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GasMinder: Proactive Propane Safety Afloat

This vigilant galley companion protects a busy crew. Peace-of-mind at your fingertips, long overdue.

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GasMinder: Proactive Propane Safety Afloat

GasMinder: Proactive Propane Safety Afloat

GasMinder: Proactive Propane Safety Afloat

GasMinder: Proactive Propane Safety Afloat

GasMinder: Proactive Propane Safety Afloat

This vigilant galley companion protects a busy crew. Peace-of-mind at your fingertips, long overdue.

This vigilant galley companion protects a busy crew. Peace-of-mind at your fingertips, long overdue.

This vigilant galley companion protects a busy crew. Peace-of-mind at your fingertips, long overdue.

This vigilant galley companion protects a busy crew. Peace-of-mind at your fingertips, long overdue.

Timothy Litvin
Timothy Litvin
Timothy Litvin
Timothy Litvin
1 Campaign |
Santa Cruz, United States
$592 USD 8 backers
2% of $20,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Choose your Perk
GasMinder V4

GasMinder V4

$99 USD $129 USD (23% off)
Est. Shipping
August 2023
1 out of 200 of claimed
GasMinder V3.9 - US Only

GasMinder V3.9 - US Only

$99 USD $129 USD (23% off)
Est. Shipping
July 2023
0 out of 25 of claimed
GasMinder V4 > Buddy Pack

GasMinder V4 > Buddy Pack

$190 USD $260 USD (26% off)
Est. Shipping
August 2023
0 out of 100 of claimed
GasMinder V4 > Chandlery Pack

GasMinder V4 > Chandlery Pack

$900 USD $1,300 USD (30% off)
Est. Shipping
August 2023
0 claimed
GasMinder - Private Label

GasMinder - Private Label

$9,250 USD $13,000 USD (28% off)
Est. Shipping
November 2023
0 claimed
Prototype
The project team has a working demo, not the final product. Their ability to begin production may be affected by product development or financial challenges.
Check Wrench Warehouse Truck
Concept Prototype Production Shipping

Rest assured: you won't forget.

GasMinder 

Ahoy fellow boaters! I'm Tim,  a guy who has been happily living aboard his sailboat for over thirty years poised right on the edge of a National Marine Sanctuary in Monterey Bay. While also working aboard, over the course of my engineering career I've earned more than a dozen patents, mostly designing scientific optical devices. 

 

As a seasoned sailor and tech product developer, I've learned a few things about optimizing a living space to suit my needs. Since one of my passions is cooking (and I love foods from all around the world), our galley has gotten a lot of special attention. In fact, our galley and my cooking were even featured by a local newspaper as an example of what was possible with a "tiny kitchen". 

During a refit a few years ago, I realized that the galley's standard propane switch wasn't up to snuff. Even after decades of living aboard, I, like many other boaters, would still forget to turn off the propane from time to time, prolonging that elevated hazard state for everyone onboard.  

Propane control is not something a boater should be cavalier about. A boat's propane supply is necessarily isolated from the rest of the boat, the flow shut-off with a solenoid valve that should be switched on only when in-use. This is because propane is actually heavier than air and a boat is shaped like a bucket: a small invisible leak can accumulate in the lower portions of the boat, creating the risk of an explosion. I am the kind of boat owner who finds the thought of my boat exploding unacceptable. 

Boats today often have gas detectors to set off an alarm when sufficient propane accumulates at the sensor: these emergency screechers are what I refer to as "brown britches alarms", i.e., they announce a problem of immediate and great seriousness. I prefer to be more proactive about preventing such problems.

Typical of an engineer, whenever shopping for boat gear I am often tormented with the thought “I could design something better than that”. That’s what happened with this propane switch. This particular safety device was too important, and too flawed, to ignore, so I set out to create a better solution for our galley.

After months of noodling, circuit design, and prototyping, I came up with the original GasMinder. Turns out it wasn't a screeching alarm or a shut-down timer that I needed: either would be an inappropriate reaction to the problem. All that's really needed is an active indicator and a casual reminder.

Turn on the solenoid with GasMinder and a pulsing amber PROPANE label stands out from other LEDs. Every 20-minutes an audible "beep-beep" sounds: just a polite reminder that the propane solenoid is ON in your boat's galley. A physical guard around the breaker prevents an accidental ON/OFF. The guard also helps the chef to find the switch by feel... a feature that will make obvious sense the moment you need to cook while getting tossed around at sea. Even a lumpy anchorage can make turning on a switch an awkward challenge.

 
 

Combining those practical features in a rugged, "yacht grade" propane control, the GasMInder is so satisfyingly effective that I'm sure other boaters will enjoy it too. That's why I'm launching this campaign to bring the GasMinder to market.

My experience of living aboard and sailing, combined with my expertise in tech product development, has enabled me to create a solution that addresses a common problem faced by every boater who cooks with propane.

I sincerely believe the GasMinder can make a real difference in enhancing safety and peace of mind for anyone who cooks with propane on their boat. It certainly has on our boat, having caught me forgetting several times in just the last month. It's shockingly easy to forget: problem solved. Consistent shut-off will also help prevent burn-out of your solenoid, and will help to save energy too. 

Happily, a friend who is a seasoned electrical engineer took an interest in "bulletproofing" my original design. We have since prototyped, programmed, tweaked, tested, and abused dozens of custom printed circuit boards, along with several iterations of 3D printed plastic housings. These units are flawlessly functional, and the aesthetic details of the plastic is now the “yacht grade” we expect for our boats.

I've installed a GasMinder on my boat now (most recently the V4 prototype), and it's fantastic! That’s where this campaign comes in: we are ready to build injection molds to make high-quality housings. With molded components, we can bring a beautiful, classy and useful safety device to our fellow boaters... if we get enough interest.

By contributing to this campaign, you can help make the GasMinder happen for our boating community. And you will enjoy a surprisingly easy upgrade for greater peace of mind.

The GasMinder project is happening under the umbrella of my business name “Optonautics”, a business established to exercise my skills in optics and my lifelong passion for ocean science. For many years, the core project underway through Optonautics has been the development of a long-range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) that could play an important role in monitoring ocean health in the coming decades. Revenue from the GasMinder will help to bring this enabling ocean science tool to life, and will  generally help me to afford my engineering habit. The GasMinder is a clever little byproduct of an active, industrious mind trying to make the world a better place. 

What We Need & What You Get

All Pre-Orders will be fulfilled in the order they were received. For faster delivery, place your order now.

As a backer of our GasMinder campaign, we can assure you that regardless of the campaign's success, you will receive your GasMinder and/or other perks. If we fall short of our funding goal, we will still deliver a high-quality product to you, albeit manufactured using stereo lithography (SLA) processes (as pictured above). The difference this makes to us is a lot more polishing expense to get an acceptably gorgeous finished product. Fortunately, although the market is relatively small (when compared to consumer electronics) our campaign goal is modest. We just need to quickly find enough customers to rationalize investing in expensive molds to injection mold V4 housings.  

If GasMinder campaign support quickly exceeds 150 units, we will initiate the building of injection molds, i.e., we will begin manufacturing prior to the end of this campaign. Shipping of product will be 5-8 weeks after we initiate the mold construction.  If you're planning to ever purchase a GasMinder, pre-ordering during our IndieGoGo campaign will get you the best price.


In the case where interest in GasMinder far exceeds our expectations, the revenue will be invested in ongoing research and development of Optonautics' advanced engineering projects. We plan to explore other propane and marine industry products in the future, if customer interest is expressed.  Ultimately, by supporting our campaign you will enable our ongoing development of ocean science equipment for reef habitat protection. You can feel good knowing that you are investing in the future of coming generations, building tools for the preservation of Earth’s oceans. Join us in this mission and help make a difference!

Funding Goal Objectives

Given a successful campaign, the GasMinder V4 will demonstrate a well-tested, complete electronic design assembled with the pilot run of V4 plastic parts from a new injection mold. The GasMinder V4 printed circuit boards are tested and ready to go, suitable for either 12V or 24V installations. Given a successful campaign, the only foreseeable complication to delivery is if the mold or assembly process needs some small tuning, say, for aesthetic or fit details. Or...I suppose... if we receive a market demand for GasMinder that far exceeds any fantasy we're willing to entertain. Those kinds of start-up issues can delay parts by weeks, but...

a) these are relatively simple molded parts,

b)  We have already prototyped multiple V4 SLA's to verify our aesthetic recipe for the molds, and tested them with proven electronics.

c) Steel injection molds can be produced from our 3D files in a matter of a few weeks, so we are pretty confident about making the delivery date,... plus

d) our anticipated ship date already includes a buffer period, just in case. 

e) GasMinder V3.9 for US market 12-20VDC is shipping now.

Other Ways You Can Help

Your support for the GasMinder project not only helps enhance safety for boaters, but it also contributes to advancing oceanographic technology research at Optonautics by affording the resources necessary to bring good ideas to life. Whether or not you are a boat owner, there are many ways you can help.

  • If you plan to buy a GasMinder, please pledge early: pledging early can help create momentum for the campaign and encourage others to contribute.
  • Buy a GasMinder for your boat. Then you can get safely distracted. Don't forget.
  • Buy a GasMinder for a friend who has a boat: endear yourself for a dinner invitation. 
  • Tell your favorite chandlery about this GasMinder campaign.
  • If you keep your boat in a harbor, buy a GasMinder for each of your dock neighbors within blast radius. It's cheap insurance and a great gift.
  • Share the campaign: Help spread the word about the GasMinder by sharing the campaign on your social media platforms with your boating friends, emailing it to friends and family, and talking to other boaters at your marina.
  • Reach out to boating groups: If you're a member of a boating club or group, consider sharing the campaign with the other members to help generate support.
  • Contact media outlets: If you know of any media outlets that may be interested in featuring the GasMinder, reach out to them and see if they would be willing to do a story on the campaign.
  • Offer feedback: If you have any suggestions or ideas for improving the campaign or the GasMinder itself, reach out and let us know. Maybe we can incorporate your feedback and make the campaign even better!

I'm excited to see where this journey takes us, and I'm grateful for your support in making it happen. Thank you.

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