Maddie Status Report (2/2 – 2/8)

This week, most of my capstone project time was spent designing the mechanism for raising and lowering the underwater component from the boat base. Currently, I’m leaning towards using a stepper motor-driven spool. The mechanism will also have a level wind mechanism, which will make sure that the tether is wound evenly and doesn’t get tangled. I am planning on 3D printing these parts, likely adapting one from Thingiverse or Printables. 

The tether will contain the data cables connecting the underwater camera and sensor modules to the above water microcontroller. I’ve been researching how to achieve this without damaging the cables, and have found waterproof, braided cable housing that should work. I have some options selected, but will be waiting to place an order until we’ve selected all of the modules to make sure that the sleeve diameter is as small as possible while still holding all necessary wires.

The user’s controls for this part of the robot will be the options to raise/lower the underwater component. I have experience with writing Arduino/Raspberry Pi code to control stepper motors, so this part of the design shouldn’t be too complicated or require much research. I should be able to order the cable and submit a 3D print for the spool soon after the relevant size parameters are finalized. Once ordered and assembled, I’ll complete unit testing to make sure we’re able to accurately wind/unwind the spool a specified amount.