the Build
A live, public look at the build — every system, its parts, and where each one stands. No prices, just progress.
| Flight controller | Pixhawk 6C (aluminum case) | Arrived |
| AI computer | Jetson Orin Nano Super dev kit 8GB | Arrived |
| Supervisor MCU | ST Nucleo-F446RE (incl 1 spare) | Arrived |
| GPS | SparkFun NEO-M9N breakout + antenna | Arrived |
| Compass | mRo RM3100 module (I2C) | Arrived |
| LTE modem | Sixfab 4G/LTE kit, Quectel EG25-G | Ordered |
| Iridium | RockBLOCK 9603 (SMA antenna mode) | Ordered |
| Ethernet switch | BotBlox GigaBlox Nano (4x gigabit, 26mm, 5-60V) | Arrived |
| First thruster | T200 + Basic ESC | Arrived |
| Depth primary | Bar30XT (BARXT-VP, sealed) | Arrived |
| Depth backup | Bar30 | Arrived |
| Leak sensors | SOS leak sensor | Arrived |
| Camera primary | Arducam IMX678 4K STARVIS 2 USB 3.0 (bare module, NO enclosure) | Ordered |
| Camera secondary | DWE exploreHD (400m sealed, epoxy/potted cable) | Arrived |
| Bench charger | ISDT P30 | Arrived |
| Iridium antenna | Maxtena M1621HCT-P-SMA (passive Iridium helical, 1616-1626.5MHz, SMA-M, IP67) | Arrived |
| Iridium antenna feedthrough | SMA F-F bulkhead, epoxy-potted into M10 (depth-rated) + short internal SMA jumper | Arrived |
| Camera gimbal (pan/tilt) | Adafruit Mini Pan-Tilt bracket (#1967) + 2× MG90S metal-gear servos + printed camera adapter | Arrived |
| Power module | Holybro PM08-CAN (DroneCAN, 2-14S / 200A, dual 5.2V BEC) | Ordered |
| Switch connector board | BotBlox GigaBlox Nano Pico-Conn (PicoBlade->RJ45) | Ordered |
| Camera rear | DWE exploreHD (400m sealed, epoxy/potted cable) — rear-facing | Arrived |
| Bench DC power supply | Adjustable bench PSU — e.g. 0–30V/10A (electronics) + a 16V/40A+ rail for thruster tests (or one 30V/30A) | Arrived |
| Jetson boot SSD | NVMe M.2 SSD 256–512GB | Arrived |
| microSD cards | microSD 64GB (Pixhawk logging) + spare | Arrived |
| Powered USB hub | Powered USB 3.0 hub (4+ ports) | Planned |
| Multimeter | Digital multimeter (true-RMS) | Arrived |
| Bench consumables | Dupont/jumper wires, USB-C/USB-A cables, XT60/XT90 leads, silicone wire, JST/ferrule crimp kit, heat-shrink, solder | Planned |
| Thrusters | T200 (5 more, 6 total) | Planned |
| ESCs | Basic ESC R3 | Planned |
| Pressure tubes | WTE Locking Tube 4in aluminum, 300mm (1000m) — electronics + battery A/B/C (3 banks) | Planned |
| End caps | WTE 4" alu end caps (mixed hole patterns) | Planned |
| Dome | 4" polycarbonate dome BR-107201 (1000m) | Planned |
| O-ring flanges | WTE 4" O-ring flange | Planned |
| Clamps | Enclosure clamp 4" | Planned |
| Penetrators | WetLink M10 (assorted seal sizes) | Planned |
| Penetrator blanks | WLP blank M10 | Planned |
| Vent/vacuum/PRV | Vents ×3 + vacuum plug + PRV ×3 + backfill | Planned |
| Power switch | M10 switch 5A | Planned |
| Lights | Lumen R4 set of 4 | Planned |
| Echosounder | Ping2 sonar altimeter | Planned |
| Flotation foam | R-3318 large block | Planned |
| Water temp | Celsius sensor | Planned |
| BR sundries | Molykote 111, picks, desiccant, WLP wrenches, O-rings | Planned |
| X-tail fins (fixed) | Fixed X-tail fin set — fabricated HDPE/3D-printed (passive, no servos) | Planned |
| VBS (buoyancy engine) | Oil + external-bladder buoyancy engine (ACME-screw piston pump) | Planned |
| Lights — zone 2 | Lumen R4 pre-connected set of 4 (500m) — outer/wide zone | Planned |
| Echosounder (forward) | Ping2 sonar — forward-facing (basic forward collision warning) | Planned |
| Thruster guards | T200 intake guards/screens — 3D-printed (tough filament), 6× | Planned |
| Battery cells | 21700 energy cells (Samsung 50E/LG M50LT class, ~5Ah, ~$3.50 est) — 4S16P per tube ×3 = 192 cells +6 spares; ~3.6 kWh total. See docs/POWER-BUDGET.md (~5 days, ~40-50km). Measure real draw in reservoir. | Planned |
| BMS | JK-B1A8S10P smart BMS (one per bank) | Planned |
| Survival battery | Bioenno BLF-1206A 12V 6Ah LiFePO4 | Planned |
| Spot welder | Glitter 801D capacitive | Planned |
| Nickel strip | Pure nickel 0.15 + 0.2mm | Planned |
| Pack materials | 21700 holders, fish paper, kapton | Planned |
| Connectors/wire | XT90, 10–12AWG silicone wire, JST-GH | Planned |
| 5V regulators | Pololu D24V50F5 | Planned |
| 12V regulators | Pololu D36V50F12 | Planned |
| Ideal diodes | LTC4357/LTC4359 modules (bank ORing) | Planned |
| Strobe (USCG) | Sirius Signal C-1003 SOS light | Planned |
| Strobe (12V) | Waterproof LED beacon (supervisor-driven) | Planned |
| Burn wire | Nichrome 80, 30 + 32 AWG spools | Planned |
| Release hardware | 316 springs/pins + 25lb lead shot | Planned |
| Timer release | DIY: ATtiny + coin cells, potted | Planned |
| Recovery pinger | DIY: piezo + ATtiny, potted | Planned |
| Tether | Fathom Slim 100m (ROV-ready) | Planned |
| Tether interface | Fathom-X board pair | Planned |
| AIS recovery beacon | Ocean Signal rescueME MOB1 (AIS + DSC, 7-yr standby, 24h active) | Planned |
| Acoustic recovery beacon | Commercial 37.5kHz ULB — RJE ULB-362PL (power-loss auto-activate, ~90-day) | Planned |
| Pinger receiver | Directional 37.5kHz diver/locator hydrophone (topside) | Planned |
| Hi-vis surface marker | Hi-vis flag/pennant on mast + retroreflective tape | Planned |
| Vacuum pump | Mityvac MV8255 | Planned |
| Vacuum plug | BR vacuum plug | Planned |
| O-ring grease | Molykote 55, 100g | Planned |
| O-ring kit | OSK 386pc metric Buna-N + exact-size spares | Planned |
| Pick set | Hook & pick set | Planned |
| Potting epoxy | MG Chemicals 832B 450ml kit | Planned |
| Marine epoxy | West System 105/205 + mini pumps | Planned |
| Field epoxy | Loctite Marine syringes | Planned |
| JST crimper | Engineer PA-09 | Planned |
| Ferrule kit | IWISS HSC8 6-4 + ferrules | Planned |
| Heat shrink | Wirefy adhesive-lined 3:1 kit | Planned |
| HDPE sheet | 1/2" × 24×48 (frame) | Planned |
| Filament | PETG ×2 + ASA ×1 | Planned |
| Chem kit | Loctite 243 + Permatex anti-seize + IPA | Planned |
| Calipers | iGaging EZ-Cal 6" | Planned |
| Torque driver | Wheeler FAT Wrench 10–65 in-lb | Planned |
| Fasteners | 316 SS M3–M5 per-size boxes | Planned |
| 3D printer (Bambu H2C) | Bambu Lab H2C (Vortek hot-end swap; no laser) + filament dryer (AMS optional) | Ordered |
| Imaging sonar | Ping360 | Planned |
| Tube sensors | BME280 (temp/RH/baro) — seal integrity | Planned |
| Power monitors | INA228 high-side I2C | Planned |
| Thruster current | ACS724 30A hall sensor | Planned |
| Light sensor | TSL2591 lux (behind dome) | Planned |
| Hydrophone | Aquarian H2a + USB audio interface | Planned |
| Internal mic | SPH0645 I2S MEMS | Planned |
| Leak probes | Extra SOS probes + tips | Planned |
| Burn-wire sense | Continuity sense resistors | Planned |
| I2C mux | TCA9548A ×2 + Qwiic cables | Planned |
| Engine room cam | 160° USB board cam + pan servo + LED strip | Planned |
| DVL | Water Linked DVL A50 (300m) — 1-yr-old unit, 25% off | Ordered |
| AIS receiver | dAISy 2+ USB AIS receiver + small VHF whip on the mast | Planned |
| Manipulator — gripper | BlueRobotics Newton Subsea Gripper (300m, 62mm jaw, 97-124N) | Planned |
| Landing skids/feet | Landing gear — HDPE + 3D-printed feet, wide footprint | Planned |
| Sample caddy | Free-flooding sample basket — 3D-printed, multi-compartment + mesh + latch | Planned |
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Videos coming soon — build vlogs, tank tests, and dives. Visit the channel →