March 12, 2012

Uploaded a few documents from the weekend onto the blog for peers to visit upon their own time. Also took note of how we're going to mount weight onto the ROV to compensate for too much buoyancy. We're planning on using 1 inch steel pipe mounted perpendicular to the bottom to obtain neutral buoyancy.

March 9, 2012

Major blog updates were conducted and all logs were imported for evaluation and grading. The other subdivisions of the blog will be updated in this upcoming weekend hopefully .

March 8, 2012

Self-Design and Evaluation report was worked on in class and all equipment was unloaded from my car back into the Systems Engineering shop. The report is an analysis at construction throughout the marking period and reflection (with opinion) that is submitted concerning personal grade that is submitted to the instructors for evaluation.

March 7, 2012

Today we left the academy early to depart to the Neptune Aquatic Center to conduct some more testing. After approximately 12 Pounds of BB's (Deadweight) we determined that we need a lot more weight and that some external weight should be mounted on the project enclosure in addition to the ROV. We're very close to neutral buoyancy and we'll be able to fine tune that this weekend possibly at the NYSC or the YMCA locally.

March 6, 2012

Everything was mounted onto the ROV with less problems this time, and there were enough BBs in the assembly to allow the unit to sink. After consulting with my team, we came to the conclusion we may be able to use the unit to see how much

March 5, 2012

Wires on the side of the ROV Unit were cleaned up. The leads were added with flux, tinned, and then soldered together. Then heatshrink tubing was used to insulate the wires to ensure there were no shorts conducted underwater. These wires were then zip-tied down to the assembly and mounted toward the back for when we reinstall the underwater electronics unit. Everybody is preparing for the test coming up quickly on March 7, 2012.

March 2, 2012

There seems to be a defection on my board that I had from Colorado. Their items are on backorder, so I spoke to a company in Vermont and they should be able to conduct a swap of products for me. Both companies were very reliable. I had to call them and place the orders throughout the class period.

March 1, 2012

I got some Copperhead brand BBs, which are used in airsoft guns. They are packaged in 6 pound bottles and there are 6,000 of them which allows for a lot of fine tuning to be conducted. We found the approximate weight that we need to hold down the unit underwater (Neutrally buoyant)

February 29, 2012

The Underwater unit provides a lot of buoyancy. In the test in the small scale pool, the unit had to be held down by 1 and a half United States Standard Bricks. It seems to provide a buoyancy of approximately 6 Pounds. There will have to be a lot of deadweight installed onto the unit to make sure we can neutralize it for the least amount of  impact on the vehicle during time of testing.

February 28, 2012

The JB Weld was reapplied in the correct mention and was left to dry until the next class to test it in the water and make sure everything is waterproof and there are still no internal flaws or errors.

February 27, 2012

The team met up again today in class and attempted to mount the assembly on the ROV and we encountered a problem. The JB Weld seal broke, so we consulted our shop technician and he told us that the surface was too smooth to create a good-enough grip. To fix it, we should sand the surface down, to create a more tactile connection between the two pieces. The logic makes sense, but we need another day to prepare, conduct, and have the unit dry. Sadly we are testing today, and it is inconvenient that the unit cannot be installed on the ROV for the time of testing; it would have been nice to see it’s affects on the ROV. We’ll have to have it all prepared and working in another test before the next one is conducted in front of the professors on March 7^th.

February 24, 2012

We used a T-Joint and JB Welded it to the bottom of the Underwater unit assembly to ensure it stays. We did a bead of weld on the rim, on the outside, and when that dries, hopefully on the 24 -> 27 Weekend, I will add another bead on the inside to ensure it stays well. The assembly was installed in clamps to dry with a good seal.

February 23, 2012

The Aquarium sealant was placed on the underwater enclosure and the two wires (Tether and Camera) were mounted and secured for drying. A second coating will be placed on the unit to ensure the seal is workable and that there are no holes on the construction.

February 22, 2012

The Underwater Enclosure which is the box in which the electronics will be mounted on the underwater unit was purchased and holes were drilled in the side of the unit and measure with the caliper against the wires for professional fittings. After the wires fit, we sanded down the edges, and stripped the wires and calculated the amount of slack we should leave to work with in the project at a later date.

February 21 2012

Long (4-Day weekend) was very busy, but I picked up some materials at the hardware store to determine which would best fit our use with the project and which would perform the best in the situations and conditions that we have available to us during the testing phase. A few quick samples were made on a block of wood and tested and we determined the silicone aquarium sealant appears to be the best when tested in the shop.

February 16, 2012

We used a 3/8" Threaded rod that we cut new holes in the vertical cross beam to mount in. We used lock washers and threaded rod nuts to mount the assembly firmly to the housing. This provides a cantilevered edge for the camera to be mounted on slightly off center which isn't very noticeable and gives the team the ability to adjust the angle if need be which is a major asset to the groups construction and versatility. 

February 15, 2012

Assembly is complete and the unit is tested and a waterproof seal is there. The hardware was assembled overnight and testing was conducted in class. Results were documented for upload to the blog at a later date. Mounting equipment was also brought up in a group discussion and a potential solution was found we may put into action tomorrow, the 16th.

February 14, 2012

Another piece of PVC was installed around the PVC, and new gaskets were made so that the original PVC piece is more centered around the bolts. This should more evenly distribute the torque around the assembly and make a better seal and end with cleaner construction. The gaskets also have 2 seals on the inside and on the outside edge of the PVC which ensures a waterproof seal more than a single seal around an edge. The construction of the camera is nearing the end.

February 13, 2012

Camera unit needs more stability because the acrylic is warping and the assembly is torquing biting into the acrylic and is putting the waterproof seal at risk. The assembly is taken apart, and I consulted my team members and other class units for potential fixes to this problem.

February 10, 2012

Another acrylic disc was made, sanded down, design laid out across it, and the holes were drilled out, sanded, touched up, and cleaned up for installation on the unit this weekend. We also came to the consensus that stainless steel clean bolts were better than galvanized coated bolts. It seemed that the galvanized bolts were meant for outdoor construction assembly and had the coating dipped in so it ran to a single end and was slightly warped which may have caused the initial cracking in the enclosure.