Frame assembly
How to put a Microlander frame together on the quay or the beach. The video is silent, portrait and 79 seconds long, so you can follow it on a phone with the parts at your feet.
Save it before you go
Signal is often poor at the shore. Download the video (7.8 MB) to your phone before you set off.
The video shows the Med exposure frame (500 × 500 × 350 mm, 42.4 mm tube). The Low exposure frame is the same build in 33.7 mm tube. The High exposure frame adds two guard rails, so check its parts list on the High Exposure page before you start.
What you need
| Part | Qty |
|---|---|
| Long tube | 7 (2 seabed rails, 2 cross rails, 2 H sides, 1 H crossbar) |
| Short tube | 4 (legs) |
| 90° elbow (Interclamp 125) | 8 |
| Short tee (Interclamp 101) | 6 |
| Allen key | 1 |
Work on flat ground.
Steps
- Lay out all the parts. Check everything is there before you start.
- Build the two seabed rails. Put an elbow loosely on each end of two long tubes, with the sockets pointing up.
- Stand the four legs in the elbows. Push each leg fully down. If it stops short, slide the rail back a little.
- Slide on the two cross rails. Put a tee on each end of two long tubes. The tees slide down the legs to halfway, joining the two seabed rails.
- Lightly tighten everything so far. Just snug for now. You square it up at the end.
- Build the top H. Slide a tee to the middle of two long tubes (the sides of the H) and join the tees with a third long tube (the crossbar). Put an elbow on each end of the sides, pointing down. Lightly tighten.
- Lower the H onto the legs. The sides of the H sit directly over the seabed rails. Push each leg fully into its elbow. If one stops short, slide that side of the H back a little.
- Check it is flat and straight. On flat ground, all four corners touch down and nothing is twisted.
- Tighten every screw with the Allen key. Start at the bottom and work up, going clockwise. Firm, not forced, because too much force rounds off the Allen key.
Warning
Check every screw is firm before you deploy.
Next, mount the SubCam on the crossbar and set its tilt. See Camera Configuration.
Need help?
Get in touch at hello@pebl-cic.co.uk.