Hardware Details

FloatHub is built around an off-the-shelf Arduino Mega micro-controller board. Together with the design of the enclosure, this exposes:

• USB Port (quick power source, device configuration, etc.)
• 9 Volt Power Connector (car lighter-type power adaptors)

Inside the device, a FloatHub Shield is attached to the Mega. It has a number of onboard components including:

• Circuitry and Terminals for Directly Wired DC Power (12 volts)
• GPS Chipset with Embedded Antenna
• Ambient Temperature Sensor
• Barometric Pressure Sensor
• Voltage Monitoring of (up to) 3 Battery Banks
• Voltage Monitoring of (up to) 3 Charging Sources (Solar Panels, Wind Generators, etc.)
• On/Off Monitoring of (up to) 3 Pumps (Timing, Duration, etc.)
• NMEA-0183 Input from Onboard Instruments (Depth, Wind Speed, etc.)
• NMEA-0183 Output (Repeated and Generated Data to Chartplotter, DSC-VHF, etc.)
• Status Indicator for GPS Fix
• Status Indicator for Communications Uplink

All FloatHub devices have WiFi connectivity. There is also a model which adds cellular connectivity.

Select Features

We use a simple line-oriented data protocol (PDF) to send information from the device up to the web. Some of the items monitored and possible uses are:

• Smart movement detection limits bandwidth when vessel is moored, automatically increases frequency when in motion.
• Sample-based messages occur at regular intervals and include latest status of all monitored systems.
• Point-in-time messages are triggered by events (e.g. Pump On) allowing analysis and alerts based on duration and/or frequency.
• Create automated alerts if vessel leaves predetermined area (anchor dragging, unauthorized use, etc.)
• Track battery status over time and trigger alerts if house, starter, genset, or other battery falls below a user-determined threshhold.
• Watch pump activity and compare against historic norms.
• Automatically generate a route track every time your boat leaves the dock or pulls up anchor.
• Remotely verify that charging systems are working and see voltage output in real time.
• Device understands and will include data from many NMEA compliant sources including Water Depth, Wind Speed/Direction, Speed through Water, etc.
• All transmitted data is encoded (AES) using a unique key that is resident on the device and set at configuration time.
• Arduino-based and running open source code (GitHub), FloatHub is eminently user hackable and extensible.