Computer

TS-7200 Single Board Computer

       The software for the Romulus is executed by the TS-7200 Single Board Computer. This computer has been used on the vehicle for the last three years. It is manufactured by Technologic.

       There are two big benefits of the computer that led to it being chosen for this application. It is low power and does not drain the vehicle batteries quickly. Additionally it stores memory on a compact flash drive. This allows us to swap cards in and out of the vehicle if we need to and it gives the computer access to a large amount of memory, while accomplishing the goal of staying small and lightweight.

       There is much more hardware attached to the TS-7200 that helps in the execution of all the decisions it makes. This picture of the computer stack exemplifies how much attention was paid to making the components fit around each other effectively and compactly.

       The picture on the right shows the base board of the computer. It is located at the bottom of the component case. All of the wires run underneath it. The plate holds these wires stably, keeping them from shaking and being damaged by excessive stresses. It also keeps them out of the way, keeping the box user friendly. Finally it keeps the computer off of the bottom of the box. In the event of a small leak, the most important electronics are located above the area where a small collection of water would form. If something like that is caught soon enough it can save the team from having to replace the entire computer stack.

Batteries                                                Camera                                                          Component Case                                                                                   Depth Cell                                            Doppler Velocity Log (DVL)                                           SeaCons                                                    Software                                            Thrusters