Do they have a zert fitting on that ?
Hi Brian. I'm glad to see that interest on this device is still out there.
After watching the actual device in use on the short video it looks surprisingly simple. We've had some discussion on this before which got me thinking.
First off, I'm thinking there would be some resistance to holding the rod mechanism extended as the water pressure will be trying to push it back into the sub. ( I remember this was mentioned before by someone ) Would a fixed sleeve with an inner threaded rod and sealing "O" rings work to maintain extension of the rod ?
Operating the grabber pincers will require another rod with maybe a hand grip inside the sub. This could be inside the threaded extension rod ( now a tube)
I've done some rough sketches for various methods of grabber arms and it's pretty complicated to make an arm. It looks to me that it takes a minimum of 5 actuated joints to reach and grab in three dimensions.
Starting at the fixed base......there needs to be a swivel joint. Next is a "shoulder" joint so the whole arm can go up and down. Next an "elbow" joint to extend the reach, or a telescoping joint for the same. Next comes a " wrist " joint that rotates the grabber "hand" so the grabber can operate in two dimensions. Next is the grabber pincers, which at it's simplest is just two fingers. ( three would be better. )
That's the five, and another joint at the wrist would be good for using the pincers at various angles relative to the extended arm. ( total of six )
I was thinking too that for the grabber pincers, it may work to use an air cylinder so that the pressure applied to the "pinch" could be regulated. Soft ( low pressure ) for picking something delicate or high pressure for grabbing and holding something hard.
That's really the beauty of the "cue ball " idea. It swivels, extends, retracts, rotates, and grabs with hand pressure. I think it would be very intuitive to operate. If you've ever seen a mechanical arm in action, it's slow, clumsy, and complicated.
It would be interesting to see some of the other guy's ideas sketched out. Maybe we could bring some random sketches to the upcoming convention and compare notes.
We called it "cue ball " but in reality a stainless ball is probably the best material. Not sure how you'd make that part but I bet a machinist would know how. Maybe it would be possible to use a ball valve body and seals, modifying it to swivel all around instead of the two dimensions it's designed for. ( just thinking out loud )
The "hand" that Phil Nuyten showed us was pretty damn cool. The guy's a genius ! What an imagination.
Frank D.