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ROV Chronicles 5 - motors and controllers
Written by Ken Monday, 03 November 2008 00:54
ROV chronicles: Part 5
Motors and controllers
An ROV needs to be able to move around under water, and for that we need propellers (often called thrusters) which in turn need motors to drive them. Choice of motor, and how we are to control them, is key to the design of an ROV. Getting the motors and controllers working is also the last major design problem before we begin construction, and its been causing a few headaches at the DinkyKitty labs!
ROV chronicles part 4
Written by Ken Monday, 22 September 2008 19:04
ROV Chronicles: Part 4
Software design
Most ROVs avoid using computers, relying instead on analogue electronics. We have decided to make our ROV smart, with its own on-board computer, and another computer to control it from the surface. Although this makes some of our design simpler, it does mean we need to design, write and test custom software – an engineering problem in its own right.
ROV chronicles part 3
Written by Ken Tuesday, 26 August 2008 21:32
ROV Chronicles: Part3
Electronics
The third in our series on designing and building an ROV takes us into the world of electronics. We’ll look at trying to pressure-proof our electronics, and the construction of the first of the motor control boards, complete with soldering.
ROV Chronicles part 2
Written by Ken Wednesday, 20 August 2008 19:43
ROV Chronicles: Part 2
Design philosophy
In the second part of our series on designing and building an ROV, we look at the design of the vehicle. The plan is to build an ROV that is intelligent and not limited by depth, and do it for a fraction of the cost of current commercial ROVs by using mainly off-the-shelf parts.
DNA database - oppression or opportunity?
Written by Ken Sunday, 10 August 2008 15:12
National DNA database – oppression or opportunity?
Opinion
A recent Home Office report advises that some of the data in Britain’s forensic DNA database – one of the largest in the world, with 4 million people on it – should be destroyed. Playing devils advocate, DinkyKitty suggests that keeping that data could ultimately result in improved healthcare and a boost to the British pharmaceutical industry.
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