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> Anyone know of any sensors that could be used to tell if a robot is
> underwater or not? I'm working on an amphibious robot and need a way to tell
> what environment I'm in at any given time. Thanks.
First off, beware that ordinary tap water contains dissolved
impurities and is electrically conductive. (Water itself, BTW, is
actually an insulator - it's the dissolved impurities that give it
conductivity). It usually isn't an issue with only a 9V supply, but
the greater problem comes from that water getting into things like the
LCD or switch contacts. I've never tried to submerse an LCD but I
would tend to be cautious. As for switch contacts, the water, when it
evaporates, will leave it's mineral content behind to coat any
surfaces, as anyone who doesn't frequently wash the glass they use
when brushing their teeth can attest to. If this coats the surface of
the electrical contacts, the switch will fail. If you are going to do
this, use distilled water only.
As for your question, there is one easy solution. Use the air tank
from the search sub (8250) with the ends plugged. Place it in a Lego
"cage" so it is free to float. When the robot is submerged, the tank
will rise and you can either use a switch or a light sensor to detect
the movement. If you don't have an air tank, you can make a Lego box
instead. It may leak if you don't fit the pieces together tightly, or
if you are going to any significant depths where the pressure is
greater, but you should get a few uses out of it before it does if you
aren't under water too long.
The only real stumbling block that I can think of - and it will
probably kill the entire project - is that I don't believe produces a
cable long enough to allow you to stay in communication with your
robot while it explores the Titanic.
Matthias Jetleb
VA3-MWJ
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Underwater Sensors
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| Anyone know of any sensors that could be used to tell if a robot is underwater or not? I'm working on an amphibious robot and need a way to tell what environment I'm in at any given time. Thanks. James (24 years ago, 10-Feb-01, to lugnet.robotics.handyboard)
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