Rov-ing About

Spot for your general beginner questions.
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Billrose
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Rov-ing About

Post by Billrose »

Bingo! Bongo!

This is going to be a guide for beginners in Rov's for the forum. I thought I might give a series of written articles together with some drawings and photos to help people who want to learn from my long experience of sticking 'Yellow' submersibles and engineering into wet salty water.

It will be a little technical and also a little humorous. Because... The one thing I have learned is that a little humour helps you get along every day.

So think of this as a short introduction for Rov-ing about.

The idea behind this is to give everyone a chance to understand and appreciate the practical methods you have to think about when you go Rov-ing.

So... Tune in... Turn on... And Dive. Dive. Dive in...

Also feel free to comment and ask questions...

Regards to you all.
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Billrose
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Re: Rov-ing About

Post by Billrose »

Bingo! Bongo!

Sorry for the time taken for the posting of my forum posts, wrestling with a giant tentacle creature called the inter-mac-web..

So I am going to base much of my early post on this little device. The Frankendrone.
It is actually a radio controlled surface drone (Or Droid...) With a video camera in the clear dome in the front.

I know its not exactly a "ROV" But for the purpose of my early posts it will be perfectly adequate. Attached are two pictures. One of the Franken-drone out on the water. The other is a diagram of the Franken-drone. (In 'Yellow Submarine' colour.)

As you can see from the picture it floats on two small 'catamaran' hulls while the main body is raised up well out of the water. Propulsion power is provided by an aeroplane propellor, fitted at the back. Which pushes the Franken-drone forward.

The design means it can float around in very shallow water. A pond, a puddle or a bath tub / shower tray. Which is handy for testing out before going out into deeper water.

Another reason for choosing this design. Is that it is very simple. Therefore easy to build and operate, especially for beginners, also very good for practising for people who have a "ROV" and need more experience of watching how a machine behaves from your direct vision, as well as seeing the view from the on board camera..

Two views. One from the onboard camera, the second with your own eye sight.
That is an important piece of information. Which I will mention again and again in these posts.



Also feel free to comment and ask questions...

Regards to you all.
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kenl
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Location: South Western Australia

Re: Rov-ing About

Post by kenl »

Reminds me of a water beetle :) I'm looking forward to the thread.

How would it go in choppy conditions?

And does it have a use other than as a trainer?
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Billrose
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Location: Ancient Greece

Re: Rov-ing About

Post by Billrose »

Bongo! Bingo!

The Franken-drone is actually a very useful little machine. Its part boat, part video camera, part remote trainer. It is also a great introduction into hobby Rov's because it is very simple to build and operate. Very useful for a beginner to start with because of the simplicity of construction and operation.

Also a lot of the electrical and electronic bits and pieces can be re-used when building a real Rov.

I know most of you are working on your own, spread far and wide across the planet, from Australia to Austria and from Zanzibar to Zurich. But the Franken-drone would be great for a club or group Rov for people to play with. Perhaps even for a school, college or as an engineering project. Just a thought...

The design of the Franken-drone also allows for it to re-designed and altered into another configuration so that it be operated... Upside-Down!
With the floats on the surface. But the body submerged just under the water with the camera now viewing / seeing underwater. This is what I mean by being a very useful machine. When it is inverted is becomes a Semi-Submersible Rov.
A sort of half-way hybrid between boat and submarine. For this you have to build a second hull and the air-propellor stays up out of the water. While hull with the camera is down below underwater.
This next stage after that would be to put a water propellor fitted into the underwater hull and have almost the entire machine underwater.

Once you have explored all the possible combinations of surface and semi-surface designs. You will have to build a whole new submersible Rov hull and tube structure to convert the Franken-drone into a proper shallow water diving Rov.

So you understand the Franken-drone is a machine that can be built and modified several times by a beginner. It can teach you skills in construction, design and operation of a Remote control machine and eventually a fully operating underwater Rov.


Also feel free to comment and ask questions...

Regards to you all.

(Ps. Did you notice it was Bongo! Bingo!... Ah ha!) <><
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Billrose
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Re: Rov-ing About

Post by Billrose »

I should mention that the Franken-drone is made by an American. I believe it to be Larry Friese. But try as I might I have found it difficult to actually find the man. He seems very private.

If you dial up 'Franken drone' across the inter-Macweb it comes up with some content from early 2013, spring.
YouTube has a few videos of the machine.

Regards.
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Billrose
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Re: Rov-ing About

Post by Billrose »

Perhaps it is a bit of a coincidence but the design of the Franken-drone looks remarkably like portions of the 'Starship Enterprise' You have to look at it ‘Downside-up’ to get the idea... The main hull and the two engines on supporting struts.... Anyway just thinking out loud.

So back to work!

Having looked at most hobby Rov’s. It seems to me that the vast majority of them are just basic underwater ‘flying’ video cameras. The Franken-drone would come in under that category. So for the majority of people the basic design of the Franken-drone would be a good beginners choice.

My own sense of design would actually be very different, much more radical, from the linear and rectangular shape. I would start with a much more unusual design. Something more inspired by a natural elliptical form.
But then I have been building and operating robotic and remote operating
machines for very many, many years. So my design starting point would be a long way, away from the rather simple design of the Franken-drone.

However! The original dimensions of the Franken-drone are quite small. (About the size of a small suitcase.) Approx. 18 inches by 15 inches. (45 cm. by 38 cm.)
What If... We make it Bigger! Larger! Say double or even triple it in size. To 60 inches long and 40 inches wide (150 cm. by 100 cm.) That would make for quite a large machine. However it would allow for adding extra bits to the machine. Tools, Sonar, Claw and other equipment.
Very few hobby Rov’s seem to be built to be expanded or developed with other tools or operating equipment. Like a claw / manipulator. Vacuum /blower pump. Fish Harpoon..! Explosive Torpedo..! Tsunami Detector..! Etc.
But a large machine of these dimensions would be capable of doing much more than just a flying underwater video camera.
A bigger machine would also move and operate very differently from the smaller one and it will take time to understand the how it moves and behaves in the water.
A lot of people want their Rov to move around quickly. But this is not always a good idea. It can make the Rov hard to control to keep in one position or to go in a straight line. So In my opinion speed is not always necessary.


So I hope that this will inspire some of you to think of building something more than just a basic Rov. Perhaps something bigger.



Also feel free to comment and ask questions...

Regards to you all.
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Billrose
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Re: Rov-ing About

Post by Billrose »

I'm looking for some organic shape designs to show you what I mean.

Hopefully post some time today (Monday 17th Feb.)
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Billrose
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Re: Rov-ing About

Post by Billrose »

Ok it has been difficult to find the shapes in photos that I am suggesting but here are two... <><

Ok so these are the shapes that I am looking at and would use as a shell or hull for a rov. Funky!
Octopus lamps, but in a organic shape
Octopus lamps, but in a organic shape
big-and-small-Modern-Octopus-Table-Lamp-in-Organic-Design-490x260.jpg (16.9 KiB) Viewed 4802 times
Would you believe it, this is a shoe...<br /><br />Desgined by Zaha Hadid the famous architect.
Would you believe it, this is a shoe...

Desgined by Zaha Hadid the famous architect.
Shoes-Melissa-Zaha-Hadid-03.jpg (44.09 KiB) Viewed 4802 times
So you can now have an idea of where I would begin m design from.

Not from the rigid grid/ box design of plastic drainage pipes, instead a more fluid and organic shape.

I KNOW SOME OF YOU WILL GO.. HOW THE BLAZES AM I GOING TO MAKE THAT!!! Yes well its al to do with inspiration and perspiration

Organically yours

( I was in a hurry when I typed this made some errors now editing them and correcting them.)
Last edited by Billrose on Feb 19th, 2014, 4:01 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Billrose
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Re: Rov-ing About

Post by Billrose »

This photo of a looping structure I forgot to add.

This is one of the better photos I could find to show an 'Organic' natural form of construction.
This is a ceramic looping form <br />(I like the colour too!)<br />I think this type of shape would meake a great rov.
This is a ceramic looping form
(I like the colour too!)
I think this type of shape would meake a great rov.
962310_l.jpg (62.1 KiB) Viewed 4788 times


So This is a ceramic looping form and would make a great design for a Rov.

Please comment...
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