Topic: My 12 foot Gato class submarine! (Read 266422 times)

Subculture · « **Reply #25 on:** August 23, 2011, 09:28:51 pm »

Yes I did that video. It was a tad ropey- second or probably third generation VHS footage. I put it through a Canopus ADVC-55, which converts the analogue signal to 720x576 DV codec AVI.

I then loaded that file into Virtualdub, applied a few filters to clean it up as best I could, deinterlaced the footage and cropped to true 4:3 aspect, and adjusted the resolution to 640x480- which is what the Youtube and Vimeo sites support. The video was then rendered to h.264 codec.

Sounds easy, but it took the best part of a day of fiddling about with settings before I felt happy with the result. I have another tape with Nicks Amphibious tank with working gun, which is due for conversion.

I'm sure if we get enough slings around that beast we can get it in and out of the water!

sub john · « **Reply #26 on:** August 23, 2011, 10:00:19 pm »

reply#24 HI RICHARD very funny i like that i think i might need that the way its going

MikeA · « **Reply #27 on:** August 24, 2011, 02:01:00 pm »

what made you decide to build the sub so big? was it the deckgun?

Patrick Henry · « **Reply #28 on:** August 24, 2011, 02:24:02 pm »

Found a few more pictures of the beast...

Bottom pic shows the late Nick Burge (the guy who built the deck cannon) and a youthful JR standing alongside the top deck...there's another couple of feet to add to that when the deck is fitted to the hull.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #29 on:** August 24, 2011, 03:22:40 pm »

Quote from: Subculture on August 23, 2011, 09:28:51 pm

"Sounds easy"

No........!

Quote

Bottom pic shows the late Nick Burge

Wasn't there another great model submarine aficionado, Bernie someone... always used to wear a Jean jacked cover in badges.....

Davy1 · « **Reply #30 on:** August 24, 2011, 04:02:44 pm »

Now that's an invitation you can't refuse, Richard!

Show the nice man the photo with Bernie.

MikeA · « **Reply #31 on:** August 24, 2011, 05:41:57 pm »

now youl all probably shoot me down but when i was working in a garage we used these:

the crane boom extends in most cases beyond the front wheels alowing the sub to be lowered in a pool. this a 2 ton rated engine hoist and they can be hired

Sub driver · « **Reply #32 on:** August 24, 2011, 05:52:43 pm »

Hi John.

Great technical build.

I was most interested to hear that you are using 240v for the two washing machine drive motors, forgive my ignorance but 240v and water don't really get on are there any failsafes. or measures encorporated to prevent you frying yourself or anyone else for that matter should the 240 v system come into contact with the water etc.

Regards Sub.

sub john · « **Reply #33 on:** August 24, 2011, 06:00:31 pm »

reply#27 #31
HI Mad Mike, idea of making the sub so big was it was going to be the first sub to go under and across the channel to France, but could not afford to do it sub would run for 26 hours none stop
the lift unit that you showed on picture problem is if you went with sub beyond front wheels it would tip over good idea Mike but not quite right you would not believe how had it is to get the sub in to the water needs slip way
JOHN

sub john · « **Reply #34 on:** August 24, 2011, 06:12:17 pm »

Reply#32
Hi Sub Driver, 240v inverter in sub is connected through op-to couplers to different parts of the sub one of the problems of the inverter is if you ran it at say 300 KHZ you would probably end up interfearing with the radio inside the sub the one that i put inside runs at 50 HZ the same as the mains if inverter came in contact with water it would shut down i have been in the water with the sub in test tank I'm still hear to tell this tale biggest problem is trying to stop interference to the sub it self
JOHN

Patrick Henry · « **Reply #35 on:** August 24, 2011, 06:19:17 pm »

Quote from: Martin - admin. on August 24, 2011, 03:22:40 pm

No........!

Wasn't there another great model submarine aficionado, Bernie someone... always used to wear a Jean jacked cover in badges.....

Quite true Martin...the late Bernie Wood, the guru of UK model submariners.

The man himself with his Darnell Biber at Sandown way back...

sub john · « **Reply #36 on:** August 24, 2011, 06:45:20 pm »

Reply #36
HI ALL, The video that i put on youtube i said the i was going to put compass headings and other data coming back from sub i was surprised that nobody has said how are you going to send back compass headings submerged as you would need GPS link to make it work but the unit going in the sub works on picking up magnetic flux from the earth north pole and all that stuff so this unit will send back compass headings when submerged of course this has to be done with soft ware unit sends out data which would be linked to auto pilot the same as what you would have in a UAV plane so you would be able to control the sub by setting way points under water it all starts to get interesting, another possibility mad Mike. New radio link for under water is to do with all of this
JOHN

MikeA · « **Reply #37 on:** August 24, 2011, 08:47:39 pm »

well it had crossed my mind about tipping over but i reckon that in a boom was couterbalanced from the rear pivot it might not tip. If it had a hook on it you could hang 5 gallon barrels of water from it each would weigh 27kg. Then when you pack up empty the barrels. although the sub is heavy i dont think a foot overhang would tip the crane, the crane itself weighs about 80kg. now judging from the example picture, if the boom was overhanging 1/6th the length of the front legs then it would need 480kg to tip it. plus if ya added 2 27kg 5 gallon water barrels to counterweight that would increase to a 534kg overbalance. now with a bit of help from your mates to keep it steady i reckon it would work.

MikeA · « **Reply #38 on:** August 24, 2011, 10:05:30 pm »

heres another idea for a slipway trolley:

inspiring idea:

sub john · « **Reply #39 on:** August 25, 2011, 05:35:37 pm »

Reply#37/#38
HI Mad Mike, Don't like the idea of having to us counter weight to much to go wrong and if you was going to use water to fill counter weights that's bad news as well picture you have got of trailer lowering sub in water first problem is if you launch it nose first into water because sub is so long it would try to snap sub in the middle, and if sub came off in one piece you would wreak the rudder plus other bits props. You would have to lower it into the water back first but would not like to launch it like that, have seen pictures of launching gato subs sideways off pier it is the best way to do it because of stress on the hull
JOHN

sub john · « **Reply #40 on:** August 25, 2011, 05:38:25 pm »

Reply #40
HI Mike Have you read reply#36 let me know what you think
All the best John

MikeA · « **Reply #41 on:** August 25, 2011, 06:55:38 pm »

sounds good have you worked out a method of it working yet? compass with an optical encoding disk on it?

sub john · « **Reply #42 on:** August 25, 2011, 08:01:32 pm »

Reply#41
Hi Mike, On screen display is ready to go in sub will display compass headings on video picture, unit will also send out to different formats of data to link to auto pilot still got to work out auto pilot have got low frequency aerial to work for video under water like i said before it all takes time to work out.
John

MikeA · « **Reply #43 on:** August 26, 2011, 12:47:44 am »

how does the compass work then?

Patrick Henry · « **Reply #44 on:** August 26, 2011, 10:58:45 am »

Just been chatting to JR on the 'phone...he's now working on heat seeking torpedoes. The device will be capable of picking up the heat signature from the electric motor(s)in the target boat, locking onto it, and that's it...the target will be history. And I'm not joking either...

Time to be nervous, methinks....

MikeA · « **Reply #45 on:** August 26, 2011, 12:20:04 pm »

wow how awesomely indredibly dangerous!!

you just showing off now john!!

sub john · « **Reply #46 on:** August 26, 2011, 05:43:51 pm »

sub john · « **Reply #47 on:** August 26, 2011, 06:04:38 pm »

Reply #43
HI Mike, seem to have had a problem on first reply just ended up with laughing face, not sure what went wrong start again, you asked how compass worked compass works by picking up magnetic flux from the earth itself there is true north and there is magnetic north so many degree apart sensor in sub is picking up this magnetic flux from the earth and with the aid of processor and software on it is able to work out what you should be seeing on the video picture coming back from the sub for instance it could be saying north west by so many degrees and at the same time as the sensor rotates in the sub digital data coming out changes according to how it rotates this would be linked to auto pilot this would be setting lines of travel and waypoints can be turns in routes of travel and of course all this would be linked to rudder control servo. Front hydroplanes work on depth control unit which you can set to what ever depth you wont depth control unit could monitor water change temp and compansate for that back hydroplanes work on very sensitive unit to keep sub level, this unit is also temp compensated
JOHN

sub john · « **Reply #48 on:** August 26, 2011, 06:09:50 pm »

Reply #44
HI Richard, How could you say that I'm going to build heat seeking torpedo's as if i could do any thing like that wouldn't no where to start HA HA HA still won't KILO for target practice BOOM GONE
john

MikeA · « **Reply #49 on:** August 26, 2011, 10:51:08 pm »

very good

what are you working on now perticuly just trying to get auto pilot to work? just another point i know how a compass works i just wondered how you rigged the compass mechanism. I was thinking about it and thought if i were to do such a thing i would put the magnetic pointer on a pin axle with a optical encoding disk on the bottom. then drill 360 holes in it to give me a 360 deg compass

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Author Topic: My 12 foot Gato class submarine! (Read 266422 times)

sub john

MikeA

Patrick Henry

Davy1

MikeA

sub john

sub john

Patrick Henry

sub john

MikeA

MikeA

sub john

sub john

MikeA

sub john

MikeA

Patrick Henry

MikeA

sub john

sub john

sub john

MikeA