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  • Author Author: fmilburn
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AIS Alarm

fmilburn

NOTE:  This is the initial post for this project. The project is now nearing completion and a chronological list of posts associated with it can be found at the bottom of the page.

 

Project Objective: Develop an open source AIS Alarm that alerts sailors that a new marine vessel with AIS is within range.

 

I have been experimenting with the Texas Instruments MSP430FR2xx microcontrollers and have selected it for a project I have been thinking about for a while.  The objective is to develop an open source AIS Alarm that alerts sailors that a new marine vessel with AIS is within range.  AIS (Automatic Identification System) is a tracking system for ships that gives information on among other things location, direction, and speed.  It is required on vessels of 300 or more gross tonnage and all passenger ships.  Below is a cartoon of what I have in mind:

image

The real magic is the open source AIS radio receiver dAISy.  I have used them for a couple of projects.  There are also dual channel and Raspberry Pi hat versions.

 

I intend to power the dAISy module with a USB power stick like the ones sold for cell phone recharging.  This will allow it to be disconnected from a laptop which is the way I normally power dAISy and thus reduce power / lengthen the life of the laptop battery.  dAISy has serial output and a 5V terminal.  This will be used to power a MSP430FR2111, a buzzer and a LED which will be placed in an enclosure with the dAISy receiver.  When a new vessel is detected the AIS signal will be entered into a ring buffer in FRAM and the alert issued from a buzzer and flashing LED.  The dAISy can then be unplugged from the power stick and plugged into the USB port of a computer running OpenCPN or other suitable navigation software.  There will be a button on the user interface that will squirt the AIS information (which is still there since we are using FRAM) over to the laptop so that the vessel can be located on the screen.

 

I prototyped this with a MSP430F5529 and am comfortable I can make everything work.

The dAISy receiver in this video is one I collaborated on with Adrian, the developer of dAISy, sometime back that has an Ethernet adapter.  I plan to put the finished project in an enclosure as well.

 

This is a medium range project as I seem to have a lot going on right now.  I am posting something now in the hope it will give me extra incentive to finish in a timely manner.

 

Update 17 June 2018:  Here is a photo of the first "production run" of the version 1.0 boards.

image

 

Other Posts from this Project:

AIS Alarm

AIS Alarm - The Process

AIS Alarm - Prototype Hardware

AIS Alarm - Timers and GPIO

AIS Alarm - Prototype Code Outline

AIS Alarm - UART

AIS Alarm - First AIS Messages

AIS Alarm - First FRAM Storage

AIS Alarm - Debouncing Momentary Button Switches

AIS Alarm - FRAM Ring Buffer

AIS Alarm - Schematic

AIS Alarm - PCB Version 0.1

AIS Alarm - PCB Version 0.1 Arrived

AIS Alarm - PCB Version 0.2

AIS Alarm - Everything Working

AIS Alarm - First Version 1.0 Hardware Assembled

AIS Alarm - Firmware Tested, Bug Squashed

 

References and Links:

WEGMATT LLC - dAISy AIS Receiver - low cost AIS receiver

Texas Instruments MSP430FR2xx FRAM Microcontrollers - Post No. 4

TI MSP430FR2111

Maximize the Sound from a Buzzer

  • in reply to fmilburn

    The potential user of this would be a DIY type who doesn't have the money for a commercial version

    Ahh that makes perfect sense then, and yes I agree it would be particularily useful as a secondary system.

     

     

    I also like the idea that it sends an alert whenever something is within xx metres.

     

    In theory that should make it capable of being standalone, with a display to prove it's working.

     

     

     

    Mark

  • in reply to jw0752

    Hi John,

     

    Thanks for the encouragement.  I have used the recharging power sticks for a couple of projects now and they are really handy.  I thought about building a Li-ion battery and charging into the project but decided to keep it simple at least for now.  I have run into two problems with them in the past however:

    1. I ordered some cheap ones from the usual suspect sources that failed quickly.  Wouldn't want to be relying on those...
    2. One of my larger ones has a circuit that turns itself off if the power requirement is below some preset level and the USB cable has to be unplugged and plugged back in again to get it going.  Not good for a low power project or one that sleeps...
  • in reply to shabaz

    Thanks shabaz,

     

    This is one of those activities that can be quite entertaining.  I don't sail anymore or own a boat but I live just above Puget Sound and can see and monitor quite a bit of ferry and commercial traffic.  I have had a good time experimenting with home made antennas, sending data to the MarineTraffic site, etc.  The unique part of this project is the standalone low energy alert and recording of data for later examination on a PC as you identified.  The low cost FRAM components seem ideal for this as the amount of data to be recorded is not too extensive and low power requirements are desired.

  • in reply to BigG

    Agreed.  The person who suggested this originally sails alone in relatively low traffic waters.  He just wanted something that would warn him if he was on autopilot and below deck making a sandwich or taking a nap.

     

    I think your idea for an alert transmitted to deck is a good one.  The dAISy module has provision for Bluetooth but I don't know how widely it is used.  I had mine connected to a CC3200 for a while before I put together an Ethernet version.

  • in reply to mcb1

    Hi Mark,

     

    I am not interested in getting it commercialized - I am retired and that sounds like work image.  There are commercial versions of what I have described albeit at much higher cost and much more power hungry.  I am familiar with the USB stick SDRs.  They are cheaper than dAISy but lack the sensitivity and robust construction of dAISy.  Further, the dAISy firmware is very nice and since there are thousand of users now the bugs are pretty much gone.

     

    The potential user of this would be a DIY type who doesn't have the money for a commercial version and has a boat that does not meet the regulatory requirements for having AIS.  Or a hobbyist like me who just likes tinkering with this stuff.

     

    As an aside, the dAISy variant that can be seen in the video I attached is one that I designed and has Ethernet connection.