Boxfish ALPHA User manual

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p0
to

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p1 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
Table of Contents
1 Welcome to Boxfish ..........................................................................................................6
2 Notices .................................................................................................................................. 7
3 About this document........................................................................................................8
Other ROV documents.............................................................................................8
IMPORTANT and WARNING messages .............................................................8
4 Important safety information....................................................................................... 10
Battery safety, maintenance, storage and disposal ..................................... 10
Lifting the ROV components ............................................................................... 10
Hazards........................................................................................................................ 10
Safe ROV operation.................................................................................................. 11
5 Boxfish Alpha ROV system ........................................................................................... 12
Storage and Shipping Cases ................................................................................ 12
ROV............................................................................................................................... 13
Control Station.......................................................................................................... 14
Tether reel ...................................................................................................................17
Accessory Box contents........................................................................................ 18
6 Charging the ROV battery pack..................................................................................24
Receiving your ROV ................................................................................................24
How to charge your ROV battery pack.............................................................24
7 Putting together the Boxfish Alpha system............................................................25
Connecting cables - connection diagram........................................................25
Connect Control Station to power.....................................................................26
Assemble tether reel...............................................................................................27
Connect fibre patch cable to tether reel..........................................................27
Connect tether cable to ROV ............................................................................. 28
Storing tether penetrator cap and fibre caps during your dive................29
Attach Ninja V monitor/recorder to Control Station....................................29
Familiarity with your ROV...................................................................................... 31
8 Powering on the ROV system......................................................................................32
Power on ROV with magnetic key......................................................................32
Power on Control Station......................................................................................32
View feeds on telemetry screen..........................................................................32
9 Pre-deployment checks.................................................................................................34

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p2
Apply and test vacuum on ROV pressure vessel...........................................34
Test LED illumination lights ..................................................................................35
Inspect and test thrusters.....................................................................................36
Test scaling lasers (if present) .............................................................................37
Test Ninja V................................................................................................................37
Practise adding ballast washers......................................................................... 38
Lubricate tether penetrator O-rings and collar O-ring............................... 38
Test external devices............................................................................................. 38
10 Power off and pack up ROV (from out-of-water testing).............................. 40
Power off Ninja V Recorder................................................................................. 40
Power down ROV.................................................................................................... 40
Power down Control Station............................................................................... 40
Unplug tether from ROV....................................................................................... 40
Disconnect fibre patch cable............................................................................... 41
Pack away ROV system ......................................................................................... 41
11 Planning your dive............................................................................................................42
Charge ROV Battery ...............................................................................................42
Safety...........................................................................................................................42
Depth rating of your ROV and external devices ............................................42
Research your launch vessel/site.......................................................................43
Hazards........................................................................................................................43
Keeping the ROV cool ........................................................................................... 44
12 Deploying your ROV in the water ...............................................................................45
Overview .....................................................................................................................45
Assembling ROV for a dive ...................................................................................45
Power on ROV and Control Station ...................................................................45
Pre-deployment checks.........................................................................................45
(If installed) Turn on Sensor Power for external devices ............................45
Put ROV in the water ............................................................................................. 46
Buoyancy and balance .......................................................................................... 46
How to balance your ROV and make it neutrally buoyant......................... 46
Check depth sensor ................................................................................................47
Check compass ................................................................................................... 48
Begin launch sequence ......................................................................................... 48
13 Piloting your ROV............................................................................................................ 49
Useful telemetry screen info for piloting ........................................................ 49

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p3 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
Moving the ROV ...................................................................................................... 50
Piloting modes ...........................................................................................................51
Sea Modes...................................................................................................................51
ROV Modes .................................................................................................................51
Controls for Sea Mode and ROV Mode (non-Q modes)..............................52
Controls for Quad Modes (Sea-Q Mode and ROV-Q Mode)......................54
Speed...........................................................................................................................54
Depth Hold.................................................................................................................54
Heading Hold.........................................................................................................54
Altitude Hold..............................................................................................................55
Using the Level button.......................................................................................55
Adjusting the ROV LED illumination lights (underwater) ........................55
RTS (Return to Surface).....................................................................................56
When to disable RTS (Return to Surface) ....................................................56
Battery monitoring during your dive..............................................................56
Battery limits .........................................................................................................56
Notes........................................................................................................................57
14 Managing tether cable during a dive ........................................................................ 58
Safety.......................................................................................................................... 58
Avoiding snags, knotting of tether.................................................................... 58
Avoid pulling on tether while ROV is filming.................................................. 58
Tips ...............................................................................................................................59
15 ROV surfacing and retrieval......................................................................................... 60
How to bring ROV back to surface ................................................................... 60
Removing the ROV from the water................................................................... 60
Power down ROV.................................................................................................... 60
16 After-dive procedures.................................................................................................... 61
Disconnect ROV components and cables ....................................................... 61
Rinse ROV, tether and accessories.................................................................... 61
Leave ROV components to dry ........................................................................... 61
Attend to ROV battery...........................................................................................62
17 Storing your ROV .............................................................................................................63
Prepare for storage .................................................................................................63
Storage conditions ..................................................................................................63
Adjust battery to storage voltage ......................................................................63
Monthly maintenance during storage ...............................................................63

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p4
18 Updating your ROV system ..........................................................................................65
Items required...........................................................................................................65
Relevant buttons and labels.................................................................................65
How to update Control Station ...........................................................................65
How to update ROV ................................................................................................66
19 Troubleshooting ...............................................................................................................67
Potential issues and solutions .............................................................................67
How to recalibrate ROV compass ......................................................................70
How to retrieve log files from Control Station ................................................71
Troubleshooting thrusters ....................................................................................72
Clear “Area Setting” screen from main Control Station screen ...............72
20 Regular maintenance procedures...........................................................................75
Monthly maintenance charging...........................................................................75
Dome care and maintenance ...........................................................................75
Tether care.............................................................................................................75
As required: cleaning fibre optic connections............................................75
O-rings maintenance .......................................................................................... 77
21 Authorised repairs .......................................................................................................... 80
How to release vacuum from inside the ROV................................................ 80
How to replace a thruster ..................................................................................... 81
How to replace a propeller................................................................................... 82
How to put a thruster back on the ROV.......................................................... 85
ROV LED lights replacement procedure ......................................................... 86
Tools required .......................................................................................................... 86
Changing time zone on Control Station .......................................................... 90
22 Shipping or travelling with the ROV.......................................................................92
Returning your ROV to us for service or repair..............................................92
Preparing ROV battery...........................................................................................92
Travelling with LiPo batteries...............................................................................92
Packing the ROV components.........................................................................93
Meeting weight limits for air travel.....................................................................93
23 Appendix I: Control Station – more information................................................95
24 Appendix II: Telemetry screen – more information...........................................99
25 Appendix III: ROV .......................................................................................................102
Status indicator LEDs...........................................................................................103

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p5 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
26 Document history.......................................................................................................105

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p6
1 Welcome to Boxfish
Congratulations on receiving your Boxfish Alpha ROV. Please read these
instructions carefully before use.
If you need further support, please contact us at [email protected].
We hope you enjoy your Boxfish Alpha!

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p7 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
2 Notices
This manual is part of the documentation for your Boxfish product as
mentioned in our Terms of Sale (available on our website at
https://www.boxfish.nz/support/terms-conditions/).
Please ensure all ROV operators have read and understood this manual and
accompanying Boxfish Battery Charging Manual before using your ROV.
We make every effort to ensure that the information in this manual is an
accurate and complete description of this Boxfish product at the time of
release of this manual.
The latest version of this manual will be available to all customers on our
website at https://www.boxfish.nz/downloads/. The most recent version on our
website will supersede any previous versions, whether printed or electronic.
We will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions from this manual,
and we reserve the right to change the specifications of the hardware and
software described in this manual at any time and without prior notice.
We will not be held liable for any damages resulting from the use of this
product.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p8
3 About this document
When first using your Boxfish ROV, we recommend reading this document from
beginning to end. Once you are familiar with your ROV, you can use it as a
reference or to refresh your memory.
This document covers:
General safety information
Components of the ROV system
How-to guides for ROV operations, including testing and field use
Tips and tricks to get the best out of your ROV
Storage instructions
Approved maintenance instructions
Guidelines for packing, travelling with and shipping the ROV
Troubleshooting tips.
Other ROV documents
Battery safety information and instructions
This document does NOT cover any instructions or safety information relating
to the Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries used in your ROV battery pack. For this
information you must read our Boxfish Battery Charging Manual. (latest version
available on our website: https://www.boxfish.nz/downloads/.
References to our Battery Charging Manual are provided in this manual where
appropriate.
IMPORTANT and WARNING messages
Throughout this document you will see the following messages:
IMPORTANT!
Important notices draw your attention to things you must do (or must not
do) so that you don’t BREAK OR DAMAGE the ROV or its accessories.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p9 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
WARNING!
Warnings are for your SAFETY so that you don’t CAUSE INJURY
to yourself, any other operators of the ROV, or people nearby.
LiPo BATTERY WARNING!
Warnings for SAFETY so that INJURY or DAMAGE does not
occur when dealing with the Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries in
Boxfish ROV battery packs.
If not treated according to our instructions, LiPo batteries could
leak corrosive substances, emit toxic gases, catch fire or
explode.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p10
4 Important safety information
Please follow the information in this section closely to prevent injury, damage,
or violation of your warranty conditions (available in our Terms of Sale at
https://www.boxfish.nz/support/terms-conditions/).
Battery safety, maintenance, storage and disposal
The ROV uses Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries in its battery pack.
Please refer to our Boxfish Battery Charging Manual. (latest version available
on our website: https://www.boxfish.nz/downloads/.
Lifting the ROV components
The ROV, Accessory Box (with Control Station inside) and larger tether reels
(>1.2km version) require two people to lift. Take care when lifting.
The ROV can only be safely lifted by the stainless-steel bumper/protection
bars, carbon fibre frame tubes, or the lifting eye on top.
Hazards
Take extreme care around deep water and potential slip hazards when
piloting and retrieving the ROV.
Plan your operations to minimize trip hazards from the ROV system,
especially the tether and fibre patch cables.
LiPo BATTERY WARNING!
You must read the Boxfish Battery Charging Manual and follow
the instructions carefully. Misuse of the Boxfish ROV lithium
battery pack may cause a battery fire and/or explosion.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p11 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
Never operate the ROV in the presence of unaware swimmers or other
vessels.
Supervise children and keep them well away when ROV is operating.
While ROV is running pay close attention to the thrusters. Do not touch the
thrusters any time the ROV is powered on, or serious injury may occur. Keep
fingers, long hair and loose clothing or anything that may become entangled
well clear of the thrusters when operating.
The ROV should not be operated close to any object which may get caught
in the thrusters.
DO NOT look directly into the ROV LED illumination lights when they are
turned on.
DO NOT look directly into the ROV scaling lasers (if supplied). The scaling
lasers emit Class 3R laser light. Laser protective eye wear is normally not
necessary. A Class 3R laser is not a skin or materials burn hazard.
DO NOT look directly into fibre optic cables, or fibre optic ports on the ROV,
tether reel or Control Station while the ROV or Control Station is operating.
The lasers used to transmit the signal is invisible but can cause damage to
the retina of the eye. The below stickers are present on these ports to
remind you.
Safe ROV operation
The Boxfish ROV takes at least two people to operate: one person to pilot
the ROV and one person to manage the tether cable.
DO NOT use the ROV below its depth rating: check the rating specified in
your order or contact us if you are unsure.
DO NOT operate in currents where control is impeded.
DO NOT operate outside the water temperature range of -10˚C to +45˚C.
DO NOT store the ROV outside the range of -20˚C to +70˚C.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p12
5 Boxfish Alpha ROV system
Storage and Shipping Cases
Each component of your Boxfish ROV system will be stored in a black
waterproof Pelican case. A typical system is shown below.
ROV case
(left)
Contains the Boxfish Alpha ROV.
Tether case
(middle)
Contains tether reel and cable. Winder handle and
thumbscrew to attach the handle are also in this case.
Accessory
Box (right)
Contains:
The surface Control Station in its own case.
All necessary cables, tools and spare parts for your ROV.
There may be additional cases if you have ordered extra sensors, domes or
other accessories.
IMPORTANT! The Control Station must be stored inside the Accessory
Box case for protection.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p13 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
ROV
The Boxfish Alpha ROV is shown below.
Front and left side view
Rear view
1.
Pressure vessel
Pressure-rated ROV body with ports for thrusters,
lights and external accessories as ordered. Depth
rating of your vehicle (excluding any external
accessories) is dependent on this component.
Please check your order for your vehicle’s depth
rating.
2.
Front dome and
camera assembly
Inside the dome, the camera assembly contains the
Sony RX100 front camera and wide-angle navigation
camera. A Perspex dome protector will be clipped
onto the dome exterior for protection during travel
and testing
3.
Bumpers / lifting
bars
Stainless steel lifting bars and bump protection for
sensitive domes and tether areas
4.
Laser scalers
(optional)
Inside dome, two Class 3R Lasers used for size
estimation of objects
5.
Frame tubes /
ballast chambers
Carbon-fibre shock-absorbing buoyancy tubes with
chambers for ballast rings at each end
6.
Thrusters
Eight 3D vectored thrusters
7.
Tether port
Connection for fibre optic tether cable to surface
8.
Lifting eye
To attach a rope/cable for lifting/lowering the ROV
9.
Mounting rails
For mounting external sensors or floats

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p14
10.
Lighting arms
and LED lights
Adjustable arms with LED illumination lights
11.
Rear dome
Contains water sensor, Status LEDs, rear navigation
camera, rear navigation LEDs
12.
Battery balance
port
For connecting cell balancing cable to charge each
battery cell to the same voltage
13.
Battery charge
ports
Positive and negative ports (terminals) for battery
charging
14.
Depth sensor
Port containing ROV depth sensor
15.
Vacuum port
Port to apply vacuum inside ROV
16.
Off pad (red)
For powering off ROV using magnetic key
17.
On pad (green)
For powering on ROV using magnetic key
Note: A plastic protector for the front dome is included on ROVs
manufactured from mid-2022 onwards. Dome protectors are intended for
protecting the dome from scratches when the ROV is inside its case and can
be used while testing the ROV in controlled environments. The dome protector
may not be secured to the ROV well enough to stay on in all dive
environments.
Control Station
The Control Station is a multifunctional surface unit. It is used to:
Receive and display video output from the cameras
Display telemetry data from the ROV
Pilot the ROV
Attach a Ninja V recording accessory to record the HDMI video feed from
the Sony RX100 camera
Plug in optional accessories or connect a computer
Update software and firmware for the ROV and Control Station
Retrieve logs from the ROV (if needed for troubleshooting purposes).
The Control Station attaches to the tether reel via a fibre patch cable. The
tether reel in turn is attached to the ROV via the tether cable.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p15 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
Control Station layout
Note: individual Boxfish Alpha Control Stations may vary slightly from pictures
and descriptions below, but most components will remain the same.
IMPORTANT!
The Control Station is designed to be splash-proof, with seals around all
components on the control panel, but it is not waterproof around the air
vents. Do not block the air vents otherwise the Control Station could
overheat.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p16
1.
17” monitor displaying HDMI feed from RX100 camera, telemetry and
other data from the ROV. Also provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI)
for several control features.
2.
Power in port. Provides power to the Control Station.
3.
FIBRE communication port: used to send/receive telemetry, control
signals and video between the Control Station and the ROV (via the
tether and fibre patch cable).
4.
ETHERNET: RJ45 network port. Can be used to connect a
laptop/computer to the Control Station and access data from certain
sensors (eg sonar).
5.
Blue LED. Indicates Control Station is powered on.
6.
LEVEL button. Can be used to zero the controls and restore the ROV to
zero roll and pitch.
7.
ENABLE button (green). Used to power on Control Station and also to
enable the ROV thrusters.
8.
THRUST control thumb wheel. Used to adjust speed of the ROV through
the water
9.
LEFT joystick. In Sea Modes, used to control the ROV Depth and Lateral
movements. In ROV Modes, used to control the ROV Depth and Yaw
movements.
10.
AUX joystick. Controls ROV pitch and roll movements.
11.
Lighting Switch. Turns on and off LED illumination lights.
12.
MODE button. For selecting ROV piloting mode: Sea Mode, Sea-Q Mode,
ROV Mode or ROV-Q Mode.
13.
Stabilisation Switch. To enable/disable Stabilisation Hold function. Also
used to switch between compass and gyro, and activate Heading Hold
14.
Depth Hold switch. To enable/disable Depth Hold function. Also used to
activate position hold if DVL is present
15.
Grabber or brush control. See accessory manual for details.
16.
Grabber or brush control. See accessory manual for details.
17.
RIGHT joystick. In Sea Modes, used to control the ROV forward, back
and yaw movements. In ROV Modes, used to control the ROV forward,
back and lateral movements.
18.
Trackball – used to control mouse icon on 17” UHD screen.
19.
Left “mouse” button used to select items on the 17” screen.
20.
Right “mouse” button. Currently no function.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p17 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
21.
STOP button (red). Used to disarm the thrusters (short press) or power
off the Control Station (six second press)
22.
¼” mount (used for mounting Ninja Recorder)
23.
ACCESSORY port. Supplies power to the Ninja V
24.
CLEAN HDMI port. Used to route the HDMI output from the Luna
camera to the Ninja Recorder
25.
Air ventilation intakes. Used to keep Control Station cool. Do not cover
or allow water to enter
26.
Left USB port. Has a few uses, including software updates and uploading
log files
27.
HDMI In port. Not present on standard Boxfish Alpha.
28.
Right USB port. Not present on standard Boxfish Alpha.
Tether reel
Standard tether reel is shown below. All variations of tether reel contain the
parts described in this section.
The tether connects to the ROV via the tether penetrator (at the end of the
fibre optic tether cable).
The tether reel connects to the Control Station via a fibre patch cable, which
attaches to the side of the tether reel.
IMPORTANT!
Do not drop the tether penetrator. Parts used in the termination inside the
tether penetrator can be easily damaged by drops or knocks.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p18
Accessory Box contents
The following items are provided in the Accessory Box at the time of this
manual’s release. Other items may be present depending on your order.
Control Station power cables
Power can be supplied to the Control Station via:
1.
Tether cable
(fibre optic)
Durable fibre optic cable neutrally buoyant in salt water.
Carries all control and video signals to and from ROV.
Comes in 2.7mm, 3.7mm or 4.3mm standard diameters.
2.
3.
Tether
penetrator and
protective
caps
This is the brass connector containing the fibre cable at
the end of the tether cable. The tether penetrator
connects to tether port on the ROV.
When not in use:
The tether penetrator should always be covered with
TWO caps: a small plastic dust cap should cover the
exposed end of the fibre cable, and the large black
plastic cap should cover the whole brass assembly.
Additionally, the black plastic cap should be fastened
to its black plastic collar on the tether cable.
The tether penetrator assembly should be secured to
the tether reel with a Velcro strip so it does not get
damaged inside the tether case.
4.
Drum
Stores the wound tether cable. Light tension should be
applied to the tether cable while winding onto the drum
to prevent knots and kinks in the cable.
5.
Carry handles
Used to carry and move the tether reel, and to secure
the tether penetrator with Velcro when not in use.
6.
Fibre patch
cable port
Port for the fibre optic patch cable between the tether
reel and the Control Station. Always cover the
connector with its red/yellow cap when not in use.
7.
Tether reel
winder handle
and
thumbscrew
Used to wind the tether cable back onto the drum. The
handle should be attached to the tether reel using the
thumbscrew provided. Not for use as a winch: do not
use winder to retrieve ROV using the tether cable.

Boxfish Alpha Owner’s Manual
p19 R5. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
AC outlet, or
12V DC source such as boat or car.
Universal single-phase (100-250V AC 50-60 Hz) AC adaptor
for powering the Control Station from an AC supply.
Local cable to connect the AC power adapter to your local
wall outlet.
Standard vehicle type plug for powering the Control
Station from a DC supply.
Fibre patch connector cable
Armoured, military grade fibre patch cable. This cable connects the tether reel
to the Control Station. Two cables are supplied with standard orders.
WARNING!
ONLY use AC power adapters supplied by Boxfish.
DO NOT connect the Control Station to a DC supply less than
10.5V or greater than 29.5V.
IMPORTANT!
The connectors at each end of the fibre patch cable are covered by clear
plastic dust caps to protect the sensitive fibre optics inside. Caps must be
in place when not in use to protect fibre optic connections.