Case Studies

Portable Bluetooth Controlled Watercraft Battery Pack and Outboard Motor

Posted in Consumer Goods, Embedded Development & Programming, Product Development

Summary

DMC worked with Bixpy, a company who specializes in waterproof batteries, plug and play adapters, and motors, to produce a portable battery pack that can control a submersible motor that easily, quickly attaches to watercraft such as kayaks and paddle boards. DMC worked with Bixpy to upgrade the product to support larger batteries, use Bluetooth for system control, and allow for cell phone control and integration through the app.

Bixpy PP-378 Outboard Battery (V4)

Bixpy PP-768 Outboard Battery

Solution

DMC completed a full redesign of the hardware and firmware to help support Bluetooth integrations, higher capacity batteries, and more accurate methods of measuring the remaining battery capacity using coulomb counting.

This solution utilizes Silicon Labs Bluetooth modules to control the operation of the battery, the main control module, and the remote controller.

We worked to optimize the Bluetooth based remote control reconnection time to eliminate the delay in response after users pushed buttons. DMC came up with our own method of pairing and securing the communication between the remote and the battery that uses the Bluetooth advertising, which does not need to create a full connection. This upgrade allows for significantly improved remote response time and allows the remote to be powered from a small coin cell battery that does not need to be charged or replaced frequently. 

Through the global chip shortage, DMC helped secure the parts for this project and optimize the design to allow for flexibility and multi-source options. Our experience with motor controls, higher power applications, and Bluetooth qualified us to provide a modern upgraded solution and successfully upgrade to Bluetooth based communication.

DMC’s work to upgrade the product allowed the client to expand their product portfolio, add Bluetooth and other new features, and continue selling devices through the chip shortage. 

Learn more about DMC's Embedded Device Connectivity expertise and contact us for your next project. 

Customer Benefits

  • Expanded product portfolio
  • Continue selling product through the chip shortage
  • Added Bluetooth communications products for remote control
  • Added Bluetooth for phone application integration