Ah yes... gather around my friend, and I shall tell you a tale. That was my biggest concern too. I went a little on the safe side, because increasing the weight with some metal ballast on the cargo net is no biggy. Trying to increase the buoyancy is basically impossible. So here's what I did: my ROV-frame is negatively buoyant (those 1/2" PVC-U pipes are quite heavy actually). Therefore I took two 32 mm (about 1.25") pvc tubes, and cut them to about 42 cm in length (16.5 inches) and sealed them up. That, along with a few metal weights, was just right in making the entire ROV slightly positively buoyant. (Besides: in salt water you'll have to increase the ballast anyhow, because of the increased densitiy of the water.) However: those 1.25" tubes are only sufficient if you plan to use those small brushless motors with the 35 mm Film canister motor-housings. In my next video you will see that I exchanged those for 3 seaflow bilge pump motors (350 gph, drawing only 1 Amp each). Those perform MUCH better at basically the same current. However they are heavy. At the first launch the ROV went down like a rock. Even after taking off all the ballast and even adding a few pathetic makeshift floaties, it still sunk. So, if you plan to increase the performance of your ROV anytime soon, I recommend getting yourself some 1.5 inch (40 mm) tubes, just to be safe. Those provide a lot of buoyancy (about 40% more than the 1.25" tubes). But in the end it doesn't really matter, because exchanging the buoyancy tanks is easy and cheap as can be. So don't feel obliged to think so far ahead. :-) Oh, and no need to apologize! I find it rather rewarding to get the opportunity to help someone out who has the exact same questions as I had, when I came across these issues. So feel free to ask away anytime!!! I just hope you'll find the time to post a video of your project! That would really interest me! :-)

Gary McKinnon sweet! Let me know when you have an update!! 😀

Cool to see you here Gary! I recently started designing my new ROV! My old ROV can be seen here: www.tomstanis.com/underwater-rov.html If anyone is also working on a fully remote ROV (no tether and all systems onboard the craft) feel free to contact me to discuss telemetry options. I've considered using a 4G cellular radio but I'd like to be able to maintain a connection while underwater. Many challenges ahead--especially since I'm designing it to be able to dive to 300'. I'd also be interested in hearing if anyone has utilized linear kinetic electricity generators (similar to those used in many wrist watches) so the craft can recharge its batteries as it bobs around at sea.

Kevin Mitnick interesting! Is 3G sufficiently low in frequency to be transmitted under water?

@@kevinmitnick1913 Nice work. You may find the OpenROV forums helpful. I don't think the energy gains from kinetics would be large enough to justify their addition,, assuming it's a moving magnet model.

@@agermangineer I've seen ROVs on YT that are wireless but only work in shallow water @2.4GHz. Two promising areas for underwater comms are acoustics and light. These guys are doing interesting work : kzfaq.info/love/ZFmOcapjyWgEnS_l6JgxQgfeed

On eBay. And it actually is still available: rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.de%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F222919480097

Just make sure, that you improve the water resistance from IP67 to IP68. See previous video!

@@agermangineer thanks for the reply and can you link to the video please

Drasticg kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r5uKpKR6tauuYJc.html

Hey: what kind of Cooper are you using in you umbilical neutral ROV cable?

@@agermangineer Normally tinned copper or bare copper. But all are stranded type instead of solid.

@@Eric_Lei ok, I just ordered a sample. But is the 14 x 0.5 mm^2 the biggest one you’ve got?

@@agermangineer No, 14x0.5mm2 is also a small cable for us.

I know, though the last depth indicator was rather popular on eBay and exceeded my limit somewhat; but I’ll continue to keep an eye out for those items!

No can do: the ROV is just too small. The compass is under severe electromagnetic influence (deviation to say the least) and even the smallest depth indicator is at least 6,5 cm wide and about 5 cm thick. That’s too much gear to stow. :-(

Hi, I got them on Amazon and eBay. An RJ45 CAT BREAKOUT. The brands change a lot. Right now amazon sells them from a company called Focket. Hope this helps, cuz finding this handy tool was VERY difficult!!!

Yep, entweder direkt an einen PC oder per Handy über den WLAN Transceiver. Ganz simple Technik

Back then: 15 meters

No, and I cannot recommend the USB-cameras unless you are using a notebook PC or something else with a strong power source: a USB-camera with 50 foot cable will drain and eventually destroy your tablet (or even worse: phone) battery. They are just not built to emit that amount of power. Mine has a Wifi-Interface with its own power supply. Ass seen at the very end of this video, I designed an extension because the wifi-signal is strong enough to be emitted over 5-10 meters without any problems. That way I can easily extend my tether accordingly - as long as I keep that wifi interface dry and above the water surface. And another plus: the wifi signal allows me and sepctators to use several devices at once!!! Of course that requires an app-download, but that is hardly a problem. The battery of the wifi-camera (see also my first ROV-video) lastst over an hour! Quite impressive considering the long cable and the fact how cheap it was!!!

For better control of your ROV, read this topic... 6 motors controlled via ethernet with game controller www.homebuiltrovs.com/rovforum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=2001 Or for your camera question, this camera... www.amazon.com/iFlight-Recording-Switchable-Quadcopter-Multicopter/dp/B07V5TD74D/ref=pd_day0_hl_421_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07V5TD74D&pd_rd_r=ca1d6624-a05a-4ae0-8d07-a9aa680ec70d&pd_rd_w=TQjlh&pd_rd_wg=lK9Pt&pf_rd_p=cd872437-0036-44da-b76a-718df210c36e&pf_rd_r=RS4GNK6FJR08AJXAWMR2&psc=1&refRID=RS4GNK6FJR08AJXAWMR2 Would give you 1080p 60fps HD recording on an SD card in the ROV, with live TV output simultaneously, which could be fed up a single twisted pair with video baluns on both ends for super-clear video. www.amazon.com/iSmart-Passive-Transceiver-HD-TVI-IB1015/dp/B01GJISLDY/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=video+balun&qid=1568927133&sr=8-8

nur adhim back then I used wax and old 35 mm film containers.... but then I switched over to seaflo bilgepump motors. Those are already waterproof, cheap and are quite powerful!

Back then a cheap 30 Euro Wifi Endoscope and my iPad.

Hi Owen! Wow, what a compliment, thanx! Just like with the CAT-Breakout I had to get creative in searching for something that would regulate the power. And since these cheap chinese, no-name items come and go, I cannot even send you a link or a specific name. As far as I recall, I found it on ebay (definetely not amazon) as a 'fan-regulator'... or something like that. Important though: max. 6 amp current! At present, you'll find plenty for 2 amps, but that won't do. I was able to find a few similar regulators under 'voltage regulator' but as I said... these items and their descriptions change on a weekly basis. Just now I could find a few for 10 amps and 12-40 volts, but my guess is that they won't even start under 12 volts, so.... make sure you find something for the 3.5-12 volt range. As for the wiring; I have a board wich collects all the optional 12 volt power intakes. From there I have a main circuit that goes to the 'IN' connector of the 'voltage transformer' (another plausible ebay-search-keyword) and from the 'OUT' connectors I supply all three motors. The DPDT-switches direct the power either as +/- or as -/+ for forward and backward. As you can see, the 'voltage regulator' does not regulate the power for each motor individually; that would take a regulator for each motor. Really sorry that I cannot give you more detailed help, due to the extremeley cheap (yet rather reliable) branded items and my lack of electronic ability. Hope it helps anyway.

@@agermangineer Thanks for your reply. That's really helped me out. One more question. I have bought a similar endoscope to the one your using (had for years and never used). How have you connected it to the tablet? And how is it powered? Hopefully when it's built I'll put a video up of my ROV.

Please do so!! Let me know when you upload it!!! I decided to go with an endoscope with a designated power supply. Since I wanted a 15 meter tether, the long cable would seriously drain the tablet or smartphone battery. As seen in my first ROV video, the battery pack provides power for over an hour!!! Also, the wifi/battery pack allows me to extend the tether by another 5 meters. That will be featured next in my next video: I built a whimsical floaty with a tether link and a water tight compartment for the WiFi transceiver. That way I can actually use several devices to watch the life feed: ipad, iPhone, etc.. Though one day I might change over to a pricier fishing cam!! Those are quite nice!! 😬

Well you can see the 12 Volt brushless motors in my first Touch Muh Hull Video along with the 35 mm Film capsules... that’s the standard Seapearch method. And the turbine drums are just pipes with 4 holes for the 4 screws and nuts to keep the drum in place. 2 more holes to screw the entire set to the frame of the ROV. 😀 And the newest video features the new bilgepump motors. Hope this helps...

@@agermangineer that helps thank you.

Matthew Bennett kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qaeJZK1jrZ7dh4E.html

@@agermangineer do you have a link to the props you used

enigma3654 rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.de%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F271854084033 hope this Link works; though I used 63 mm props - not 60 mm. But the 63 mm version seems hard to obtain. Maybe also try amazon from time to time.

Jo, siehe 2. Antwort zur 1. Frage. :-)

Hi there, the propellers (also check out my newest video!) can be purchased on eBay and Amazon. The same goes for the endoscope. Just search for any no-name endoscope with about 50‘ (15 m) cable length and that’s it. However: also check out the fishing cams on Amazon and eBay. Those come fully equipped with a screen at a reasonable price. Enjoy! 😀👍🏻 www.ebay.de/itm/EYOYO-1000TVL-Sea-Fish-Finder-4-3-Unterwasserfischen-Kamera-Fishing-Camera-Tool-/284111293697?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

@@agermangineer cool thank you so much these videos have been very helpful

@@agermangineer i found 70mm 4 blade propellers, I couldn’t find 62.5mm one, how would that effect the ROV

@@Makal.0w0 well 70 mm is quite large... however 4 blade runs a little smoother, so... why not? Problem of course is, when they get too large at some point the motor will burn out. But 70 should still be ok. I hope... 😀

Damals war das ein billiges China-Endoskop (15 m) zu 30€ mit einer App für Handy und Tablet. Heute ist es eine Fishing-Cam mit eigenem Monitor von Eyoyo (30 m). Die sind in letzter Zeit exorbitant teuer geworden.

Hi Glenn Seaperch.org has everything you need to get you started. You can order all the parts for a basic unit from them or just download the manual at seaperch.org/build. Have fun!! 😀👍🏻

Thank you friend!

Scratch the camera question lol

Here I just used 12 Volt brushless Motors that could fit into a 35 mm film container. The motors have a drive-shaft diameter of 2.3 mm. The propellers are 62,5 mm 2-wing racing props by "Graupner". They have a 4 mm thread and so I attachend them with a brass-clutch. See also previous video. Next video: new bilge-pump motors with the same props.

@@agermangineer Awesome, thanks man. I'm currently in the design stage and looking for suggestions. Does it have plenty of power?

@@savage101. Well the brushless motors aren't bad, especially if you really know how to solder and to wire them up properly (wasn't the case for me initially). However, they die down a bit in water and if you make any mistakes in the wiring, or in the drilling of the container caps, you might run into some problems with uneven rpms from left to right. But those tiny motors really pack a punch. So if you're just getting into it... certainly won't cost you much and you won't be disappointed! Though if you wanna skip the hassle of getting them water tight and everything, just get the sea-flow 12 Volt bilgepump motors that also draw about the same current at just 1 Amp - that is if you get the 350 gph versionn (their drive shafts have a diameter of 3.17 mm - keep that in mind). You can even get them much bigger with up to 1100 gph that draw about 3-4 Amps each, but that would have killed my tether and battery! However if that's no biggy for you, those will turn your ROV into a rocket! Your choice! :-) Have fun and would love to see the finished project!!

yjoem1 the frame? 20 mm, so about 3/4”

Thomas Ammann thank u sir

yjoem1 pleasure!

I cannot believe it took 2 years for someone to ask… “Touch muh Hull” means that this ROV can be used to inspect a ships hull. The same joke could be applied to a dry-dock. Touch muh Hull, sounding like Taj Mahal. Something different than the ususal names…

@@agermangineer Ohh, so that was the meaning.. I wonder why nobody asked about that... 😂 (your paint looks cool!!) Best regards,

Moin, kein PCB Board! Alles analoge Technik. Allenfalls der 12 Volt Spannungsregler (Fan Motor) mit Max. 6 Ampere ist ein recht technisches Gedöhns. Der Rest sind DPDT Schalter und eine JR45 Breakout Buchse für Schraubanschlüsse. 😬 Das ist soweit alles. Im übernächsten Video zeig ich etwas detaillierter wie man mit derselben, analogen Technik einen Arcade Style Controller baut. Ist angenehmer zu bedienen, als mit der Schalterorgel zu spielen.

In der Bauanleitung sieht man eine blaue Platine für die Steuerung auf der die Schalter und Taster gelötet werden. Ich dachte die könnte man kaufen. Gibt es einen Plan deiner Verdrahtung ? Vielen Dank. Gefällt mir sehr gut.

Volker Mrozek, ja die Dinger kann man bei Seaperch.org bestellen. Die Verdrahtung hab ich nie skizziert; aber mit dem Ziel jedem Motor einen Schalter zuzuordnen, der lediglich +/- und -/+ steuert kriegt man das recht einfach hin! :-)

@@agermangineer Hallo und besten Dank. Ja das stimmt, ist keine schwere Sache :-) Freue mich schon auf dein nächstes Video mit dem Arcade Style Controller. Werde ich nachbauen.

Sure: back then the tether was 15 m. Now it is 30 m. That is the maximum, because the cameras are only water tight to 30 m. But theoretically it could go 100 m. The buoyancy tanks are designed to a pressure of 10 bar, or 100 m depth! 😀

@@agermangineer HI , do you think using plexiglass pipe ,can allow you to go deeper ? What the thickness of pvc pipe ? thanks well job !!

@@frankyesjosh587 the frame is not the problem. The PVC pipes are built to withstand 100 m, but the camera case is the limit with 30 m. So to go deeper you need build something very pressure tight. Hope that helps…. 😀

@@agermangineer you mean you can't go explore the Titanic ! ?

@@frankyesjosh587 it’s about halfway there… that’s something!

Im Grunde hast Du alles schon beantwortet! 😀 1 Stromversorgung bräuchte bei Max. 6 Ampere auf der Länge einen riesigen Querschnitt und ich bräuchte die gesamte Relaytechnik auf dem Gerät selbst. Also um Missverständnissen vorzubeugen: hier in diesem Video hat das ROV gar keine Relays! Die kamen erst später beim Joystick-Controller ins Spiel... Ideal wäre: genug Platz für eine interne Stromversorgung im Fahrzeug selbst mit den Relays; aber dazu fehlt ganz einfach der Platz. Ansonsten ist diese Methode aber unbedingt zu empfehlen! Von Arduino hab ich 0 Ahnung... von daher... :-) Und Saugglockentechnik wäre Hammer, hab ich aber noch nie an einem ROV gesehen. Halte ich aufgrund der Auftriebsschwankungen auch eher für unpraktikabel...

@@agermangineer Danke für die schnelle Antwort! Nachfragen zu "hier in diesem Video hat das ROV gar keine Relays! ": Die Thruster werden direkt über 2A (min.)- Schalter angesteuert? und zu "aufgrund der Auftriebsschwankungen": Wegen der Verdrängung der zu tragenden Last oder hydrodynamischer Effekte durch die Fahrtanströmung ? Bei den zu bergenden Objekten handelt es sich um Frisbeescheiben (glatte Oberfläche - > daher Saugglocke, 21 cm Durchmesser, 1,5-2,5 cm hoch, 130-180 g Gewicht)

@@discgolfperspectives6730 zu direkt angesteuert: ja. Daher auch so simpel Zur Saugglocke: hatte ich einen Denkfehler... das sollte eigentlich funktionieren... wäre echt cool! 😀👍🏻

Back then 50‘ (15 meters) Now 100‘ (30 meters).