CaveDiveMapApp

[foxdude]

Hello,

I would like to share a fun hobby project which could be interesting to geeky cave divers and makers.

Basically it's poor man's mnemo survey/mapping device.

My idea is to use an iphone's internal sensors to survey a cave with reasonable accuracy.

Goals:
1. Have an affordable survey gathering device for people to learn to map caves
2. Have entirely 3d printable hardware, so you can print it anywhere without needing wierd springs, bearrings or bolts
3. Have it gather as much data as possible only levaraging the iphone's sensors

Required parts:
I use PULUZ dive case for iphone 15 from Aliexpress. I see no reason why any dive case would not work.

The IOS app is free and open source as well as the STL and fusion 360 designs.

App Available at:

GitHub - f0xdude/CaveDiveMap: An IOS app for taking survey data of underwater caves.

An IOS app for taking survey data of underwater caves. - f0xdude/CaveDiveMap

github.com

(I don't have apple developer account so I can't publish in the app store)

3d printed device:

Cave Mapper Tool V3 by andrewxbg

This is an updated version of the cave mapper tool for the CaveDiveMap App cave diving Survey tool.This tool uses a measurement wheel with a small magnet to measure the length of a cave diving line.An app on the phone in a diving case detects each revolution by the magnetic field and saves the...

www.thingiverse.com

Whoever is interested in mcguivering ****, please feel free to pull/fork the code and test it.
I would be happy if anone else enjoys tinkering with the concept.

... work in progress.

 

[Underwater Tourist]

Something similar exists here by @Alexey Vlasov :

GitHub - VlasovAlexey/Minotaur: Minotaur Software for Cave Dive Mapping

Minotaur Software for Cave Dive Mapping. Contribute to VlasovAlexey/Minotaur development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[foxdude]

Something similar exists here by @Alexey Vlasov :

GitHub - VlasovAlexey/Minotaur: Minotaur Software for Cave Dive Mapping

Minotaur Software for Cave Dive Mapping. Contribute to VlasovAlexey/Minotaur development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

yeah that looks awesome but it's only for DPV moving at constant speed. The developer seems to be a javascript guru.

 

[mr_v]

So here is a related idea: add dive plan to cave map. Imagine seeing a cave map, plotting your path, and getting a dive plan with CC/BO gasses based on then plan. Today the task requires looking at a cave map, planning the route, considering the depths, creating a multi-level plan. But if you know the cave map and depths, you should be able to create all of this automatically.

 

[foxdude]

So here is a related idea: add dive plan to cave map. Imagine seeing a cave map, plotting your path, and getting a dive plan with CC/BO gasses based on then plan. Today the task requires looking at a cave map, planning the route, considering the depths, creating a multi-level plan. But if you know the cave map and depths, you should be able to create all of this automatically.

Wow, great idea but a tall order. The app id designed to survey and map unknown caves for now.

 

[PEDiver]

This is a really neat concept. I don't have a 3D printer currently but if I did, I would definitely test it out on some future cave dives.

 

[caveandreas]

I think this is a really fun idea! But since you have a magnet close to your compass do you compensate for that somehow or will the direction be off based on where the magnet is on the wheel?

 

[foxdude]

I think this is a really fun idea! But since you have a magnet close to your compass do you compensate for that somehow or will the direction be off based on where the magnet is on the wheel?

hey yes, at each station/tieoff you stop the wheel from turning and the app goes in automatic calibration, so you need to wobble the phone around for a second to re-calibrate with the now static magnet so the ios api can compensate for the interference.
I have put an accuracy/error indicator and when the interference is too high, it will not allow you to save a manual data point until you calibrate enough to bring the error rate down.

I am now working on acoustic/audio odometry method which will eliminate the magnet. The new wheel has a clicking mechanism which produces an audiable click each revolution, the app then uses the phone's microphone to detect the rotations and measure the disstance with much greater accuracy. Haven't pushed the new verison to github yet as it's still very experimental.