Tether reel w/slip ring

Hi,

Do anybody have slip rings on their tether wheel?
I guess this wil make the operation easier?

This tether reel is for underwater sonars:

Here is some slip rings that can be used, but maybe it wil be possible to find tether reel with this integrated?

Best Regards
Espen

@force10windsurf posted some photos of a reel with slip ring he integrated into a carrying case. Seems to work pretty well for him.

Slip rings are pretty easy to find (adafruit and ebay) but a suitable reel to convert is a bit harder to find. Cable and hose reels are usually good candidates. Where did you find the reel in the photo?

This looks like it might hold 100m of tether:

@paul-unterweiser: This reel i got the picture from is Deep Vision’s accessories store - Accessories | DeepVision

Actually, the reel they are using looks very much like the one you linked to.
Deep Vision’s tether reel is from the brand “Schill” - and it is possible to buy empty reels on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Schill-GT235-GT310-GT380-GT450-Cable-De-Phase-bobine-Vierge-Vide-Tambour-/152443920149

But i guess the one you linked to is the same, just cheaper. :slight_smile:

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Here is a product presentation, and gives a look of how big the small, medium and large reels are.

The one with door on the side would be perfect for mounting slipring and connection inside.

Regards
Espen

@buckwe,
I have two tether reels and had to integrate my own slip rings.
Regards,
TCIII AVD

@tciii
I saw one of your reels on your mod of OpenRov 2.8 topic, and it was something like that i looked for.

In the Schill reels I linked to, it looks like it is space for a router and battery for wireless signal as well…

Best Regads
Espen

@buckwe Nice! I like those Schill reels.

I’ve managed to wangle a sample slip ring from a supplier who I’ve dealt with in the past, They are somewhat better than the Adafruit products:

Dedicated 100M Ethernet slip ring
RJ45 connectors
Up to 250 rpm without loss
Splash proof to IP51

They won’t sell individual units but I f there are enough people interested, I could set up a bulk purchase (10+) and I should be able to get the price well below $100ea.

I’ve been wondering about cable reels so thanks for those links, I’ll be taking a closer look at those Markertec products.

@buckwe,
I run three each of the six slip rings in parallel, three for each wire of the OROV twisted pair, so if one fails there are still two to maintain the connection. I would not recommend the Adafruit slip ring for the BR tether.
Regards,
TCIII AVD

Any make and model number for the slip rings you have found to be reliable? A 6 ring one should be fine for my needs since I couldn’t get all 8 wires through the penetrator anyways (seacon wire internal insulation is somewhat thick.

@piercet,
This one has worked well so far, but not much time on it.
Regards,
TCIII AVD

Cool, I’ll grab one of those. Thanks!

Our first attempt on making a tether reel with slip ring. The maker of the slip ring is the same as the one used by Adafruit, but we had them build them to IP65 rating.
The reel is a garden hose reel found on Amazon.es. Not the best quality in the world, but light and a bit higher, and on wheels.

My project for a tether reel

All the parts are 3D printed in ABS, except the tubes, they are carbon fiber tubes, Diameter 20 mm and 20x20 mm the square tubes.

The handle will also be carbon fiber. The small box on the side will be the slip ring, and a connector. I will only have one wire going to a small box next to the computer. The axel will be spinning in stainless steel ball bearings.

Here are some of the parts.
ROV_reel

Have you seen any you can run underwater?

Am towing a tube housing and I get occasional rotation