matbox.de / Echolot Ranging Project

Echolot Ranging Project

Finally.. after four years: money and time allow for ideas and sketches to find their way into reality.
Figure 1 depicts an overview of the system.
You would like to know more about this project? Feel free to contact me at erp(ät)matbox.de.

Fig. 1: Components of the system and their interaction. (A) Stationary user device with GUI to view data in realtime, (B) Mobile unit, (C) Wireless communication via XBEE modules at 2,4GHz, (E) Echolot to measure depth of water, (G) GPS.

Features of Stationary user device (A)

• Wireless communication unit
• Real-time viewing of gathered data
• Control of data acquisition by mobile unit
• OpenStreetMap compatibility

Features of Mobile unit (B)

• Carrier boat
• Wireless communication unit
• Echolot for water depth measurement
• GPS receiver
• Real-time logging of measurement data

Some details are linked directly in the feature-lists.
 November 20th, 2012

Carrier boat November 4th, 2012

Fig. 2: Carrier boat before first contact with a real lake.

A model ship by the supplier robbe serves as carrier boat, cf. Figure 2.

The estimated payload is 1.8kg; excluding RC-unit, drive, rudder control, and respective batteries.