Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[6705russell]

Hi all, just finished building the Neptune, very pleased with the kit some good engineering gone into the parts, just rigging a camera and monitor to use with it, hopefully weather permitting i will have it in the water this weekend.

[Martin (Admin)]

What costs so far?

[6705russell]

Martin,

The kit was £299.00, i wasn't much for the supplied speed controller so changed that for an Mtroniks £21.00 and a 6 channel receiver £18.00.
I tried using various wireless cameras with infra red but the picture wasn't up to much so i have this one with bright white LEDs which gives a brilliant clear picture in the dark, this one is wired so it will attach underneath the sub.

Russ

[Subculture]

Where are you based, Russ?

Andy

[Mankster]

Trailing a wire to land can cause havok with you trim and its going to be pretty difficult maintaining neutral bouancy can forward motion at the same time. An alternative is to tow small surface buoy thant contains a wireless transmiter. http://www.rfconcepts.co.uk/wireless-2_4Ghz.htm

[6705russell]

Hi Andy, i am based in Newcastle under Lyme on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent.

Mankster, i have tried the wireless set-up, the only problem being is you have to put the wireless camera behind the front perspex cover inside the WTC, no problems but to see anything in the average lake i need good lighting, i tried a camera with the surrounding infa reds but this just comes up as a bright blur on the monitor because of the reflection off the perspex, the only other idea i have is to install some kind of external lighting to the sub and use a normal wireless camera?

Russ

[Martin (Admin)]

On other threads on here, they are saying Wireless (2.4GHz) is no good for submarines and radio control....

[Ghost in the shell]

you could splice the antenna on the camera amd add a 6ft extention, then put the end of it inside a ball-cock off a ball valve.  that will allow the signal to get up to the surface

[6705russell]

2.4ghz is no good for the submarine control but wireless cameras either work off 1.2 ghz or 2.4 ghz so to get the signal through water you would need to extend the camera aerial so that it sits on the surface of the water via a bouy of some description.

Russ

[Mankster]

Hi Andy, i am based in Newcastle under Lyme on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent.

Mankster, i have tried the wireless set-up, the only problem being is you have to put the wireless camera behind the front perspex cover inside the WTC, no problems but to see anything in the average lake i need good lighting, i tried a camera with the surrounding infa reds but this just comes up as a bright blur on the monitor because of the reflection off the perspex, the only other idea i have is to install some kind of external lighting to the sub and use a normal wireless camera?

Russ

No, I mean use your wired camera with the LEDs but connect it up to a wireless transmitter which you house in a buoy which floats and is towed by the sub. This means the towed wire is much shorter than if you trailed it land. so the drag is fixed and does not change. As the tranmitter is on the surface, you have no problems with transmission.

[Subculture]

To be honest, unless you have a crystal clear pond, i.e. a lake fed from a mountain spring or a swimming pool, there will never be very much to see.

I've been looking to get some pool meets going in the South East for the past year or so. They would be based in London or on the outskirts, which is a bit of a trek from you. PRoblem from the get go is the cost of facilities, and numbers who'd be willing to attend.

Andy

[6705russell]

Andy, to be honest we have tried the camera in a  lake by dropping it off the side of the boat, it is a dedicated underwater camera which gives off at least 100 lux of lighting which gives it a view of around 3-5mtrs in pitch darkness.

Russ

[Subculture]

Granted. The point I was making was, what exactly are you looking at?

[6705russell]

Nothing in particular, just curious as to whats down there.

[Subculture]

Old prams, rocks and the odd curious fish- if you're lucky.

Andy

[Martin (Admin)]

Have a look for the top of my Cesa 1882!  ::)

[DickyD]

You can come down here and find my PT 15 superstructure.

[6705russell]

Hopefully when my ROV is complete it will have some kind of hook/grab attached and it will be be able to snag items on the lake bed? This will have four cameras attached to obtain a 360ish view.