Make it too complicated?  Never

Below decks electronics:

So, the receiver is based on an Arduino Nano as well.  Mainly because I had one.
Added the matching wireless receiver module and then set about designing some PCBs to sit inside the hull of the ship.

Rather than buy madly expensive batteries, I decided to 3d print some shoes that take my Dewalt 18v, 5Ah tool batteries.  I have loads of them and they should provide plenty of power.
The first board was the main Radio room PCB and consists of:
  1. Arduino Nano
  2. 3x 2 channel H-Bridge modules (Anchor winch, Bowthruster, Tow winch 1, Tow winch 2, Crane winch,  and Crane rotate)
  3. 1x TDA7266 Amplifier
  4. Mounting for the Wav trigger sound effects board
  5. 3.3v Regulator + NRF24L01+ Receiver
  6. 5v Regulator for the Processor
  7. 6v Regulator for the Servos
  8. 15v Regulator for the Amplifer
  9. 12x TIP122 Transistors for various switching work (E.G. lights)
  10. 1x Custom PWM controller PCB (see later on)
  11. 1x MCP23017 multiplexer for sensor inputs
Next PCB was the pump room:

  1. Space for the Bilge pump
  2. Regulator for the smoke module
  3. Regulator for the Bilge pump
  4. Sensor connections for the smoke sensor
  5. Sensor for the bilge pump
Engine room next:
  1. 2x 43A H=Bridges for the main motors
  2. Breakouts for the rudder servo etc
  3. Sensor for the bilge pump
Final PCB for below deck is the overhead gantry PCB:
  1. Main battery connections
  2. Isolator switch connection
  3. 5x Volt digital voltmeters (Main batteries, 15v, 6v, 5v and 3.3v)
All the PCBs have LEDs along the edges for below decks illumination.  There are also LEDs underneath the volt meter gantry.

Bridge displays:
This little PCB just controls the bridge.
It randomly flickers various 3mm LEDs behind the console (3d printed) and this light is 'piped' to the console through some fibre optic cable strands.

There are also some 0.91" OLED screens dotted about with various graphics of radars, maps, charts etc.
These simply step through preset graphics.

There is a small AtTiny processor and an I2C switch.
The switch is so that the processor can address multiple screens on the I2C bus, when they all have the same (non configurable)  I2C address.

There is also an output for the crane beacon.
The PCB receives a signal from the radio room PCB when the crane power is on.
This sequences 4x 0603 LEDs one after the other rapidly.

These Amber LEDs are assembled to look like a rotating beacon for the crane.

Bridge Navigation Lighting decoder:


At the very top of the superstructure, there is a small compartment that houses some 5v LED strips for the bridge lighting.

There are also connections for the aft facing floodlights and all of the main mast Navigation lights.

Also, a buck regulator is mounted with several of it's components removed (to lower it's profile).  This is used to regulate the voltage to the radar motors.

The whole roof is held in place with magnets.

Superstructure connections:

Underneath the superstructure is the main connection point for all these other slave wiring areas.

This houses an Arduino Pro Mini (again, because I had one).

The Pro Mini has only one job.  Switch the Navigation lighting.
It connects to the radio room main processor over I2C and basically just receives a lighting command.

There is a row of transistors to switch the lights, as they are 6v Bulbs (not LEDs).

Also there is a whole load of wiring for deck floodlights and the superstructure internal 5v lighting strips.

Sensors and limit switches

Limit switches did actually prove difficult.

The anchor mechanism (on the right) was 3d printed with a pair of Microswitches in place.
A small ball on the anchor chain operates these microswitches when the winches are fully wound in.

The anchor out sensors are mounted on the deck (microswitches with pronged arms where the chain goes between them).

There is a Peto tube on the bow that feeds a waterproof pressure sensor.  This is for deducing the ships speed.

The crane has 2x Hall effect sensors on the base to detect the rotational limits (so the crane does not hit the superstructure).

The crane boom is a servo, so that was easy to limit in the coding.

The crane winch currently does not have any limit switches.  I need to address that.

The Towing winches have a huge amount of 'rope' on them.
So there is only a winding in limit switch.

Above the radio room PCB there is a digital compass module.  This gives heading/direction data to the processor, which is in turn fed back to the transmitters compass graphic.