Forum

CNC boat kits...?

I'll probably go for a laser cutter in the end. A big CO2 one - but these are powerful tools, and i'd like to have a reliable cutting bed before experimenting with something that might cut the shed in half! The obvious answer is to use some driver software that does handle tool radius compensation - I understand that the Tiny board firmware is now open source with a new name - G2Core. I think it needs a bit more poke than an Uno, though. I intend to simply slot sheets of balsa into it and crank out kit parts - which means a single pass cut. One issue is how to hold the sheet of balsa down without interfering with the cut. I was wondering about a vacuum base. If you want to observe a laser cutter safely, I hear that the Yank modellers are sealing them in enclosures, and viewing progress through a webcam, which is one answer....

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

I'm doing the eShapeoko - I wanted a more rigid machine for general purposes, and I liked the fact that you could specify the X and Y axis lengths. For cutting model boat parts you rarely want something as wide as 1 foot - but you often want items of length greater than 1 yard. The eShapeoko has standard sizes as extreme as 15 inches by 60 inches, and can easily be extended. I've gone for 18 x 36 inches - should be fine for EeZebilts... One of the things that's a bit annoying with GRBL is that it doesn't currently do tool radius compensation. I'm using an with grbl as well, and if I cut my plans as drawn they will all be a tool radius out. I am currently looking to use a 0.5mm tool so the effect will be small - but if you know of a better driver interpreter...?

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Having built (well, assembled really) i am currently building a small CNC router with 3D printed parts. See https://reprap.org/wiki/Cyclone_PCB_Factory. Currently redesigning to be driven by GT2 belts and pulleys as I have some reservations about using 3D printed gears from the point of view of back-lash and wear. The stepper motors are driven from an Mega running the GRBL g-code interpreter. There are a host of free g-code generator tools to be found on the internet. Some of them are a bit "knife and fork" but there are some useful ones out there and there is lots of helpful information too.

5 years ago by Delboy

Forum

Your ideas on how to stabilize a flat-bottomed freighter.

you could consider using some of the modern tech and fitting active stabilizers there are a lot of cheap solid state gyros and if your receiver does not have enough free inputs and outputs an mini could handle the logic.

6 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

Old Futaba servo wiring...

been look for one of these for 40 megs for some time. been looking into the route but only find it for 2.4 :(

6 years ago by timgarrod

Forum

Smoker / Light Contoller

Afternoon All, Really please as finished off the smoker/light controller i've been working on. it works with any smoker that has a fan. theres three version avaible, but all versions have the same light functions, one switch - on /off (can change to a proportional to work with a water pump) Three position Swich, controlls two light circuts or anything. Oil heater, will turn the fan and heater on only when required. saves on Battery and to replicate a diessel engine. Water vapor system, able to turn off/on the power to the system remotely, Diesel engine, will power the fan 100% and the start and the slow the fan down till model is just about to move off. Steam Engine - Fan at idle is about 20% so always push the smoke up but then it will encrease with throttle input. the best thing i think is that any thing can be changed via the . Will be make a few so if any one interest in one, please PM me. this is one i've just made for a friend that use the Oil heater https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDLp5bACejc&feature=youtu.be and mine using the water vapor systemhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj2pICSLHcE Thanks

6 years ago by timgarrod

Forum

12v esc for trolling motor build

Interesting project. Difficult to give advice on the info available. Looks like a steerable powered nozzle at the rear but what motor is it and what are the specs? An Esc does all the hard work and converts the rx pulses into usable power. I have s and they can be programmed to control the power and rotation of a motor but would need additional high power Mosfets as well as other circuitry to buffer the unit from the output. If you are really into s then a walk in the park but I believe an ESC would possibly be more robust and waterproof. It would be good if you were to post a build blog of your progress as the subject is certainly different to any models we have seen to-date. Good luck with the build

6 years ago by Dave M

Forum

rotating radars off mast

Hi seafarer You do need a four wire stepper motor driver. I used my as I have one. The pot varies the speed thro the so it can't be used on its own. I have some ic chips that can be used as drivers but I have not had time to program and develop so far. I have used geared dc motors but if in a quiet display area they can be noisy, which is why I intend to use this type of motor. I will do some more research and get back with possible alternative forms of electronic drives.

7 years ago by Dave M

Forum

rotating radars off mast

Thanks Dave, you've set me off on another adventure into the unknown but I think I'm learning....do I need the UNO controller and could I control two motors off it (it doesn't matter if the speed is the same ) . If I don't need the controller ,could you explain a bit more about using the POT (presumably a potentiometer?)

7 years ago by seafarer

Forum

rotating radars off mast

Hi Seafarer You can buy very small 4 wire stepper motors that will fit. I bought a ruck from China via E-Bay for a few pounds and they work fine. The smallest is less than the size of my little finger nail and I need my scope to see the wires which I sourced from Component Shop at Haydock Show. You do need a stepper motor driver and can control the speed down to single steps with a simple pot. I used an to test and the program is on the website. When I get time I might just do a blog showing how. Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Twin motor control problem

it depends how much work and thought your willing to put in but for anyone with a bent for such things an can " read" RC signals and with a suitable add on board control servos so should also be able to control ESCs thus you can tailor the drive to your requirements including the forward on one drive and reverse on the other for tight turns.

7 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

3D printing

Hi Wayne I did warn you about the noise. I also have complaints about the smell but I do use a heated bed and my printer is not in an enclosure. I have to agree that a usb stick is the best option to use as the timescale can be hours if not days and adding a PC and LAN to the equation does not help. I bought my printer to make originals that I can then make castings off. I can take any CAD drawing and scale to any size so the process is both quick and straightforward. As you have found there is a wealth of subject matter on line. Whilst a 3D printer is great for small quantities it is not so good if you intend mass production. Many hearing printer perhaps believe the 3D process will be just as quick when in fact it is anything but quick. I have to ask, how are you progressing with the ? Have fun Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Response

Bluebird K7

Hi Wayne, thought I'd chip in on this thread when I saw the words ! The stepper motor mayyy need a stepper motor controller. Something cheap like a ULN2003 to go between the UNO and the motor. I'm not sure the direct outputs from the UNO will offer sufficient current. Steppers can require quite substantial currents, especially if they stall or are told to "pause". There are some great libraries available for steppers too. I recommend the Adafruit library. Just make sure the correct pins are identified in the software. if it judders instead of rotates, it's most likely the wrong pins have been assigned to the wrong motor windings. If you get stuck, I'm happy to help with questions too 😁 Stephen

7 years ago by fireboat

Response

Bluebird K7

Hi Wayne Crikey you really are moving into new territory. I have both an and Raspberry and they are very versatile once you learn how to program. Yes you can program to do most tasks including animating your pilot. Good luck with this Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Response

Bluebird K7

Hi Wayne The stepper motor on the actuator will require an or Raspberry to drive. I assume you will be able to replace with a brushed motor if you have neither. I also have an interest on model trains and we use small servos to operate the push rods for points. The retract switch on a Tx would provide the two positions needed by the servo. You are really cracking on with the project and the results are looking very impressive. Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Forum

autonamy

For anyone else who finds the idea interesting there is a publication called robotics and has a chapter on building and programming an autonomous craft.

7 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

straight running

At the moment its a pure thought experiment. I have ( used for other stuff) and a PI so the softs are not a worry. With GPS its a question of how many decimal places they have the sats setup for. Millspec is accurate to a few centimeters.

9 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

straight running

HI Haverlock, I've built a quad copter from scratch before now which includes GPS, gyros and accelerators. The system can be programmed also for model cars (see http://rover.ardupilot.com) but I don't see why it couldn't be also used for boats, it's the same principle except steering would be done through the rudder and not wheels. You could easily build some software to do this too. You'd need an board, GPS module, probably compass module too. PWM outputs are perfect inputs to servos and ESC's. One problem perhaps though, is that GPS alone is not wholly accurate. it can be out by 2-5 meters at best.... more likely 10 meters. On a calm day you could probably rely on the compass alone, but I don't think GPS will keep it on course accurately enough. Interested to see this working! Stephen

9 years ago by fireboat

Forum

Suitable Power Source

Many thanks for your swift response. I had not Imagined that the "Sea Scout" was as well known in these circles and I think it is a very solid build (1950's ?) that I have yet to finish. I will investigate motors in due course but must first finish the hull. The original instructions mention coating the inside with 4 coats of "Banana Oil". is such a product still available? if not can you suggest an alternative? I intend to use an or Raspberry PI micircontroller with GPS to navigate with and will be looking for guidance in this also. Regards Neil

10 years ago by impartit