How do you really manage your hardware setup while working offshore with your BR2 on a rib boat (with no cabin or shelter) in November ( northern hemisphere), under rain, salty spray, wind and 5°C air temperature with gloves ?
Joystick ? FXTI ? Screen ? Computer ?
Tried the following this summer :
Laptop (500nits) + USB joystick +USB FXTI
Result :
Need to avoid rain and waves, extremely impractical, unreadable screen. Can’t imagine using this setup for winter.
Thanks!
Hi @Lyra
A steamdeck inside a large, clear bag (maybe a zip- loc style?) may be able to help - @kurt_bluerobotics has managed to use the BlueROV2 from a kayak with one! The gloves will be a bit tricky, but you can get the style with conductive tips to let you continue to use touch-screen…although probably not through the bag! 
Hi @tony-white
Thank you very much for the suggestion!
After some brainstorming, I’ve come up with the following setup:
I’ve successfully used a capacitive screen through an LDPE zip-lock bag in dry conditions. However, as soon as water starts flowing over the zip-lock (e.g., from raindrops), the capacitive screen becomes unresponsive/crazy. A resistive touchscreen would maybe be a better option in such environments!
Sure gloves can be tricky, but hopefully not as mittens 
Hi @Lyra
I’m not sure what you mean by that? One of the bluetooth ones that clip to a tablet? This may be possible but a compatible rugged tablet may be tough to find. An external controller makes sense, but a rugged tablet is sure to be considerably more expensive too? The nicer steam decks are pretty sunlight visible with their OLED screens, but even the cheapest one that I use has surprisingly good sunlight visibility - and is easier to shade than a laptop or potentially even a tablet, as you could place your arms in something like this - which may also help with spray / rain? It would give you a place to keep the FXTI, your idea of a box for it is a good one though!
Hi @tony-white
Yes ! Some models can stretch quite far, capable to host a large tablet.
BSP-D11 Telescopic Controller - Review - YouTube
As for the price of the rugged tablet, a second hand model from an older generation might do the trick. Unless I’m mistaken, you “only” need a CPU capable of decoding H.264/AVC for the HD USB Camera, right ?
For 5°C my solution would be to stay home but another option is to use AR glasses. I’ve been testing a set of these (nReal Air 2) and find it practical - gives good situational awareness/tether management etc. but have a 400nit touchscreen as a backup.
Hi @BillyBudd
Do you wear your AR glasses while onboard? I’m curious how they affect seasickness.
How do the XReal Air 2 glasses perform in sunlight while on shore?
Hi @Lyra, Not yet but presume it shouldnt be any different than looking at a screen as you can see the horizon through the image to some extent(adjustable).
The version I have comes with a sunglass style detachable tinted lens for bright sunlight. The Pro version released since I purchased mine comes with a chromatic lens that you tap to adjust the tint level to according to the sunlight brightness.
Mine works well in bright Australian sunshine as you can adjust the brightness level up to a retina searing intensity. Provides great audio and a 3D option but requires a device the can deliver HDMI output (and power) via a single USB-C style socket (on most new devices now).
Hi @Lyra -
This controller may work well (we prefer hall sensors for position feedback.)
In general you’re correct on the tablet CPU, and I’ve confirmed with our software team that cockpit in the Chrome browser on Android works great! You just need to be sure to properly setup your USB/ethernet connection to be on the correct 192.168.2.X subnet (typically X=1 but with cockpit this isn’t required.)