FINALLY!
This past Saturday our group met for most of the day at school to work on our project.
At this point and time it is safe to say that submarines are a real pain in the ass. And I’m not sure why anyone would want to do this for fun. But at least now it looks a bit like one and has some guts and motor type stuff going on inside. The motor mounts are in place, as well as the suspension system for it. The rear propeller has been assembled and looks good. The two parts of the sub are properly aligned and fit together well. Stuff has stopped falling off because the adhesive didn’t set or wasn’t mixed properly.
Mike and I spent a long time trying to solder the rudders into place. We had a lot of problems. The rudders are made of copper and it was VERY difficult to get the solder to adhere to it. We really had to heat it up. We did this gradually because we are very concerned about destroyed a part and having to replace it at this late stage of the game. We also played around with quite a few different techniques. We would think we had got it and then the solder popped off as soon as we touched the rudders. It was very frustrating but educational as well. I would say we finally ended up welding as opposed to soldering. We used thin wire and ran it into the seams and then went back and went over it with a thicker gauge. Not very pretty but functional.
After making sure each Arduino worked we also started playing around with the code:
What is the best way to get it to execute the commands we want? How much maneuverability do we really have? Will it sink straight away?
I’m sure the next week is going to be very interesting and I’m not all sure how this is going to turn out.
Wow, looks great and very ‘serious’. Also, interesting post. Now I know what “the rudders” are. Thank you and good luck with everything!
I was initially impressed by the conception of the idea and what it could mean for automated submarines in the future. It could definitely help to bring down the cost of the electronics that usually run these types of underwater vehicles. But seeing the project come to life little by little over the course of the semester has shown me all of your team has a lot of resolve and determination towards creating this sub. I hope your team is able to finish the project.