Nearing the end of this project. All that is left is to finish fabricating the top portion of the hull and attach it. Then a final paint job will be done and the project will be complete. In the next post, a picture of the completed model will be shown as well as a video of it in action. The final code for the project will also be provided in the next post.

The final design schematic is shown below. It includes the Arduino Uno that will be the main controller. There is a L298 motor controller that will control the thrusters of the ASV which will also be powered by an 11.1V LiPo battery. The hall-effect switch will start the ASV. The three HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors will locate the obstacles and trigger the six total LED lights to light up. The left LED lights will light up when an obstacle is detected to the left of the ASV and the same with the middle and right LEDs. They are connected in a combination of series and parallel circuits with a 2222A transistors.

The fabrication process for the top hull cover is in the works. Like the bottom portion, the six individual pieces were attached with a combination of using the hand-held 3d pen and epoxy. The 3d pen provides the initial strength and sets almost instantaneously. The epoxy is then layered on top of the 3d pen seams to provide additional strength as well as water resistant characteristics. The hull needs to be strong enough for all the sanding that I will do later. Once the pieces are attached and set, I sprayed layers of primer filler to fill in the tiny imperfections of the hull and then sand it down using increasing sandpaper grits. Once the hull is smooth, it’s ready to be painted.

In the top portion shown below, mounts were made for the ultrasonic sensors so they would not be moving all over the place while the ASV is in motion.