My ROV

[kenl]

Thanks Ross, the advantages of being semi retired and still having a fully equipped workshop certainly help get the job done.

The code I'm using is written by Nick (njs552) so far I have only made a small mod to the pan and tilt stuff but now that I've had a few dives I want to do much more but will consult with Nick to see if he wants to do the same.

At the moment Nick's code has 3 gears

  //Gear Speed Select
  if(ps2x.ButtonPressed(PSB_SELECT) && motorSpeed < 3) //select motor speed
  {
    motorSpeed++;
    data.motorSpeed++;
    lcd.setCursor(0, 2);
    lcd.print(motorSpeed);
  }
  else if(ps2x.ButtonPressed(PSB_SELECT) && motorSpeed == 3) //select motor speed
  {
    motorSpeed = 1;
    data.motorSpeed = 1;
  }
  lcd.setCursor(0, 2);
  lcd.print(motorSpeed);

I don't have the LCD setup yet but won't be viewing it with my final setup anyways, ideally a On Screen Display of the gear would be great.

Also using the setup button is clumsy, I'm going to try to code the R1 and R2 buttons to be up and down and have a gear range of say 6-10 gears. It sounds excessive but in the water, I was crashing into things all over the place (poor visibility)
Currently R1 is for dive (verticals down) but I will change that to L2, more intuitive I think.

@A_shorething below is the code (written by NIck) that limits the current now, in my case the current is limited to 10amps @ 12v, wide open throttle draws 24amps.

  {
    LSYVal = map(LSYVal, 0, 255, 60, 185); //limit current draw to 2A @ 12v
    data.motor1 = LSYVal;
    RSYVal = map(RSYVal, 0, 255, 60, 185); //limit current draw to 2A @ 12v
    data.motor2 = RSYVal;  
  }

The verticals have not been mapped, with the ROV sitting on the bottom at 4m it still makes the water boil at the surface(so to speak) If I have the trusters pushing down.

[rossrov]

Cheers, sounds like yers got it sorted. I've never handled one of those game controllers before - just wondering how proportional the joysticks are? Stick on some longer sticks maybe? OK, back to my sonar workshop - spending too much time on the forum

[kenl]

I'm the same Ross, never played a PS2 in my life, I am more of the pinball machine/space invaders and galaxian gamer.

I have ordered a original Sony controller, somewhere I read that they are more proportional. The current code uses both sticks for steering. I don't know if it's me or the controller, but I find it hard to have both thrusters running equally, unless they are at full speed. If I can work out how I would like to try code that will use the right joystick for steering and the left for a throttle, much the same as the el cheapo toy helicopters do.

Anyways, some crude first time videos are now up on my brand new YouTube account, the underwater one was taken with a top side view, ie. not looking at the monitor and the water was very cloudy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYox3vztV08

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bfnzqsEe5E

[jonnyhas]

Ken, really good to see it working well, see what you mean about the speed , what is your tether setup?

[Sunktwice]

Nice build so far dude .

The PS2 controllers are great - the dead zone for the sticks can be a pain in the arse, as it drifts a little due to the slop in the pots and age. But other than that, the multiplicity of buttons (half of them being proportional!) makes for a good control option with a good code base for Arduino control.

I'm working on a differential control setup for mine (proportional steering and direction on one stick a-la v-tail mixer). Once I have a stable code, that works reliably i'll post it up for everyone if there's any interest.

[kenl]

@Jonny at the moment my tether is just 4 wire security cabling, waiting for a PCB from Nick, then I'll be installing my max488 chips, but 2 wires Tx & Rx UNO to UNO is working fine for now @ 20m long.

For floatation I have thread the cable up the middle of a water ski rope using a 2m length of 1/4" rod. It's not enough floatation, so I have added extra fishing floats about every 3m. I think it will add too much drag in a current though? Not that it seems to be effected by the bulk now.

@Sunktwice, Ill look forward to your code, Ryan AKA kr2_diving, has put code up using just one stick but I can't get it to compile, so haven't been able to try it out

I'm hoping for favourable seas today so I can try it off the beach in clearer water, it's been strong onshore since before Christmas.

[rossrov]

Good to see your videos. The surface video made me think of an energetic yellow seal pup taking it's owner for a walk Yep, the need for fine control really becomes more apparent with decreasing visibility. Just my opinion, but a custom controller is needed do justice to your ROV. 4 linear pots from the local electronics shop (Jaycar, for example) that will easily connect direct to the Arduino's analog inputs, and some gimballing from your workshop, or, 2 joystick assemblies from a scrapped 4 channel RC TX. Harder to replace than a PS2 if it gets dropped in the drink though Again just my opinion, but if you've written the code yourself or put it together from modified Arduiono IDE examples, then you can fix/change it whenever/however you need to.

[jonnyhas]

@Kenl, i too am venturing into the arduino control but have no experience of programming so will steel my brothers arduino basics book to get started! i will be hopefully getting one of Nick's controller setup also for my new design.

[a_shorething]

If you plan to have a laptop for video monitoring/recording then I have an XBOX controller pass-thru program I wrote and am testing that works really well. You can map the values it sends out to whatever you want in the Arduino control and have it send whatever feedback you want to the laptop/XBOX controller.

I have one beta tester right now and I'm working to get another one up and running (64 bit OS is a different build).

If you're using a PC anyway I think it's the easiest way to go. Let me know if you're interested in giving it a try and I'll set you up.

[kenl]

thank you for the offer a_shorething, I however am not using a PC of any type in the field.

My ultimate setup will be to have all the surface electronics built inside the hub of the cable reel and have a wireless controller and wire less video feeding to whatever monitor I settle on.

I tried a pair of video glasses yesterday that I modified by mounting the module inside a old welding helmet. There was too much peripheral vision with them as they were. The pair were the cheapest I could find on ebay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/261260750925 ... 1439.l2649.

Anyways I guess you get what you pay for, the picture is very grainy, I don't know how someone could watch a movie on them. I also found myself turning my head trying to look off to the side, must have looked like a clown standing on the edge of the canal with a welding helmet on and a PS2 controller in hand.