Hey, Doug:

I feel like I have both eyes in the same socket. it’s hard on my 58 year old vision taking pictures of things so close to my face. Anyway, here are 4 photos of the board. I couldn’t get all of the connection point labels in one picture but I got them all in detail shots as you’ll see.

Board-01: Overall view of the board, “North” is at the top.
Board-02: “Northeast” corner.
Board-03: “East” edge. All of the labels are letters.
Board-04: “Southeast” corner.

There aren’t any connections on the “West” edge.

Please let me know if you need additional or better shots.

Thanks.

Tell me about it John😲😉
I got fed up with hunting for the dud bulbs in the chains year after year. So threw 'em all out a few years ago and replaced with LED chains and icicles and snow showers and .....
Anyone need a batch of spare Chrimbo tree blubs!?😁

Well done sorting that out.Just to clear one point ref fusible bulbs. They are used in Chrimbo tree lights are clear and have a white painted tip. it's not a fuse that lights but a bulb that is fusible.Odd but it works. I used to buy a pack of 4 at a time from Woolies. They weren't all the same either.It could take ages to read the packages to find the right ones. I ended up with loads of different ones it was the go to bulb if the lights failed.🤓👍

Evenin' Both,
Pete, you're right about the hatch, in the instructions (or mine at least with the old 40MHz version) they warn you to leave the hatch loose when not using the boat. Otherwise it sticks to the foam gasket. Just like yours did 😉 During the upgrade of my 40MHz Southampton I will remove that over-engineered catch and use neodymium magnets in the corners instead. That gives more 'headroom' to fit a decent sized NiMh battery underneath 😊
And yes there are 3 different versions of this boat, whereby Richardson and Southampton are identical apart from name and 'paint job'. 27 and 40 MHz with no frills and the modern 2.4GHz version with bells and whistles. Well, lights and smoke anyway 😊 Makes a change from Smoke and Mirrors eh? 😁 So between the 3 of us we represent all 3 generations!!!

According to my manual the foam is there to absorb moisture that might ingress through stuffing tubes or hatches so full marks to Pete 👍

Re different RC frequencies, as a ex Radio and naval COMMS engineer:
27MHz and 40MHz have inherently longer range and better water penetration, which is why I still have such sets for my submarines.
2.4GHz is strictly Line of Sight only, which is one reason why they first gained popularity with the 'Fly Boys'. 2.4Gig waves also bounce off water or are absorbed by it, so it's useless for subs😭
The other reason is that they use a frequency hopping (FH) technique which makes them virtually immune to interference 😊 Although I have yet to find a set that hops over the full 85 frequencies available. Most seem to only use 16 or so🤔 Limited bandwidth at the RX !?
As with all FH radio systems 2.4Gig RC sets also use a binding technique so that the RX recognises the 'signature', i.e- hop sequence, of it's own TX and ignores others. Mostly anyway 😉
Here endeth the 99th Epistle of Admiral Doug 😁
Main thing is, enjoy the 'fiddlin aboot' and even more so the sailing, as my German colleagues say; "I wish you always a hand's breadth of water under your keel". Cheers Doug 😎

Hi Pete,

Glad you have learned! I too have learned as well.
My Southampton didn't come with lights.
So, your Richardson tug.
must look awesome on the water at night.

Oh, 2.4ghz is way better than 27mhz.
This is why, I changed the reciever to my Southhampton!
And the long aerial just doesn't look right!

Ed

When I had another try at the big hatch it came right off easily. I think it was a bit stuck on the gasket. The push-to-release latch is really something; a 50/50 blend of wow & ridiculous. it’s an impressive mechanism but it’s also seriously over-designed. The battery hatch under the pilot house has a simple quarter-turn catch to hold it shut while the aft hatch has a fancy spring-loaded push button release assembly. Doesn’t make much sense, really. My boat has a piece of foam in the bilge, too, but I’m reluctant to remove it. Although it’s no use for flotation my theory is that it may serve two purposes. First, it might be there for sound dampening. Those two big motors & their reduction gears make a lot of noise in that large void surrounded by stiff plastic. Second, any seepage through the stuffing boxes would be absorbed by the foam & keep bilge water away from the motors. Those are my thoughts but I could be way off.

The Richardson does indeed have different electronics compared to some of the other Hobby Engine tugs. it’s got working interior & exterior lighting, horn & smoke units, plus it has a 2.4ghz transmitter & receiver, which is a nice feature in that it does away with a mast-style antenna. That’s the main reason I chose my boat; I don’t know enough about R/C models to be able to say if 2.4ghz actually performs any better than 27mhz.

Anyway, thanks again for the excellent advice. I learned more about my boat without breaking it. Outstanding!

Hi Pete,
I agree with Doug. Push and lift at the same time!
At least that's how mine worked out! I found a piece of foam in the bilge of my southhampton. didn't see the point of it. so I took it out! Now underneath the first hatch. I found the reciever.
Believe it or not it was a 27mhz reciever! Which I quickly switched out for a 2.4ghz reciever.
But maybe the Richardson Tug is completely different electronics wise....!

Can't sir down for a month or two either 😡😱😁
New Build Blog will soon reveal all (Or as much as I want to😉)
Little progress expected this evening; dinner with the GF and Germany plays Saudi Arabia 😁 in a Test Game. if they flunk that then they can save the air tickets to Moscow😉

Muchas gracias Pete, important is that as many legends on the board as possible are readable. 😎

I hope “chopping half the stern off your disaster area fish cutter” doesn’t require a trip to a trauma center for stitches & bandages. Whatever it is, it sounds painful & likely to leave you a quart low on the red stuff.

Funny, I thought it looked like four of those things, too, but in my earlier photo I’d swear there were three. Trick of the light, I guess. I’ll post a photo of the board as requested as soon as I can.

OK Got 'em!
N channel MOSFETS good for 180V, 4A DC and 16A Pulsed (as with our speed controllers) so more than enough for our 'little toys' 😊

Great👍 Those are the FETs😊 actually 4 of 'em as I would expect.
Do me a big favour😉 Now take a full-frame close up of the whole board showing all connecting wires and the legends on the sockets please.

I've just chopped half the stern off my 'disaster area' Fish Cutter!
Oh woe is me 🤔

Hey, Doug:

Regarding the “FET power transistors” you mentioned, I looked at the photo I took of my board again & as you pointed out, in one corner there are three identical components. Each one is black & has three leads soldered to the board. The one that’s completely visible has the letters “NEC” printed on its middle with “1357” centered below. Also, one of the leads has the number “38” printed above it. All of the characters are faint so I’ve attached two heavily enhanced blow-ups so you (hopefully) can see what I’m trying to describe. Please note that I boosted the black parts & the lettering so much that the other colors are no longer accurate.

Thanks,
Pete

Hi Pete, Go easy with the prying!!
You're right. The spring loaded button is the way in. But it can be very stiff and underneath the hatch is a dense foam rubber gasket which makes the hatch catch (😆) difficult to release. Press the button firmly down while trying to ease the hatch forward with your blade.
In my basic version there ain't much underneath except the rudder servo.
But that's where I intend to put a decent battery.
Re electronic speed controller (AKA ESC); it MAY be on the cct board but I doubt it cos I don't see the FET power transistors for the outputs to the motors! Unless that's them in the bottom left corner in the second pic?
In mine it's a separate square block with the heat-sink tabs of the transistors clearly visible. Trace the wires back from the motors to find yours😉
Everything else, RX and switched outputs, is on the cct board.
Check out the blog with the link above and you will find all the secrets about removing the deck without busting anything👍
More later, ciao, Doug 😎

Thanks again, Doug.

Am I correct in thinking that the circuit board in the pilot house is the only one on the boat? Does that one board include the receiver, speed control, sound & light functions & an output for the steering servo? For some reason I thought there was another board under the big hatch on the deck behind the pilot house. I haven’t been able to remove that hatch (yet) but I will. I want to familiarize myself with the entire boat, so I’ll have to get that hatch open. I thought it would pop up by pressing the square spring-loaded button but no luck. Later this morning I’ll pry it carefully with the same thin blade I used to get the pilot house roof off.

I’m probably the only Hobby Engine tugboat owner on this site who hasn’t removed that hatch to see what’s inside. But that’ll change later today.

Full speed ahead!

See where you're coming from John. But what would be the point?
The bulb is only connected to one output of the RX board so has no influence on other circuits.
Pete; same applies to the 'resistor' idea. Plus; the bulb's DC resistance is around the square root of not very much!😲
I've found some pics of the internal wiring of the Richardson, samples attached, and am trying to figure out what we can do to maximise the flexibility of the existing function switches. Your pic of the cabin roof connections has given me an idea Pete 👍
More later, plus some LED basics for future reference.😉
Happy Tugging All, cheers Doug 😎

Pete piping in here. No, the bulb in my tug is crystal clear overall. Plus, it lights up when a button on the transmitter is pressed. Would a “fuse” do that? I wonder if it’s a carryover from an older pre-LED design or possibly something to do with acting as a resistor for the various LEDs on the pilot house? But that’s strictly a guess on my part. My experience with & understanding of LEDs & how they’re used properly is very, very limited.

Pete

Doug that pilot house light could be a fusible link. Has it got a white painted tip? if so it is fusible for sure. if not it is a" could be" fuse. Trouble is you can't test it LOL😁👍 You could;if you can find one,fit a resetting led fuse.🤓
John /O/T

Afternoon Pete, Not awesome 😉 just 'Been there - Done that'!
Albeit on older versions.

So; now we're getting somewhere. Good idea with the connector 👍
I plan to do that with mine as well. I took it apart to investigate adding smoke, lights and sound. And possibly a twin ESC rudder mixer.
Project got shelved when I got deeply involved by a couple of renovation / conversion jobs. 🤔 You've inspired me to bump her up the 'To Do List' a ways 😉
Now we should be able to trace the wires back to the circuit board😊
Will send a Step by Step procedure tonight. Gotta go fix a rotten fence now 😡 Cheers Doug 😎
PS: I was also impressed with the quality and fit of the mouldings. Good tooling 👍
PPS: You may find this thread useful
https://model-boats.com/builds/view/34234?goto=34235
Neil has also been down a similar road. 'Jarvo' as well, who came up with some useful tips, esp re locations of hidden screws😉

Good morning, guys. I got the pilot house roof off of my boat by using bits of advice from both of you. I looked closely at the seam where the roof attaches & sure enough found a very fine gap.

Doug: I trimmed my fingernails just yesterday so my built-in scraper/screwdriver/seam separator, i.e. thumbnail, is too short to be of use for a while.

Ed: Following your lead I carefully worked an ultra-thin blade into the seam & after about 30 seconds I had the roof off without damaging a thing. Excellent!

I’m impressed at how well the roof presses in place. Only the paint had “glued” the roof on. Looking at the photo you can clearly see the ceiling bulb (white wires), which is the same kind used for HO scale & larger locomotive headlights, among other things. The blue wires near my thumb (notice the neatly-trimmed thumbnail) run up to the search light on the roof. You can also see the black & red & black & green wires running to the port & starboard side lights. I think I’ll add a multi-pin connector as part of my overall upgrade plan for the tug so that I can completely remove the roof if I want to without risking damage to those fine wires.

Thanks again to both of you for your helpful guidance. You’re both awesome!

Pete

HI Guys, took me about 10 seconds to get the roof, which was grey not white, off my old 40MHz Southampton 😊
It wasn't glued on at all 😲 Just ran round the seam with my thumbnail and it popped off 😁 All the rest was screwed together. Only some of the detailing 'stuff' was glued. Some was just 'plugged in'.
More later Pete, cheers Doug 😎

Thanks, Ed. Now I have some helpful advice I can use to get the roof off. Excellent!

Pete

Hi Pete,

When I worked on mine. I believe it took me about an hour or so!
Just be careful with the seams! take your time.
Start from the rear of the Pilot house!
I first took apart the pilot house.
I took the smoke stacks off!
Then slowly pride the rear of the pilot house!
NOTE: on mine they had only glued the glue points!
If you look carefully, You can see them.
They're located at each corner!
Maybe you can also use a wide xacto.
That's what I used back then.....
Good Luck!

It looks great! it really stands out from the crowd...er, fleet of similar tugs. How long did it take for you to remove the pilot house roof? Thanks.

Hi Pete,

I have the Southampton too. which came with no lights!
I got it about 6 years ago.
Anyway I carefully took the top off the pilot house using a single edge razor! You could give that a try! I also painted mine to resemble the WYEFORCE!
Good luck, Oh I also painted the inside of the pilot house as well!

Ed

I don’t see why not. I assume an LED would operate at a cooler temperature than an incandescent bulb, too, even a small low wattage Christmas tree lightbulb. I was thinking about taking the pilot house apart to replace the dark-tinted plastic windows with clear ones because as it is the helm, binnacle & other details are almost impossible to see. Not only could I replace the existing ceiling light, I could also make openings for routing the mast light LED wiring through.

Weird😲
Can you get at it to change it for an LED??

There is only one ceiling light in the pilot house.

Thanks again, Doug. By the way, the light on the pilot house ceiling definitely looks like an incandescent bulb. it’s hard to see through the dark tinted windows but I managed to get a photo. Hopefully you can make out the shape of the bulb & see that it resembles a typical small Christmas tree light bulb. I can’t imagine why that kind of bulb was chosen when LEDs were used everywhere else. Very odd.

OK Pete, I've started trying to write down some instructions as to how we might find the correct wires and modify them. More soon, ciao Doug 😎

Doug, there are no photos or drawings of either circuit board in the manual. So far I’ve managed to get a look at & a photo of the board concealed in the pilot house. it looks absolutely identical to one of the photos you attached earlier. I can’t tell if there are any “dropping resistors” or not; I recognize that it has what I think are surface-mounted components & a couple of ICs on it but that’s about it. My expertise was in mechanical & industrial design.

OK: just off out to restock the 'bottles in front of me' 😉
More later. No pic of the circuit board in the booklet??
Maybe you can photograph it, both sides if possible.
Would help to us to discover the dropping resistors in each output circuit.
Where they are and what values.
Cheers Doug

I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

Sorry about that, Doug. My not-so-nimble fingers hit the “Post “ button before I finished everything. I think everything is posted now.

Hi Pete, sorry no attachment found!🤔
Or did you just type copy from the booklet?
Is there a pic of the circuit board and wiring in the booklet?
Maybe the board is marked with L2 etc to identify the outputs!
That would be too easy though 😉
The bulb: can you see it from outside?
A white LED should be 'see through' or milky and look like the attached pic. Ciao, Doug 😎

Hi, Doug:
You’ve been a busy man! I certainly appreciate your efforts & assistance. I haven’t removed the tug’s deck or the bottom cover of its pilot house to look at the circuit boards as yet but I’ll do it later on this morning.

I’ve included a marked-up scan from the tug’s instruction booklet to show the transmitter’s current use of its function switches. I also suggested a way to add LED navigation lights to the mast (in two groups) & control them with two of the transmitter switches. Please let me know if the scan or my poor printing are unreadable & I’ll try again.

The table below lists the factory-designed transmitter function switches & their original purpose.

TABLE ONE - EXISTING CONFIGURATION
Switch L2 - Controls (1) clear LED pilot house roof searchlight.
Switch L3 - Controls (1) red LED port sidelight.
Switch L4 - Controls (2) clear LED aft deck lights.

Switch R2 - Controls (1) clear pilot house interior light*.
Switch R3 - Controls (1) green LED starboard sidelight.
Switch R4 - Controls the horn.

*This appears to be an incandescent bulb.

Table Two suggests a way of combining some of the existing functions with two groups of new mast LEDs, then using (2) of the existing transmitter switches to control them. For mast lights I’d like to add (1) yellow LED mast top anchor light, (3) clear LED forward-facing navigation lights (1) clear LED aft-facing navigation light & (1) clear LED aft-facing anchor light.

TABLE TWO - MODIFIED CONFIGURATION
Switch L2 - [No change]
Switch L3 - Controls (1) red LED port sidelight, (1) green LED
starboard sidelight, (1) aft-facing clear LED anchor
light & (1) aft-facing clear LED navigation light.
Switch L4 - [No change]
Switch R2 - [No change]
Switch R3 - Controls (1) yellow LED mast top light & (3) forward-
facing clear LED navigation lights.
Switch R4 - [No change]

Even though an actual tugboat probably wouldn’t have all of her mast lights turned on together, I don’t mind if they’re all on at once on my tug.

The modifications above result in having (4) LEDs controlled by
Switch L3 & (4) LEDs controlled by Switch R3. if these changes are possible then adding the (6) new LEDs should be relatively easy, plus all lighting & the horn are still powered by the tug’s 7.2 volt battery. I plan to upgrade the battery to a much higher mAh rating to help offset the extra drain from the additional LEDs.

Doug? if you’re still awake after reading this what are your thoughts? is my plan feasible?

Thanks again for your help.

Pete

Hi Pete, Some basics.
If you want to run 5 LEDs from 7.2V this is the circuit you need. See pdf.
Click the file icon and then 'Download' in the top left of the disply to view and download the file as pdf.
If you want to drive 6 LEDs you insert the 6th in the third branch and change the resistor to 62 Ohm, like the first two branches.
Current drawn remains 60mA, power consumption drops a few mW.
Any dropping resistor fitted on the circuit board must be shorted out or replaced with a tinned copper wire link, if possible. More on that later.
Instructions for wiring up, and finding out where!, follow this evening.
cheers Doug 😎
BTW: does this look like the circuit board you have? (Last two pics.)
Same part # JH-003R ?

Hi Pete, Okaaay!
That complicates the issue a little. 'I think I better think it out again'!
Now we have to decide which lights you want to switch together as some would not normally be on simultaneously; e.g. Anchor and running lights.

Do you perchance have a layout drawing of the circuit board and the plugs and sockets? 'snipped' out of the instruction book perhaps.
Or a good focussed photo might do.
As I understand it you currently have the following switchable functions, correct?
1. red running light,
2. green running light, to be combined with the red,
3. white deck lights, How many individual LEDs?
4. white searchlight,
5. white interior lights, How many individual LEDs?
Need to know the numbers of LEDs in 3 and 5 to estimate the current the switching circuits can handle!!!

Maybe we could combine some others as well, e.g.
deck lights and towing light or anchor light?
Stern light with the red and green?
Deck lights with the interior lights?
Interior lights with the running lights?

Let me know what you prefer, (I know... ALL singing, ALL dancing and beer from a tap on the side😁) cheers, Doug 😎

Here’s a starboard elevation of a typical modern tug’s pilot house & mast arrangement. I’d like to use this arrangement on my tug as well, including the aft-facing yellow towing light. I originally thought 5 LEDs would be used on the mast, but as the sketch shows there are actually 6 LEDs. I drew a green box around each LED to help them stand out. Thanks again, everyone.

Good stuff Fred, 👍
I have something similar that I will use to help Pete,
When we know where to connect up!
More later, cheers Doug 😎

Have a look at this
http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz it may be of some help

Fred

Hi Pete, Good to hear you've got a multimeter👍 and also that the board has unique plugs and sockets. I only have the earlier version of this Tug (the Southampton) with 40MHz RC and no lights or frills 😭
Would help enormously if the bottom cover can be removed so you can see which leads connect to the 'side' lights - the red and green navigation lights.
I am assuming that the existing lights have LEDs and not bulbs? Please correct me if I'm wrong. it makes a difference. And you want to add 5 new white LEDs on one circuit powered from one of the existing switch channels.
OK. been a hard day today and now 00:30 here so I'll finish this and send you the gen tomorrow. Will probably take longer to describe than to do.😉
Cheers, Doug 😎

To Doug: help from an expert would be terrific. I’d really enjoy your input, but ideas from anyone would be like finding a pot of gold over & over again. I’m so glad I found this website & all of the friendly folks affiliated with it. Thanks again.

Thanks, guys! I appreciate your input. I was actually planning on using a multimeter to try to identify which wire goes what. This particular model has three different wiring harnesses coming up from below. Each harness has a unique connector that plugs into sockets on the underside of the pilot house. I appreciate this feature because it allows for complete removal of the pilot house. An added bonus for my idea of adding LED navigation lights to the mast is that I also have free access to the pins in each connector. it seems logical that I could determine which wires go where through the process of elimination, although this method may cause damage from shorts or it may take so long to figure out that I’ll die of extreme old age before I crack the code. I’m not certain but the bottom cover of the pilot house may be removable which would make the job dead simple by drawing a pinout diagram for each connector. I love a challenge as long as it’s not destructive.

Evenin' Pete, basically Ron's right, but there may be a way, 😉if you have a simple multimeter! I'll get back to you tomorrow when I've thought it through.
Cheers,Doug 😎
BTW; I'm a retired electronics engineer 👍

Although I've never had any dealings with these type of boats , I'm pretty sure that they are built in such a way that they aren't easily modified without ripping out everything and starting again.
As the electrics are built into the circuit board it's not easy to identify each circuit function without having a electronic wizz kid at your side.
I think the easiest option would be to put in a separate switch,battery ect.
Ron