5) Electronics and Software - Group 6

For powering the whole project we used the following electronic components:

• One 12V output AC-to-DC battery eliminator.
• One gear-boxed 100RPM DC motor by Greartisan.
• One reduced-size breadboard.
• One generic Arduino Uno.
• One H-bridge circuit module.
• One potentiometer is connected to an analog input pin.
• One push button is connected to a 10k ohm pull-up resistor for direction change and control over the start.
• Jumpers and wires.

Figure 1. Image of our electrical components

Since we are an undergraduate team we did not incorporate a feedback closed-loop system to control the outputs.

We controlled the angular speed (RPM) of our motor through a potentiometer which a passenger of our boat could turn to maintain the velocity of the boat. If we wanted to introduce feedback control we would need to use sensors that measure the speed at which the boat is moving and use a PI or PID controller to ensure the cruise control approaches the target (reference) velocity with minimal interference and perfect reference tracking. Additionally, we implemented a push button that can change the direction in which the boat is moving, be it forward or backward.

Figure 2. Image of code for the Arduino