Rigger Tamer
The ultimate upgrade for 2011 to present Cannon Magnum 5 ST and Cannon Magnum 10 STX downriggers
22/04/2020
11/04/2020
Go get a shirt from https://tshirtsea.com
10/04/2020
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored!
Waiting for some new circuit boards for the
New & Improved Rigger Throttle!
Made a page for it : https://www.facebook.com/Rigger-Throttle-106487574352588
Started working on a website for it : https://www.riggerthrottle.com
Made some shirts : https://tshirtsea.com/products/i-took-control-of-my-downriggers
29/03/2020
Bored today? Go snag one of my t-shirts!
https://tshirtsea.com
21/03/2020
My plans for shooting video for the Rigger Tamer this weekend have changed. What does one do?
Design something cool!
I had a lot of people just interested in being able to slow down their Cannon Magnum 5ST or Magnum 10STX and have soft starts and stops.
Well here it is. The Rigger Throttle!
I wired up a prototype, tested it, and it works.
What it does:
* Soft starts and stops - No more jerking!
* Adjustable up and down speeds.
* Auto-stop still works the same as it did.
* Positive Ion Control still works the same as it did.
Granted, my testing was limited, but it works with the same principles and circuits as the Rigger Tamer. I'm confident that when I do get to the lake that it will perform as I want.
The picture is of the final circuit board design. Barring any further shipping restrictions, I should have them in 10 - 12 days.
14/03/2020
Since people can't share the post I put up on a couple groups, here's that same post. You can share this one.
I built something for my Cannon Magnum 10STX downriggers and would like some input as to whether you would be interested if I brought them to market.
What this does is makes a 2011 or newer Cannon Magnum 5ST or Magnum 10STX similar to the DigiTroll series.
It adds:
* Backit LCD Display - I can see what's going on in the dark now. Without a headlamp!
* Membrane keypad - Looks pretty cool. Works really well!
* "Soft" starts and stops - I don't have to worry about it ripping the whole thing off the side of my boat when it starts and stops now.
* Programmable up and down speeds - I can set it to drop slowly and actually fish on the way down while I set the other rigger. It stops when it gets to the depth I set. Or I can go for it and zip it down fast. I can program the up speed too.
* Programmable depth - I setup 5 presets so I just hit the AUTO DOWN button and it goes there. When I hit the AUTO UP it stops where I set it. I have a Depth Raider so I made it work with coated cable and it works even if I was using braid for my rigger line. On rough days I have it stop sooner so the ball doesn't swing around and hit the boat.
* Programmable depth cycles - kind of like jigging - I set how much to raise it and how long to hold it until it goes back to where it started
* It's got a voltage readout too - I have my rigger battery separate from my other batteries and it doesn't get charged by the kicker. So I wanted to keep track of where it was at so I never had to crank it up by hand.
These would likely sell for $160.00
I know, I could have bought a DigiTroll. But I couldn't afford to do that. The Magnums are awesome the way they are, but I wanted them to do more.
I'm in no way affiliated with Cannon or its' parent company, Johnson Outdoors.
I'm just a guy that took his own idea and made it happen.
If you're interested, like my Rigger Tamer page at:
https://www.facebook.com/RiggerTamer
and if I can actually start selling these you'll be the first to know.
14/03/2020
What would you think of this?
I'm considering starting a Kickstarter Campaign. Right now my funding comes from my debit card.
If this idea is successful, I would be able to get my overseas components at a quantity discount. For example: The keypads cost me $31.00 each when I get 10 at a time. If I order 100 at a time that drops to $12.75 each. And that's just one of the parts. It adds up pretty quick.
I would pass that savings off to the ones that fund the project.
So instead of being $160.00 they would be $127.00
You get a good deal.
I get a bigger inventory of the parts that take 4 weeks to get.
I think it's a win - win situation.
I did all the numbers and would have to have 46 sold through the campaign to get everything to fall into place.
Thoughts?
I must have broken the rules on the fishing group I posted in yesterday. The post got deleted đ
I had a couple of requests for adjustable color schemes. Instead of just a black background and white characters, I'll be adding a choice of color options.
I appreciate all the interest! I've got several of these out in the field being tested now. Being in Wisconsin and having winter in the way I had to send some off to warmer climates. They're working very well. No hiccups. No lost rigger weights!
The Rigger Tamer teaser
11/11/2019
The Rigger Tamer Story
During the spring, summer and fall here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin we have, at our doorstep, a world class fishery in Lake Michigan. There are Chinook and Coho Salmon, Rainbow, Brown and Lake Trout.
My first downriggers were Cannon Uni-Troll⢠10 STX's. They performed flawlessly for trip after trip. But cranking them up from the dark depths in mid to late summer became more of a task than I wanted to endure. So they were replaced with a pair of Cannon Magnum 10 STX electrics. What a difference! The quality and performance of these far exceeds any other manufacturer. However, I never got used to just how rapidly they started and stopped. I reinforced the gunwales they were mounted on to be sure they stayed attached. Now I wanted to perhaps slow them down and be able to control them more. The only readily available option to do that would be to replace them with the more expensive units that Cannon offers. But being a âblue collarâ fisherman I had more time available to me than I had financial resources.
So exploration began. I started with a simple external motor speed control put together with some simple components. It worked, but it wasnât a nice clean upgrade. There were plugs plugging into more plugs. So the next step involved removing 11 screws from the side cover. That revealed the inner workings of the downrigger. It was quite a surprise that there was ample space inside to change things there. With countless hours of measuring, research and testing, the right combination of micro-controller and motor driver was put together. Then the programming and debugging. That was followed by extensive "on the water" shake down runs. Putting it through the harshest conditions we could here on Lake Michigan to be sure it performed as well as the downrigger it was added to.
So.... Here we are. Many revisions later. A product that will do exactly what I set out to accomplish. It fits any 2011 to present Cannon Magnum 5ST or Magnum 10 STX downrigger. I hope you enjoy the new features it provides.