Misc: I want to have some idea where the ROV is. I think I can know how deep it is and how close it is to the bottom without a lot of fancy stuff. Knowing the depth is just a matter of having a pressure sensor. I came across this idea for a cheap, waterproof, analog pressure sensor. I will hook it up to an ohm meter (analog of course). I will have to test it at known depths in order to know which needle position represents what depth. The problem with this is the ohms spike out when the wires are in sea water. Dipping it in plastic dip like the instructions say did not work because it made the sensor too stiff. So I put a balloon over the foam and wires, removed most of the air, and sealed the end with silicone. It seems to work but I have not used it enough to know for sure.
I tried a car reverse backup radar sensor to see if it will show me how close to the bottom I am (I couldn't find where anyone has tried this before). It did not work. The sensor perceived the water as a solid object.
I know it will be difficult guiding the ROV to a specific object without knowing which direction it is going. But I have not found any cheap, reliable, easy-to-use compass other than to just attach one to the dome and point the camera at it. That is what I did but the compass is too close to the camera and is blurry. I am not sure how much good it is going to be.
This project cost over $600. That is just for the things that were used. I have stuff that I ended up not needing just because I don't live in the states and so needed to buy whatever I thought I might need and bring back with me. You can't get any of this stuff where I live (Venezuela). Otherwise I would have had to wait until the next time I was in the states, which happens only 2-3 times a year, to get what I needed. The major expenses were the thruster motors, the camera, the two 24v to 12 converters, and the PVC for the body.
I tried a car reverse backup radar sensor to see if it will show me how close to the bottom I am (I couldn't find where anyone has tried this before). It did not work. The sensor perceived the water as a solid object.
I know it will be difficult guiding the ROV to a specific object without knowing which direction it is going. But I have not found any cheap, reliable, easy-to-use compass other than to just attach one to the dome and point the camera at it. That is what I did but the compass is too close to the camera and is blurry. I am not sure how much good it is going to be.
This project cost over $600. That is just for the things that were used. I have stuff that I ended up not needing just because I don't live in the states and so needed to buy whatever I thought I might need and bring back with me. You can't get any of this stuff where I live (Venezuela). Otherwise I would have had to wait until the next time I was in the states, which happens only 2-3 times a year, to get what I needed. The major expenses were the thruster motors, the camera, the two 24v to 12 converters, and the PVC for the body.