Modelcontroller Dive Manager - question for Andy

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  • RCSubGuy
    Welcome to my underwater realm!
    • Aug 2009
    • 1768

    Modelcontroller Dive Manager - question for Andy

    I was digging through my old electronics drawer and found one of the Dive Manager units that I'd initially bought eons ago for my very first RC Nautilus. Andy Lawrence put me onto them and I'll be darned if I can find the company or instructions anywhere. Seems like it might work out well for a project in the future, but I need details.

    You out there, Andy?
  • He Who Shall Not Be Named
    Moderator
    • Aug 2008
    • 12253

    #2
    Come on, Andy … put that damned model airplane down for a second, and help Bob out!

    David
    Who is John Galt?

    Comment

    • Subculture
      Admiral
      • Feb 2009
      • 2119

      #3
      What model aeroplane?

      Dive manager was made by Mike Stothers- microgyros. He's had various name changes over the years for his kit- solid state, model controllers etc.

      The unit you have was designed expressly for the Craycraft recirculating compressed air ballast system, which was a commercialised version of Nick Burge's modular system. This is long out of production (+20 years), but can be replicated using a diaphragm air pump. To submerge, air was drawn out of a ballast tank, which is open at the bottom by a compressor set up as a vacuum pump, and stored under pressure in the WTC. To prevent water being sucked in, a pair of metal probes are mounted in the tank to shut the pump off before the water level gets too high. These are fed with a pulsed supply to prevent the probes plating up and going high resistance.

      To surface a servo actuates a valve expelling the compressed air back into the ballast tank, and the water exits from whence it came. Both the compressor and the servo position are controlled by the Dive Manager, which also has a failsafe and can do a few other things like run the pump at half speed should you want to run say a 6 volt pump on 12 volts etc.

      When Brian Cornelius stopped making the modules Bob Dimmack , who used them in his early OTW range found someone else to make them, following a two or three year hiatus. The system was changed to one which features a water pump, and has probes mounted top and bottom.Also uses a different electronic board not produced by Mike.

      One disadvantage of the system was that because the bottom of the tank was open, and it also maintained an air bubble, if you went deep, that bubble would compress enough to push the boat out of trim. A Kingston valve at the bottom of the tank would have cured this, and that is effectively what the later OTW system has, as the system features a solenoid valve between the pump and inlet.

      Comment

      • Subculture
        Admiral
        • Feb 2009
        • 2119

        #4
        I do have an instruction sheet somewhere for this. Just haven’t located it yet. If I can’t find it by tomorrow I’ll have a word with Mike and ask him if he has one in his archives.

        Comment

        • Subculture
          Admiral
          • Feb 2009
          • 2119

          #5
          Found them. Colour pic is of the later model which had slightly enhanced spec.- think you may have the earlier model which is detailed in the written texts.
          Attached Files
          Last edited by Subculture; 12-04-2019, 01:48 PM.

          Comment

          • RCSubGuy
            Welcome to my underwater realm!
            • Aug 2009
            • 1768

            #6
            Awesome! Thanks so much, Andy!

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