Re: boat propulsion - miniature computer-controlled steam plant?

"Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m1y1ardukg.fsf@void.com...
I got an "Arduino" embedded device working today.
Advantage me seeking jobs in processing - new mines opening up around
here (Cornwall).
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Congratulations! The bare Arduino doesn't do anything interesting by itself, so a welding voltage and current data recorder might be a good useful project for you. Here's a DC current sensor:
https://www.ato.com/dc-current-sensor-400a-to-20000a
https://store.arduino.cc/collections/shields-carriers
A less demanding initial version could sample, record and perhaps display the audio voltage to a loudspeaker. That would cover most of the user interface, measuring and recording complexity without the risk. A spreadsheet can convert a list of time-stamped voltage readings into a graph, so you don't need to do everything to get started.
Theoretically you can accurately capture frequencies of up to 1/2 the sampling rate. You just filter out the higher frequencies to avoid confusion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyquist%E2%80%93Shannon_sampling_theorem
Usually I write the user interface first, as the definition of what to do. It calls dummy routines that return canned responses which I then connect to reality. Having a running program that processes known data can make errors visible as they are introduced.
I never presented myself as a Programmer but the jobs came anyway when the engineers found that I could. Coding plus hands-on skill is uncommon. I've been plodding through a spreadsheet I wrote that figures my taxes. It has several IF;Then;Else structures that gave me some trouble translating them from the text instructions.