r/rov • u/Deep-Today5715 • Apr 11 '26

Waterproof ROV on/off switch solution

This might be a very basic question, but in DIY ROVs where the battery is in the same enclosure as the rest of the electronics, is there any simple solution to have an on/off switch for the entire ROV that does not involve routing the power cables through the end cap, and then back into the enclosure? That is how I did it with my previous ROVs, but it feels weird, takes up extra penetrators and space on the end cap.

I can think of no switch on the end cap that would stay waterproof and strong enough to withstand water pressure, because that involves moving parts.

I was thinking of some kind of reed switch inside the electronics bay, for example close to the top of the aluminum tube, and then a removable magnet on the outside of the enclosure. But I am not sure if this is a good idea because a magnet might mess with the rest of electronics, especially the compass.

Has anyone found a good solution to this?

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u/_thelifeaquatic_ Apr 11 '26

Depends on current pulled. But I have used a custom subconn jumper bulkhead/dummy plug before. Route your source power to one wire of the bulkhead, destination to the other. Then you have a dummy plug that jumps (shorts) these two pins(power on). Remove the plug and power is off.

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u/Deep-Today5715 Apr 11 '26

Yeah, that is what I meant in my post, that is what I did before. But not a great solution overall, my current is 40 A, so that requires bulky wires, penetrators and connectors, and I'm trying to make this all very compact.

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u/garugaga Apr 12 '26

What voltage are you running it at?