Looking for a unique DIY project

[bshey]

Hi all,

I am looking for a unique project, where i build something that does something... cool? It has to be relatively unique and have a point or serve a purpose. (For example i am considering an ROV) I am also considering something to do with diving (dpv?) I really need this project to be unique, and so let me throw out some ideas to set the correct heading.

On the topic of dpv:
maybe its compressed air powered, or an air/electric hybrid?
maybe something like a fuel cell (probably way too expensive)
maybe its powered by a small 2 stroke engine, getting air out of a cylinder
maybe i could make a relatively affordable dpv, thats similar to the diverbike (incorporating those ^ ideas??)

the project by no means has to be a dpv, but thats what i have thought of so far


Let me tell you my reason:
I will be applying to college soon, and while i have done my fair share of projects (i'm far more handy then your average highschooler), i'm looking for one big one to wrap it up. My friend (who is into filmography) will be documenting the whole thing. You may have already assumed this, but i want to get into engineering.

My budget is about 3k (i bought a car for far less then i had anticipated)

Ideas are much appreciated. Heck i'll even take ideas that have nothing to do with diving! Honestly, i pretty much have my mind set on aerospace engineering.

Thanks!

 

[antattack]

Build 1500 lumen dive light with a focus able beam, 10 hour run time and that weighs less than five pounds. Make it have swap able batteries. It needs to charge from boat power in less than an hour. Good luck sir.

 

[Rich Keller]

How about an underwater GPS system? The waterproof GPS unit at the divers end with an antenna that runs from the unit up a line from the diver to a dive flag/float on the surface.

---------- Post Merged at 08:51 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:24 AM ----------

If that is too complicated you could try something simple like an exhaust system that could be attached to the existing exhaust Ts on a regulator. One hose with a hole in the middle that could attach to each end of an exhaust T. The hose would then route the exhaust air to the hole behind the divers head keeping bubbles away from his face. This would be useful for photographers keeping bubbles away from the camera and the hose would also act as a neckless keeping the reg under the divers chin when not in use.

---------- Post Merged at 09:02 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:24 AM ----------

You might be able to improve on surface marker buoys by adding a small air tank that holds the exact amount of air needed to have the buoy fully inflated when it reaches the surface. The tank would be very small and there would need to be a way to refill it from a BCD hose so the diver does not need to buy a CO2 type cartridge like the original horse collar BCDs had. So all the diver would have to do is pull the pin and let it go, no need remove the reg from your mouth to oral inflate the SMB and this would also allow the diver to deploy it faster. Once at the surface the weight of the depleted tank would also help to keep the SMB upright.

 

[3D diver]

Underwater housing for the Lytro camera

GPS/inertial guidance combination for underwater navigation (i.e. Richkeller's idea without the floating antenna).

 

[Akimbo]

How much space do you have available and what kind of tools/machines? Do you have access to solids modeling software?

 

[bshey]

i have about half a standard garage bay plus a good amount of "workbench" space, standard basic tools plus drill press, air compressor. No cnc, lathe cad software, welder. I'd like to add that i am doing my (annual) harbor freight order and so will be able to buy a couple cheap tools there. But what which ones is all dependent on the particular project.

I was thinking i might want to do something with composite materials like carbon fiber or fiberglass...?

 

[Rich Keller]

GPS/inertial guidance combination for underwater navigation (i.e. Richkeller's idea without the floating antenna).

Unfortunately GPS signals only penetrate about 2' to 3' into the water so an antenna of some sort would be needed. It might be possible to have a receiver at the surface that could wirelessly transmit to an underwater GPS unit but unless it almost directly above the diver it would not be of much use.

---------- Post Merged at 08:43 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:14 AM ----------

You could try something like this but larger and made out of fiberglass with wheels. The float would need to be air tight with a way to store your other gear inside so you could wheel the whole thing down to the water, gear up and walk the whole thing into the water and dive surface supplied.

 

[Diver0001]

Hi all,

I am looking for a unique project, where i build something that does something... cool? It has to be relatively unique and have a point or serve a purpose. (For example i am considering an ROV) I am also considering something to do with diving (dpv?) I really need this project to be unique, and so let me throw out some ideas to set the correct heading.

I think for your budget an interesting and unique project would be the following:

Make a device that can fully autonomously map a dive site:

I see it as a marriage of an autonomously operating surface device (like an electric boat or self-propelled buoy that can run a 300 x 300 metre search pattern based on GPS) with a sonar device like an upper end fish finder that could map the bottom contour in 3x3 metre resolution. The complication of the project will be to get the timing right so that the data from the underwater device is properly correlated with the data from the GPS device especially if there is current, wind or waves that could hinder the surface device from reaching each of the 10,000 data points a highly predictable intervals. (ie, the surface device will have to tell the sonar when to take a measurement!) If that's still too easy for you then try to make it so it can complete the run in under 1 hour (hint, it will need to be fast enough and accurate enough to take 3 measurements per second).

At the end of the run the device should return to its starting position and the data should be gathered in such a way that it can be used with widely available PC software to produce a 3d contour map of the bottom. The technology for all of this is widely available now but as far as I know nobody has ever combined it into one device that can autonomously map an underwater site.

R..

 

[bshey]

thats a very interesting idea. I dont really have any experience with programing or complex electronics. Right on line thought with what im looking for. I will look into it. Richkeller, your ideas are very good and interesting, but they all seem to be more in line with short term/weekend projects. I am looking for something more long term. I will try to see if the are expandable though.

 

[3D diver]

Unfortunately GPS signals only penetrate about 2' to 3' into the water so an antenna of some sort would be needed. It might be possible to have a receiver at the surface that could wirelessly transmit to an underwater GPS unit but unless it almost directly above the diver it would not be of much use.

Yeah, I know. That's why I suggested the inertial guidance. Get oriented via GPS on the surface then gyroscopes and a computer underwater. I'm not sure this is actually doable---measuring distance traveled on a diver seems problematic---but maybe the OP can figure something out.

Your wireless trasmitter idea could work. I believe there are already systems that transmit an accoustic signal from a boat or other fixed point that can be detected by a hand held receiver as a simple return beacon.

Deploying multiple transmitters would allow the receiver to triangulate position in 3D. I just read The Azorian Project, a book about the recovory of a portion of a Soviet submarine & they used such a system in the salvage.