what control package options are out there?

[piercet]

So I'm building this here ROV thing, and I'll at some point need a controll system for it. I'd kind of rather use something already built just to minimize the electrical tinkering needed. I'm ok at that, and I have 2 Arduino based 3d printers, so I am familiar with the setup processes for such controllers, but I don't find the electrical tinkering part of the project as enjoyable as the other aspects.

I'm looking for the best out of the box setup with hopefully enough thruster and servo leads to controll the following:
4 Thrusters (2 rear, 1 side, 1 up/down) - Bluerobotics integrated ESC
1 Camera Tilt servo
3 or 4 Robot arm servos
1 light on / off switched input
Potentially a second robot arm (cable cutter, on / off for a suction dredge, or maybe a basket latch)
Sensors - (depth, magnetic heading, Inertial gyroscope, battery life)
Some sort of OSD capability

I was thinking about just going with the electronics package from the OpenROV, but it seems to lack the required number of servo outputs.

Anyone have any ideas on a good package? I saw the German x3 package which seems like it would work, but potentially not as much support in english as I might hope for? http://www.rov-control.com/shop/en/Cont ... ntrol.html Are there other options out there? If so, which one would you reccommend?

Thanks!

[TigerShark]

I have only seen a couple , there is another from Asia which I believe there is info on this forum for. We are working on an Arduino based system which should have plenty of pwm outputs and should include all of the features mentioned. It will be a few years though. Right now it works with a Playstation controller and we haven't got the OSD to work yet or sensors.

[MNDeepROV]

Piercet,

I had/have the same plan as you. I was looking for an out of the box (so to speak) control system for my first ROV. With limited time I want to focus on the mechanics/hydromechanics of the design rather than any programming. I opted for the X3_Control system you referred to out of Germany. The OpenROV had limitations in my eyes (as far as right out of the box anyway), and the Arduino is excellent, but a much bigger learning curve for me, even with my programming experience. One really positive note for the X3 is that it seems to have room for growth as I advance. I haven't received my unit yet, as an update to the unit was in process, but I hope to give it a great review once I do.

Just my two cents, but I struggled with that decision for a quite some time. I'm already thinking of a smaller tow-behind style ROV for river work and I may try my hand with the Arduino for that one.

[piercet]

I'll have to track down that Asian one. The X3 one looks like it will at very least do everything the OpenROV one will do out of the box, and I do read a little rusty college German, so that might be the way I end up going. I'm planning on a 3 tiered control board mounting platform in the primary pressure tube, camera and lights in front, control boards in the middle on either side, and primary batteries on the backside, so i should have plenty of room.

Oh hey, another Washington person!

[Oldsirhippy]

Hi,
Re the Asian control, I sent them several emails but never got a response. It is a pity as it looked to be well thought out and was also very low cost. Maybe you will have better luck getting hold of them.
http://rov-asia.com/rov_control_board.html
Best wishes.

[piercet]

I sent them an e-mail, we'll see what happens. It still has fewer servo outputs than I'm going to ideally want. The X3 one seems closest to that so far. I see various ROV's out there with similar control setups and robot arms and whatnot, so there has to be something out there as a control setup that will work.

[gcelec]

The small company I work for (5 employees) is building an ROV for the city of New York and there's quite a bit of spin off technology that we're starting to sell as products.
This junction box may be of intterest http://www.seaviewsystems.com/products/ ... ction-box/