Boxfish ROV User manual

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p0

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p1 R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p2
Table of Contents
1 Welcome to Boxfish ..........................................................................................................6
2 Notices .................................................................................................................................. 7
3 About this document ........................................................................................................8
3.1 Important information and warning messages.................................................8
4 Important safety and preventative maintenance information ............................9
4.1 Lifting.............................................................................................................................9
4.2 Hazards..........................................................................................................................9
4.3 Battery safety and maintenance......................................................................... 10
4.4 Safe ROV operation.................................................................................................. 11
4.5 Storing and shipping/travelling with your ROV.............................................. 12
5 Boxfish ROV system overview..................................................................................... 13
5.1 Charge battery after receiving your ROV ........................................................ 13
5.2 Storage cases............................................................................................................ 13
5.3 ROV............................................................................................................................... 14
5.4 Control Station.......................................................................................................... 15
5.5 Tether reel .................................................................................................................. 19
5.6 Accessory Box contents....................................................................................... 20
5.7 Optional accessories for the Boxfish ROV system.......................................25
6 Charging the ROV battery.............................................................................................26
6.1 Important warranty information..........................................................................26
6.2 Receiving your ROV ................................................................................................26
6.3 Battery charging safety information..................................................................26
6.4 Summary of recommended voltages for ROV battery ................................27
6.5 Boxfish ROV battery charging procedures......................................................27
6.6 Monthly maintenance of your ROV and camera battery ............................32
7 Putting together the Boxfish ROV system..............................................................33
7.1 Charge the ROV battery ........................................................................................33
7.2 Connecting cables – connection diagram .......................................................33
7.3 Connect Control Station to power.....................................................................34
7.4 Assemble tether reel...............................................................................................34
7.5 Connect fibre patch cable to tether reel..........................................................35
7.6 Connect fibre patch cable to Control Station................................................35
7.7 Connect tether cable to ROV ..............................................................................36
7.8 Store fibre port caps and fibre cable caps safely..........................................37

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p3 R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
7.9 Attach Ninja V monitor/recorder....................................................................... 38
7.10 Familiarity with your ROV......................................................................................39
8 Powering on the ROV system ..................................................................................... 40
8.1 Power on ROV with magnetic key..................................................................... 40
8.2 Power on Control Station..................................................................................... 40
8.3 View feeds on telemetry screen.......................................................................... 41
9 Pre-deployment checks................................................................................................ 42
9.1 Apply and test vacuum on ROV pressure vessel.......................................... 42
9.2 Test LED illumination lights ..................................................................................43
9.3 Test thrusters........................................................................................................... 44
9.4 Test scaling lasers (if present) .............................................................................45
9.5 Test Ninja V................................................................................................................45
9.6 Add ballast washers ................................................................................................45
9.7 Lubricate tether penetrator o-rings and collar o-ring................................. 46
9.8 Power on Ninja V..................................................................................................... 46
10 Boxfish ROV pack up sequence (from out of water testing).........................47
10.1 Power off Ninja V Recorder..................................................................................47
10.2 Power down ROV.....................................................................................................47
10.3 Unplug tether from ROV........................................................................................47
10.4 Disconnect fibre patch cable.............................................................................. 48
10.5 Power off Control Station .................................................................................... 48
10.6 Pack away other components ............................................................................ 48
11 Planning your dive........................................................................................................... 49
11.1 Charge ROV Battery .............................................................................................. 49
11.2 Safety.......................................................................................................................... 49
11.3 Research your launch vessel/site...................................................................... 49
11.4 Hazards....................................................................................................................... 50
11.5 Keeping the ROV cool ........................................................................................... 50
12 Deploying your ROV in the water ............................................................................... 51
12.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 51
12.2 Assembling the Boxfish ROV system for dive................................................ 51
12.3 Power on ROV and Control Station ................................................................... 51
12.4 Pre-deployment checks......................................................................................... 51
12.5 Turn on Sensor Power switch .............................................................................. 51
12.6 Put ROV in the water ..............................................................................................52
12.7 Check depth sensor ................................................................................................52

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p4
12.8 Begin launch sequence ..........................................................................................53
13 Piloting your ROV.............................................................................................................54
13.1 Useful telemetry screen info for piloting .........................................................54
13.2 Navigation directions..............................................................................................56
13.3 Piloting modes ..........................................................................................................56
13.4 Speed ...........................................................................................................................59
13.5 Using the Level button...........................................................................................59
13.6 Adjusting the ROV LED illumination lights ..................................................... 60
13.7 Changing zoom and focus.................................................................................... 60
13.8 More about Sea Mode and ROV Mode ............................................................ 60
13.9 Activate RTS Disable (Return to Surface Disable) if exploring enclosed
places ....................................................................................................................................... 61
13.10 Battery monitoring during your dive.............................................................. 61
13.11 Battery limits .............................................................................................................62
13.12 Piloting tips and tricks........................................................................................62
13.13 Notes........................................................................................................................62
14 Managing tether cable during a dive .........................................................................63
14.1 Safety...........................................................................................................................63
14.2 Communication between tether operator and ROV pilot...........................63
14.3 Tips for tether management.................................................................................63
14.4 Winding in the tether cable ..................................................................................63
15 Bringing the ROV back to surface............................................................................. 64
15.1 Safe ascent practices ............................................................................................ 64
15.2 How to bring ROV back to surface ................................................................... 64
15.3 Power down ROV.................................................................................................... 64
16 After-dive procedures....................................................................................................65
16.1 Disconnect ROV components and cables .......................................................65
16.2 Rinse ROV, tether and accessories....................................................................65
16.3 Leave ROV components to dry ...........................................................................65
16.4 Charge ROV battery................................................................................................65
17 Storing your ROV .............................................................................................................66
17.1 Prepare for storage .................................................................................................66
17.2 Adjust battery to storage voltage ......................................................................66
17.3 Power on your ROV for six hours, once per month ......................................66
18 Updating your ROV system ..........................................................................................67

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p5 R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
18.1 How to update Control Station ...........................................................................67
18.2 How to update ROV ............................................................................................... 68
18.3 Troubleshooting for updates................................................................................69
19 Troubleshooting................................................................................................................70
19.1 Potential issues and solutions .............................................................................70
20 Authorised repairs and maintenance.....................................................................73
20.1 Cleaning the fibre optic connections ................................................................73
20.2 O-rings maintenance ..........................................................................................75
20.3 How to release vacuum from inside the ROV.............................................76
20.4 How to replace a thruster ................................................................................. 77
20.5 How to replace a propeller................................................................................79
20.6 How to put a thruster back on the ROV....................................................... 81
20.7 How to take out ROV tray.................................................................................... 83
20.8 How to remove and replace ROV battery pack .........................................87
20.9 Removing individual batteries from the battery pack............................. 90
20.10 Reinstalling the batteries back into the battery pack..............................92
21 Shipping or travelling with the ROV...........................................................................95
21.1 Returning your ROV to us for service or repair..............................................95
21.2 General preparation ................................................................................................95
21.3 Preparing ROV battery...........................................................................................95
21.4 Paperwork for lithium batteries...........................................................................95
21.5 Packing the ROV components.............................................................................96
21.6 Meeting weight limits for air travel.....................................................................96
22 Appendix I: Control Station – more information ............................................... 98
23 Appendix II: Telemetry screen – more information.........................................102
24 Appendix III: ROV .......................................................................................................104
24.1 Status indicator LEDs...........................................................................................105
25 Appendix IV: Document history............................................................................. 107

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p6
1 Welcome to Boxfish
Congratulations on your Boxfish 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 ROV!

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p7 R6. 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 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 ROV Owner’s Manual
R6. 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:
Safety information
Components of the ROV system
How-to guides for using your ROV, from out-of-water familiarity and testing,
right through to detailed operations
Tips and tricks to get the best out of your ROV
Storage instructions
Maintenance instructions
Guidelines for packing and travelling with the ROV/sending the ROV by third
party freight
Troubleshooting tips
Appendices with more detailed specifications of ROV components.
3.1 Important information 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.
WARNING!
Warnings are for your SAFETY so that you don’t CAUSE
INJURY to yourself, any other operators of the ROV, or people
nearby.

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p9 R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
4 Important safety and preventative maintenance 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/).
4.1 Lifting
The ROV, Accessories Box (with Control Station inside) and larger tether
reels (>1.2km version) are a two (2) person 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.
4.2 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 components, tether
and cables.
Never operate the ROV in the presence of unaware swimmers or other
vessels.
Always supervise children around water and 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.

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p10
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.
4.3 Battery safety and maintenance
The ROV uses lithium-ion batteries.
To ensure your safety and get the best lifetime out of your battery, please
follow the safety rules listed below.
General battery safety
DO NOT place battery in a fire.
DO NOT heat battery.
DO NOT install battery so polarity is reversed.
DO NOT connect the positive and negative terminals of the battery to each
other with conductive material (such as wire).
DO NOT pierce, strike, stand on or subject the battery to strong impacts or
shocks.
DO NOT expose the battery to water or allow the battery to get wet.
DO NOT disassemble or modify the battery.
ONLY use replacement batteries supplied by Boxfish.
WARNING!
Misuse of the battery may cause the battery to get hot, rupture
or ignite, and could cause serious injury.

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p11 R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
Battery charging for storage, diving and shipping
Follow the charging instructions, including the safety information, before
charging your ROV. See Section 6: Charging the ROV battery for all charging
information and the appropriate voltages for diving, storage and shipping.
Charging the ROV battery after receiving your ROV
To avoid damage to the battery and/or the ROV and its components, you MUST
charge the battery to 15.6V immediately after receiving your ROV.
Avoiding battery drain and battery damage
Internal components can cause the battery to drain even when the ROV is
powered down.
To protect the battery against total discharge, which is dangerous as well as
damaging for the battery and several other components inside the ROV, please
also power on the ROV once a month for six hours, after which you must charge
the battery to 15.6V.
Shipping the ROV battery
ROV battery must be discharged to a safe voltage of 15.0V for safe shipping
requirements. More information about shipping the ROV is contained in Section
21: Shipping or travelling with your ROV.
Disposing of the ROV battery
If you should need to, please dispose of the ROV battery safely and in
accordance with local battery disposal laws.
4.4 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 ROV Owner’s Manual
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4.5 Storing and shipping/travelling with your ROV
Use the original Pelican cases for storage
Ensure all components that have entered the water have been rinsed
cleaned with warm, soapy water and dried completely before storing
Use all original padding and protective parts supplied (eg front dome cover)
Ensure the ROV battery is charged to appropriate voltage for storage (15.6V
or shipping (15.0V)
Store the Control Station inside the Accessory Box so that it does not get
damaged. It is not designed to withstand heavy weight (eg sitting on the
case) or to be shipped on its own.
Please save the original boxes that your Luna system arrived in so you can
use them for storage or shipping later.
Additional instructions for storage, travel and shipping are available in further
sections in this manual.
IMPORTANT!
The Control Station should always be stored inside the Accessory Box
when not in use. The 17” screen can be damaged by placing heavy weight
on the lid, and the internal components can be damaged or come loose if it
is shipped outside the Accessory Box.

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p13 R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
5 Boxfish ROV system overview
5.1 Charge battery after receiving your ROV
5.2 Storage 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)
ROV case. Includes the Boxfish ROV.
Tether case
(middle)
Includes 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 with your order, depending on if you have
ordered extra sensors.
IMPORTANT!
As soon as possible after receiving your ROV, you MUST charge its battery
to 15.6V This will prevent the battery from draining completely and will
prolong the life of the battery and protect the components inside the ROV.
See Section 6: Charging the ROV battery for instructions.
IMPORTANT! The Control Station must be stored inside the Accessory
Box case for protection.

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p14
5.3 ROV
A diagram of our standard ROV is shown below.
Front and left side view
Rear view
1.
Pressure vessel
Pressure-rated ROV body
2.
Front dome
Contains Sony RX100 front camera and wide-angle
navigation camera
3.
Bumpers / lifting
bars
Stainless steel lifting bars and bump protection for
sensitive domes and tether areas
4.
Laser scalers
(optional)
Two Class 3R Lasers used for size estimation of
objects
5.
Frame tubes /
balancing
chambers
Carbon-fibre shock-absorbing buoyancy tubes with
balancing chambers at each end
6.
Thrusters
Eight 3D vectored thrusters
7.
Tether port
To connect fibre optic tether cable
8.
Lifting eye
For attachment of a lifting or securing cable
9.
Rails for optional
accessories
For mounting accessories such as sonar or USBL
10.
Lighting arms
and LED lights
Adjustable arms with LED illumination lights
11.
Rear dome
Contains Status LEDs and rear camera
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

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p15 R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
14.
Depth sensor
Port containing ROV depth sensor
15.
Vacuum port
Port for applying vacuum to ROV body
16.
Off pad (red)
For powering off ROV using magnetic key
17.
On pad (green)
For powering on ROV using magnetic key
5.4 Control Station
The Control Station is a multifunctional surface unit. It is used to:
Receive and display video and telemetry data from the ROV
Pilot the ROV
Record the HDMI video feed from the front camera (via the Ninja V recording
accessory)
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.
IMPORTANT!
The Control Station is designed to be splash-proof but it is not waterproof.
Ensure all ports are covered when not in use. Do not block the air vents
otherwise the Control Station could overheat.

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice. p16
Control Station layout
1.
17” 4K monitor. Displays video feed from front camera
2.
POWER: Power in port. Provides power to the Control Station, via:
Boxfish AC Adapter (15 Volts 13.4 Amps), OR
Directly from a DC supply capable of supplying 10 Amps with the
Boxfish DC Power Cable
3.
FIBRE communication port: used to send/receive telemetry, control
signals and video between the Control Station and the ROV.
Communication is provided by connecting a fibre optic patch cable
between the fibre communication port and the tether reel fibre
connector and the tether cable to the ROV.

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p17 R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
4.
EXT port. Supplies 12V and can be used to power the local USBL beacon
(if USBL accessory is supplied). Usage will be detailed in the accessory
manual.
5.
ETHERNET: RJ45 network port. Can be used to connect a
laptop/computer to the Control Station. Use only if you have specific
accessories fitted (such as sonar or USBL) that require a laptop to be
connected. Usage will be detailed in the accessory manual.
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 to enable
the thrusters during the launch sequence
8.
THRUST control thumb wheel. Used to adjust speed of the ROV through
the water
9.
LEFT joystick. Controls the ROV depth and lateral (sideways “crab”)
movement
10.
AUX joystick. Controls pitch and roll ROV movements
11.
Dial for adjusting intensity of LED illumination lights
12.
LIGHTS Switch. Turns on and off LED illumination lights
13.
LASERS switch. Turns on and off lasers (if optional lasers are fitted)
14.
Mode button. For selecting ROV operational mode: Sea Mode, Sea-Q
Mode, ROV Mode or ROV-Q Mode
15.
Stabilisation Hold switch. To enable/disable Stabilisation Hold function
16.
Depth Hold switch. To enable/disable Depth Hold function
17.
Sensor Power on/off switch. Used to supply power to additional sensors
or accessories (if present on your ROV). Use only as directed in the
applicable manual for the sensor/accessory
18.
RTS Disable switch (Return to Surface Disable) to enable/disable
automatic return to surface functionality
19.
Manual Focus on/off switch. To toggle focus mode of front camera
between Auto Focus and Manual Focus
20.
Altitude Hold on/off switch (can only be used if optional altimeter
accessory is present)
21.
Multifunctional buttons. Usage will be described in applicable chapter in
this manual or accessory manual
22.
Dial. No function on this ROV
23.
OK button (✓). Used for thruster test
24.
Cancel button (X)

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
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25.
Zoom dial to adjust zoom on front camera
26.
FOCUS button. Used to manually focus the front camera
27.
RIGHT joystick. Controls ROV forward/back and yaw movement
28.
PHOTO button. No function on this ROV
29.
VIDEO on/off toggle button. Pressing once will turn the camera off.
Pressing again will turn the camera on again – can be used for
troubleshooting
30.
Stop button (red). Used to power off the Control Station
31.
¼” mounting plate. Used to attach the mount for the Ninja V Recorder
accessory
32.
ACCESSORY port. Supplies power to the Ninja V
33.
CLEAN HDMI port. Used to route the video signal from the ROV to the
Ninja V Recorder.
34.
Air ventilation intakes. Used to keep Control Station cool. Do not cover
or allow water to enter
35.
Left USB port. Has a few uses, including software updates and uploading
log files
36.
HDMI In port used to send video signal from the Ninja to the 17” 4K
screen
37.
Right USB port
38.
Telemetry screen. Used to view data and navigation video from the ROV
to assist in piloting
More information and specifications of the Control Station is in Appendix I:
Control Station – more information.

Boxfish ROV Owner’s Manual
p19 R6. All rights reserved. Information and specifications may change at any time without notice.
5.5 Tether reel
The tether reel comes in a few standard sizes and lengths depending on the
depth capability of your ROV. The parts shown below are common to all sizes.
The tether penetrator (at the end of the fibre optic tether cable) attaches to
the ROV.
The tether reel connects to the Control Station via a fibre patch cable, which is
attached to the side of the tether reel.
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 is
goes into the tether port on the ROV. When not in use,
the tether penetrator should always be covered with
TWO caps: a small clear plastic 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 screwed
into its black plastic collar on the tether cable.
4.
Drum
Stores the wound tether cable. Cable should not be
kinked or twisted. Light tension should be applied to the
tether cable to make sure it is not jammed or kinked
while winding on to the drum.