Updates
- Home /
- Updates
HALPI2 Prototype Update
- 2025-03-31
- Matti Airas
I have been developing a new marine Raspberry Pi computer for the past few months. HALPI2 is a full-fledged Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5) based custom carrier board packaged in a waterproof cast aluminium enclosure.
Read More
Sailor Hat for Raspberry Pi v2 Development Update
- 2022-12-25
- Matti Airas
Introduction The original Sailor Hat for Raspberry Pi had some success as a marine embedded computer power supply and interface board, but the global semiconductor shortage has made it difficult to obtain the required components, and no boards have been manufactured since August 2021. Even though multiple interesting Raspberry Pi CM4 base boards have appeared during the past year, none have provided similar power management features as the SH-RPi. Due to frequent inquiries about the SH-RPi availability, I (Matti Airas) have decided to continue the development of the SH-RPi v2, which will be a completely redesign new version of the Sailor Hat for Raspberry Pi.
Read More
SH-ESP32 Revision 2 Now Available
- 2021-10-19
- Matti Airas
We are happy to announce availability of SH-ESP32 rev. 2 boards! The new boards include some minor design changes required for component availability, but the most significant change is that the board now comes pre-assembled with the connectors and headers in place! Additionally, the power input and CAN bus connectors are now 3.81mm pluggable screw terminals, making the board even easier to set up!
Read More
Hat Labs and the Global Semiconductor Shortage
- 2021-09-18
- Matti Airas
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global semiconductor shortage, caused by partial shutdowns of integrated circuit production facilities due to the global lockdowns early 2020 as well as marked increase in the demand of computers and consumer electronics. As a result, many commonly available chips have become totally unavailable or the price has increased many times over. For example, a common real-time clock chip, DS3231MZ used in SH-RPi cost USD 1.61 in low quantities in August 2020, but now the price has increased to over USD 7 at low quantities, with ship date estimates around May or July, 2022. Some of these components can be easily replaced, but most require at least a partial PCB design with prototype rounds and EMC pre-compliance testing.
Read More
Create an OpenPlotter Server with Sailor Hat for Raspberry Pi
- 2021-05-28
- Matti Airas
Would you like to build a boat server for displaying fancy dashboards and for logging all historical data of your boat’s behavior, but don’t know where to begin?
Read More
Sailor Hat for Raspberry Pi is available!
- 2021-05-14
- Matti Airas
Sailor Hat for Raspberry Pi is available! SH-RPi together with a Raspberry Pi makes for a perfect hardware for marine embedded computers such as a Signal K server or an OpenCPN plotter. It will safely power a Raspberry Pi using your boat’s 12V or 24V power system and also provides advanced power management features such as controlled shutdowns, uninterrupted power supply functionality for power glitches and voltage drops, and hardware watchdog features, resetting the Raspberry Pi if the operating system crashes. It also has an NMEA 2000 compliant isolated CAN bus interface that can also be used to power the device.
Read More
Measure Engine Temperatures with SH-ESP32
Would you like to get better temperature monitoring for your boat engine? Are you worried about forgetting to open the water intake seacock? Is the coolant circulation working properly? We have prepared a tutorial that walks you through creating an inexpensive and easy to install but powerful temperature sensing device with the SH-ESP32 development board. The device measures the engine oil, coolant, and wet exhaust temperatures and transmits the data to your NMEA 2000 network or Signal K server.
Read More
SH-ESP32 NMEA 2000 USB Gateway Tutorial
- 2021-04-01
- Matti Airas
I have just finished writing the first Hat Labs related tutorial of many, many to come. In the tutorial, I explain step by step how to convert an SH-ESP32 device into a fully functional NMEA 2000 USB gateway.
Read More