Homebuilt ROVs Forum

Hey all, this is my concept for a completely modular system. I am building it in the form of an ROV for testing.

Basically you have a cube shaped support, which different plates and other cubes can bolt onto. The different plates can be glass, metal, robot arms, cable tunnels ect. your imagination is the limit.

here is a link to the google doc I will be continually updating with pictures.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13tN ... sp=sharing

sorry for the stupid link, I know you just want to look at pictures anyways

As soon as I can I'll reformat the pictures so I can post them directly into the thread.

Hey guys, this will likely be kinda scattered because I've got a lot of little details to talk about.

So i got the pictures here, it shows the basic layout of the cubes, as well as two potential configurations one being small and highly maneuverable for observation, the other being fast and slender for surveying.
All of the plates have eight threaded M2 screw holes that are common across all plates and cubes to maintain compatibility.

The pink plate with the hole and the blue plate with the tube make up a thruster assembly, basically a propeller shroud which contains the motor and prop.

the green plate is just a standard bulkhead, the tan one has a thread
ed hole cut into it for a bulkhead fitting to run in a cable, and the clear one is Acrylic for cameras or light to see through.

And the base grey frame is milled UHMWPE (I am currently working on funding for it so until then i'm focusing on software/electronics)

The size of the base frame is 100 mm^3, and the plates are all 4 mm thick.

PLEASE criticize, ask questions, comment. This is a prototype for a larger project and still very young so input is greatly appreciated!

I like the idea of easy reshaping a rov to test different configurations, my only worry with this is keeping the water out.

fryslan76 wrote:I like the idea of easy reshaping a rov to test different configurations, my only worry with this is keeping the water out.

That is my main concern as well, only testing and time will tell.

I should be getting my motors, escs, and other various electron parts in the next month or so so I'll be able to go into detail about the other parts of my design with pictures.

I'll be using two arduinos, one top side turning keyboard controls into signal down a cat5e, and one in the sub translating that into esc control, lights on/off, ect.

Any recomendations for seal types or materials, right now I am playing with an o-ring around the faces of the cube, or a flange seal/gasket?

Depends on how you want to join the boxes but a seal/ gasket is probably needed.

As of now they will be joined by 8, m2 screws. Which is a better seal; a gasket or an o-ring?

A complicated question to answer, it really depends on the pressure and geometry.
A gasket will likely be more simple to design, O-ring grooves can get tricky to manufacture right.
Gaskets will also have more contact area than a thin O-ring would which will probably produce a better seal under high pressure if you've clamped it in right.

One alternative to having many complicated and failure prone watertight joints between cubes is making each unit self-contained. Each cube could have its own battery and communicate wirelessly (even underwater, the other device is only on the other side of a plastic bulkhead). The batteries could even be trickle charged through inductive power transfer.

Another note, if you can manage to make the grooves right, o-rings will be much cheaper.

Just a random thought on durability...
Will M2 screws/thread be durable enough to withstand repeated tightening and removing of the bolts? With the square concept every bolt really is important to ensure an even compression and effective seal... one worn screw could compromise a segment... just my 2 cents...
New if you will excuse me... I think there is another piece of pumpkin pie with my name on it!