Greetings from Maryland!

[jsut210]

Hello fellow ROV builders! I am hoping to get into this grand hobby as the summer ends here. Underwater exploration has been one of my many fascinations as I grew up. I finally decided to pursue my interests about a week ago after going on a kayak trip to a place nearby called Mallows Bay. Here is a great article about it if you are interested: http://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/0 ... allows-bay

Mallows Bay is a cove off the Potomac river where hundreds of ships were scrapped and sank. I thought it would be an incredible place to go and explore with an ROV. It was incredibly creepy there and after reading some of the ghost stories I almost don't want to go back. However, I can never resist my curiosity. That being said I'm drawing up some plans for a smaller ROV. Here are some key details of my design:

- RC brushless motors for thrusters
- 3 motor configuration (up/down + tank control style left/right)
- PVC hull
- Back-up camera for cars for the video feed
- Cat5 tether
- Serial interface between me and the ROV (will rs422 work long distance?)
- 10w high power led for light
- Onboard 12v lead acid battery (I don't think cat5 can handle any current)

I'll have pics soon...

Additional Notes:

- I don't know exactly the max depth I will need to dive to. I'm guessing 50 - 100ft ?
- Will stirring up mud inside the boats create a visibility problem?

Mallows Bay Pics:





http://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/0 ... allows-bay

[bigbadbob]

Greetings from Scotland!
Looks like a nice place to explore there.
There's a wreck near me that i plan to explore too when i finally get my buid done.
Yes, sediment can be a problem, i've spent hours waiting for the tide to turn so i could work big ROV's.
so i'd reccomend keeping your ROV facing into the tide if that area is tidal?
Thrusting forward slightly does help to wash it past you and clear the vis.

This site is a great place for ideas so you've come to the right place.
WARNING- ROV building is adictive and you will spend a lot on e-bay.
Trying things out to see if they work and junking them when they don't is all part of the build.
Enjoy your build and keep us posted.
BBB.

[jsut210]

Haha yes! You should see my ebay watch list right now.

[joey]

Nice pictures!

[DavidF]

I never knew such a place existed, well atleast thats local to me anyways. I migh just have to go for a visit some day.

[ERIEWRECKDIVER]

Hey,

I have been working on my ROV off and on for over a year. I moved to Bowie, Maryland from Tucson, AZ about two months ago. All I need to do at this point is get my video capture working and build my controller. Everything else is done and successfully tested.

I have been looking for inspiration to get busy and your pictures of Mallows Bay did it. When I get done sending you this message I'm off to the garage to unpack "The Plunger" as I call her. LOL

Anyway, I am only about 55 miles away from Mallows Bay. I have a jon boat which could be very helpful as a platform to work off of. If you would like to get together sometime with your ROV, mine, both and you are looking for a diving buddy....maybe we could get together.

So thanks.

ErieWreckDiver

[jsut210]

So glad that I could help motivate you to get back to work! Haha... I live up in Colombia MD so it's not too much farther away for me. Unfortunately my ROV won't be ready to run for a least a month. Even then I wouldn't be ready to take it down there. Mallows bay is kinda like my end goal for this project. I can do my preliminary tests in the lake nearby. Then go for it when I'm ready. Anyways I have a few updates on the project! I plan on being able to launch from a Kayak. I haven't seen much talk about kayaks on this forum so I figured why no give it a try? I have a small portable dvd player with external input that I will mount right in from of me on the kayak. What's even better is that I'm going to use the internal battery to power my Arduino and surface controls. The only other surface component is a Ps2 controller, so it's very compact and good for a kayak. That being said i'm starting to receive my parts in the mail, most of which are from eBay . I'm still waiting for my major hobby king order to come in.

P.S. If you don't want to travel all the way to Mallows Bay, I may have found a nice place with a considerable depth that's a bit closer. Rocky Gorge Reservoir has a few places where there's a good 20m of depth. Plus I bet there's some neat junk to look at down there . Here's a depth chart: http://www.mgs.md.gov/coastal/pub/Rocky ... Plate2.pdf

[ERIEWRECKDIVER]

Rocky Gorge is very close. I have some fishing buddies that want me to scout for fish there with my ROV. It's funny that you bring it up because I have been going there and I agree. It would be a great place to practice.

You are really going HiTech in comparison to me. And I bet a lot smaller. Can't wait to see some pictures and hear about how things are going for you. Please keep in touch as I will.

Thanks for the depth chart. VERY HELPFUL.

[jsut210]

Haha, and I though I was going kinda lowtech! Hopefully I can get back to work on my thrusters this weekend. Heres my post on them if you're interested: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1174 Also, my batteries and controller should arrive monday! I'll probably make a project post soon.