вЂњI was pushing its limits before I got it into the water,вЂќ he says. Meanwhile, a trolling motor attached to the stern propels the sub.Д«efore plunging Nautilus into the lake for the first time, Beckerman tested its controls in his basement. Using solenoid valves, he can activate the compressor, pump air into the tanks to expel water, and rise from the depths. He connected a 1.5-gallon air compressor to the soda machineвЂ™s regulator and used a four-way splitter to feed air to each of the tanks. Four 10-gallon plastic water containers serve as ballast tanks, which take in or expel water to lower and raise the sub. So after sawing the pipe to size, he cut a porthole on top, added a skylight of Вј-inch-thick acrylic, and waterproofed the seams with marine epoxy. Beckerman wanted to sit upright in the sub, with outstretched legs, and peer through a dome. вЂњI could cut it, glue it, and screw it and not have to worry about welding,вЂќ he says. вЂI could cut it, glue it, and screw it and not have to worry about weldingвЂ™ Instead of trying to perfect something the first time, he constructs multiple versions. Over the years, Beckerman learned to transform these scraps into miniature hovercrafts, imitation Mars rovers, a wind turbine, and other complex machines. Friends, family, and even random strangers helped by dropping off parts at their house. The junkyard manager got to know Beckerman and his dad and saved his best components for them. The 18-year-oldвЂ™s love of building took off at age two, when his dad started taking him to a junkyard to hunt for old computers, printers, and motors. After school, Beckerman dismantled the soda fountain, harvested several pieces from the machine, including a compressed-air regulator, and rushed home to get to work. He knew Beckerman was collecting parts to build a one-man submersible, with the hope of piloting around New JerseyвЂ™s four-square-mile Lake Hopatcong. вЂњDude, you should go and get that,вЂќ his buddy said. Justin Beckerman was walking to high school with some friends when one of them spied an abandoned soda fountain in a parking lot.

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