Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This is a somewhat shorter video, an "unboxing video" if you will. We open the 100x 280Ah EVE280K cells that will make up the main six 51.2v 280Ah packs to drive our electric sailboat. We discuss the coming plans and decisions that will soon need to be made.
I'm not as lively in this video as I usually am, I am sorry. I was fighting a second bout of the big C. I'm feeling better now. ^_^
0:00 - But wait!
0:56 - Unboxing Begins
6:30 - Meetup Help?
7:25 - 48v and 12v batteries
8:58 - Comparing to Tesla Powerwalls
11:55 - The last boss
12:21 - Fitting In The Engine Bay
This is a somewhat shorter video, an "unboxing video" if you will. We open the 100x 280Ah EVE280K cells that will make up the main six 51.2v 280Ah packs to drive our electric sailboat. We discuss the coming plans and decisions that will soon need to be made.
I'm not as lively in this video as I usually am, I am sorry. I was fighting a second bout of the big C. I'm feeling better now. ^_^
0:00 - But wait!
0:56 - Unboxing Begins
6:30 - Meetup Help?
7:25 - 48v and 12v batteries
8:58 - Comparing to Tesla Powerwalls
11:55 - The last boss
12:21 - Fitting In The Engine Bay


![Wiring The Boat For International Travel - Ep. 114
To travel the world, I need to be able to plug the boat into international power grids.
In this video, I cover installing a Victron auto-voltage 3600w isolation transformer (ITR3600) and the Victron Multiplus-II 48/5000/70 inverter charger.
Its nice to be working on the boat again!
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/c/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] References;
Kids in the Hall - Kraft Dinner Skit
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TnWIICkBeE
Bowline knot
- By Buz11 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=112187838
Victron ITR3600 Manual (the good one)
- https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Isolation_Transformer_3600W_Auto/108939-Isolation_transformers-pdf-en.pdf
Victron Multiplus-II 48/5000/70 Manual
- https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/MultiPlus-II_120V/32424-MultiPlus-II Quattro-II-pdf-en.pdf
] Chapters
0:00 - A Tangled Mess
2:18 - Hoisting the Isolation Transformer
4:53 - Decommissioning the Multiplus Compact
7:06 - Prep Work for the New Equipment
8:54 - Making Space for the Multiplus-II
9:38 - Trying to Mount the Isolation Transformer
12:13 - Hanging the Isolation Transformer, Take 2
17:03 - Hanging the Multiplus-II
20:09 - Its Hung, But Poorly, Lets Try Again.
24:08 - Creative Problem Solving
25:29 - Finish Securing the MP2
26:11 - Planning the Circuit Breaker Panel
28:29 - Wiring the Breaker Panel
32:!5 - Adding an AC Sub-Panel
33:54 - Wiring the Isolation Transformer Input
35:28 - Meeting People; The Reason Im Doing This
36:31 - Wiring the IT Output to Multiplus-II Input
37:37 - Validating Bonding and Isolation of the IT
38:26 - Adding the Critical AC Circuits
40:26 - Cross-Checking The AC Panel Wiring
42:39 - Final Checks
44:38 - Lets Power it Up!
46:23 - Configuring the Multiplus-II
47:04 - Wiring the Phoenix IP43 Charger
49:59 - Finishing Up, Upcoming Videos Wiring The Boat For International Travel - Ep. 114](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_jPer8K4Mx4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ep. 89 - Tying Up Loose Ends
Its time to move on to the Helm development! Before that can start though, I need to tie up a bunch of loose ends (and provide a bit of an update).
If you need insurance in Ontario or Canada,
* James Maynard, Insurance Broker
* https://www.maynardinsurance.ca/
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @SailingYachtZora
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] Chapters
0:00 - A Winter Interlude
0:35 - Whats Next?
1:46 - Final Thoughts on JK BMS
4:52 - Is LFP OK at 2.0 ~ 4.2v?
6:24 - Charger Config over BMS Config?
8:05 - You Dont Need a BMS...
8:49 - Victrons External BMS
10:20 - Parallel-Battery Banks
11:26 - Forced Precharge Resistors
13:39 - Lost Battery Capacity, Why?
16:28 - The Insurance Odyssey Ep. 89 - Tying Up Loose Ends](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/a502CYazQAk/mqdefault.jpg)
![This Can Save Your Life; ELCI/RCBO RCDs - Ep. 113
ELCIs, Equipment Leakage Circuit Interrupters, have been required on boats in North America by ABYC since 2013. They can prevent electric shocks on the boat, as well as prevent ESD, electric shock drowning. These should be retrofitted on to older boats, like mine.
This video attempts to set aside the emotions of ESD and instead explain the physics and biology of what leakage current is, how it causes death, and how an ELCI residual current device can protect you and others from drowning or heart attacks.
] References;
Electric Shock Drowning Association (FAQ)
- https://www.electricshockdrowning.org/esd faq.html
Leviton GFWT2-W 20A WR GFCI
- https://leviton.com/products/gfwt2-w
Carlingtech PBB-BB-24-630-5BA-EG 30A two-pole ELCI
- https://www.mouser.ca/datasheet/2/240/PB_Series_091013-3050214.pdf
] Chapters
0:00 - This Is A Different Video
0:17 - Standard Circuit Breaker Function
0:45 - GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) Function
2:03 - What Could Cause a Delta?
3:14 - How Can a Current Leak Kill You?
3:40 - How Does a GFCI Save Your Life?
4:02 - ELCI (Equipment Leakage Circuit Interrupter) Function
5:38 - Caveat; I Am NOT An Expert
6:14 - Current Takes All Paths to Its Source
7:57 - It Doesnt Take Much to Kill You
8:42 - How Current Can Kill You
10:41 - Fresh Water vs Salt Water
11:36 - Voltage Gradient And The Human Conductor
12:53 - ESD; Electric Shock Drowning
14:07 - Retrofitting Older Boats This Can Save Your Life; ELCI/RCBO RCDs - Ep. 113](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/asAsDWECjKs/mqdefault.jpg)
![The PCBs Are Here! Who Made Them? - Ep. 119
The boards are here! This is a short video to show the initial impressions, and it covers why I chose JLCPCB, and why I chose S1000H fiberglass as the substrate.
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/c/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] References;
KiCAD Discord and IRC;
- https://www.kicad.org/community/chat/
@RobertFeranec - Walking Through a Big PCB Factory in China | PCB Manufacturing | JLCPCB
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTBOSob5MLg
S1000H TG-155 Spec Sheet
- https://pcbwayfile.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/web/231212/Shengyi_S1000H.pdf
FR-4 (Laminated Plastics) Spec Sheet
- https://laminatedplastics.com/fr-4.pdf
ENIG (Electroless nickel immersion gold)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroless_nickel_immersion_go
Big Clives Youtube Channel (@bigclivedotcom)
- https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom
] Chapters
0:00 - The PCBs And Parts Are Here
0:28 - Three Options; NextPCB, PCBWay, and JLCPCB
1:33 - PCB Substrate Options; FR4 vs S1000H
2:17 - ENIG; Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold
3:22 - The NextPCBs Experience Was ... A Thing
4:10 - PCBWay; Great Checks, But Expensive
5:24 - Why I Chose JLCPCB
5:53 - Unboxing the PCBs
7:21 - First Look At The Battery Display Board / Silkscreen Quality
10:00 - First Look At The Relay Board
11:55 - First Look At The Compass Rose / Helm Cabinet Plans
13:31 - First Look At The MCU Board / Space Efficiency
15:02 - Trials Of Reworking Through-Hole Parts
16:46 - Whats Next? The PCBs Are Here! Who Made Them? - Ep. 119](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cKswo6h_wWA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ep. 100 - First Off-Shore Passage; Halifax to St. Johns
I was invited to crew for an old friend from Halifax to St. Johns (Conception Bay) earlier this summer. It was a much needed, extremely lovely trip, and I knew I wanted to save it for episode 100.
This is my personal favourite video so far. I know its not a technical video, but its the trip that breathed fresh life back into me. ^_^
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
Rebuilding SY Zora Playlist ( @SailingYachtZora )
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2M7TdOWw2M&list=PL1mBzAAYmvFT56PY6Wv2U2GtjjmT60eK_
Rebuilding SY Athena Playlist ( @SailLife )
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjZdTv2KMSE&list=PLQyv5OlNbA-o6qnrrBVRHDH816FozYm5y
Linnea Sailing ( @linneasailing )
- https://www.youtube.com/@linneasailing
Parks Canada; St. Peters Canal history
- https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/stpeters/decouvrir-discover
Travelling On, The Decemberists
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DaXgga0KXE
] Chapters
0:00 - Arrival in Halifax
0:06 - One Hundred Episodes!
3:47 - SY Zora and Mermaids Rest
7:07 - Day 2; Head of Jeddore to Stachans Cove
8:37 - Day 3; St. Peters Canal (lock)
11:50 - Day 4; Strachans Cove to Johnstown Harbour
13:54 - Day 5; Exploring Maskells Harbour
16:43 - Day 6; Exploring Big Harbour
17:30 - Day 7; The Crossing! Day 1
20:30 - Day 8; The Crossing! Day 2
27:49 - Day 10; The Crossing! Day 4
29:34 - What its Like Resting on Passage30:58 - Dolphins and Whales!
33:32 - First Visit to Newfoundland
34:53 - Visiting Signal Hill
36:13 - Visiting Cape Spear
38:40 - La Manche Trail
] Music Attribution
Landras Dream by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
Back To The Wood by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/ Ep. 100 - First Off-Shore Passage; Halifax to St. Johns](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ck92gQWUJkg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Helm Control Build; Well 🦆 - Ep. 120
Despite all the reviews, I somehow missed that I chose the footprint for the UFQFPN-32 (ultra-fine pitch quad flat pack no pin) STM32 C092RC MCU. I planned to use, and ordered, the LQFP-32 (low-profile quad flat pack) part. That was much bigger and had normal lets. It wasnt until I was literally about to solder the MCU on that I realised the mistake I made.
After I stopped recording, the amazing folks on discord got me to look for the FPN version of the MCU, which I found and loaded into STM32CubeMX. I was able to configure the pinout to match, so the game is back on!
Its going to be a lot harder to solder this part, but I already mentally assumed the PCBs were trash, so I dont have much to lose. As I upload this, Ive not yet tried to solder it. So well see how that goes in the next video.
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/c/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] References;
Soldering Multi Holder, print in place
- https://makerworld.com/en/models/1057596-soldering-multi-holder-print-in-place#profileId-1045304
] Chapters
0:00 - Getting Setup For Soldering
2:30 - Finding Pin 1 On The First Chip
4:06 - Soldering The First 64 KiB EEPROM
8:11 - Testing The Solder Joints
8:52 - Therapist Mae To The Rescue
9:42 - Fixing An Unconnected Pin
10:55 - Fixing Another Unconnected Pin
11:57 - Hot Air Station To The Rescue?
13:06 - Fixed! Verifying All Pins Are Connected Still
14:16 - On To Chip 2; The Second EEPROM
16:06 - Testing Chip 2
16:37 - Success! But I Can Do Better
18:14 - First Two Done...
19:20 - Amazing 3D Printed Helping Hands!
19:57 - Day 2; The Plan For Today
21:46 - Tweezer Practice
22:11 - Setting Up The Paste Syringe (Foreshadowing)
23:06 - When You Dont RTFM, Your Tools Wont Work Right
24:39 - Did The Solder Paste Work?
25:28 - Madi Falls In Love
25:51 - The Syringe Failed. THE SYRINGE! WTF
27:45 - Figuring Out The Hot Air Station / Soldering The LED Driver
30:46 - Testing The IS31FL3731 Solder Job
32:30 - Soldering The STM32 C092RC
33:13 - Or Not. ;_; Helm Control Build; Well 🦆 - Ep. 120](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/crCwgTj0MRk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Can G/Flex 655 Save My Max-Prop Propellor? - Ep. 111
This is part 2 of trying to save my corroded Max-Prop propellor. With the warmer weather returning, and a new compressor on hand, I get back to sand blasting and then epoxy-coating the propellor blades. Will the West Systems G/flex 655 fair out the galvanic corrosion?
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/TheDigitalMermaid
] References;
Ep. 96 - Please Sir, My Prop, Hes Very Sick
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R5lc5f8yKY
Project Farm; Small Compressor, HUGE Power!
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3hMRQZudiE
* @ProjectFarm
DeWalt DWFP55130 200 PSI Quiet Trim Compressor
- https://www.dewalt.com/product/dwfp55130/200-psi-quiet-trim-compressor
West Systems G/Flex 655 Thickened Epoxy
- https://www.westsystem.com/products/g-flex-655-thickened-epoxy-adhesive/
- @WestSystemEpoxy
Prop Speed
- https://www.propspeed.com/products/propspeed
- @Propspeed
Fry Custom Knives; West Systems G-Flex tips
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4kpgteGg1M
- @frycustomknives8429
PYI - MaxProp Easy 3-Blade, 17
- https://store.pyiinc.com/products/max-prop-easy?sub-category=Max-Prop-Propellers&variant=4037589697
- @PYIinc
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] Chapters
0:00 - A New Toy, Dewalt Compressor
0:58 - Um, Why?
3:25 - Sandblasting Time
5:35 - A Valuable Bucket
6:37 - The Results of Sandblasting
7:23 - Why I Chose West Systems G/Flex 655
9:27 - My First Use of G/Flex 655
12:21 - First Side of the First Blade Covered
13:00 - Second Props First Side
14:08 - The Right Thing To Do
15:03 - Third Blades First Side
16:44 - Now We Wait To Cure
17:14 - The Next Day, But Still Tacky. Add Heat!
19:55 - Lets Start (Oh Glorious!) Sanding
21:06 - Encouraging Initial Results
22:10 - Debating How Much to Sand Off
23:47 - First Side Done; Huge Success!
24:16 - Sanding The Second Blade
25:38 - Second Side Done, What a Difference!
27:06 - Third Side Done, Epoxy Take 2
30:45 - All Three Side Two Done
31:35 - A Good Cure, Lets Sand Some More
33:39 - A Note on Balance and Vibration
34:26 - The Last S(t)and and Clean
35:53 - The Prop I Want
36:21 - The Final Results Are Excellent Can G/Flex 655 Save My Max-Prop Propellor? - Ep. 111](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eMbKa6L1Jqk/mqdefault.jpg)

![Helm Control PCBs - Ep. 118
Ive been quiet on Youtube recently, but not for lack of work on the boat! This video shows what Ive been up to. With the significant help of Patrons and friends, I have four new PCBs on order. These will be the helm control boards for Mermaids Rest.
In the coming videos, well assemble and start writing the code. This video shows how the boards will work, at a high level, and some of the challenges I had to overcome. More than anything, all Ive learned to make these boards have a chance of being reliable over the journeys to come.
A super huge and special thank you to the folks on Patreon. Their knowledge and patience is beyond description!
] Patreon:
- https://www.patreon.com/c/TheDigitalMermaid
] Channels that have Helped Me;
* @ProjectBrupeg
* @OffGridGarageAustralia
* @AcornToArabella
* @BillCarlson
] References;Charlieplexing
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlieplexing
Adafruit Charlieplexer
- https://www.adafruit.com/product/2946
ST Nucleo-C092RC
- https://www.st.com/en/evaluation-tools/nucleo-c092rc.html
Lumissil IS31FL3731
- https://www.lumissil.com/assets/pdf/core/IS31FL3731_DS.pdf
Scotopic (Night) Vision
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotopic_vision
ST STM32C092KCT6
- https://www.st.com/resource/en/datasheet/stm32c091cc.pdf
STLINK-V3SET
- https://www.st.com/resource/en/data_brief/stlink-v3set.pdf
NMEA 2000 / N2K
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMEA_2000
GitHub - Mermaids Rest - Full Boards
- https://github.com/digimer/Mermaids-Rest/tree/main/Full%20Boards
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 - Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en
GPLv3 - GNU General Public License v3
- https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html
Bill of Materials - Google Sheets
- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s2RV25Aqq35Ps_foCP7-pKksEfrfetYYAbn-AQ_H0tk/edit?usp=sharing
Cassette Futurism
- https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Cassette_Futurism
TI MAX3232EIPWRQ1
- https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/max3232e-q1.pdf?ts=1736232244138
FD CAN bus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAN_FD
ST M24C64-RMN6P - 64 KiB EEPROM
- https://www.st.com/resource/en/datasheet/m24c64-f.pdf
I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) Bus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I2C
SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Peripheral_Interface
GPIO (General Pupose Input/Output)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General-purpose_input/output
Gerber File Format
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerber_format
KiCAD
- https://www.kicad.org/
Ep. 98 - The Motors Spin!
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXH46X1Iwk
ST STM32G474RET3
- https://www.st.com/en/microcontrollers-microprocessors/stm32g474re.html
MCP4726 DAC
- https://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/22272C.pdf
4N25 Opto-isolator
- https://www.vishay.com/docs/83725/4n25.pdf
JTAG
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JTAG
] Chapters
0:00 - A Small Diversion That Wasnt Small. At All.
2:00 - Feature Creep Is A Thing / Patreon Thanks
3:40 - Scotopic vision and Red LEDs
4:27 - Well, Why Dont You Just...
5:58 - Power Isolation On A PCB
7:06 - Everything Is Open Source, Hack Away!
8:16 - So Many Voltages
10:23 - Cassette Futurism and Serial Ports
11:47 - MCU, NMEA2000/CANbus, EEPROM
12:58 - The I2C and SPI Busses
14:04 - GPIO Pin Protection; When Wires Are Antennas
16:12 - Pull Up and Pull Down Resistors
17:51 - Schematics And NetNames
19:55 - High-Level Overview of Charlieplexing
23:19 - PCB Routing; The Compass Rose PCB
26:44 - Putting Part On Both Sides Of The PCB; Why?
28:36 - DRC; Design Rule Checked - The Most Annoying Good Thing
29:14 - KiCAD Has A Great Community
29:49 - 3D Renders!
31:47 - Thermal Management
32:47 - Fixing A Small Mistake; Schematic to PCB
35:13 - The Next PCB; The Main Control Unit
39:57 - Optoisolators; Theyre Basically Magic
40:39 - Accurate Indication With Coarse LEDs
42:10 - D-Sub Connectors. SO MANY D-SUB!
45:32 - E-Stop Logic
46:31 - My Diesel Is Gone, I Got A New Diesel
49:01 - The MCU PCB And Field Repairability
50:51 - MCU Controlled Relays And Inductive Loads
52:24 - Battery Display Board; Electric Propulsion to ABYC Standards
54:58 - Relay Unit; Super Efficient Digital Switching!
1:00:40 - Whats Next?
] Music Attribution
Eighties Action by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100243
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Touchpoint by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
Inner Journey by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/ Helm Control PCBs - Ep. 118](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/flZ6uh32IbI/mqdefault.jpg)