Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] battery acid? & battery issue follow up

["Brian Cox" <ojaibees@ojai.net>]

I don't see any problem with using a mercury trim system that's what I was planning to do

Briian Cox
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Coalbunny" <coalbunny@vcn.com>
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 2:49 AM
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] battery acid? & battery issue follow up


> Shawn, that is something that I have wondered about- will the ballast 
> shift?  I have read how a number of scientific units used lead or steel 
> shot.  Is there anything that prohibits that being used?  IIRC at one 
> time even mercury was used.  Of course we know the environmental 
> implications from that.  One thing I thought of using that should be 
> cost effective and would be environmentally friendly is the use of sand 
> or gravel.  But since I have no real unit to use that ballast method 
> with, I have no idea if it'll work.
> Carl
> 
> 
> NeophyteSG@aol.com wrote:
> > In a message dated 2/16/04 5:47:29 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
> > Asmyth@changepoint.com writes:
> > 
> >     Because Solo is intended as a "flying" sub, it's designed to have a
> >     very small self-righting moment.  [snip]  If Solo had conventional
> >     stability, she could never roll or fly inverted.
> > 
> > Totally understand.  My design is facing similar constraints except that 
> > all my nonessentials are fared external to the pressure hull which, Sgt. 
> > Pepper-ish, is much smaller than yours appears to be.  In my case, I'm 
> > juggling axiometric placement of everything in the horizontal and 
> > vertical planes through the hull's longitudinal axis, leaving the drop 
> > weight(s) placement until near the end to essentially force the righting 
> > moment equations to balance.  I also liked the idea of essentially being 
> > able to use just about everything except the pressure hull as a drop 
> > weight should the absolute need arise.
> >  
> > What gave me a worse headache was trying to figure out a functional 
> > ballast system for a craft which will hypothetically have six degrees of 
> > freedom, won't "slosh" around (changing the center of buoyancy), and 
> > will work no matter what the orientation of the craft ... including 
> > upside down. 
> > 
> >     Given the batteries are snug against the hull "ceiling", I can't
> >     reach the lugs to connect the cables unless they are upside down.
> >     Plus, I don't want the lugs shorting out against the hull.  If they
> >     cannot go upside down, I'll probably have to lower everything by
> >     about 3". Plus, all the cables will now be a few inches too short.
> > 
> > Aside from simply not having the room, you're making me glad that I 
> > chose to mount all but the two emergency reserve batteries outboard ... 
> > not meaning to take pleasure from your pain. :)
> >  
> >  
> > In a message dated 2/16/04 7:00:24 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
> > Asmyth@changepoint.com writes:
> > 
> >     The Lifelines can be used in any position, but only charged upright.
> >     The Optimas can be used or charged in any position at all.
> >     Unfortunately, I can't do a straight replacement because Optima
> >     doesn't make a battery as large as the ones I'm using. So it looks
> >     like I need to modify my hardware and calculations to turn them
> >     right side up
> > 
> > FWIW, possible KISS solution: Incorporate a pivot and latch into the 
> > mounting hardware whereby you can drop them down into an upright 
> > position for charging -- when you won't be occupying that space -- then 
> > latch them back upside down and against the hull during dives.  If the 
> > current cabling reaches the lugs in their upside down position, you 
> > won't even have to lengthen them because they'll just need to rotate 
> > 180-degrees.  Make sense?
> >  
> > Warm Regards
> > Shawn
> >  
> >  
> > *****
> > 
> > "Call nothing thy own except thy soul.
> > Love not what thou art, but only what thou may become.
> > Do not pursue pleasure, for thou may have the misfortune to overtake it...
> > Live in the vision of that one for whom great deeds are done ..."
> > 
> > Man of LaMancha, D. Wasserman
> 
> -- 
> Spotted Owl...it's what's for dinner.
> 
>