At the moment, I've just completed prototype testing of an Oceanographic Float. This float takes CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) readings of the ocean. It travels from surface to 2000m every 10 days for 4 years. It's been a great product to design because it has everything from minature hydraulics to machine design to structural design.
Interesting stuff. Having designed outdoor electronic equipment, I'm aware of what a challenge it can be to get a watertight seal (and that's just for equipment that doesn't go in the sea!). What kinds of materials and surface finishes do you typically use? Is corrosion a major issue for you?
Corrosion is a huge factor. Also along with fouling. This is an atonomous buoyancy engine, so every weight added throught it's life isn't great. We have some extra buoyancy included to account some of this. We mostly use Aluminum. We use 6061-T6 for the hull and we use 7075 for the end caps because of the strength per weight aspect of it. We also use a Hard Anodizing (Type III). I've used static O-Ring seals on the end caps and a face seal on another area. There are other pretty cool aspects of this design, like satelite communications and Bluetooth communication I would love to go into detail. But I don't want the competition listening, .
Ah good old 6061-T6. That's exactly what I'm using for lots of things, actually. What you're saying sounds very interesting to me, but I know what you mean about the competition listening We all need to be careful about what the info we divulge here.
It's one of those great materials. you can buy it at just about any metal surplus store. It has great properties, machines well and inexpensive. That's the key to my designs. I try to keep it simple and if I can get an off the shelf item easily, that's even better. 7075 is much harder to get over here in Canada. There doesn't seem to be as many people stocking that. So we have to buy it from the United States.
Update: I seem to be working on a bit of everything at the moment Trying to get things in production right now - assy drawings, prototyping, quality issues, supplier-wrangling... you get the idea
A super cool ground breaking innovative energy and water saving airborn bacteria reducing eco toilet. I know, i know, it's not fair that I should just swan in here and blow all your outdoor slush puppy tidal powered efforts out of the water, but my job really is that cool!
