilot at 1000 dollars is the better than anything else you will ever buy at any price anywhere. So the difference between a 1000 dollar unit and a 600 dollar unit is really worth waiting 5 years??

And if that 400 bucks is so important to you why not just spend LESS than 600 on a regular tiller pilot:



These little guys are available all day long for less than 350 bucks from Simrad and Raymarine and others and on sale I see them as low as 299!!! Just throw one of these on one of the steering arms below decks and your all set!
Or even better - install one of these remote steering arms that Highlander found:



And just hook up the cheap tiller pilot to that thing. I'm seriously thinking of putting in one of the remote steering sticks on one of my tiller arms as an emergency/backup steering drive or even for steering the boat from inside the cabin. It's cheap and creates a nice way to stay warm and dry in a storm.

I have all the respect for Captain Vic and I'm sure his AP is working great in the sea trials and all but like anything else he probably has a lot of other things going on too - maybe when he is retired he will devote his full time to the project but in the meantime don't miss out on advantages of having an AP on board if you really need one badly.

[Russ]

Or even better - install one of these remote steering arms that Highlander found:

Hey BOAT, what is this steering arm you speak of?