WEEK 1

Hands-on and trimming the sails! ⛵

This week was one of great introspection. We were very focused on trying to deeply understand our project and mapping out the main difficulties that lie ahead.

Since it's not always easy to anticipate every challenge when creating something from scratch, we sought out those who know the subject inside out:

• Key Meeting: We sat down with our tutor from the Portuguese Sailing Federation.
• Real Feedback: We discussed the project in a highly pragmatic way with someone who lives and breathes this environment every day.
• Adjusting Course: We validated ideas and rethought some of our initial approaches.

We left this conversation with our feet firmly on the ground and our motivation high. There's still a lot of sea to explore, but the wind is starting to blow in our favor!

WEEK 2

Our digital "home" and the first components 💻

The second week started at full throttle and with very tangible results!

• Website live: We decided it was time to give our idea a digital "home". We built our website, and it's amazing to see the project gaining visual shape!
• Technical work & Component Selection: We rolled up our sleeves to analyze the specific hardware needed to bring our idea to life. We identified our core setup: the ESP32 as our main microcontroller, the nRF24L01 + PA + LNA for long-range transmission, and the NEO-M8N for GPS tracking. For motion sensing, we paired the MPU6050 (accelerometer/gyroscope) to measure Heel and Trim with an HMC5883L (magnetometer) for precise Heading calculation and Yaw stabilization.
• Opinions that matter: We received invaluable feedback, not only from our Federation tutor but also from our advisor.

Having this dual perspective—one focused on the reality of sailing and the other on project methodology—was pure gold for correcting our course. We sail on! 🌊

WEEK 3

Improving the Pitch and The Dream Team Roles! 🚀

This third week was all about smoothing out the edges and organizing our workflow. Our motto was "divide to conquer"!

• Feedback and improvements: We listened closely to our advisor's tips regarding our website and our Pitch Deck, and we got straight to work making the necessary improvements.
• Breaking down the problem: To manage the complexity of the system, we realized we needed to assign highly specific technical roles to each team member. Here is exactly how we divided the work:
  • Gonçalo (Team Leader & Integration): Responsible for managing our Gantt chart schedule, meeting product roadmap deadlines, integrating the final firmware, and serving as our main contact point with the advisor and Sailing Federation coaches.
  • Mariana (Documentation, Media & Product): In charge of maintaining the HTML/CSS website, the Pitch Deck, formatting our strict academic reports, capturing media for our final video, and writing the User Manual for the coaches.
  • Daniel (Hardware & Power Lead): Designing the schematics and PCB layout, sizing the Power Budget (battery and regulators), and handling crucial soldering tasks—especially calculating and soldering the exact electrolytic capacitors on the nRF24L01 pins to handle PA+LNA current spikes.
  • Joaquim (Firmware A - RF & RTOS): Configuring the FreeRTOS architecture on the ESP32 cores, programming the nRF24L01 radio modules, implementing AES-128 hardware encryption, and handling MicroSD data logging on an isolated core to keep radio latency under 2ms.
  • Maike (Firmware B - Sensors, PPS & Visuals): Handling I2C communication to extract Euler angles, parsing NMEA data via UART from the GPS, capturing the hardware interrupt of the GPS PPS pin for exact timestamps, and programming the SPI driver for the LCD graphical dashboard.
  • Bernardo (Mechanical & Quality Lead): Doing the 3D CAD modeling for the enclosures, ensuring IP67 certification (cable glands, o-rings, Gore-Tex valves), applying Conformal Coating to the PCB, and designing the non-invasive Plug & Play mounting system for the boat hull.

By dividing the tasks so specifically, we ensure every detail is handled by a dedicated expert. The project is getting more solid by the minute!

WEEK 4

The Ultimate Checklist, Wiring the ESP32, and New Challenges! ⚙️

This week, we got down to the nitty-gritty and focused on the exact specifications of our project. To know exactly where we are sailing, we had to set some clear rules and dive deep into our hardware!

• The Requirements List: We finalized the official checklist of everything our project absolutely needs to have and do, getting it perfectly polished for our upcoming project delivery.
• Wiring the "Brain": We took a magnifying glass to the exact connections between our main microcontroller, the ESP32, and the specific components handled by each department. We also mapped out exactly what each component needs to function flawlessly—such as figuring out the precise capacitors required to stabilize the power!
• New Challenges Unlocked: As we dug deeper into the physical mechanics and system design, we stumbled upon some great engineering puzzles:
  • The Mounting Dilemma: How exactly are we going to securely attach the prototype to the boat hull without being invasive?
  • Visualizing the Data: How will the local data display actually look and operate for the user?
  • To Drill or Not to Drill? The ultimate question for our IP67 waterproof box: do we make holes for external connections and risk leaks, or find a fully sealed workaround?

Every new challenge is just another puzzle piece to solve, and our team is more than ready to tackle them head-on!

WEEK 5

Sensor Upgrades, Datasheets, and the IP67 Enclosure! 📦💦

This week was all about refining our work, making critical hardware decisions, and diving headfirst into the technical details. Thanks to some fantastic feedback from our professor, we made major upgrades to our project's foundation!

• Refining Requirements & Dropping the BMS: We updated our list to make our main goal crystal clear, added a real-world use-case example, and strongly justified why we are using each specific component. We also realized a BMS (Battery Management System) just wasn't justified for our setup, so we removed it! Finally, we deepened our technical specs and compared our solution directly with the competition.
• The Great Sensor Swap: After a deep dive into the datasheets and how the components operate together, we decided to upgrade our motion tracking. We officially swapped out the MPU6050 (accelerometer/gyroscope) and HMC5883L (magnetometer) combo for the powerful, all-in-one BNO055 sensor!
• The Display Dilemma: We hit a bit of a roadblock regarding our visual interface. We have been analyzing our options but struggled to find a display screen that perfectly matches exactly what we want for the local dashboard. The hunt continues!
• The IP67 Waterproof Box: We looked very closely at our enclosure. We investigated whether 3D printing the box in-house is actually a viable option to achieve true IP67 certification (fully waterproof and dustproof). The best discovery? We realized we don't even need to place the transmission antenna outside the box, which saves us from drilling holes and risking leaks!
• Prepping for Submission: Finally, we reviewed our complete Bill of Materials (BOM) to make sure we have everything we need and are 100% ready for our upcoming project delivery.

All these adjustments made our system much more efficient. We are feeling confident, solving problems like true engineers, and ready for the next phase!

WEEK 6

The Perfect Display, a Hardware Plot Twist, and 3D Modeling! 🖥️📐

The pressure is on! This week was all about gearing up for our big intermediate presentation and making some massive breakthroughs in our hardware architecture.

• Presentation Prep & Rethinking the Structure: We spent a lot of time preparing our slides and pitch for the upcoming intermediate presentation. During this process, we received some eye-opening feedback from our professor that made us step back and completely rethink how our system was structured.
• The Display Dilemma... Solved!: Remember our struggle to find the right visual interface? We finally found the perfect screen for our local dashboard: the MaTouch_ESP32-S3 Parallel TFT!
• A Major Hardware Plot Twist: Finding this new display caused a beautiful domino effect in our architecture. Because the MaTouch screen already has a powerful ESP32-S3 microcontroller and a MicroSD card reader built right into it, we realized we could completely drop our original standalone ESP32 and separate MicroSD module! This simplifies our wiring, reduces power consumption, and saves precious space inside the box.
• Building the Virtual Prototype: With our component list finally locked in and optimized, we started gathering the exact physical dimensions of every single piece of hardware. Why? So our mechanical team can start building the precise 3D CAD model of our final IP67 prototype enclosure!

It feels amazing to see our hardware architecture getting leaner and smarter. Next stop: crushing the intermediate presentation! 🚀

WEEK 7

Logistics Hiccups, Documentation, and Software Prep! 🚧💻

Even in engineering, sometimes things don't go exactly according to plan! This week, we faced a logistical roadblock, but we quickly pivoted to keep our momentum going.

• A Slight Delay: Due to a component distribution error from the university, we couldn't get our hands on our hardware this week. This meant we had to hit pause on building the physical prototype.
• Documentation & Restructuring: We didn't waste any time! We used this opportunity to fully update our Requirements List, ensuring every single change and hardware swap we've made so far is officially documented. We also redistributed the new tasks among the group members based on our recently updated architecture.
• Writing Code Without the Hardware: Who says you need the physical components to start working? We dove straight into the software and prep phase:
  • Structuring the communication protocol between the athlete's unit and the coach's unit.
  • Developing the data processing logic and algorithms for our new sensors.
  • Programming the data logging routines for the MicroSD card.
  • Designing the UI (User Interface) layout and figuring out exactly what data will be displayed on our new MaTouch screen.

A true engineering team knows how to adapt. We are fully prepped on the software side so that the moment the hardware arrives, we can hit the ground running! 🏃‍♂️💨

WEEK 8

Hardware Arrives, Coding Begins, and Post-Regatta Analytics! 🛠️📊

The wait is finally over! This week brought a lot of excitement as the bulk of our components finally arrived, allowing us to officially transition from theory to hands-on prototyping.

• The Build Begins: Although we are still waiting on a couple of straggler pieces, the main hardware is here. We immediately started assembling the physical prototype and testing the initial connections.
• Heavy-Duty Coding: With the hardware in hand, we launched directly into programming our core systems. We are simultaneously developing the code for the sensor board, the transmission protocols, the local display interface, and the MicroSD data logging routines.
• Post-Training Analytics App: We are thinking beyond just the live data. We started developing a dedicated website/app for post-training and regatta analysis. This platform will parse the CSV files extracted from our MicroSD card to give coaches a deep dive into the performance.
• Consulting the Experts: To ensure our system is genuinely useful in a real-world scenario, we sought advice from sailing experts (huge thanks to Nuno!). We discussed the ideal physical size for the dashboard screen and pinpointed exactly which metrics, graphs, and parameters are most critical to analyze after a session.

We are moving incredibly fast on both the hardware and software fronts right now. Seeing the prototype finally coming to life is a huge motivation boost for the entire team! ⛵💻

WEEK 9

Crunch Time, Broken Parts, and Major Milestones! ⏳🔋

The deadline is right around the corner at the end of this week, but it wouldn't be a true engineering project without a few last-minute plot twists!

• The Hardware Hurdle: We are still waiting on a few final components to arrive. To make matters more stressful, our DC-DC converters arrived broken in the mail! We had to urgently order replacements, which has temporarily delayed the power and energization phase of the prototype.
• Soldering and Success: We didn't let the delays stop us! Between soldering, wiring, coding, and rigorous testing, we achieved a massive milestone: we successfully got the display screen, the sensors, and the data transmission fully operational and talking to each other! We are now just waiting on those final straggler components to finish the physical build.
• Analytics App Completed! We have fantastic news on the software front: our post-training analysis web app is officially finished! The software is fully built and running perfectly using simulated input data that we created for development and testing.
• The Final Sprint: Now that the app's software is working, we are just waiting to gather real-world data from the finished prototype. Once we have that, we can plug it into the app and get detailed feedback from the sailing experts to fine-tune the analytics.

We are in the absolute final sprint and pushing hard. Bring on the deadline! 🚀

WEEK 10

Murphy's Law, Hardware Heartbreaks, and Troubleshooting! 💥🔧

If engineering was easy, everyone would do it. This week was, to put it lightly, disastrous! We faced the classic "Murphy's Law" of hardware development, where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

• The Material Mix-Up: We finally received the rest of our materials, but the excitement was short-lived. Some of the components delivered were the wrong models, meaning we immediately had to package them up and send them back.
• The Midnight Hardware Failures: While we were transferring data from the sensor ESP to the display board, our hardware decided to strike. Overnight, both the GPS sensor and the radio modules completely stopped working. We managed to troubleshoot and revive the GPS, but the radio modules remain unresponsive. Even with the expert help of our TA, Mariana, we couldn't figure out the root cause of the radio failure.
• The Thermal Runaway: As if that wasn't enough, one of our ESP microcontrollers spontaneously started severely overheating from one day to the next, halting our progress on that front.
• The Missing Datasheet Mystery: We have been struggling to establish the connection between our two ESP boards. The main roadblock? The manufacturer of the specific board we are using never released a complete or functional datasheet. We are essentially flying blind and having to reverse-engineer the connections.
• Testing Timeline Troubles: To cap off the week, we realized that our contacts for the real-world prototype testing are only available once the project is 100% complete. Since we need to test sub-systems now, we are actively brainstorming new solutions and workarounds to validate our progress.

It was a tough week full of smoke, broken components, and missing documentation. But this is the reality of prototyping! We are currently regrouping, diagnosing the burned boards, and preparing our next move. We will bounce back! 🛠️🔥

WEEK 11

A Working Prototype, 3D Printing Success, and the Final Countdown! ⏱️🎉

After the chaos of last week, we are thrilled to announce some massive breakthroughs! We pushed through the setbacks, and all the hard work is finally paying off as we head into the final stretch.

• We Have a Functional Prototype! This is the biggest news of the week. We successfully integrated the working code across both ESP32 microcontrollers. Our systems are finally communicating perfectly, and the prototype is officially alive and functioning!
• 3D Printing Victory: We printed the molds for our physical enclosures, and they came out perfectly on the very first try. A rare and beautiful moment in engineering!
• Minor Hardware Hiccups: It wouldn't be a normal week without a little troubleshooting. A battery holder burned out again, but we handled it in record time. Also, our highly fragile GPS antenna broke once more, but we are managing the repairs.
• Sea Trials Scheduled (Finally!): After a lot of back-and-forth with the FPV (Portuguese Sailing Federation), we finally locked in a date for our on-water testing! The catch? It is scheduled for the exact day before our final deadline. Talk about cutting it close, but we will take what we can get!
• Documentation & Media in Full Swing:
  • The final project Poster is 100% complete.
  • The local display Dashboard is fully finished and looking great.
  • We started designing our Final Pitch Deck.
  • We began editing our Final Video, though we cannot finish it until we get that crucial real-world footage from our boat test next week.

Fingers crossed that the engineering gods smile upon us and nothing else breaks before the final delivery next week. We are almost at the finish line! 🏁🚀

WEEK 12

Sea Trials, Iterative Engineering, and the Final Delivery! 🌊🏁

The twelfth week marked the conclusion of this rigorous phase of the project. With the submission deadline set for Tuesday, we headed to Cascais on Monday to conduct our sea trials with the prototype, which was 100% functional in our laboratory environment.

• Cascais Sea Trials: We began our on-water testing session with high expectations, putting our system's integration to the test under real-world maritime conditions on the boat's hull.
• Mechanical Shock & Hardware Failure: The harsh reality of naval dynamics made itself known immediately. Upon contact with the water, the prototype suffered a high-magnitude mechanical impact, causing an abrupt halt in data transmission. Our subsequent diagnostic troubleshooting confirmed that the anomaly originated from a fractured solder joint on one of the boards, which gave way under the sudden mechanical stress.
• Compromised Watertightness: During the trial, hydrodynamic forces also caused one of the mechanical mounting brackets to break. This physical failure compromised the main enclosure's isolation, allowing water ingress and breaking our planned IP67 protection. Fortunately, the architecture and isolation of our critical electronic components allowed them to survive the exposure, so everything is okay!
• Media Capture Success: Despite the hardware integrity setbacks, the session fully achieved its audiovisual purpose. We successfully captured all the necessary images and functional footage to edit and assemble our final presentation video.
• The Final Submission: On Tuesday, we executed the final compilation of our technical documentation, wrapped up the development, merged the multimedia files, and delivered the project flawlessly and perfectly on time.

Next Steps (Road to Eletroday): Engineering is a continuous, iterative process. In the upcoming weeks, our focus will shift to redesigning and structurally reinforcing the mechanical mounting bracket, polishing our Pitch Deck presentation, and—if logistics permit—conducting further on-water validation tests before the official showcase at Eletroday.

INTERVIEW 1

Nuno Barreto - Former Olympic Athlete

The collaboration with Nuno Barreto was a turning point for our project. Starting from an initial definition phase, Nuno helped us filter the essential metrics, such as wind, location, and boat attitude.

From this dialogue, we established as a goal not only the democratization of these systems through reduced costs, but also innovation in feedback: allowing the coach to receive accurate data in real-time on the support boat. This advancement is designed especially to optimize performance in single-crew competition boats.

INTERVIEW 2

Nuno Barreto - Former Olympic Athlete

Following our initial collaboration, a technical update in March 2026 allowed us to refine the system’s architecture and sensor integration. The focus was reaffirmed on dual-purpose real-time data transmission, benefiting both the athlete and the coach on the support boat, while maintaining the project's low-budget premise.

A key point of this dialogue was the strategic decision regarding wind sensors. Although Nuno highlighted their high value for performance analysis, we collectively decided to prioritize system reliability and cost-efficiency. Due to the technical challenges of marine-grade wiring and the prohibitive cost of high-precision ultrasonic sensors, wind measurement was categorized as a future modular expansion. This pivot ensures a robust core system—focusing on navigation (position, speed, heading) and boat attitude (heel, pitch)—while leaving "an open door" for further development once the primary goals are met.

INTERVIEW 3

Nuno Barreto - Former Olympic Athlete

A third technical consultation in March 2026 focused on refining the user experience (UX) and the hardware requirements for both athletes and coaches. After validating the final set of telemetry variables — heel, trim, heading, location, and speed — the dialogue shifted toward optimizing how this data is consumed in a marine environment.

Nuno provided critical insights into the differentiation of hardware. For the athlete, the need for a dedicated, high-visibility display (similar to "Vakaros" units) was confirmed. For the coach, the discussion settled on a tablet-based interface as the ideal solution. Unlike the athlete's unit, the coach's device does not require self-tracking capabilities; instead, its primary function is to act as a centralized data hub, allowing the monitoring of multiple boats simultaneously on a screen large enough to ensure readability during high-intensity training. This approach avoids redundancy and focuses the project’s resources on seamless multi-device data transmission.

INTERVIEW 4

Nuno Barreto - Former Olympic Athlete

In May 2026, as the project transitioned into the physical prototyping phase, a critical consultation was held regarding the device’s form factor and display dimensions. The primary challenge was balancing high legibility in a marine environment with the physical constraints of competition boats.

Drawing benchmarks from industry-standard devices like the Vakaros (which features a 4.4-inch display), we evaluated the feasibility of a 4.3-inch screen. Despite initial concerns regarding the readability of a smaller interface, Nuno validated the 4.3-inch choice, noting that the marginal difference in size (approximately 2.5mm) is negligible compared to the importance of effective screen real estate management. By optimizing the UI to minimize thick bezels and maximize the active display area, we can achieve a compact, professional-grade unit that remains functional without the added bulk or power consumption of 5-inch or 7-inch alternatives. This decision solidifies the project's commitment to a streamlined, ergonomic design suitable for high-performance sailing.

INTERVIEW 5

Nuno Barreto - Former Olympic Athlete

In May 2026, the collaboration focused on the post-training data analysis platform, transitioning from hardware prototyping to the software and user interface application. The objective was to design a platform capable of processing raw telemetry data, including timestamps, GPS coordinates, COG, SOG, heading, roll, and pitch, into actionable insights for competitive sailors.

Nuno enthusiastically validated our proposed architecture, which features core metrics (maximum and average speed, average heel, and duration) alongside a tactical map with heat-mapped performance tracking based on SOG and COG (similar to the interface design popularised by Strava). Based on his advanced training experience, Nuno recommended expanding the analytics suite to include historical time-series graphs detailing average heel and pitch fluctuations. This additions allow for a deeper diagnosis of boat stability and crew technique over time. This consultation ensured that the web application delivers a high-level, intuitive dashboard tailored to the analytical needs of professional sailing teams.

INTERVIEW 6

Nuno Barreto - Former Olympic Athlete

In mid-May 2026, the collaboration advanced to comprehensive beta testing of the post-training analytics platform. Nuno conducted a deep-dive review of the user interface, providing critical feedback to align the software with elite-level sports science. To benchmark this development, he provided exclusive analytical reports from high-performance racing circuits (SailGP and J/70), which served as architectural blueprints to elevate the platform’s analytical rigor.

This technical dialogue resulted in several vital UI/UX optimizations and feature enhancements:

• Advanced Data Filtering & Segmentation: Nuno suggested upgrading the "Spatio-Temporal Control" feature to allow the simultaneous selection of multiple timeline segments (e.g., isolating and comparing all downwind legs of a regatta).
• Cross-Variable Analytics: The interface was redesigned to allow data overlay within the telemetry graphs, enabling users to cross-reference multiple variables concurrently, such as Speed Over Ground (SOG) against Pitch or Heel.
• Sailing Logic Integration & UI Refinement: A semantic update was made to replace the term "Stability" with "Heel" for better domain alignment. Furthermore, we integrated tactical color-coding on telemetry lines based on the boat's tack—using green for starboard and red for port tack.
• Formula & Bug Corrections: The consultation exposed critical mathematical and synchronization bugs. We corrected the Velocity Made Good (VMG) calculation to reflect standard absolute magnitude regardless of upwind/downwind orientation. Additionally, we addressed synchronization errors between charts, ensuring that modifying a time segment dynamically updates the statistical summary and forces a uniform x-axis timeline across all active dashboard visualization modules.

INTERVIEW 7

Nuno Barreto - Former Olympic Athlete

In late May 2026, the focus of the collaboration shifted toward the empirical validation of the fully integrated prototype through real-world field testing. Due to Nuno’s professional commitments abroad in France, the consultation was conducted remotely to coordinate the logistics required for deployment in an operational racing environment.

To overcome the geographical constraints and facilitate immediate testing, Nuno leveraged his professional network within the national sailing infrastructure. He provided direct contacts and act as a liaison with key technical personnel working at the Portuguese Sailing Federation (Federação Portuguesa de Vela). These stakeholders, who are actively involved in both institutional training and regatta organization, possess the resources to streamline boat allocation and technical logistics. This strategic step marks the transition of the project from a controlled development environment to active field-testing, ensuring the hardware and telemetry systems can be validated under true competitive maritime conditions.

INTERVIEW 8

Henrique Brites - Portuguese Sailing Federation (FPV)

Following the referral by Nuno Barreto, a technical consultation was initiated with Henrique Brites from the Portuguese Sailing Federation to coordinate the operational deployment and field testing of the prototype. The dialogue focused on aligning the project’s strict academic/development timeline with the Federation's training schedules and verifying the structural constraints of the hardware for vessel integration.

The discussion established critical parameters for the upcoming field trials:

• Hardware Specifications & Weight Constraints: Henrique raised immediate queries regarding the physical impact of the device on the boat's ergonomics. We confirmed that the entire telemetry system is integrated into a marine-grade waterproof enclosure weighing approximately 1 kg, designed to be mounted near the mast to ensure optimal display visibility for the athlete without compromising boat balance.
• Timeline Alignment & Logistics: While the Federation initially proposed a high-profile testing window during a regatta between June 11th and 14th, our tight development schedule requires an accelerated deployment within the upcoming week to allow for data analysis before the final project submission.
• Operational Optimization: To circumvent calendar conflicts, we agreed on a flexible approach: prioritizing data collection, fault diagnostic, and real-time transmission validation on any available sailing vessel currently scheduled for sea trials. Henrique committed to coordinating with the high-performance sailing teams actively training in Cascais to secure an immediate vessel allocation, shifting the project into its final empirical validation phase.

INTERVIEW 9

Mariana Teixeira (TA) & Daniel Ferreira (Sport Algés e Dafundo)

In late May 2026, a parallel logistical channel was established through the project's Teaching Assistant (TA), Mariana Teixeira, leveraging her institutional connections with the Sport Algés e Dafundo nautical club. This interaction aimed to secure an alternative operational testing platform and explore mutual partnerships, such as providing media visibility for the club in exchange for field-testing access and qualitative interviews with local coaching staff.

Following this introduction, direct communications were initiated with Daniel Ferreira, the Sailing Coordinator and Head Coach at Sport Algés e Dafundo, to integrate the 1 kg waterproof telemetry prototype into their fleet. The ongoing negotiation highlighted the following operational points:

• Club Constraints & Event Scheduling: Initial efforts targeted a deployment during the club's Regatta on Sunday, May 31st. However, due to high-density scheduling, specifically a Nautical Festival on Saturday and the Regatta on Sunday, the club management noted extreme operational constraints that prevent prototype deployment during that specific weekend.
• Alternative Testing Window: Daniel Ferreira proposed shifting the sea trials to Saturday afternoon, June 6th, under standard training conditions. A follow-up clarification was immediately dispatched to assess whether this June 6th window is an exclusive alternative or if other flexible testing dates can be accommodated. This dialogue is currently open, awaiting final confirmation from the club's coordination to secure the empirical data collection phase before final project evaluation.