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Hi Dan.
Thanks for responding. I need the help. Yes, you
are right, I was thinking of using the car solenoids. Are there better ones to
use than those? I have the basic idea of what I want to do and somewhat how to
do it, but
I do not know exactly what amps, volts, etc to use.
I'm not sure I could draw up a clear picture of what I want to do Dan, I'm not
really sure how to do what I want to do to be able to draw a picture of
it Lol!
But generally speaking I was thinking of
this......
I would like to find out if there are better
batteries to use than standard lead acid deep cycle marine batteries that are
not cost prohibitive. I was thinking of using four small 12 volt sea scooter
batteries and connect them in
SEPERATE pairs in series so each pair put out 24
volts. One pair being for backup. But friends have told me my 74lbs thrust
minnkota would eat up the electricity a lot faster than my sea doo sea scooter
does,
and they said those small size batteries would
not last very long at all driving the big minnkota. That makes sense to me, but
I just don't know and am not sure what kind of batteries to get for
sure.
From past threads at psubs, I have heard members
say you cannot beat a regular deep cycle marine battery for cost compared to
some of the newer gel types. Are deep cycle marine batteries that are 24
volts
and will fit into my 12 inch diameter pvc battery
pod even made or will I have to go with the 12 volt ones? I'm not really up on
types of batteries out there..
First I need to find out if I can purchase 24 volt
deep cycle marine batteries that would fit in my 12 in diameter pod. If I can, I
will use two. If not, I will use four 12 volt batteries and
connect two SEPERATE pairs of them together in
series. That way I will have two 12 volt batteries making 24 volts to use to
begin the dive with, and if they run dry, I will have another
pair just like the first, to come back on. I would
like to have a variable speed control switch if possible, but if a waterproof
one is not available or I can't rig a speciality tool, explosion proof
(sparkless)
variable speed drill switch, to be waterproof, then
I will just use toggle switches that have a rubber boot on the front and encase
the back terminals in a silicon blob for waterproofing. A variable
speed
trigger switch with a reverse setting would be the
ultimate ticket. A trigger switch like that would also act as a "dead mans"
switch, so the switch would not be able to run the motor without someone holding
it down, just like
my sea doo scooter does. Otherwise, I have to use
the toggle switches and that means one position for batteries off, another
position for 12 volts at half speed, another position
for 24 volts at full speed and another position for
reverse. Not the optimum choice and just two speeds. The batteries will be
enclosed in my 12 inch pvc pipe with removable end cap and "O" ring mounted on
the keel.
The solenoid could be in another smaller pvc
pipe seperate from the batteries to make sure no
sparks from the solenoid could possibly ignite any hydrogen from the batteries.
Are there sparkless solenoids available that would
enable me to just put the solenoid into the 12 inch pvc battery pod? I don't know if I need
seperate solenoids for each function of the switches or not. I am not very
versed in electrical hookups but if I had someone explain exactly
what to do, I could do that. I also would encase
all wire ends in epoxy to preclude any hydrogen from seeping thru the battery
wires to the solenoid compartment.
That's pretty much my rough plan Dan. Sorry for the
encyclopedia. There was no quick way to tell it. I haven't even touched on
whether I should oil fill or air compensate my motor, also whether I should use
BCD bladders
in the bow and stern for buoyancy and trim or if I
should just centrally locate 4 or 6 inch pvc pipes along the upper side of the
sub for buoyancy or even if I should just make the sub always very slightly
buoyant and just use my
personal BCD to change attitude when
submerged. It is complicated by the fact that it is a TWO person cockpit
wetsub but sometimes I may be diving it alone
which would change the center of gravity.
But the buoyancy and motor pressure equalization
questions I will leave for now until I get the batteries and wiring figured out
first. Thanks again for your kind offer of help.
What do you advise?
Bill.
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