SeaPerch Remotely Operated Vehicle, Construction Manual, Page: 63 / 110

OPTIONAL PROCEDURE 2.6A
– FILM CANISTERS & ALTERNATE MOTOR 1
SeaPerch ROV Construction Manual
– Version 2010-04NW
2.6-6
Figure 2.6-16: Three Motors
Potted into Thruster Housings
18. Repeat Steps 15 and 16 for the other two
motors. The potted motors should look like
those in Figure 2.6-16 when they have been
completed, after cooling. Handle the wires and
potted motors
very carefully throughout the
remaining construction steps in order to
minimize the chance of damage to the shaft or
tether wire sealing areas.
19. On the loose end of the tether cable (that does
not have the thrusters installed), strip off about
4” (10 cm) of the outer sheath, being very
careful not to nick any of the inner wires. This
can most easily be done with a cable stripper
designed for CAT 3/5/6 type cable. If using scissors, use extreme care not to cut
the insulation on the inner wires. (Using a knife is not recommended.)
20. Separate the wires pairs, untwist them for about 1 inch,
and strip ¼” of insulation
off all wires except for the brown / brown-white striped pair.
21. One at a time, test each thruster by momentarily touching the two wires from its
color-coded wire pair to the two terminals of a 12 volt battery (the polarity does
not matter).

The motor shaft should spin rapidly , indicating that the thruster is good.

If it does not spin, or spins slowly, gently twist it in both directions by hand or,
if it seems stuck, use pliers to turn the shaft, and repeat the above test with
the battery.

If it still does not work, inspect the wires for nicks that may have broken a
wire. If a wire has been broken, it can be repaired by stripping about ¼” of
insulation from the broken ends and splicing them back together (twist and
solder them, and cover the connection with electrical tape).

If the thruster still does not work, it will need to be replaced by obtaining
another thruster housing and motor, cutting the thruster wire as close as
possible to the non-working thruster housing, and repeating procedures 2.2
through 2.6 for the new thruster. Alternately, the non-working thruster can be
disassembled to see if a wire may have broken away from one of the
electrical terminals on the motor. If that is the reason for the failure (rather
than wax having somehow entered the motor shell), the wax can be removed
from the back area of the housing to allow the connection to be repaired, and
then the wax can be replaced. However, starting with a new thruster may be
easier.

Test any new or repaired thrusters as above to make sure that they spin
properly.
Procedure 2.6 – Continued