Deep Dive sub recovered after 18 months at the bottom of the Barrow Park lake.

David Jacques writes:

1 1/2 years on and the submarine has been found near to the lake jetty. Apparently the park warden managed to retrieve the model and placed it the Boat house until could pass it over to me this morning .I was surprised that it had been recovered I had given up hope of getting the model back we had searched this area of the lake without success,
The model is basically intact and as expected it has a lot of silt from the lake bed. It has been washed and the internal electrical system although being under the water for over a year could be recoverable, The hull is damaged but is repairable.









Video here:

https://youtu.be/jrf8vhbtLXs

That is a great story, a happy ending.
No rest, Fix it and get driving again!

It would be interesting to see a post sinking examination to see how it handled the long period of time underwater as in what hardware is still operational and how any parts failed.

David phoned me today with some more info on the sub innards:
Brushed motor runs.
Both servos dead.
openLRS receiver looks OK and LEDs come on!

We think it slowly filled with water so it maybe escaped damage from battery electrolysis.

If it was well sealed then chances are the battery was long dead by the time it filled with water saving it from catastrophic damage to the electrical system.

An update:





David Jacques writes:
The Submarine has now been dismantled and the photographs show the various parts after cleaning. All the components had  been submerged over the last one and half years. The hull had been assembled with stainless steel nuts and bolts which were easy to dismantle. The electrical control components were installed in the black box module situated in the centre of the free flood outer hull casing, this rectangular box had a flanged lid with a 60 mm diameter screwed access opening. The main components received, 2 servos, drive motor and switches had all been sealed in this unit with bathroom silicone sealant. Over the period of being submerged the lake water had accessed this module.
After cleaning the electrical components in water and soap left to dry out. The main power supply was from a sealed lead acid 12 volt 1.3 amp/hr battery which was positioned in the free flooded space in front of the main control module.
The battery was as expected completely and has been put on a very low charge.
The main drive 555 motor has been washed clean and now is working ok.
The 2 servo’s are not working the armature’s are solid.
The esc sealed unit is also not working.
The receiver is showing intermittent signals and may be recoverable.
The main battery has been recharged and is holding a full battery voltage and power.
That’s all for now still a lot to do!




My test on the RX:
The openLRS receiver is working after 18 months on the bottom of the lake.