Homebuilt ROVs Forum

I am providing electrical power to my rov from the surface. My rov has 6 thrusters, each utilizing 800kv brushless motors (11.5V Max current 9.5A), two servos, two leds and a camera. The cable length is 50 feet. What type of power cable should I use?
And what type and capacity of battery should I use, or go with AC to DC adapter?

Since ROVs generally don't run all thrusters at full power at one time but tend to do small movements, I would guess that your continual amperage draw would not exceed 30-35 amps.
That being the case, you will will probably want to run 10 gauge power cable, unless you run a higher voltage and step it down onboard the ROV.
There is some good OFC (oxygen free copper) 10 gauge speaker cable available on ebay at a good price.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Qpower-10-Gauge ... 2a4045103f

Finding a AC-DC power supply with that kind of output would be tough so I would go with a couple of car batteries hooked to a charger.

scubersteve wrote:Since ROVs generally don't run all thrusters at full power at one time but tend to do small movements, I would guess that your continual amperage draw would not exceed 30-35 amps.
That being the case, you will will probably want to run 10 gauge power cable, unless you run a higher voltage and step it down onboard the ROV.
There is some good OFC (oxygen free copper) 10 gauge speaker cable available on ebay at a good price.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Qpower-10-Gauge ... 2a4045103f

Finding a AC-DC power supply with that kind of output would be tough so I would go with a couple of car batteries hooked to a charger.

Thank you for your response. I'll go with the speaker wire you recommend.
Can I use a computer power supply with for AC-DC adapter (I have heard it can provide around 30-40amps at 12V output)? Or if it can't be, can I use a car battery with a charger attached (is it safe to use the battery while charging) ?

I have heard of computer power supplies being used, but I have no experience with them myself.
It is fine to use car batteries while they are still being charged, I just probably wouldn't go over a 10 amp charging rate just to be safe.

I use recycled desk top computer power supplies for all sorts of stuff, because they are free and effective.

Even though I do use one to power my hobby king battery charger it will usually trip off when I exceed 10amps for any period of time. (like more that 30sec) But that could be power supply itself being faulty, I haven't tried another and normally just stay under 8 amps.

This post actually reminds me that I want to search and see if I can run two chargers in parallel.

Or use a $35 automotive battery charger from wal-mart...