Bilge Pump Arduino

[AUVintern]

Hi guys, first post here
So I am working on an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, using the Arduino Mega2560 as the microcontroller. I am looking at all the motor options, and I was thinking about using some (4) Rule 500 gph bilge pumps - 2 horizontal and 2 vertical. First off, if you think that this is too much thrust for a small/medium sized auv, tell me. Also, should I leave the bilge pumps as is or can I remove some of the outer casing and attach a propeller somewhere? I am unfamiliar with the inner workings of bilge pumps.

Additionally, if I am to use these pumps, they each have a 1.9 amp draw, which is pretty hefty, so I need to find a motor shield that can cover that output, without going overboard (I can't find much between 4 amps and 30 amps). Or could I possibly hook up 2 motor drivers from Rugged Circuits? Each has a 4 amp max.

Any guidance you can give a newbie on this would be greatly appreciated

[thegadgetguy]

Bilge pumps these days normally come in two parts: the housing and the cartridge. The cartidge can be purchased by itself, for slightly cheaper than the whole assembly. If you are converting to propellors, cartridges are the way to go. It's basically a motor inside a sealed housing with an impeller on the shaft. You just pry off the impeller and then put on a propellor.
Here's a picture of a Johnson Cartridge:

7792732.jpg (93.02 KiB) Viewed 3538 times

By the way, I think I saw a motor controller compatible with the arduino that can handle bilge pumps somewhere, so if you still can't find one, I can try and find it for you.

[AUVintern]

thanks a ton gadget guy. I'll be sure to check out those cartridges and look for the bilge compatible motor driver, but if you come across it again, I would love to get a link. I may or may not find it, so if you think you can find it quickly, that would be awesome.

[AUVintern]

Yeah I can't seem to find one made specifically for bilge pump usage that fits my needs. Also, do you know if there is a way to figure out the rpm on a 500 gph bilge pump?