Deep ROV project
Posted: Jul 30th, 2016, 2:58 pm
Restarting my old ROV project.
Learned a lot cruising this forum, some really good ideas and links. Thank you everyone.
* Main pressure vessel is schedule 80 PVC, 6 inch diam, 2 feet long. Good for 750 feet deep (228 m).
Contains batteries, electronics, ESC's, and cameras. Kept at 1 atmosphere.
Schedule 80 is very hard to find locally but is avail online by the foot. Mine cost $33, free shipping.
* End caps are 1 inch thick clear acrylic with a 3/16" deep groove machined to accomodate two concentric O rings. The sched 80 wall thickness is .464 inches.
* Buoyancy control chamber is schedule 40 PVC, 4 inch diam, 2 feet long mounted on top of main pressure vessel, 1/2 inch Lexan end caps. Works like a scuba BC vest activated by a small scuba pony bottle.
* Exterior frame is sch 40 PVC 1/2 inch, vented to flood internally when immersed.
* Thrusters homemade similiar to ducted fans, mounted to exterior frame. Brushless motors in
separate sealed oil filled container mechanically connect to thruster propellers with flexible cables.
* Center of gravity balance controlled by motorized sliding gel-cel battery tray. Three gel-cels (sealed lead
acid) connected in parallel provide 12vdc for everything.
* Tether is 16 conductor telephone wire controlled by two older JR rc radio transmitters, hardwire connected
to the direct servo port on the back of the radio. I can control 16 separate functions with just 4 thin wires.
The other wires are for video and telemetry. Tether is supplemented with poly rope for strength.
Learned a lot cruising this forum, some really good ideas and links. Thank you everyone.
* Main pressure vessel is schedule 80 PVC, 6 inch diam, 2 feet long. Good for 750 feet deep (228 m).
Contains batteries, electronics, ESC's, and cameras. Kept at 1 atmosphere.
Schedule 80 is very hard to find locally but is avail online by the foot. Mine cost $33, free shipping.
* End caps are 1 inch thick clear acrylic with a 3/16" deep groove machined to accomodate two concentric O rings. The sched 80 wall thickness is .464 inches.
* Buoyancy control chamber is schedule 40 PVC, 4 inch diam, 2 feet long mounted on top of main pressure vessel, 1/2 inch Lexan end caps. Works like a scuba BC vest activated by a small scuba pony bottle.
* Exterior frame is sch 40 PVC 1/2 inch, vented to flood internally when immersed.
* Thrusters homemade similiar to ducted fans, mounted to exterior frame. Brushless motors in
separate sealed oil filled container mechanically connect to thruster propellers with flexible cables.
* Center of gravity balance controlled by motorized sliding gel-cel battery tray. Three gel-cels (sealed lead
acid) connected in parallel provide 12vdc for everything.
* Tether is 16 conductor telephone wire controlled by two older JR rc radio transmitters, hardwire connected
to the direct servo port on the back of the radio. I can control 16 separate functions with just 4 thin wires.
The other wires are for video and telemetry. Tether is supplemented with poly rope for strength.