Build your own OpenROV!

OpenROV is a open-source underwater robot. But it's so much more. It's also a community of people who are working together to create more accessible, affordable, and awesome platform for underwater exploration. (Here's a little bit more history.)

If you want to start building an OpenROV and contributing to the community development process, there are two options:

  1. Buy a kit with (most of) the OpenROV parts.

  2. Source all the parts yourself, buying them either online or at local hardware shops. Here is the list of all the parts you need to buy

Assembly of the entire OpenROV 2.3 structure can be done over a weekend, and most sections take less then an hour. Listed with each assembly section is a Bill Of Materials (what parts and tools you'll need), general notes for the assembly (what the best working space is, how long it should take, what each part is for, etc), the instruction set itself, and notes on what to do if something goes wrong.

Improvements  and features are continually added by builders who have found better solutions. So check back often for the latest design updates. Remember, if you have questions, you can always visit the OpenROV builder's forum.

Building the OpenROV doesn't require a master in robotics or engineering, but it's a fun project that can be completed in a weekend. We have laid down all the steps in a (hopefully) easy to follow guide. When you have done with the building and used your ROV a few times, if you feel like you can start contributing, either by contributing to the core system (body, electronics or code) or by building extensions (payloads) that plug into the ROV.

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Comment by Pierros Papadeas on Sunday

Hey Alexandros!

You can find a local team of OpenROVers in Athens based in hackerspace.gr Drop by to say hi!

Comment by Alexandros Tanzanakis on April 6, 2013 at 10:01pm

i will probably use the openROV as a research platform for my doploma thesis in the near future. My thesis will be about autonomous navigation and control of a mini underwater vessel without any human interaction. Is there anything discussed about that from other openROV-ers? It will be definitely nice to see the ROV behave like a trully unmanned sea vehicle.

Comment by SCUBAMEN on February 28, 2013 at 3:13am

can I control this rov with a simple rc control unit?

greetins from holland

Comment by Eric Hahn on February 16, 2013 at 8:59am

Thx Dave!  Do you know of any OpenROV-ers in the San Diego area?

Comment by David Lang on February 16, 2013 at 8:34am

Eric- Not really, all the files are on github, though. https://github.com/OpenROV/openrov-hardware
Juanpablo - Haven't used the dual gopros underwater bc we don't have the dive housing setup for 3d filming. 

Comment by Eric Hahn on February 16, 2013 at 8:25am

Looking forward to building in the near future.  Is there a cloud design environment for CAD solid model files for the various components?

Comment by Juanpablo Frias on February 10, 2013 at 6:32pm

The ROV is finished. I do not use it, because the camera that I purchased flooded during underwater testing. So the good thing is that I pretty much have the core done for whenever I am able to purchase a good underwater camera with a proper battery. Thanks for the help you guys provided. By the way, have you guys tested the dual GoPro configuration for 3D filming?

Comment by Brendan Rooney on January 6, 2013 at 2:59pm

THanks alot!

brendan

Comment by Eric Stackpole on January 6, 2013 at 5:51am

Hey Brendan,

I used a Dremel tool and cut off the plastic housing that the hoses attach too.  Underneath was an impeller (that pups water centripetally) which was attached to a metal shaft.  After removing that impeller, I wrapped electrical tape around the metal shaft until the diameter was great enough to snugly fit into the hole on the prop I wanted to use. 

Here's an image I just made that might explain it a little better.  Good luck!

Eric

Comment by Brendan Rooney on January 5, 2013 at 11:55am

hey I saw in ROV1 you used bilge pump motors, how did you alter them to put prop on?

Thanks

Brendan

Comment by Eric Stackpole on December 25, 2012 at 3:47pm

Great job, Juanpablo!  Keep on trucking and let us know how it turns out!

Eric

Comment by Juanpablo Frias on December 23, 2012 at 11:38am

Yeah, it worked! The ROV is practically finished, now all I have to do is improve the waterproofing. Thanks for all the help!

Comment by Eric Stackpole on December 23, 2012 at 12:37am

Sure can!  As long as you have enough (8) of them.  If you use larger batteries (such as C or D sized batteries) in an 8 pack, it will also work.  The only difference is how long they can power the display before needing to be replaced.

Good luck!

~E

Comment by Juanpablo Frias on December 22, 2012 at 3:33pm

Can I power the 3.5 inch TFT monitor with AA batteries?

Comment by Eric Stackpole on December 15, 2012 at 4:47pm

Juanpablo,

I think I recall the camera working on 9v but being black and white, but I don't remember ever trying the monitor with 9v.   If you go to radioshack or some place like that, you can probably get an 8 cell battery that will work great.  They're also all over Amazon.

Keep it going- I really look forward to seeing how it all turns out!

Eric

Comment by Juanpablo Frias on December 15, 2012 at 4:00pm

Hey guys, I am going to order a small 3.5 inch TFT display monitor like the one you guys had in your YouTube video, and I know the power is 12 volts DC, but do you guys know if it will run on 9v DC instead?

Comment by David Lang on December 12, 2012 at 2:11pm

Hey Juanpablo - Yes! on lasers... We've made a cut-out on the electronics chasis that could easily mount lasers... http://openrov.com/forum/topics/measuring-distances-spatial-orienta...

Comment by Juanpablo Frias on December 12, 2012 at 2:08pm

Thank you for the link. I also found a small monitor that is RCA compatible, I could get them both for about 30 bucks.

Comment by Juanpablo Frias on December 12, 2012 at 2:03pm

Ok I will try that. Thank you! Also, I just wanted to ask you if you have considered placing two laser pointers on OpenROV so that you can better judge how far something is from the ROV.

Comment by Eric Stackpole on December 12, 2012 at 2:06am

Hey Juanpablo- like Dennis pointed out, it may be hard to get USB webcam data through any significant length of cable, but if you do want to get video with two wires, you could use an analog camera with RCA output.  These cameras hardly cost anything and can send video over a pretty long length of wire.  Good luck!

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