Open Source AIS Transponder (Class B)
This is the first ever (that I’m aware of) attempt at creating an open source AIS transponder
On the hardware side, the design is based on two Silicon Labs 4463 transceiver ICs and an STM32F302CBT6 ARM Cortex M4 microcontroller. One of the SiLabs ICs acts as a transceiver, while the other IC works as a receiver only. In receiver mode, each IC tunes to a different channel. When a transmission is scheduled, the ICs swap channels if the transceiver is not listening on the next transmit channel. This configuration may be construed as a violation of the AIS specification, but it makes for a much simpler PCB layout and negates the need for a 3-position RF switch.
There are two programs that need to be installed on the flash. The bootloader and the main application.
petera650 has shared the boards on OSH Park: