The Zotac computer is a small passivly cooled computer that controls communication between all subsystems on the boat. The Zotac has a python color vision script that uses the onboard webcam to see obstacles in the environment. It processes information on the location of these objects and uses the relative position of the boat to these objects to determine instructions on how the boat needs to move. The Zotac then sends information serially to an arduino that controls the operatoin of the motors.

The Arduino Mega is the basis for controlling the boats motors. The Mega, programmed using the Arduino IDE, uses information it recieves serially from the Zotac to set the speeds of each of the four motors. It sends pulse width modulation (PWM) values to two motor controllers.

Two Polulu 24V21 High Power Motor Drivers are used to interpret the information from the Arduino Mega and set the speed of the motors. One motor driver controls the two starboard motors, the other controls the two port side motors.

In order to provide ample voltage to the motors, the 12 volts from the battery is stepped up to 22 volts using a DC to DC Buck Converter. Doing so drops the amperage that the motors see, but it was determined that the motors did not need the full battery amperage to maintain enough torque. As a result, the greater voltage allows the motors to operate at greater RPM's, increasing the speed of the boat.

The Logitech C615 Webcam is mounted to the front of the boat and provides 1080p HD vision of the environment in front of the boat. The feed from this webcam is captured by the python script running on the Zotac and is analyzed to determine the relative location of bouys and other obstacles.