Strobe Alarm as Proximity Indicat Warning!

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Wandering Star

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Does anyone know of an existing product or would it be easy to design a Heath Robinson device which would connect to (say) the speaker connections so that instead of an audible warning, a strobe light would flash for a finite period - say 20 flashes? I'm thinking in particular of a device to provide a strobe light warning when an AIS receiver identifies a ship within X miles of my boat. I'm aware of the guard rings on a radar (although I don't have radar) and what I'd like is something similar but strobe instead of audible and for AIS instead of radar. For the sake of designing something you can ignore OEM warranty issues!

I know less than nothing about how electronics work, so this might be easy peasy, impossible or an existing device that I haven't heard about.

Cheers, Brian
 
The Vesper Watchmate has a relay output that turns on when the alarm sounds. You could easily wire up a strobe to this with no heath-robinsoning required.

They have some of the best display, filtering, and alerting software on the market, developed by sailors rather than programmers working to a spec. They're the only unit I know of which can show a graphical prediction of where the two vessels will be at closest point of approach - are you crossing under his bow or behind his stern? I have one for the new boat even though I could just send the AIS data to the plotter instead.

No connection, but I am a fan :)

Nimbus's suggestion is a clever one, but probably not appropriate for someone who knows "less than nothing" about electronics :)

Pete
 
There are a number of alarm converters for deaf people which set off strobes if an audible alarm sounds. Try some googling.
 
Thanks for the ideas and I'll check out the Vesper Watchmate although having just installed a new AIS box to my Raymarine chartplotter, I'm not keen to spend too much money on more kit! I hadn't thought about a completely separate device to activate a strobe on hearing an audible alarm, I'll check this idea out too. Yes, I'm profoundly deaf (brick wall deaf) but normally sail with at least one crew who act as my ears even if it's only my young grandson! Actually i can hear as I have implants but don't wear the external processors when I'm sailing as they're too easy to lose over the side and cost £4k each (so far I've lost 2). I'm preparing my boat to sail home from Portugal in May/June and I'll be doing this solo and a strobe light alarm would wake me if a ship came to within 10 miles or so, whereas an audible alarm is very doubtful unless I slept with the processors on which wouldn't be comfortable.

Cheers, Brian.
 
Wandering Star said:
Thanks for the ideas and I'll check out the Vesper Watchmate although having just installed a new AIS box to my Raymarine chartplotter, I'm not keen to spend too much money on more kit!
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Fair enough. They do one which is just a display, and would accept the input from your AIS box, so nothing would be "wasted" - but it still costs money and nobody wants to spend what they don't have to.

Pete
 
I have a relay hooked up to the alarm output on my Garmin plotter which drives both a sounder and a warning light. The Garmin is connected into the AIS, so a ship getting too close triggers the alarm.

Very easy to do and only need cost a few quid.

I presume the Raymarine also has an alarm output of some kind...

Edit: I don't know which Raymarine plotter you have, so I've picked the Raymarine E-Series as an example - that does have an alarm connection and the manual includes details on how to connect a relay to it - see page 40 in http://www.raymarine.eu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=1324

If it's a different unit then there is a good chance the manual for that one will have something along the same lines. One possible source for relays is your local Maplin, and they should be able to give you some advice on choosing something suitable. Mention the max coil current as described in the manual. They also sell alarm strobes and if you're lucky might provide a little help talking you through wiring it up.

If that all seems like technical gobbledygook then if you mention what model plotter you have someone can probably fill in some blanks.
 
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>AIS receiver identifies a ship within X miles of my boat.

Why not use the time honoured method of the Mark One eyeball to avoid ships. Firing off an auduible warning and strobe when a ship is miles away is crazy.
 
I prefer to be gently woken with a mug of hot coco and the words, "Skipper, can you pop up and take a look" spoken in a calm but concerned way by a member of the crew, rather than with a slashing strobe and klaxon going (as if it's the end of the world) and banging my head on something. The decisions are also much better after a coco.
 
Camelia said:
I prefer to be gently woken with a mug of hot coco and the words, "Skipper, can you pop up and take a look" spoken in a calm but concerned way by a member of the crew, rather than with a slashing strobe and klaxon going (as if it's the end of the world) and banging my head on something. The decisions are also much better after a coco.
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Well yes, but thats not going to happen if I'm sailing solo is it? And the klaxon isn't going to worry me as I'm deaf but in anycase i'd have that disabled if i could as it serves no purpose. The slashing strobe on the other hand will wake me, even if it is rather more rudely than a crewmember might have done and it'll give me 20+ minutes to focus my brain cell before I take a look around! The MK2 version may incorporate a cocoa making function.

Cheers, Brian.
 
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