Phidgets SBC for total ROV control

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Cliff L
Posts: 3
Joined: Nov 16th, 2010, 12:09 am

Phidgets SBC for total ROV control

Post by Cliff L »

First here is a list of the functions I want in my ROV then I'll go into my thoughts on the Phidget boards.

Movement: This will consume 9-10 outputs
LEFT-RIGHT
FORWARD-BACKWARD
UP-DOWN
YAW
CLAW ARM

Video:
One camera minimum 640x480 frames @ 15fps
Two cameras preferred. Frame rate can stay at 15fps for less bandwidth.

Sensors:
Water sensor for flood indication.
Compass for ROV direction indication
Sonar for depth and distance from bottom
Other sensors

Image

Phidget's, 1070 SBC
SBC is Single Board Computer.
I have been looking at this board and ones like it for several reasons. Here are some of the issues and maybe you can provide your thoughts.

I need many I/O's for ROV control and sensors.
I need video feed back to topside.
I would like to record the video feed.
I need 220' depth
Expandability for other applications.
Just for the fun of it.
Wires: I could use the basic relay control which I think I could make work over a 200' cable and composite video that would need a coax cable most likely. All this would mean a hefty custom cable and limited control and capability.

USB: USB would be great but it falls out of bed after about 60' and I would need USB 2.0 speeds for the video. The USB to Ethernet extenders may work but it take a good quality one to do it to 200' and that will set you back $300 plus.

RS485 will go the distance but It wont handle the video on the same cable and you end up with two different types of cables to deal with and software.

Ethernet: This looks to be the best choice for both distance and capability, but this also means software which I don't have much experience with. The cable is not too costly compared with the other options.

Fiber optics: This is the best choice by far but the cost will undoubtedly be too much to swallow. Do you know of an inexpensive way to use it? The only way I can think of is the use a USB to fiber then back to USB.

looking at the capability of the Phidget SBC along with the 8/8/8 I/O board and using Ethernet cable to the top side PC, I think this could be my choice. What do you guys think?
cncmike
Posts: 10
Joined: Nov 18th, 2010, 12:48 am
Contact:

Re: Phidgets SBC for total ROV control

Post by cncmike »

I am in the exact same spot.

I eventually jumped in and found this site called TinyCLR their site is http://www.tinyclr.com

Well I ended up buying a couple Pandas because the pre-release price was right. There are 60 IO with some analogue and 6 PWMs on it.

As far as video, I am just planning on a second wire, hopefully will work. Not quite there yet.

Along with the FEZ family from TinyCLR they are compatible with Arduino shields so there are many components you can use.

I personally have come a long way learning C# Micro .NET along with building an C# Full .Net Form Application to control it via the computer. With help I have been able to interface a USB Joystick on the computer and send it over RS232 to the Micro Controller (Panda) parse that command and turn some relays on and off and send back Temperature readings to the computer.

I plan on RS485 long term, full-duplex which I have some components ordered, and will be learning a bit about that.

So out of all of this, the video drives me crazy...:)

My goal is to go a min. of 500 feet, so choices are limited.

Anyways, keep in touch. It's always good to hear what others are thinking.

By the way, I have a start of a blog for my build at: http://rov.cncbasics.com

If I figure this video embedded thing out on my Main computer App, I will be posting all my code on there. (I am doing this all in Microsoft's Free Visual Studio C# Express Edition).

To answer your question about Phidget, not sure, but they have some components I have looked at....:)

Mike in MN
Cliff L
Posts: 3
Joined: Nov 16th, 2010, 12:09 am

Re: Phidgets SBC for total ROV control

Post by Cliff L »

Thanks for the reply Mike.
I think I will be getting a 500' roll of Cat cable once I get the electronics worked out. So my plan is to test the video with the whole 500' of cable first, then work my way down from there because I want to know how far I can push it.
Asbjørn
Posts: 3
Joined: Jan 7th, 2011, 7:36 pm
Location: Norway

Re: Phidgets SBC for total ROV control

Post by Asbjørn »

I'm using Phidgets for control, 1080p IP cameras for video, Belkin network usb hub for converting the Phidget USB to Ethernet. The cameras and the Belkin device are connected to a 5 port gigabit switch, which is connected to a gigabit mediaconverter. The 1 km long multimode fiber cable is connected betwen the mediaconverters in the ROV and on the surface, the surface converter is connected to a pc which is used for control and display of video.
Check out the pro mspaint schematic. :)
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