RC Boogie Board / "Duck"
GoalI am working on a constructing a motorized Boogie Board for a very specific purpose: to tow a small submarine for a series of sonar tests. The submarine is nothing but a shell at this point in time, so it can not propel itself. However, to have a test subject for the sonar system another team is working on, the submarine will be towed by this boogie board.
Components
Conclusion: Decent Duck ReplacementWe learned a lot after we took our first version out for a test run. First of all, we had no protection on the water intake, so almost immediately the motor became clogged with debris. Second, the motor was working too hard; after a five minute run, the motor was too hot to touch. Third, our LiPo battery was not going to last for a full day of sonar testing. Sure, the LiPo was powerful for it's size and fit nicely inside our electronics container, but it was getting low after five minutes of rough driving. Finally, the single motor was not quite as powerful as we were aiming for.
To address these issues, we added a second motor and large SLA battery. The two motors now allow for tank-steering, thus eliminating the need for the servo driven steering mechanism. To protect the motors from weeds and other debris, we epoxied a small section of window screen over the water intake. As a final touch, a small brass tube inserted through the board acts as a tow hitch. |
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Last Updated: 6/26/2011