For powering the whole project we used the following electronics 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 connected to an analog input pin.
- One push button connected to a 10k ohm pull-up resistor for direction change and control over the start.
- Jumpers and wires.
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 select the velocity of the boat. If we wanted to introduce feedback control we would need to use sensors which 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, a push button can change the direction in which the boat is moving, be it forwards and backwards.
