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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] An Idea for a PSUB Periscope
Gary, thanks for passing on the benefit of your experience. I had planned to
use such a camera.Never would have thought the internal/external heat thing
would be a problem, now I know. If you don't post the info to the group, I
would like to have it too thanks. fullerk@voyager.co.nz
Regards, Karl.
----- Original Message -----
From: Gary R. Boucher <protek@shreve.net>
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Monday, August 07, 2000 10:30 AM
Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] An Idea for a PSUB Periscope
> I have developed such a periscope for my sub. I have not tested it
> however. That is planned for later this summer or fall. What I did was
to
> take a lipstick camera which is about 5/8 inch in diameter and mount it in
> a acrylic tube about 1 inch ID. I used a BW camera but color is a nice
> option. I took a piece of maybe 3/4 inch acrylic and cut it slightly
> larger than the tube's OD. I finished the end of the tube as flat as
> possible and "Welded" the flat piece on the end sanding the edges around
> the flat to taper the assembly slightly causing the end to be less blunt
> but still yielding a flat face that is optically okay for viewing. The
> rear of the tube housing the camera has a machined PVC plug with two
> O-rings. I potted the wires through the PVC with JB Weld after I broke
> them out into separate wires.
> Heat is a problem you may encounter. Consider that you may be using
> the periscope in the summer in Louisiana. It can be over 100 degrees in
> the shade. Plus, you have direct sunlight hitting the tube for unlimited
> duration. Clear is bad with too much heat absorption. I experimented and
> researched what coating fairs best in sunlight and high heat. I was
> surprised to find that metalic surfaces were not necessarily the best.
For
> example; stainless steel absorbs more heat than white paint. Aluminum
> fairs little better. White is cooler. Look at the skycams that are used
> by TV stations. They are all painted white. So I painted the tube white
> with a urathane after sanding.
> Another problem related to heat is that when the camera is operated,
> it behaves like a resistor generating heat. This internal heat has to be
> dissipated. The thermal linkage between the camera and the acrylic tube
> (which is by nature a good thermal insulator) is critical. I machined a
> hollow cylinder of aluminum that surrounds the camera and just fits into
> the inside of the acrylic tube. This conducts the heat of the camera to a
> much broader interface along the inside of the tube.
> I bought a 4 inch color monitor assembly from Jameco (jameco.com) and
> incorporated it into a console that will be mounted directly in front of
me
> in the sub. If anyone shows any interest in all this, I will either send
> them photos or post a couple. I don't like wasting download time for a
lot
> of folks that don't want it. I have no photos but can make some .JPG's in
> the next couple of days. If interested send me an email to:
>
> protek@shreve.net and I will try to send you an email back with photos.
>
> Gary Boucher
>