Dear all,
had a few thoughts on how to build a simple ROV out of more or less standard material.
Before I hit the order buttons on ebay I was wondering if you could give me some feedback on my ideas.
Target is to have a ROV that can operate down to 20m depth. I want it to be RC controlled using a float on the water surface having the receiver and a 5.8 GHz transmitter for video (VTX). Onboard there should be a small camera with “livestream” to the VTX and finally to my video goggles. I am planning to maneuver using 3 brushless motors (2 in the rear, 1 on top). Battery will be on board. Pressure sensor, sonar and OSD can be added after a few successful trials an reaching the targeted depth. I believe electronics can be done, having some experience coming from quadcopters, adruino, …
What concerns me is the frame / body of the ROV. I am wondering if a plexiglas body will do it. Targeting to reduce volume as much as possible, I had the idea to use a 80mm/70mm (outer/inner diameter) tube with 10mm thick plexiglas disks glued to both ends. The main tube will be made out of two parts, the front part with 250mm and the rear part with 100mm length. I will put a “connector” tube inbetween, with 70mm/60mm and a length of 100mm. The picture below is showing the idea. My question is: will this withstand the pressure in 20m? Can a wide plastic tape around the intersection between the two parts be used to seal the body?
I appreciate your feedback!
Ole