My build and ideas

Hey All,

I just thought I’d share my build now.
Finally came round to potting those subcons, not the greatest pot, but it should do the job.

I also found a Gardena reel, on which the 200m thether fits nicely. I may find it a bit small in the long term.
The slip ring is in and ready to interface to the Fathom X, just need to find or make a good enclosure.
The idea here is to use a Hootoo Titan Tripmate to power the Fathom X at the surface, and use the access point facility to make it wireless, so the Ground control laptop is not tethered to the reel, giving us a bit more flexibility in the setup.

Any (constructive) comments are welcome :slight_smile:

Jim.

2 Likes

Let us know how the wireless connection goes and what router you use. We recommend a hard wired connection for the best video streaming performance.

We used a Hootoo Titan Tripmate very successfully with an OpenROV, I will be interested to know how it works for you on your BR2.

I wish you success @PacNW - I’ve tried doing that with fathom-x and several different wireless routers, but always have significant lag and bandwidth issues with the video. The companion website shows the wifi connection can manage a similar 40-80 MBPS (when compared to hardwired connection) and despite setting the proper IPs and port forwarding, the issues persist.

Looking forward to hear if yours works any better!

Jim

What slip rings did you use please?

Thanks

Julian

1 Like

@julesh take a look at moflon! those are ok and not so expensive

Thanks Luis.

Jules

Hi,

Sorry about the late reply.

I used cheap ebay sliprings
I chose to go cheap but in numbers so the plan is to make quick connectors (ethernet maybe) so it can be swapped easily if it were to break.

The wireless is a no-go with the titan tripmate as it doesn’t have an access point mode, but only router… I still would like to give it a go with another type at some point.

Thank you sir.

Julian

hi

the ardusub website gives instructions for setting up a TP-LINK nano router to attach to your Fathom X but for some reason I have never been able to get it work. Anybody tried it with success?

John

Yes, I followed the instructions and it worked.
But the TP link is not great for this purpose.
I use an AP from Ubiqity instead.
Jan Robert

1 Like

Hi Jan

encouraging to hear that. I bought a ubiquity too but the need for a 24 volt battery put me off as I am trying to put the router inside a tether reel and simply do’nt have the space. I will persist with the TP-LINK.
cheers
John

Hi John, I also put everything inside the tether wheel. I use a tiny step up converter to 48V
I have a 3S battery, PhatomX also.
In this way I can choose either wireless or wired as needed.
The Ubiqity AP is outside and detatchable.
Cheers
Jan R

Hi Jan

I am trying to put the router inside the reel to avoid having a slip ring. I take it you have a slip ring to connect the Ubiquiti to the Fathom x which is inside the reel?

Yes, I use a slip ring.
I works really well.
I am building my second reel now with the new thinner tether.
I can set up a parts list later.
Jan R