ROV losing connection with computer when i use the motors

Blue Robotics Vehicles BlueROV2
1

when i arm my ROV and push the joystick to make my motors work at full speed, my rov moves and then the rov loses the connection with my laptop. why does it do this? i am using 4 t100 thrusters for my horizontal motors and 2 t200 thrusters for my vertical motors. also how can i view the graphs that show the current and power being drawn?

2

Hi Jay,

If there is no hardware problem related to Fathom-X, cables and etc, it appears to be a problem in your power system of your ROV, what kind of battery are you using (cells/voltage/type) ?
To see the graphs, you can use QGroundControl.

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3

at the moment i am currently using a 12 volt power supply to power my ROV. i have to check the amperage rating

4

the power suply name is the Kelvin Switchable DC power supply KPS 101

5

Hi @jjabraham,

That power supply is severely under powered for testing this vehicle, it can only output 1.5 A. The instant you hit the throttle, the voltage will drop to zero and the vehicle will shut off. Each T100 can draw up to ~14A at 12 V full throttle, and a T200 ~18A. You will need a power supply that can discharge at a rate of at least 90 A constant, a good Lipo will be sufficient.

-Adam

6

this is AMAZING!!! thank you sooo much. for future reference should i get a power source that has 25 amps

7

Glad to help! A 25 A power supply will definitely be much better and you should be able to do some basic testing, but you will not be able to go full throttle with it. You will need a 90 A+ power supply to fully power the ROV at full throttle.

-Adam

8

Thanks Adam

Do you have any recommended units for ROV power on the bench?

Andrew

9

Do you mean to power at low power on the bench, or at full power in the water? If not running the thrusters underwater, almost anything should do the trick, we usually use BK Precision power supplies. If needing to run at full power underwater, we use a 10kW Magna-Power XR series, though that needs 3 phase power.

-Adam

10

Looking to power the ROV but as you say would not be doing full power…will check out your first option.

Thanks

11

Won’t a 12v car battery also work for bench testing?

12

yes!