OpenROV How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5 Written By: OpenROV

How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
OpenROV
How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
This guide will show you how to build and assemble your OpenROV v2.5!
Written By: OpenROV
INTRODUCTION
[video: http://youtu.be/MvzyWk4lMc8]
Software Instructions are Separate Follow Links Below
Software Download & Setup Instructions
Current Disk Image
TOOLS:
PARTS:
Vice (1)
Sand Paper (around 150 grit) (1)
Hacksaw (1)
Acrylic cement (1)
Rag (1)
Applicator Syringe (1)
Hex wrench (1)
Paper towels (1)
Soldering Iron (1)
Hysol E90 Epoxy w/ Mixing Tube
Applciator (1)
Heat Gun (1)
6 LiPo Batteries or 8 C Sized Batteries
(1)
Silicone Grease (1)
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 1 — How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
In the following set of
instructions, we'll walk you
through all the steps of building
OpenROV v2.5. Although these
steps apply to anyone building an
OpenROV - whether that be from
scratch or from a kit- this
instruction set assumes that you
already have the parts included
with each kit. We hope you'll enjoy
this... now let's get started!
Check to make sure that you have
all the necessary parts to build
your OpenROV v2.5! If you want to
be thorough, check the BOM to
make sure you have all the parts.
The first thing we're going to build
is the internal structure of the ROV
which fits inside the ROV Shell.
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 2
To build the internal structure, we'll need several tools and materials:
Internal structure parts (15 pieces) (There are other acrylic pieces included in the kit,
but those are for other parts and are not shown here)
Acrylic cement and applicator syringe
Sand paper (around 150 grit)
Paper towels
Using the right technique with the applicator syringe will make assembling the
internal structure a lot easier and cleaner. Before applying cement to a joint, be
sure to create suction inside the syringe so cement only comes out when you want. For indepth information about how to use the applicator syringe, be sure to watch the video!
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 3
We'll start out by assembling the ROV handle
The pieces you got likely came with a protective plastic backing on them. You'll need to
peel this off of each piece before cementing it to anything
Cement two of the three handle pieces (shown in the photos) together to make one thick
stack.
It's best to initially stagger the pieces to help guide the applicator syringe to the
interface between them. The cement sets quickly though, so be sure to align the
pieces with each other while they can still move.
Once the first two handle pieces are attached, add the third.
This is a good moment to fillet the handle (now comprized of three pieces) using sand
paper so it will be nicer to hold on to once the ROV is built
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 4
Now, we'll attach the lateral shroud support to the handle and attach that assembly to the
top piece of the internal structure
After assembling the pieces, add cement to any areas that have not yet been bonded
Be sure to create a good bond between the top plate and forward part of the handle
as a lot of the strain from picking the ROV up will be concentrated here.
Step 5
Now we'll move on to the motor mount section of the internal structure. Cement the three
pieces shown together so that all interfacing surfaces are bonded.
Be sure to apply cement to the bottom of the horizontal motor mount as this part has to
withstand a lot of strain when the motor bells of the port and and starboard thrusters are
being removed or replaced.
Once the first three pieces are bonded together, the second Axial Shroud Support can be
added.
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 6
Now the Bulkhead piece can be added.
Be sure to get cement between every interfacing joint.
Once the Bulkhead is secured, the Bulkhead Brace can be attached. Be sure to areas
around the outside tabs are cemented well, as voids may cause the tabs to break off more
easily if the ROV is handled roughly.
In newer kits, the width of the plastic adjacent to the tabs is greater then what's
shown in the photo.
Occasionally, the extra bits of plastic from inside the holes on the bulkhead will not
have fallen out during the laser process. If this is the case, a small amount of finger
pressure should be sufficient to remove them to be discarded.
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 7
The Bulkhead and Motor Mount assembly can now be placed down onto the Top Plate of
the ROV.
Once again, be sure to bond any interfaces that have been created.
The Tube Cradle pieces can now be built. Two pieces are used for each of the two cradles.
Just as you did with the handle pieces, it is recommended that you stagger the pieces in
order to guide the syringe and cement, but be sure to align the pieces before the cement
sets!
Place the Tube Cradle Assemblies into place and cement them to the rest of the internal
structure. Be sure there is a good cement bond near the ends of the cradles as these
areas will be under significant strain when securing the main tube later on.
Step 8
You have now built the internal structure- congratulations! Now you can place the structure
into the shell of the ROV and admire how pretty it is.
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 9
Let's cut the syringes! They are used as vent ports for the E-tube end caps. Here's what
you'll need
Two BD [REF 309628] syringes
Vice
Hacksaw
Rag or cloth
Sandpaper [around 150 grit]
Hex wrench from kit or small screwdriver (for deburring) use a countersink if you have
one
Remove inner plunger rod from syringe and set aside in clean place
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 10
In the next steps you will be cutting the syringe in two places (indicated by the two red
arrows)
Place syringe in vice with end protruding out
Cut off end just past where plunger stop is located
you want to leave the endstop for the plunger in place. Look at the third photo!
The part you'll want to keep is the piece that was between the two cuts. You'll also want to
keep the white syringe plunger (we'll use that later). You can discard the very front part of
the syringe as well as everything above the 1.5mL cut.
Step 11
Slide the syringe further out from
the vise and cut it at the 1.5ml
mark (which will be about 10mm
back from the first cut)
repeat the last two steps with the
other syringe
you should have two small pieces
like in the picture!
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 12
Sand both cut ends of resulting pieces to smooth and square the edges
Use hex wrench or screwdriver to debur and remove particles from inside tube - you want
to make sure the syringe plunger can easily re-enter the tube
Try not to scratch the inside of the syringe while deburing the edges- you'll want
this to be pretty smooth so there are no paths for water to leak around the plunger
Blowing in the tube or wiping the inside with a Q-tip or piece of paper towel may
also help remove particles
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 13
Now its time to assemble the main
endcaps! You'll need
Two cut-down syringes
Four 94mm diameter endcap
disks
Two 90mm diameter endcap
disks
Two 108mm diameter thick
endcap flange disks
Acrylic cement
Acrylic cement applicator
syringe
Paper towels
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 14
Remove plastic backing from a 90mm endcap disk (the small one)
Place a syringe piece through its center hole so that the disk is close to the small-holeside of the syringe. (It’s supposed to be a very tight fit.)
Remove backing from a 94mm endcap disk and push the small-hole-side of the syringe
into it’s center hole
Make sure that the small-hole-side end of the syringe is flush with the outside face of
the 94mm endcap disk
Align the wire harness holes of the two disks
You can also find a video showing how to do these steps here:
http://youtu.be/XCI5pkl50Vo
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 15
Insert the needle of the acrylic cement syringe between the two endcap disks with the
needle facing downward and the bottom of the disks squeezed together
Remember to first create a suction in through the needle of the syringe so you
can control the flow of cement
Inject acrylic cement between the two disks until about half of the disk area is wet (see
picture)
Press the disks together against a flat surface on top of a paper towel.
If needed, the disks can be rotated against each other about the syringe to spread out the
cement. Make sure the glue does not take hold while the pass through holes are not
aligned
Use a paper towel to remove any excessive glue that beads up against the edges
The clear disks provide a visual indication of how/where the disks have adhered
If there are spots that did not get bonded with glue, applying glue to the perimeter of the
disk in that area may help strengthen the attachment
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 16
After removing plastic backing, add
another 94mm disk (bigger one) to
the syringe on the other side of the
90mm disk
So, it goes big circle ->
little circle -> now big
circle again.
push the large-hole-side of the
syringe into the center hole of the
disk so that the two large disks
sandwich the small disk
Repeat the preceding steps to
cement the disk in place
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 17
Remove backing and place the 108mm diameter (thick) endcap flange over the most
recently added disk (where the large-hole-side of the syringe sticks out)
make sure that the hole in the center is concentric with the syringe, and the cutout slot
is also aligned with the wire harness hole
Inject acrylic cement between the flange disk and the outer 94mm disk in a similar way to
how other disks have been attached
Clamp or press the parts together until the cement sets
The final white flange disk will be left off for the time being
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 18
Repeat the previous procedure for
the other endcap set BUT MIRROR
THE DIRECTION OF THE 108MM
THICK FLANGE DISK
The endcaps should look
like mirror images of each
other when finished so that they
will fit appropriately on either side
of the electronics tube.
Step 19
Now we're going to start building the battery tubes.
Our first procedure will be to assemble the aft battery tube endcap. You'll need the parts
boxed in red.
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 20
Roughen a corner of the spring terminal adjacent to the smaller hole (the one that doesn't
have a lip)
Put a blob of solder over the roughened corner
Cut four 1m lengths of 20awg stranded wire (two will be used now for the first battery tube
and two will be used for the other battery tube)
Strip about 1cm of insulation and tin one end of each of the four wire lengths
Put one of the tinned wire ends through the smaller hole (without a lip) on the base of the
spring terminal and solder it to the base (basically bend over the solder blob and heat to
attach). (NOTE: The spring terminal will get very hot so it’s best to hold is with helping
hands or plyers.)
Step 21
Thread a second 1m long wire through the bigger hole on the spring terminal (the one with
the lip).
Run the lead wires through the aft battery endcap inner disk (it’s the one with two holes
that looks like a button)
Super Glue(not acrylic cement) the spring terminal to the inner aft battery endcap disk.
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Step 22
Align and glue outer and middle disks of aft endcap. It’s important that it lines up correctly
- the nub of the middle disk accenting the hole on the outer disk.
Measure out 25cm of wire length passing through the spring terminal endcap. (Good idea
to make a reference mark on the wire near the base of the terminal.
Slip the middle and outer disks over the longer length of wire. Both wires through the
middle hole.
Double check that the wire is 25cm (once the disks are cemented together, it’s very hard
to pull the wire in or out).
Make sure the inner, middle, and outer disks are concentric (visual). Then glue them
together.
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Step 23
Next, we'll glue the disks for the forward endcap. This is where the motor bell comes inwe're going to use it as a centering pin
Slide the larger forward endcap disk (28mm diameter) over the motor bell. Then slide the
smaller one (24mm diameter) on. It will be a very tight fit. Cement them together.
Take another large endcap and sandwich the smaller one. Cement it in place.
Attach and cement the outer forward battery endcap disk.
Visually inspect that the shaft going through the disks is perpendicular to themalthough the fit is tight, it is still possible for the shaft to end up somewhat
angulated
Sand a corner of the button terminal (any corner of the button terminal - on button side)
Step 24
Using the same method as for the spring terminal, apply a glob of solder to the sanded
area of the button terminal
Using superglue, fasten the button terminal to the forward endcap assembly (it should be
against the circular endcap disk, not the flange disk that has nubs on it)
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 25
Okay, this is the part where we attach the rear endcap to the battery tube and pot the
channel system in between the two. This part is quite a bit of fun!
First, sand the inside of one end of the battery tube.
Don't sand both ends of the tube because the other side will need to be smooth
for an o-ring to mate with.
Apply a thin bead of super glue along the rim of the sanded end of the battery tube.
Insert the aft (spring terminal) endcap into the sanded end of the battery tubes.
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Step 26
Here comes the best part- we're going to pot the battery tubes, forward endcaps, and the
area surrounding the syringe in the main endcaps.
First, insert the tip of an E-90FL mixing nozzle into the hole on the aft battery endcap
(which is now held with superglue against the battery tube).
The nozzle should fit into the the hole on the endcap, but should not be made to
bottom out as epoxy must be able to flow out of the nozzle unimpeded.
Inject epoxy so that goes around both sides of the parimeter of the endcap, up through the
root of the "T" slot, out to either side of the T to cover the wires, until it finally oozes out of
the center oval hole.
It may be a good idea to keep a towel handy as epoxy sometimes escapes around
the edges or excessive amounts may come out of the oval hole.
After pulling the mixing nozzle out of the hole on the endcap, a small amount of
additional epoxy may need to be injected into the hole to fill the area previously
displaced by the nozzle.
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 27
Next, we're going to pot the holes on the forward endcaps. This will seal the holes from
water intrusion.
Note that the forward endcaps are not yet attached to the lead wires come though
the battery tubes- that will happen after the epoxy on both parts has set
The nozzle from the epoxy gun should be placed firmly into the hole on the endcap.
Without a good mate between the nozzle and the endcap, epoxy will ooze out onto
the surface of the endcap instead of filling the hole.
Fill the hole of the endcap until a circular bead of epoxy can be seen filing the indented part
of the button terminal.
If some epoxy overflows out of the hole onto the surface of the endcap, that's okayit won't get in the way of anything.
Do this for both forward battery endcaps
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 28
Finally, we'll apply potting around the perimeter of the syringes on the main endcaps.
A modest amount of potting compound will be needed here- it's better to be
conservative then to risk allowing potting to overflow into the hole of the syringe.
Place the nozzle of the epoxy gun between the outer perimeter of the protruding portion of
the syringe and the inner perimeter of the flange disk hole.
Slowly push epoxy out of the nozzle, again being careful to avoid getting epoxy into the
nozzle hole.
It is often easiest to rotate the endcap about it's syringe rather then moving the
nozzle around the endcap.
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Step 29
In this section, we're going to attach longer leads to each of the three motors and
waterproof their solder junctions with special adhesive-lined shrink tubing. It will be helpful
to have the tools and materials shown in the photograph.
To start out, we'll need to remove the motor bells. In order to do this, we'll have to remove
the c-clips that retain them by spreading the c-clips open and off off with the outside edges
fine-tipped needle nose pliers.
The c-clips sometimes pop of with a lot of speed, so it's a good idea to wear saftey
glasses to protect your eyes!
If you don't have any fine-tipped needle nose pliers laying around, a flat-head screwdriver
can also be used, but this is a bit more tricky.
After removing the C-Clips, they can be disguarded . You won't need them any
more, so don't worry if they break!
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Step 30
Now we're going to remove the shrink tubing that protects the lead wires that came with
the motor.
For these steps, you'll want to use a very sharp razor blade- this will make your job
a lot more easy!
When cutting through shrink tubing, be careful not to nic the magnet wire coming from the
motor.
Start by cutting along the length of the outer shrink tubing.
Once the outer shrink tubing has been removed, cut a slit in the three pieces of shrink
tubing surrounding each individual motor lead. The slit should extend from the leadwire-end
of the shrink tubing to the solder joint that couples the leadwire to the motor, but not
further.
The slit does not need to go further then the solder joint (it does not need to run the
entire length of the shrink tubing) because the tubing can be pulled off after the
solder joint is melted. Not cutting further then the solder joint will reduce the risk of cutting
magnet wires from the motor.
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Step 31
With a soldering iron, heat each solder joint (which should be accessible through the slit
you've made) until the leadwire comes off.
Once you've removed the lead wire, you should be able to pull the shrink tubing off over
the remaining solder glob
Step 32
Now cut nine 65cm-long lengths of 20awg stranded wire. These wires will be used as the
new leadwires for each motor.
For each motor, you'll use three of the 65cm wires. Strip about 1cm of insulation from one
end of each wire and tin with the exposed strands with a liberal amount of solder.
Solder the leadwires to the magnet wire ends from the motor. There should not be much
overhanging wire past the solder joint, since the whole thing will need to be sealed.
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Step 33
Cut three 3cm-long lengths of black 3M EPS-300 (adhesive-lined) shrink tubing
Slide one of the 3cm lengths of adhesive shrink tubing down each of the newly attached
leadwires. Make sure the shrink tubing is slid all the way down the leadwire and over the
solder joint until it bottoms out at the stem of the magnet wire from the motor.
Shrink the tubing with a heat gun until the inner lining oozes out its ends.
3M EPS300 seems to need a little more time and heat to fully shrink.
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Step 34
Cut three 35mm-long lengths of the larger diameter blue shrink tubing and place one over
the wire leads for each motor. The initial diameter of the blue shrink tubing will make a
pretty tight fit over the three smaller pieces of shrink tubing, but with the right coercion,
should be able to slide most of the way to the motor.
TIP: Mark the wires I II & III so you know which wire(s) to pull as it is VERY tight fit. Use
silicon spray which allows the blue shrink to slide over the 3 wires
The blue shrink tubing does not require as much heat as the black tubing. In fact, if
you shrink it down too much, it may start to split, in which case it should be
replaced (there should be enough extra blue tubing to make a few mistakes)
Once you've done these steps for all three motors, they are ready to be part of the
ROVs wire harness!
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 35
Once the new motor leads have been attached and the potting in the battery tubes has
cured, a wire harness can be built which will eventually pass into the Electronics Tube
through the ROV's port endcap.
At any point before potting the wire harness into the endcap, you may also want to
unravel and re-spool your tether to remove twists (which will make it less likely to
tangle). This can be done by carefully unraveling it in a vacant parking lot or along a side
walk, then recoiling it in a figure-8 pattern on a U-shaped PVC jig. Photos coming soon
The first step to preparing the wire harness is marking the point that will pass through the
end cap on each wire lead
Using a permanent marker, make clear indications of the lengths shown in the diagram for
each motor (42cm for what will end up being the port motor, 38cm for the vertical motor,
and 35 for the starboard motor). Remember, this is to MARK NOT CUT at this point.
Marks should be made on each of the three lead wires for each motor to prevent
any one wire being to short or to long
Tape labels about 5cm above (closer to the end of the wire) each mark with the respective
position that motor will be. For instance, since the motor with a mark at 42cm will be the
port motor, a label with a "P" written on it was used.
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Step 36
Just as the marks were made on the motor lead wires, make marks on the battery lead
wires at 50cm (for what will end up being the port battery tube) and 43cm for what will be
the starboard battery tube.
Label the battery tube lead wires in the same way the motor lead wires were labeled- flags
with "P" (red) or "S" (green) about 5cm above the length mark. Also, it is a good idea to
find the longer of the two wires coming from each battery tube and put a separate label on
those wires indicating they are the "negative" polarity for that tube.
You'll know which labels are motors vs battery tubes because the motor will have three
wires and the battery will only have two.
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Step 37
Now that you've marked the pass-through points on each wire lead, group all the wire
leads (9 from the three motors and 4 from the two battery tubes) together so that their
markings align.
Look carefully to make sure no stray wires are misaligned.
Tape the bundle together a few centimeters above the markings so that the markings stay
aligned.
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Step 38
Find the shortest leadwire in the bundle (it should be the wire coming from the button
terminal on the port battery tube) and make sure that it's end is at least 18cm from its
length mark.
Trim the ends off of all the remaining wires so that they end at the same place as the
shortest wire.
6 Auxiliary Wires: With the remaining 20awg wire, cut six 60cm long leads and group
them together. These will be used as the auxiliary wires for connecting external devises to
the ROV. The ends will be sealed with epoxy until ready for use. The new PMU sensor
add-on uses 4 and two are reserved for I2C.
Note: Add additional wires for aux if you plan on tinkering later. Current build allows 24
Digital User Pins and 7 Analog Pins.
Pull one of the ends out from the coil of twisted pair "tether" wire and group it so that it is
flush with the ends of the newly cut auxiliary wires.
Align the ends of the the tether and auxiliary wires with the ends of the motor and battery
leads and wrap tape around the whole bundle. This tape cover will help guide the bundle
through the mesh sleeve that will be used several steps later.
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 39
Thread the wire bundle through the yellow mesh sleeve until the sleeve is on the other side
of the pass-through markings on the motor and battery lead wires.
The leading edge of the mesh sleeve may frey a little bit, but there is enough extra
that that should be okay.
Step 40
In the next few steps, we'll be attaching the motors to internal structure.
To start out, we'll want to prevent the mesh sleeve from freying further, so we'll want to
tightly wrap each end behind where the freying stops with electrical tape.
The freyed parts of the sleeve on the other side of the electrical tap wrapping can be cut
off using scissors later.
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 41
Before mounting the motors, use the 1.5mm hex wrench to tighten the set screws on each
motor. (We've found that these are often a little loose out of the box, and it's much easier
to tighten them now then after the motors have been mounted)
Enough screws, lock washers, and nuts were included to fasten each motor in four
places, however, it is easier and just as effective to only use two sets per motor.
Place the M3 screws in through the top of the motor mount, then, holding the screw in
place with the hex key, place the motor on the internal structure so that the screw also fits
through the appropriate mounting hole.
With the internal structure up-side-down and the motors facing toward you, the wire
harness should go around the left side of the main bulkhead.
To fasten the motor, place a lock washer on the shaft of the screw as shown, then place a
nut on top of that and hold the nut steady with your thumb. Tighten the screw with the hex
wrench until tight. Pliers should not be necessary.
The motor with the shortest wire lead should go on the left with the structure upside-down
(which will be the starboard side of the ROV), the middle-length wire lead motor should go
on in the middle (it will be the vertical motor) and the motor with the longest leads should
go on the right. It will be the port motor when the ROV is right side up.
Glue the two acrylic rings (motor shrouds) on to the structure.
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Step 42
The wire harness can now be inserted into the port endcap. Insert the wire harness from
the flange end inward as shown.
Pull the wire harness through the endcap until the marks on the wires made earlier are
flush with the inner plate of the endcap.
To verify that the wire markings are in the right place (so that the harness will not be too
long or too short), position the endcap in its cradle and check that the mesh-covered part
is slightly slack.
If the harness is not the right tightness, it can be adjusted. If this is done, you should make
a new mark on the wire to indicate the appropriate place it should pass the inner face of
the endcap.
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Step 43
In this step, we'll add the white flange cover to the the endcap. Position the flange cover so
that its flat edge is aligned with that of the main flange plate.
Be sure the spread out the wires in the harness so that they do not push the flange
cover out.
Inject cement between the two plates in a similar way to how the other parts of the endcap
were assembled.
After sufficient cement has been injected between the plates, push the assembly down
against a table to spread the cement across the interface.
Be sure the flange cover and main flange plate stay concentric and aligned as the
cement sets.
Step 44
At this point, the flange cover for the starboard endcap can also be added in a similar way
to how the port endcap flange cover was added.
Use a hot glue gun to create a barrier that will prevent potting compound from leaking out
the channel when the endcap is potted.
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How to Assemble OpenROV v2.5
Step 45
We're now going to get ready for one of the most important steps of the entire kit-building
process: potting the port endcap. To start out, you'll want to make it so the wire harness
coming through the endcap is pulled stright upward so that it doesn't touch the edges of the
hole it is going through
For the next steps, you'll want to find a place where you can clamp or otherwise hold the
endcap down against upward tension on the wire harness. You'll also need something
above the wire harness that you can attach a rubber band too. A desk with a hutch, the
space below a table, or an empty shelf on a bookcase are all good candidates.
Wrap some tape around the wire harness to make its cross-section somewhat circular just
above where the wire comes out of the endcap hole.
Tie a thread or piece of fishing line to the wire harness a few cm above where it comes
through the endcap. A knot that involves several wraps around the harness will work
better.
Secure the other end of the line to a rubber band that is positioned directly above the hole
in the endcap. Before tying the line off, pull it tight so that the rubber band is stretching
downward from the tension in the line.
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Step 46
Use hot glue to block the outlet of the endcap pass-through so that potting compound will
not leak out around the sides of the harness. Try not to get too much glue on the disks that
will go inside the tube, and also make sure that the wire harness itself does not bulge up
above the height of the large flange disk.
Keep the hot glue gun on and ready to use so that any hole is discovered once the endcap
has been potted can be plugged. (This can be done by simply wiping off any escaping
potting then filing that area with hot glue)
Start potting the endcap by inserting the mixing tube as far down into the pass-through as
possible. You'll want to fill starting from the furthest-back point to avoid bubbles. Also,
insert the mixing nozzle between the wires in the bundle to make sure there are no voids
that are not getting filled.
Fill the pass-through hole to the rim (if a little spills over, that's no big deal- it can be wiped
off or left as is)
Within the first 20 mins of potting, move the wire harness back and forth as well as up and
down longitudinally (like a toilet plunger) to make sure potting compound is filling every
void.
E-90FL starts to set up after about 90 mins, but it will take a day for it to fully harden.
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Step 47
Insert wisdom here.
Step 48
While the E-90 is still fluid, you'll want to attach propellers to the motor bells for each
thuster. Start by sanding the shaft of each motor bell using a medium-grit (we used 150grit) sand paper.
Cut off three 4mm long pieces of the adhesive-lined shrink tubing that was also used on
the motor leads. These will be used to keep the shaft concentric with the mounting hole in
the propeller.
Slide one of the pieces of shrink tubing down to the root of each shaft and shrink it down
until it is secure using a heat gun.
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Step 49
Place the tip of the mixing nozzle firmly into the hole of a propeller and the hole with
potting compound until it overflows. There may be some air that needs to escape for the
potting to fully fill the hole. It's okay for some potting to overflow onto the surface above
the hole.
Using a rotating motion, press the propeller down against the motor shaft. You'll need to
sort of screw the threading onto the shrink tubing on the shaft for it to go on all the way
without scrunching the tubing.
Do these steps for all three motor bells and place them somewhere where they can point
directly upward. A wire shelf or a crack made between two books can allow the bottom
side of the shaft to be out of the way.
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Step 50
We're now going to build the Electronics Chassis (also known as the E-Chassis). For this,
you'll need the 13 parts shown here (as well as an additional two blinder pieces that are not
shown here)
Start by cementing the Endplate pieces to the Main Platform. Orientation is importent here:
the large hole on the Main Platform should be in the upper right corner with center standoff on Endplate pieces pointing toward you (as shown). This will allow the OpenROV
Controller Board to fit on the right way.
Step 51
Now attach the four Braces (two for each Endplate) to the E-Chassis. They should be able
to fit in if inserted at an angle.
Next, cement the Servo Mount to the same side of the Main Chassis the Braces are on.
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Step 52
Now we'll start making the camera platform. Start by cementing the two pieces for the
Camera Mount arms together. The round bases of each piece should end up being
concentric, but to aid with cementing, it may be easier to stagger the pieces initially. Of
course, be sure to align them before the cement sets!
Next, you'll want to cement the Camera Mount arms to the Camera Platform with the
smaller of the two pieces on each arm facing outward.
Finally, attach the white blinders to either side of the camera hole.
Step 53
Now it's time to attach the ESCs to the OpenROV Controller Board. In each ESC box,
you'll find one ESC, two zip ties, and a bag with shrink tubing and double-sided adhesive.
You'll want to keep the zip ties and bag, so put them aside for now.
We'll want to cut the thick lead wires from the ESC down to a length of 4cm (Don't cut the
thin capacitor wires). To keep everything looking tidy when mounted to the Controller
Board, it's best to start by cutting one of the lead wires to the right length, then use that as
a guide to cut the others afterward.
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Step 54
Next, we'll want to roll each wire around between our fingers to make the cross section of
the wires circular. This will be important later on (especially with the two power wires) for
getting them to fit into the holes on the Controller Board.
Because each wire has a very high strand count (and thus the strands are very fine), we'll
do a trick to prevent them from fraying. Using a soldering iron, heat the tips of each wire
(which is not yet stripped) and apply a bead of solder. The silicon insulation on the lead
wires should be able to take the heat.
You should end up with five wires that have small beads of solder covering their strands
as shown.
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Step 55
You can now strip each wire. Strip off 4mm of insulation from each wire using a sharp
razor (auto-strippers will not work well with the flexible silicon insulation and the short cut
length).
The ESCs should now be ready to be mounted to the Controller Board.
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Step 56
The ESCs will ultimately be placed over the blank area of the Controller Board with the
leadwires arching over to the holes they'll be soldered in. Look at the second photograph in
this step to make sure you've got them oriented correctly.
Insert the ESC leadwires into the holes on the Controller Board and solder them in place.
You'll want your soldering iron to be at a fairly high temperature since there is a lot of
metal to sink heat here.
Watch out for stray wire strands that don't make it into the Controller Board holes. These
can be removed with small wire cutters or needle-nose pliers.
Once all the ESCs are soldered in place, it is recommended that any excess wire lead that
protrudes beyond the solder joint be removed using diagonal cutters.
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Step 57
Now you have both parts of the E-Chassis and a controller board that's ready for external
electronics. Nice job! Next, we're going to attach the lights and camera to the Camera
Platform.
Start by soldering the two light panels together. To do this, you'll want to create a small
solder blob on the pads on the far left and right of one of the light panels, then attach the
leads from the other light panel so that the red wire you're attaching is on the same side as
the red already-attached wire (and the same for black).
Apply a small amount of super glue between the two notches in the Camera Platform and
place a light panel there. The light panel should be positioned so that its leadwires are
aligned with one of the notches, and it should be centered vertically. Note: using velcro
with adhesive backing here allows lights to be moved and serviced.
If the light panel is too high or too low, the electronic components on the panel may
rub against the Electronics Tube.
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Step 58
Now you'll want to take apart the Genius F100 webcam so it can be mounted to the
Camera Platform. Start by pulling the camera off of its stand (a strong tug should do the
trick)
Next, remove the plastic piece still attached to the camera by unscrewing the small
Phillips-head screw that goes through it.
Using small zip ties (you'll have found two of these in each box the ESCs came in), attach
the webcam to the Camera Platform as shown. You'll need to double up the zip ties in
order for them to reach around the assembly.
You can use scissors or a diagonal cutter to remove excess zip tie material. You'll want
the zip tie heads to be positioned so that they don't bump into the E-Chassis main platform
when the Camera Platform is looking all the way up or all the way down.
Once everything is secure, you can set the Camera Platform assembly aside for later.
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Step 59
Now we're going to start mounting other electronics onto the Controller Board. The first
part we'll add is the Homeplug Adapter board.
We'll use the communication PCB out of a Tenda P200 Homeplug adapter to allow us to
talk Ethernet over our twisted pair tether. To start, we'll need to open the Homeplug
adapter and separate the communication board from the power regulation board.
Use a large flathead screw driver to pry apart the case.
Keep in mind that one of the four walls of the case is attached to the top piece of plastic so
it won't pry off the same way as the other three sides.
You'll notice that there are two circuit boards inside. We'll want the one that the Ethernet
jack is attached to.
As of July, 2013, Tenda made of revision of their P200 adapters. The old version
(v1) is now being replaced with a newer version (v2) that is laid out as a mirror
image of v1, and has female 2x6 headers instead of board stackers. We'll post info about
how to use this board when we get one and learn about how it works.
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Step 60
There are five connecting pins between the two boards- three in the front and two in the
back. Clip these pins as close as you can to the power regulation board (the one without
the Ethernet jack) to separate the boards.
Be careful to clip the pins on the side of the power regulation board, NOT on the
side of the communication board. You'll need pins coming out of the communication
board in order to plug into the Controller Board later on.
Step 61
If the length of any of the header pins is significantly longer then its neighbors, you can
trim it down to be even with the others using a diagonal cutter. You'll want the pins to be
similar heights so that they fit into the female headers cleanly.
Place the Homeplug Adapter Board onto the controller board so that each of it's two sets of
pins fit into he respective female headers on the Controller Board. The Ethernet jack on the
Homeplug Adapter Board should face away from the ESCs.
At this point, you can also plug the ESC servo leads into the 3x6 header labeled "J8".
You'll want ESC 1 (Port) to be wired to D6, ESC 2 (Vertical) to be wired to D7 and ESC
3 (Starboard) to be wired to D8.
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Step 62
Now insert one end of the Ethernet Jumper into the jack on the Homeplug Adapter Board.
You should hear or feel a click from the plug locking into place.
Place an M3 nylon screw through the bottom of the controller board in the hole adjacent to
the AtMEGA chip. Secure the 23mm threaded nylon standoff to the shaft of the screw on
the other side (the top) side of the board.
Step 63
Place the BeagleBone Black down onto the large male headers built into the controller
board.
Be sure the header pins are aligned properly with the holes on the BeagleBone
Black, and that the Ethernet jack on the BeagleBone Black is facing away from the
ESCs
Plug the other end of the Ethernet Jumper into the port on the BeagleBone Black.
Use an additional M3 screw to fasten the BeagleBone Black to the standoff coming out of
the Controller Board
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Step 64
Attach the Controller Board to the E-Chassis using M3 nylon screws and nuts as shown.
To Orient the board, note the cut outs on the E-Chassis are for the solder points on the
Controller board.
For the screw hole closest to the DB-25 connector, the ESC near the edge may
need to be lifted slightly to put the screw in place.
In some of the earlier 2.5 kits, only 8 M3 nylon screws were included, but 9 will
actually be needed to fully fasten everything. Either the screw used to attach the
BeagleBone Black to the standoff, or one of the screws used to attach the Controller Board
to the E-Chassis can be used elsewhere instead.
From inside the box for the HS-81 servo, remove the two-arm servo control horn and cut
off one of its arms using a diagonal cutter.
Also use the diagonal cutter to remove the corners from the cut-off portion of the horn.
This will allow the arm to fit inside the hole cut out in the Camera Mount arm.
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Step 65
Before mounting the servo to the E-Chassis, push the horn onto the servo and gently
rotate it back and forth to its extremes. Adjust how the horn is placed on the servo so that
its limits are in positions equivalent to the camera platform looking straight up and straight
down (ish). The screw that holds the horn on is not really needed.
Loosely attach the servo to the E-Chassis using a set of M3 screws and nuts as shown.
You'll need the nuts to be just barely threaded onto the screws at first so that the Camera
Mount arms can be put into position before being secured. (Make sure the arm is centered
- lined up with the camera mount semi-circle.)
Place the Camera Mount Assembly onto the E-Chassis so that the top of the webcam (the
side without the webcam mounting stand tabs) is facing up with servo on the right when
the camera is facing toward you.
Attach the arm on the side without a servo to the E-Chassis using an M3 screw and nut.
Do not fully tighten as this screw will act like a hinge and should not create much friction.
After assuring the servo arm is seated inside the cavity of the Camera Mount arm, tighten
the two screws holding the servo in place until they are snug.
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Step 66
Now it's time to do a bit of housekeeping. There are several wires coming from various
places on the E-Chassis, and we're going to want them all to be plugged in and well
organized.
To start out, you can get the capacitors attached to each ESC out of the way by tucking
them under the ESC's leadwires as shown.
You'll want the switches from each ESC to be available for programming and calibrating
each of them, so they can be placed alongside the BeagleBone.
Next, you can plug in the USB connector for the webcam. You'll want the cable from the
connector to bend in the direction toward the DB-25 plug.
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Step 67
To keep the USB cable for the webcam out of the way, we'll wrap it around the main
platform of the E-Chassis. Because the Electronics Tube will have to fit over the entire
assembly, it's important that the wraps of cable are side-by-side and do not stack on top of
each-other.
Depending on where the end of the doubled-up cable ends up (that seems to vary every
time we build an E-Chassis) you can use the velcro strip that came with it, some tape, or a
small zip tie to hold it in place.
The resulting bundle should lay flat against the E-Chassis platform, but be pushed to the
side enough so that when the camera platform is pointing all the way up or down, the
camera doesn't collide with the cable.
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Step 68
Next, plug the servo into the controller board. Plug into D-11 on the end of the header set
(the photo shown is now out of date and needs to be retaken). Remember, the "signal" line
(the yellow wire) should go over the inner pin closest to the Beaglebone.
You can also plug the LED array into the Controller Board. The black and red wires go into
headers "P1-" and "P1+" respectively as shown.
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Step 69
Once the potting in the main endcaps has cured, you can attach the DB-25 connector to
the end of the wire harness.
Start by removing the tape that was used to hold the bundle together
Next, measure a distance of 17cm from the inside surface of the endcap, and cut one of
the wires from the bundle at that length. Measure twice, cut once- you don't want the
harness to be too long or two short by more then about 1cm!
Use the one wire that you've cut as a guide to cut all the remaining wires in the bundle to
the same length
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Step 70
Now you can get ready to solder the DB-25 connector to the end of the newly trimmed wire
harness.
Start by stripping off about 3mm of insulation from the end of each wire
Because each stripped wire will just barely fit in the solder cups for the DB-25 connector,
it's easiest not to tin the wires before inserting them into their respective positions.
Look on the back of the DB-25 connector (the end with the solder cups) and identify pin 1
(labeled with a faint imprint in the plastic for the connector)
Use the guide shown to attach wires to the DB-25 connector. Be sure that battery polarity
is correct by measuring for continuity between the forward (positive) terminal in each pack
and the other end of the wire it goes too
The four I2C wires and the two AUX wires can be any of the extra six that were
potted into the endcap- there is no order that need be put to them at this time.
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Step 71
Once you've soldered all the wires from the harness into their respective pins, you can
attach the forward battery terminals to each battery pack. This will be done in a very
similar way to how the rear spring terminals were wired.
Start by sanding in the corner of each battery terminal and placing a large glob of solder
there.
Using pliers (since the wire will likely get quite hot) hold the wire lead against the solder
blob on the battery terminal and heat the terminal until it accepts the wire.
Hold the wire in place with the pliers until the solder cools and hardens.
You can also now attach the motor bells with propellers to their motors. You want the two
aft props to be counter rotating- preferably so that the port propeller spins counterclockwise (and the starboard propeller clockwise) when the ROV is moving forward.
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Step 72
You can now mount the internal components you've completed to the shell of the ROV.
This is best done with the ROV up-side-down.
Rout the wire harness through the opening in the main bulkhead on the starboard side of
the ROV.
Place the internal structure into the shell and allow the tabs of the internal structure to
click into place.
Move the two battery tubes so that they are resting forward of the bulkhead. This will
position them in the correct place once the threaded rods are put in.
Add one non-locking M5 nut to each end of each threaded rod, about 1cm in from each
end.
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Step 73
The two battery packs are wired in parallel through the OpenROV Controller Board, so the
power from each pack can be measures separately on the DB-25 connector. It's important
to make sure you've wired these correctly.
Place three 26650 batteries, positive end forward, into one of the battery tubes and verify
that voltage (should be around 12v for freshly charged batteries) is going to the correct
pins with the correct polarity.
Do the same test with the other battery pack to be sure both packs are connected
correctly to the DB-25 connector.
The ROV is turned on and off by the topside adapter, so batteries can be placed inside the
ROV without it turning on. Use extra 157 o-rings to secure the battery tube endcaps in
place.
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Step 74
Insert one threaded rod into the rear-most set of holds on the bottom of the shell and the
other rod either all the way forward, or the second hole in from forward.
Placing the rod in the furthest-forward set of holes is best for ROV balance and
strength, but my interfere with the field of view of the camera later on. It's easy to
switch this if you change your mind!
Attach locking nuts to the ends of the threaded rod. The locking nuts are the ones with the
white nylon inserts inside of them instead of just being all metal.
Use reusable zip ties to secure each of the two battery packs to the shell. The battery
pack with the longer leads should go on the port side.
Use diagonal cutters to cut off excess zip tie, but leave about 5mm extra on each so that it
is easy to reattach the batteries with the same zip tie later.
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Step 75
Now your ROV is about ready for it's first power-up! You'll need to put the latest software
on a microSD card that will go in the BeagleBone Black. The latest image can be found on
our Github page
Note- software for v2.5 is still being completed, so it is not quite ready for release.
We'll post more information about how to put the correct software on the SD card
once it's finished. In the mean time, Check our GitHub site for the latest updates.
https://github.com/OpenROV/
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Step 76
Now we can build the Topside Adapter. Start by taking apart the second homeplug adapter
(just like you did earlier) and positioning it in the front panel of the Topside Adapter Box.
It's important to make sure the box isn't put together inverted!
As long as you've checked that the homeplug adapter board fits properly, the rest of
the box can only go together in one way.
Do not cement the top panel (the one that does not have a hole cut out of it) as this will
give you access to the box later. Instead, we will tape it in place after finishing the
assembly.
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Step 77
Cut 6 x 7cm lengths of 20awg wire.
Solder three three wires into the three holes on the USB REG board. The stripped wires
make a tight fit into the holes, so you may need to remove a few strands from each.
Use a flush cutter to trim off excess wire.
To keep the other ends of the wires from shorting with each other on the Homeplug adapter
side (which you'll wire to next) place 10mm long pieces of shrink tubing over the wires
coming from the "+3.3v" and "GND" pins on the USB adapter. You can shrink this tubing
over the header pins on the Homeplug adapter after the next step
After adding shrink tubing, solder the "+3.3V" and "GND" wires coming from the USB Reg
to the middle and outer pins in the three-pin header on the homeplug adapter respectively.
(Wiring diagram on next page).
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Step 78
Solder wires onto the remaining three pins (one close to the Ethernet jack on the 3-pin
header, and two on a separate header toward the back of the board)
Solder the two leads from the 2-pin header respectively to the "+5v" line coming from the
USB REG and the left over pin (GND) on the 3-pin header. It does not matter which wire
from the 2-pin header attaches to the 5v supply or the ground.
Pull the two sets of joined wires through the each hole on the back of the topside adapter
using pliers.
Step 79
Solder the two sets of wires to each pin on the terminal block.
Use hot glue (or better yet super glue) to secure the terminal block to the back of the case.
The terminal block should fit flush against the back panel of the homeplug adapter.
After the hot glue has hardened, you can attach the tether from the ROV to the terminal
block on the homeplug adapter.
Because of the way the Homeplug communication protocol works it does not matter
which wire goes into either terminal. Just plug the wires in in any orientation and it
should work!
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Step 80
You're now almost ready to do your first power-up on the ROV! Insert the DB-25 connector
attached to the wire harness into the reciprocal connector on the Controller Board. You
may have to wiggle it around a bit to fit under the USB plug for the webcam, but it should
go in without needing to unplug anything.
Plug the one of the Ethernet patch cables that came in the Homeplug box into the Topside
Adapter and into the Ethernet port on your laptop.
Plug the USB cable that came with your BeagleBone into your computer and get ready to
plug the other end of the cable into the port on your Homeplug adapter.
Connecting USB power to the Topside Adapter will cause the ROV to turn on. Since
the ESCs may not be calibrated initially, it is a good idea to make sure the
propellers on the ROV are clear, and that the camera platform can move smoothly if the
servo moves.
Plug the USB cable into your topside adapter and look for lights on the Homeplug board in
the Topside adapter to turn on. They should go through a startup sequence but then all be
lit after several seconds (but the middle light may blink rapidly)
Look at the controller board and verify that the green "PWR" LED is on. You should also
see one sold red LED and one blinking LED which were used to test the board during the
QA process before being shipped.
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Step 81
Glue the remaining acrylic ring to the white thrust guard as shown.
Make sure the acrylic ring is concentric with the thrust guard and the inside ring is flush
with the inside wall of the thrust guard.
Sand the bottom edges of the acrylic ring so that it fits into the ROV body.
Push the motor guard with acrylic ring into the top of the ROV for a snug fit.
Do not glue this assembly on to the ROV body, it is a pressure fit only.
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Step 82
We're getting pretty close to the end now! In these steps, we'll seal up the E-Chassis
inside the main tube.
Start out by beveling the inner edge of the main tube using a medium grit sand paper so
that the o-ring will fit in the tube without getting damaged. Wipe off all the dust left over
from the sanding process when done.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO SAND THE INNER SURFACE OF THE TUBE WHERE THE
O-RING WILL BE. THIS PART MUST BE KEPT COMPLETELY SMOOTH. ONLY
CHAMFER THE EDGE!
Place a #153 o-ring (the medium-sized one) on the endcap that doesn't have wires passing
through it.
Fit the endcap with the o-ring on it into the main tube and see how it fits. Because the
tolerance of the main tubes is pretty loose, you may need to put several wraps of teflon
tape around the endcap (underneath the o-ring) to make the fit snug.
Wrap enough Teflon tape around that endcap so that when it is inserted into the tube,
about a 1mm wide band of o-ring is pressed against the side of the tube. You may need to
put anywhere from 0 to 3 wraps of Teflon tape around the endcap depending on your tube
to achieve this.
Since the o-ring will make a pretty tight fit with the main tube when pushed out to
the right diameter, it is recommended that a lubricant be used on top of the o-ring
(we like to use a commonly available lubricant called "MagicLube" which is available at
many hardware stores) to assure the o-ring gets seated properly
Place wraps of Teflon tape around the other endcap (this is easier to do with the EChassis disconnected from the wire harness) then connect the E-Chassis, turn the ROV
on to make sure everything is working properly, and slide the main tube down over the EChassis- makeing sure to keep wires from getting pinched against the tube as you go.
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Step 83
To prevent your ROV tether from getting twisted in the motors add a zip tie to the circular
hole in the handle at the back of the ROV. Do not cut the zip tie.
Wrap the ROV tether around the zip tie.
Wrap the zip tie and tether with electrical tape.
Step 84
No instructions yet.
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Step 85
Software download, update, and
configuration are discussed
separately on GitHub. Please see
the OpenROV GitHub releases
page for the latest software.
Before your OpenROV will be
operational, you will need a current
"OpenROV Image" for your
BeagleBone Black. To do this, you
will need a micro-SD card (2GB
should be sufficient).
If you purchased an IMU(Depth,
heading, tilt sensors) then you
should go to this Dozuki to build
that as well.
Your motor speed controllers
(ESCs) will need to be programmed
and calibrated as well. To learn
how to do that go to the wiki page
here.
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