Assembly
From OpenROV Wiki goooooooooood morning
This instruction set will talk you through all the steps necessary to build and assemble the OpenROV v2.3&v2.4 structure. Building tasks can be broken down into seven general assembly sections:
Assembly of the entire OpenROV v2.3&v2.4 structure can be done over a weekend, and most sections take less then an hour. Listed with each assembly section is a Bill Of Materials (what parts and tools you'll need), general notes for the assembly (what the best working space is, how long it should take, what each part is for, etc), the instruction set itself, and notes on what to do if something goes wrong. We hope that improvements will be made periodically by builders who find tricks and rules of thumb to make the build go more smoothly.
Remember, if you have questions, you can always visit the OpenROV builder's forum.
These instructions cover both people that bought the kits and people that sourced their own parts following the official BOM. Some steps will not apply to both the categories: in this case the this will be clearly marked at the beginning of the step. Additionally some steps will vary depending on which version of the ROV you have.
Contents |
Which version of the ROV do I have?
If you received your ROV kit through the Kickstarter, or downloaded the design files through our github, you have V2.3 If you received your ROV kit by ordering through the web store, you have v2.4
v2.4 design files are being merged into the github
Changes made between v2.3 to v2.4
- The E-tube endcaps are composed now of a single o-ring (thus saving weight and avoiding o-ring alignment issues) and use 6mm thick acrylic for the outer endcap.
- The internal structure has cutouts to reduce weight and aid water flow to minimize drag
- Battery wiring is now changed to the tubes wired in parallel instead of in series in order to use Lithium IMR batteries
- Tether communication now uses hacked Homeplug adapters instead of balunds Forum discussion about homeplug.
- Screw terminals on the cape no longer used
Where to get the parts
If you want to start building a OpenROV and contribute to underwater explorations you have to options:
- Buy a kit with all the parts needed.
- Source all the parts yourself, buying them either online or at local hardware shops. Here is the list of all the parts you need to buy:
Step by step instructions
The OpenROV consists of three parts: body, electronics and software, but most of the work will go into assembling the body. But without further ado, here is the list of steps:
- Body
- What's in the OpenROV Kit (only for those who bought the kit)
- Cutting out parts with laser (if you have bought the kit you can skip to point 4)
- Bending the Outer Shell (if you have bought the kit you can skip this step)
- Assembling and Gluing the Inner Structure updated 5/3/13
- Assembling and Gluing the end caps updated 5/4/13
- Assembling the Battery Packs updated 5/3/13
- Assembling and Waterproofing the Thrusters updated 5/15/13
- Assembling the Topside Tether Adapter updated 5/13/13
- Potting the wire pass throughs in the end caps updated 6/16/13
- Programming and calibrating the ESCs
- Getting the cape ready only for very old Capes, skip if you have v2.3 or v2.4
- Install the software for the Beagle Bone and Cape(if you bought the kit, the BB image is already in the SD, but the Arduino code needs to be uploaded)
- Update the software updated 5/3/13
- Assembling the Internal Electronics Components updated 6/16/13
- Assembling and sealing up the OpenROV updated 6/16/13
- Read the Software Manual to know how to control the ROV.
Something doesn't work quite right: what can I do?
If you encounter any issue while building the OpenROV, you can first have a look at the Troubleshooting section of the site, where all the most common problems are listed together with their possible solutions.
If you still have problems you can post your questions on the OpenROV builder's forum.
Deployment
Once the OpenROV is fully assembled and dry-tested and wet-tested in your bathtub, it's time to drive to the nearest water pond and test it in real conditions. But before doing so please carefully read the following pages and follow the deployment checklist:
- Deployment checklist
Bonus section
In the various step there are some additional contents. To make them easily accessible here is the list of all bonus pages:
