My Homemade Submarine
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 พ.ค. 2024
- This is a video about my homemade submarine, which I've been working on off and on for the last 2 years. I'm planning to make some videos with it in the coming weeks, so I thought it would be a good idea to do an introductory video about how i designed/built it.
It's a "semi-wet ambient" type submarine, meaning the pressure inside is the same as the outside water pressure, and the cabin is partially flooded. The pilot and passenger sit in a bubble of trapped air underwater that's equivalent to pushing a cup upside down in your sink, similar to a diving bell.
Power for propulsion, pumps, and lights is provided by a pair of 12V / 100AH lead acid batteries, which are sealed off against water entry, and have their terminals potted in rubber to prevent corrosion (in future videos, the batteries will be series-connected for 24V). Pneumatics for cabin air and buoyancy control come from a pair of 120 Cubic ft steel air tanks pressurized to 4,000 psi. I have an adapter that allows me to connect regular hardware store NPT fittings to the diving regulators on the tanks.
Motors are 12V/30A saltwater trolling motors made by newport that allow me to cruise at about ~3 knots surfaced and about 2 knots submerged. In future videos, I'll be running Turnigy 6374 brushless outrunners specially modified for underwater use with 7.25x5 3 bladed props.
My hope is to eventually use this sub to explore reefs and shipwrecks along the Florida coast.
Music:
Serge Pavkin - Intergalactic
Serge Pavkin - Fractal
Heatley Bros. - Dimension Drift
Serge Pavkin - Universe
When I was done watching this video I expected a channel with millions of subs and I was really suprised. This channel deserves more
No i just have this sub
@@HyperspacePirate I think he ment subscribers
@@Drone949 i think he was joking.
@@ludbud57 bruh, that was a month ago, i forgot this existed
@@Drone949 lmao
It’s mindblowing how someone can accomplish this and not die
Knowing what you're doing together with risk mitigation plays its part!
Considering the first subs were made back during the (American) civil war... It's not that shocking.
@@SilvaDreams Before that even, the American Revolution had the Turtle.
It never completed a successful attack, but it did function.
@@hatad321 True, I forgot about that thing though it didn't really submerge it kind of sat at water level
You seen the video of KREOSAN diving in Chernobyl with a fish bowl and a bike pump?
For all that is holy, if you're going with an open system, add manual weights you can disconnect 1 at a time for controlled emergency assents, and in the event of a full tip over from underwater currents, which can get surprisingly strong sometimes and they're basically invisible, you need to install enough supplemental air to breath during your assent to prevent getting the bends (or drown).. Just stick a divers chart inside next to your depth gauge so you can guesstimate your (safe*) climb rate. I presume you know this, but if you plan to go below 30ft, things can get life threatening (*from the nitrogen in your blood stream) *beacuse if you have to go back up too fast because you lack enough supplemental oxygen, you can still die. (I'd install 2 flags on the sides of the sub that read "Submarine In Distress" with perhaps some instructions on what you want them to do, with little LED strobes for visibility, and waterproof two of those keychain alarms so you're also heard, attach them to something that can allow them to float upright, and give them long tethers so you can manually pull a pin to release them to signal for help on the surface if you ever need to, this would provide a cheap and efficient means for rescuers locate you and even possibly pull your rig back up if the tethers strong enough, and then it'll double as a "WATCH OUT" signal whenever you're returning to the surface for boats. Cheers.. I'm about to go down this rabbit hole myself, but IDK about the open concept, then again I don't intend on going beyond maybe 100 feet (probably less).
The assent rate is a foot per second if you go deeper than 30ft.
@@roypatterson9910 i don't know enough to have an informed opinion, but that sounds kind of quick. Another Idea I had was to design a lid for the bottom, so if you did have a weird emergency that caused decompression complications, you could attach it to the bottom of the bell, and possibly pressurize the hull to make a poor mans decompression chamber until they could relocate you to a facility with a better one? perhaps its not practical, but it was just a wild little thought. cheers
@@TrueHelpTVNo, it's the correct speed, I'm a Certified Scuba Diver, I was certified back in 1986 by Scuba Schools International through Scuba Hut in Glen Burnie MD. I'm not sure how old you are, but I was certified probably before you were born. Lol. Just kidding, but yes, you are supposed to follow your smallest bubbles, which is usually a ft per second, and that's what I was taught by my instructor, which I still talk to this day after all these years, and yes, he's still diving.
Just put a dive computer on the dash. It will double as a nice depth gauge too. Last thing you want to be doing is a lot of math in an emergency situation.
a home made sub or diving bell is just a fantastic way to die, and i don't mean that sarcastically. there is not much more awesome than a sub, they are pretty fantastic. and its just super easy to die in one. furthermore, its really difficult to make them failsafe. in fact, it may be impossible to make a small scale sub failsafe. I think if you really take on a diving bell (like this one) or an enclosed sub, you just assume that risk. i consider it like high speed downhill skiing. lots of people die or are seriously injured downhill skiing, yet they still do it all the time. Hell, Ken Block just died while he was snowmobiling of all things. The history of subs, especially home made ones, is a history of people drowning.
i've been cooking up a diving bell for about 10 to 15 feet of depth, and i just can't settle on a design i'm happy with for safety. at least, i can't think of a way to reduce risk beyond the risk that already exists with diving normally
I can't believe TH-cam is only just now showing me this. Really cool! Slightly terrifying watching the water fill up like that internally though.
Seriously impressive, I'm looking forward to the future videos!
Side note: It might be worth looking into some pony bottles for the two compartments as an emergency backup source of air to surface with.
Yeah, I've got two regs onboard plus two pony bottles, so an underwater bailout is totally doable
First of all, congratulations on your maiden voyage, super cool and unique project you got there. But for the love of god, please don’t go out there alone. Most Scuba divers even without all the experimental things at work here, strongly prefer diving in buddy systems and that should be a nobrainer here as well.
Yikes! Yeah, seal the electronics with triple redundancy when it comes to the stuff that keeps you alive. Side project suggestion - find out how to remote pilot the sub for the dive/surfacing tests before live crew. Maybe an auto timer? Might not be a bad idea to set an auto timer to surface in case of getting accidentally knocked out somehow (outside hit, unexpected medical issue, etc.) and a backup 'air bags' to surface you in case that fails.
Also, you and PeterSripol heading to Florida this month (or the next). One doing solar power above the water and one going below. Be careful not to bump into him from below!
I like the idea of a safety timer. Hadn't thought of that before
@@HyperspacePirate Yep. When you are underwater with no one nearby it's a good idea to think of all the ways Murphy might mess with you because it's near impossible for a friendly bystander to see and help a submerged sub than a boat on the surface. Being able to bail is also good but if something unexpected prevents bailing (for whatever reason) then its good to have options for the sub itself even if they are one-time emergency use.
Or if you have to bail and then recover it later if it sinks having an one-time use floatation device already installed rather than installed after it sinks (which would be REALLY fun - not!) would be a good idea. Even better if it automatically does that after you bail so it floats up on its own and you have something to hang onto rather than swim. Not sure how naval regulations deal with a private sub littering the ocean floor but I don't think they would like that happening in the event of a bail out (and would likely be expensive).
Just floating out random ideas that come to mind. You've had a lot more time to think about it so you've likely already considered most of it.
@@curiousviewer5991 All good ideas.
I didn't mention it in the video, but i can dump 300 lbs of ballast with the pull of a lever, which would bring me back up to the surface in case buoyancy control failed
i have stumbled upon a comment section of smarts.
incredible work!
Oh my god. From the thumbnail i thought it was a small rc vehicle. I was shocked that it's actually manned (and a two seater at that).
Fascinating,great job.
This is absolutely amazing. And great documentation of the project!
Your knowledge is sublime 👌
This is absolutely amazing dude
You are crazy !! Brilliant work!
Very nice! Thank you!
can i use this to go watch The titanic with 5 more people?, its for a friend
This video deserves much more views!
Very cool diy project! Can't wait to see some other dive videos.
I see the sub is now for sale on Facebook Marketplace, but it has been stripped down and sold as a "prop".
Still, it was a quite a diy project and I really enjoyed checking it out. (Lots of good stuff going on in hyperspace, apparently.)
You might want to consider pressure compensating your motors and electrical system. Mineral oil is non conductive. You fill the motors and any electrical boxes with mineral oil then run feeder hoses to a compensator diaphram. One side of the diaphram is closed and attached to the oil system while the other is open to the water. When you descend the water pressure pushes on the diaphram which pushes on the oil which is non compressable. This pressurizes the oil the same as the outside water so you only need o-rings and seals good enough to keep the oil and water separate and not to withstand pressure.
An elegant solution.
Ive see all your videos..thats awesome..keep the great work..
3:24 I remember doing this in my bath, it was a amazing experiment. Keep it up! You made me get some inspiration!
Wow this is sooooo sick I am glad you never gave up on this dream!!
This is so sketchy but thanks for sharing your adventure with us.
Cool mobl diving bell
holy shit I thought it would be a small rc one! massive props!
Wow, you went out to test this thing with no backup help? OMG! This system works great but i dont wanna get wet and cold. But i understand why you went with this design :D
That was my thoughts. Brave man. I’d do the same though.
Oh, boy. I wouldn't get into my own underwater diy projects without an emergency team that scoop me out when things go south.
As someone toying with the idea of this pursuit, I really applaud your work. Nice job!
10/10 Content, well done.
This is amazing, looking forward for more videos about it
Well done - I applaud your ambition!
Underated Channel
so this dude made a 2 person seamoth :D nice work!
What in the heck do you have to do to get views on TH-cam if this isn't it? This should have a million views minimum
Watching him slowly going down and water rising in on him in a tight gap was giving me panic attack
Yeah it's not recommended if you have claustrophobia
Great video 👍
really cool, make more videos about submarines
That's the plan
What does it have for safety features? Like "Get me up now!!!" or "Let me out!!!" type features :D
You have balls of steel sir.
Wow! That's very impressive.
I'd really like to know more about the CaOH setup that you were going to do for the scrubber.
What did it look like and how much CaOH was there?
I'd like to make a scrubber myself.
What kind of fiberglass shell did you use
Nice job and interesting concept with the semi-wet design.
You should check out Hank Pronk and his sub. Might give you some ideas for V2!
Wowboy ! I'm speechless...
I'm here because I went on hackaday looking for a breakdown of the recent sub, and came across a post about yours.
Holy crap, Thats like $1,400 worth of resin. How was the fiber glass cost?
Love the work! Huge motivation to start a somewhat similar project I've had in mind!! Please please lete know where you obtained the half dome/bubble windows?
I ordered them from a fabricator called EZtops that specializes in acrylic/plexiglass domes
@@HyperspacePirate Awesome thanks for the info!
I have heard mixed things as was wondering if the bubble top vs flat window creates any distortion when it comes to visibility under the water? Also do mind sharing the dimensions of the window on your sub? Thanks!!
@@futurismodesignstudio4738 The bubbles are 1/2" Thick 22" diameter hemispheres with a 1.5" flange. There's no optical distortion underwater except for a very narrow area where the bubble curves into a flange, but that area is mostly covered anyway so it's irrelevant. Overall, the visibility is excellent in all directions except behind.
@@HyperspacePirate Seriously thanks for the info! Eliminated that guess work I was stressing about!
THANK YOU FOR INTRODUCING ME TO THE MUSIC OF SERGE PAVKIN
great video
Damn man your kayak wet sub is cool, that's how I found your channel but this one is alot cooler to me, it's beautiful man! I totally get your reasons for wanting the smaller wet sub though, like you said, you can do a whole lot more and get to better spots. That being said, please also continue with this sub!..
Okay this Video got my sub!! And You got some brilliantly simple fixes!! 💯💯💯💯💯
For an emergency system if the vehicle somewhat capsizes while bilging water, you could have a hose on a float that can be detachable to provide a secondary air intake valve that can float with it's own buoyancy system.
Impressive
You are talented
Super cool project, one of the craziest home built projects on youtube but, I really hope you’ll put more of an emphasis on your own safety if you revisit this.
Brave of you to dive in the Indian River lol. Last time I went swimming in there I ended up with an infection so bad I was in the hospital for 3 days
Nice video
Brilliant.
Awesome
awesome
Underrated.
Live footage of the titan sub minutes after its first desent have just been released. This engineer speaks on the limitations and design behind it
A diver i know watched this with me and they said that thing looks like a death trap. your a braver man then than them.
I searched for Stockton Rush and this video popped up on my feed 😂
Very brave man.
What if this overturned and you couldn't get out of the hatch?
Could you try making a hovercraft next time? 😁
True its like a Air Bell long ago that gave it's wearer air underwater even though it was open
Class!
Another area of interest is of course a periscope. I am using a seal rated to 300psi to ensure no air losses while training this scope.
How long do you recon it could last underwater before breaking or running out of air?
Another good point would be that an ambient submarine also serves as it's own diver chamber for decompression purposes.
Should someone dwell at depths beyond the recommended dwell times one simply moves to a shallower depth and lingers for the recommended time before going shallower.
How does pumping out the water eliminate the need for purge air. Seems to me that any water pumped out would be instantly replaced by more water coming in from below
Do you need to install a CO2 scrubber to keep your breathable air free from contamination?
❤
For what it is worth. The ambient submarine has much to provide that otherwise would go unnoticed. With sophisticated passive listening sonar capabilities it can offer a better understanding of the surface contact populous and intent that is more than simple divers can achieve.
I too am pursuing an ambient submarine. My main reasons are easy egress should things go South and simple deployment and retrieval.
A heavy r&d on listening and tracking sonar is a must.
There is no better way to avoid collisions than to know where everyone is before you go shallow!
Seems exceptionally hazardous unless you have a way to blow the sub apart with squibs or automated surfacing equipment activated with a Deadman switch or a buddy to rescue you or a hole big enough to escape through or scuba gear inside to use for air in case a hole develops on top. Good luck.
Wow its crazy that your "or a buddy to rescue you" is 85 comments from the top. I thought top comment was going to be. "HE GOT TRAP THE FIRST TIME AND STILL DID IT ALONE THE SECOND TIME?" not to mention going out far enough that he had to get towed. Lol did he decide to not wear a life jacket aswell seeing as he under water already so it defeats the purpose.
Edit: at the time of this post there are 130 comments
What do you do if you have air pressure failure while submerged? Having a mechanical failsafe, being able to drop a counter-weight might save you from Davy Jones Locker.
This would be a great channel worth subscribing if you actually did your follow up videos. 6 months and 1 year I can't find one for this video or the kayak sub one either. 😪 I was really interested how these worked out.
Lol yeah I was hoping for another kayak sub video as well BUT you're acting like clicking a button is some big deal. This channel is 1000% worth subbing too. Also I'm sure he has a regular job, family life and things come up like sickness in family, relationship issues. You're watching a guy who made a working submarine for under $1k I'm sure if his channel actually got the views and subs it deserves, he could be a full-time TH-camr.
Im suprised you dont have more folloers youll gwt there Keep the videos coming
I really want to build something like this.
I would love to build my own but I have no desire for it to be a deep water sub. I'd be perfectly satisfied with maybe 100ft
What a legend
Very interesting your submarine. I would have some many curiosities about some design features and reasons of your selection for A instead of B, and so on …
May I suggest you post some more content, even your brainstorming and “working in progress” would be a pleasure to know about.
Not sure if you look at your comments but I'm also in Florida and am preparing to build my own submarine and was looking for clarity on registering it as a vessel
Hope to see more videos like this with your sub
Quick question, how do you calculate where to put stiffeners?
I didn't, I just kind of eyeballed it lol
you should get a camera with a wide angle lens, such as an insta 360 or gopro, would make the interior shots alot better!!
I love the batman tailfins
Hey man, awesome stuff! Dont get me wrong this is an absolutely brilliant project, but to me it seems more like scuba diving with a scooter. Its just way more cool!
Also: How do you deal with the CO2?
You can't eat a pizza and drink a beer underwater with a dive scooter.
The CO2 is flushed out by a constant inflow of fresh air from the tanks. In the future I'll have a scrubber
@@HyperspacePirate that's a point for you. Haven't thought of that! Just make sure your scrubber doesn't get wet ;) Godspeed to you and your project!
@@engineer0239 I used calcium hydroxide. It's not dangerous if it gets wet, just stops working. You're probably thinking of Potassium Superoxide used by soviet submarine scrubbers which detonates when it contacts water
Just to know: Scuba Sorb does not stops working when wet. Only gets harder to breath ( in a rebreather, i know what I'm talking about ;-) )
Ok, the picture of submarine The Kursk, made is even more scary to watch. Plus, I really hate the sea. But just because the sea isn't really my thing. I still you have a lot of talent to build this contraption; emphasis 'Trap' in that word.
So, depth control via pressure is inherently unstable, right? As you go up, the air expands making you go up faster and faster. Likewise, as you go down, the air compresses, so you drop faster and faster. So, without some other system to stabilize, I think you basically can't stay neutral passively.
(Closed submarines can close their ballast tanks, so I think they have less of a problem remaining roughly neutral as their depth changes.)
Am I misremembering/misunderstanding?
And assuming I'm not misremembering, doesn't that make this super hard to operate safely? In particular I'm not sure how you would do a controlled ascent while avoiding the bends.
Hold up, is this the little yellow submarine sitting in front of El Ambia in Downtown Melbourne? I saw the thumbnail and recognized it instantly.
Oceangate has been real quiet since this dropped
Oh gee, I wonder why YT was suggesting this video to me NOW of all times. XD
What Cad software are you using?
2:31 that was caused by something else.
7:00 THX
Hey buddy can we go see the Britannic?
Since subs are a hot topic you should send this unmanned send it till failure
This is amazing. When will we see any updates?
Probably within a few weeks. I'm almost finished with a major overhaul on the vehicle
@@HyperspacePirate Well, I certainly can't wait!
"a few weeks later"
The stability problems you experienced are known as the 'free-surface effect'. Many early submarine experimenters were killed before this was well understood.
Wow looking at the thumbnail I thought this was a mini rc sub... Big difference literally!! duna duna duna , duna duna duna bat🦇 sub
New sub.. great channel....
i've been designing a diving bell (meant to go no more than 15 feet down) for years, but i can't get my design safe enough to comfortable building or using. its just too dang easy to drown! even with multiple redundant safety features in a diving bell, you can still drown pretty easily. also i want one safe enough for my nephew to use, but i just don't think its possible on a small scale. its likely why such a diving bell has never been sold commercially.
Good on you for being so safety conscious. So easy for something to go wrong in a sub, especially when family is involved. I'll stick with remote controlled subs, myself. If you really want that 'being there' sensation, I'd suggest a remote sub and trying to put a First Person camera on top, so people can look around. Almost as good, and zero danger.