This IS my first post and many of you readers don't know me, but everytime I complete a vehicle or project, for some reason the process gets me attached to my machines. Engineer flaw some might say, but I love what I do, and we are connected via passion. They are my little frankensteins, and I cherish every moment when I scream "It's Alive" freakishly in my own head in order not to create a familiar ambiance where my friends look at me and say "dude, we can't take you anywyere", and embarrass them. I love it.
I spent the past year building this AUV, because I somehow landed a contract from UC Berkeley, to build a platform with ONR funding. It landed in my lap, unexpectedly since I had no idea I'd actually get the contract. Then it was the revelation that "oh crap... i ACTUALLY have deliver else i'm toooaaaast.
Here's what my design looked like, done in Autodesk Inventor 11. Yes, spark monkey can do 3D mechanical CAD design as well. I build this baby ground up from scratch, all mechanical and electrical design and build, single handed. I.. had to crash course in it since from acceptance of proposal to quote delivery was.. .3 weeks. I somehow pulled it off, with machine prints ready to go. I pat myself on the back woohoo. Learned sooo much!
REV.1
Delivered Design.
Now, pictures and CAd drawings are all talk. Check out the build, and demo video.
here's a recap quickly of the birth of Charles Chiau Engineering in my living room, all the way through construction and to the AUV-001's new home at RFS (Richmond Field Station Berkeley Campus). Strolling back down memory lane, smacking myself for every noob mistake turned expertise in experience... mechanical advancements... not bad for an EE guy, and lot of fun late nights in the shop. once i found myself jamming to p.diddy "i need a girl..." while working on the sub and realized... dude i work too much. lamers.
All the parts were stacked in my apartment, definitely not the most attractive thing to a woman. As one of my close girl friend told me, "dude i wouldn't want to be ____ here". My whole place was a lab, because that's all i cared about. Of course.. that's changed and my place is no longer lab, and I'll leave the rest out cuz that's none of your business *grin*. Regardless, I lived to build stuff, and it finally lead to an opportunity to create something even bigger, and challenge myself to a different level. To attempt to solve a problem and bring value to this world. So i thought.
First it was crash course in autodesk inventor to do all the CAD modeling and get parts machined, but to save money I ended up machining stuff myself. The lathe we had didn't have and end plate that spun in order for me to stabilize a tube, so i ended up making my own. It was a lot of fun, but I totally thought working late and pull all nighters was left back in cory while i was EECS... $%@$^ i live the life style again. It seems to be a curse, but hey, that's how i survived, and kicked ass in ee192. Took 2nd Place at NATCAR (with my buddy Quan- couldn't have done it without you bro), and yes i kept the car MWA HAHAHAHA. Else.. it would've suffered the destruction the car i got during the first day of ee192 lab, stripped down by some new kid, to salvage the chassis. I refused to let my prize winner be destroyed, so here, keep the deposit. It's a donation!
Here's a few pictures of my own casted wing for testing, man.. this stuff is NASTY to work with. Syntactic foam, but really cool stuff
Here's just a few shots of electronics housings and initial test wiring. Had to strap it all together to make sure it all works first, the worry was the amount of thrust it could generate to propel it's 7.5ft torpedo body throught he water and current limits. It all worked out!!
Ignore my voice, I never intended to share this when i was filming it!! But what the heck, sharing it anyway. First trial, didn't want to throw it over the dock yet. Tub it is!
Ignore my voice, i'm annoyed by it haha, AND i didn't intend to post this when i was recording. Just for documenting progress, but what the hell. here it is... tub wasn't big enough my prop was too big for it haha!!
Here are some assembly photos, all hand built so took a bit of time. That's what happens when you start a business by yourself, you end up doing everything. I'm so sick of drilling holes...
Adding Floatation for calculated trim, i wasn't off by much! woot!
Paint work and some final assembly
Now in the water it goes!!! It was nerve wrecking because all i wanted to make sure was that the sub floated properly. turns out... i allocated too much for payload so ended up able to carry 45lbs of lead to achieve optimal trim. This would be a fun pool toy!
It looked gorgeous from below... as it came over the top and lowered into the water. GAH it's complete... felt so good, so so good. I can take on the world now!!!! right. calm down, cuz i had to find 45lbs of lead. if you see the picture on the right below, see how high it sits in the water? awesomely too buoyant. i meant to do that...
Functional testing was a bit nerve wrecking. first time off the hook so i tied a rope to it just in case. I decided not to launch the boat that day so if it sank that would just suck ass... but of course, it didn't.
Started initial testing with just RC equipment installed with a 12V system. It wasn't ideal but it was what i had on hand to make sure the vehicle performs properly while waiting for parts to arrive for upgrades (yeah baby new motor and amplifier). RC signals don't go through salt water very well, so that tower on the sub houses the receiver, so during testing it's only submerging about a foot leaving the tower capable of receiving commands. Later upgraded to joystick control via laptop with wireless commands. I was able to load code, control, change software on the fly with that system, LOVE IT.
After more upgrades after first dunk test, controls, weight issues, and everything were sorted out. dug up my old joystick from gaming, hooked it to my laptop and wrote an interface program in c# (had to learn it as i went, what a pain), to control the throttle, elevator and rudders. Below is just a video record of it working.
Finally, put humpty dumpty back and sub is good to go. Ran a few more tests, dunked it in for a functional test with new motors and controls, it was ready to show berkeley and scheduled a demo with them. Below is the video record of the demo run, two laps, with berkeley's camera. Thanks to my buddy josh geared up to rescue the sub in case anything happened, because i took all tag lines off and sub was completely free to run. Long story short, success.
Happy that i pulled it off, sad now because i have to part with it. It was an awesome year with it, now it's off to its new home at berkeley. Packed up and off it went. Living among the helicopters and planes of the autonomuos lab.
Helicopters and submarines? Siiick~ I'll miss you man...
In the end, i wanted to thank Hoam Chung (Left) at UC Berkeley, it has been a pleasure working with you. Good luck in Australia!
Also, turns out that the professor now dean of engineering at Berkeley, AND the professor that was invisible, basically impossible to find while i was an undergrad, whom i've met three times in the last 8 years... I finally got to him, at a goodbye/end of project dinner with this autonomous UAV team over some drinks. Now he knows my name and what I've accomplished and said "charlie this is a beautiful sub, great job"- Shankar Sastry (right). In my head: "HE KNOWS ME NOW!! WUZZAAAP" lol. Yes i'm retarded, let me be.Way long for a first post, but next one will be EVEN LONGER... i'll be pasting the journal for my 3 week adventure on board Tom Perkin's Maltese Falcon. I had the honor to sit and work with Tom, (in my mind a God) for three weeks, training his crew to pilot the Deep Flight Super Falcon, my other baby. (I have many babies). It was an adventure of a life time, sailing, diving, piloting submarines, drinking with the crew, and having my laundry folded for me and I stayed in the guest suite while the girls radio'd when i woke up and made me breakfast. I could get used to it... anyway, stay tuned, will be posting in the next few days. Lot of pictures so might take a while. It's on~
I love what I do, and there's no other way to live life. It's a choice.
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