Homebuilt ROVs Forum

My ROV is still in the conceptual phase, so I not talking from underwater experience. However, helicopters have the same issue which I know a bit about. When the rotor/vertical prop turns one direction the copter/ROV will tend to turn the opposite. Copters have a tail rotor to counteract this rotati...

If you go to the arduino forums (forum.arduino.cc) and search for IBT-2, one of the threads is marked [Solved] and may help you. However, I looked at the code and it doesn't seem correct. The poster says it works but I don't understand the logic. A PWM normally should be an analog value, not a LOW. ...

I've used the official IDE quite a bit and it's find for smaller projects. However, when you want to start splitting your code into additional files, it becomes non-intuitive (meaning that I don't have the patience to figure it out by trial and error). The MariaMole IDE can be found here: http://dal...

Congrats on the successful tests! You have a fair amount of range left in your testing. I'm interested in what the rest of the voltage range will bring. Maybe you should just wire it direct to a car battery and let 'er rip! :D Have you tried a "regular" thruster with your test rig? Might b...

I've been using the typical Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) but have found it a little limited and clumsy (or at least non-intuitive) when dealing with sketches that are more than one file. I've tried MariaMole which was OK, but I didn't really stick with it. I recently also tried A...

I see below the listing prices as low as $8.50 from China! I might have to spring for a few. I'm OK with knock-offs as well. Unfortunately, I just ordered a set of motors. Might have to wait until I actually build and test something before upgrading... Funny though, there are three separate vendors ...

Are there any clues on the motor as to its specs? I have no idea how a motor from a bilge pump compares to some of the hobby motors out there. I'm looking at other motors but have no idea whether they will be grossly underpowered. As for the price, Bass Pro lists a Rule 1000 GPH pump at $55 online, ...

A bearing might also help stop wear, but your testing will determine whether you need it. I noticed that in the second version you've stripped off the housing of the bilge pump. Does that mean that what you've basically got is a brushed DC motor? If so, using any DC motor would bring your costs down...

Looking good!

Are you thinking of some material (Teflon or something) as a bearing surface between the PVC and the prop? Would either the PVC or the prop melt due to friction? I guess the water would cool it though.

Really interested in how well this works.

Fred

If 24V at the surface ends up at 12V at the ROV, do you really need a 24V to 12V converter? Would a 12V regulator be enough?

I'm not totally up on my electronics, so enlighten me why if this thinking is not correct.

Fred