Controller for 2026 Mate ROV Competition MBHS

This is a step by step design on my design process on making a Controller for my schools ROV for the 2026 MATE ROV competion. This design is also standing as my long term project for my engineering 2 class. This design starts off from the intital drawings and research to the final manufacturing and completion of the project. And I will have pictures to represent each step of the way as well as explain the challenges

Tools

1. Lazer Cutter
2. Wood Glue
3. Screws

We started off working on the design by research the competition to see what component we would need to achieve the goals and score points. Luckily we already had an ROV Design we were going to use and build so I just had to research previous controller design and design my own. With our design I need to be able to move the ROV forward and back ,rotate it ,open and close the manipulator, and tilt the camera up and down. Our ROV design has an diagonal thruster design which I was trying to take into account when design how it moves but, luckily I wasn't the one who had to Code it. When research I found a few previous design we liked and I thought to use the layout of an Xbox controller because its well tested and fit in your hand well. So I used it dimensions and put the joysticks in similar positions and then put the potentiometers on the top so you can easily turn them without putting the controller down. I also had to draw out the electrical wiring to make sure that I would have enough room on Arduino for this compact design and so I wouldn't have to resaughter it.,

After drawing the design I made a mockup with cardboard to try and find an optimal positioning for the technical parts allowing for them to be connected nicely just in case we need to repair anything the day on the competition day. This worked out well, I was just trying to figure out how to place the converter into the controller and all of the arduino parts together.

After Completing the prototype I made the design in fusion 360. Originally we were going to add more buttons to the design on the front plate so I added to 2 more circle holes in the front. The plan was to be able to remove the back of the controller so we could access the parts inside with came with its struggles because we were trying to design a heat shrink screw.. After I got that all settled I measured the size of the potentiometers to make sure they could fit in the hole. Then we 3d printed it. Turns out the holes weren't printed perfectly so not all the buttons fit and we were still struggling with the screw design so my engineering teacher suggested to use maker case.We realized laser cutting would be a far superior option compared to the 3d print because we knew it could take multiple iterations and 3d printing would take much longer. And with the competition being in the next 2 weeks we opted of the laser cutter route.

With this suggestion we designed the new controller with the original 2 holes on top for potentiometers, and 2 slots for the joysticks. We also decided to make only one port hole for the cord instead of the 3. With this new design we brought it to the laser cutter and made them out of a sheet of plywood. After we cut them out we got wood glue and a clamp to glue all the pieces together except the back piece for any repairs. This worked out well then we came back the next day and screwed the joysticks on and poked the potentiometer through the holes on the top and used a nut to hold them in place.

At this point the project got put to a stand still because the project managers and the others who were going to the competition decided to try using a pre built Bluetooth controller. I stop continuing working on the controller and the wiring that still had not been completed. Sadly the day before the competition the Bluetooth controller was having problems connecting to the ROV and comminuting with the motors. So last second they switched back to this design and completed the wiring overnight. This didn't come without its challenges though, the day of the competition the noticed that the manipulator was twitching and the we looked at the the values of that the potiemoter was giving off was going up and down without being touch. We could not figure out the problem but we believe it to be in the power box. Without finding a solution we had to cut it off by snipping the wire so we did not have a useable manipulator for the competition . Besides this the Controller worked out great with it simple design it would be coded with are previous knowledge from past projects and was brought to the competition the next day.

As stated earlier the project was created to be used at the 2026 MATE ROV for Morro Bay High Schools RRRR-OV. I think overall the simple design helped us out in the long run the only really big setback was the potentiometer set back which we could not solve. I feel without the major time constraints and without the stopage on the development on the controller we could have solved the coding problem. While this amazing procedure cant be replicated another testing procedure the controller could partake in is test when plugged into the arduino coding software, if the ROV is not built yet. Or if the ROV is complete it can undergo a dry test.

Overall I believe this project to be a success even with these major setbacks because we learned a lot along the way. We learned the struggles of the Engineering process from original research and concept sketches to final testing. This is the first time I fully Completed this process step by step and it puts into prospective how much work goes into engineering and designing every product we see today. I better my skills with the 3d printer by learning how to operate it without help, I Learned a new laser cutting software Trotec Ruby and how to design what I need to be cut in the software instead of ink scaped, and finally we how to manage a large scale project with everybody working on their own part of the ROV with minimal communications due to having different schedules . This final part will stay with me no matter what field I go into because the main part of any successful business is communication and teamwork.

When looking back this project one if I redesign the project I would try and make it better looking, I know that isn't the first people think of when they think of a redesign but for the competition presentability is a big part and makes it look like a more complex design. Additionally I would try placing the converter and Arduino into the controller and have a more compacted design with these in it. Allowing for the controller to be able to work on its own for not only the ROV but other sources. And the ideal, design would make it bluetooth so it could communicate with everything with ease.