Radio controlled boat that can be given a course and it will try to keep it with information it receives from a digital onboard compass and a PID control system.
The boat frame was built from scratch and is still work in progress. The electronics are based on a commercial radio controller, receiver, brushless outrunner motor, electronic speed controller, servo and Arduino. Arduino reads two channels from the receiver and feeds it as an input to Arduino. The two signals are used to calculate the angle of the right joystick of the radio controller. The angle, or course, is fed to the PID as an input. PID controller reads the current orientation from the digital compass and the output is sent to a servo in charge of controlling the rudder. Other channels such as throttle are fed directly to the electronic speed controller that controls the main motor.
