The cue ball worked great, although they basically built their own ball valve socket. That's where we are headed. The tubing is SS with an internal rod, also of SS. It will come out on the Projects page eventually, whenever I can get the thing built (before the conference this year, at any rate).
2 MBTs, fore and aft in this application.
I have to price the subconn connectors. If they aren't too expensive, I'm sure they will be fine for my application. And now that they have offered psubs a discount...well, it doesn't get much better than that for ready-made stuff.
Making your own isn't hard, but is fiddly and I may not have the time.
Vance
-----Original Message-----
From: glen brown <glenbrown@vodamail.co.za>
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Sent: Sat, Jan 23, 2010 3:16 pm
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] First submarine dive
Vance
Is this the arm that looks like a pair of Braai (barbeque)tongs.The one if I recall was about using a pool ball in a ball valve fitting ? .Are you going to use aluminum tubing ?
Is your mbt's going to be 4 compartments for trimming?Or just fore and aft.Why don't you like hydraulics? Do you want to keep it simple?
what do you think of the subconn 2 point power contacts for thrusters or do you think its better to make ones own?
I sound like a question mark.
GlenSa
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 9:15 PM
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] First submarine dive
Glen,
The tanks are .125 inch 5000 series aluminum, rather than SS. I won't have the rudder and whatnot, as I am reconfiguring propulsion with four fixed thrusters somewhat like Aquarius and the Deepworkers. We'll see how well that works out. All my air and oxygen is outside, so weight really isn't an issue for that. My sub is an elderly K-250 that Captain Kittredge upgraded to a 350, so my pods have enough room for eight 12 volt batteries, four to the side. I'm hoping that will be enough. At this juncture, I'm betting we can make the rotary joint mechanical arm work well enough so that I can avoid hydraulics. For shallow water, I'm hoping it will.
Vance