Response
Re: Robbe PT15
Doug, Iβve used those Dubro EZ
connector
s for years, but mostly on throttles. On flight controls Iβd use snap links and an l bend at the servo and a clevis at the control horn. I usually do the same thing on boat rudder linkage especially if itβs a little hard to access.
Yes, it did bind a bit, but I used an oversized servo are so I relieved the arm where the snap link bound at full throw. Iβm getting about 60 degrees plus movement each way at full throw, I should be good.
This might be my last build for a while as I have some small things I need to do to the Studebaker....but I still have my eye on that Deans Pibber. That way Errol the Cat and I can double up our patrols. Might rub catnip on the rudder stick let him start with thatπ€£
4 years ago by Cashrc
Forum
LED Lighting tip
Hi Guys,
I have a little tip for powering some LED lighting.
When you use the BEC from the ESC it will free up the socket that the battery would of used.
So if you use a receiver
connector
and connect some LED's to the red and black pins
You have a low voltage power supply.
I have used this to power the navigation lights on several models,also it indicates when the boat is switched on.
5 years ago by Martin555
Forum
CNC boat kits...?
".......I am on a bitof a learning curve at the moment........"
A few lessons I learned:
1 - Get a good, solid base-board which isn't warped. The local timber yard may have off-cuts of 3/4" ply. You will want to assemble the mechanics on a proper base, and it helps to have it available first. You will want to paint it anyway, so it will need time to dry.
2 - Get a dial indicator. An easy way to check for precision in assembly is to attach a dial indicator to the end of the Z axis and run it over the base board. It's good for other fault-finding and calibration as well. There are cheap ones on Ebay.
3 - Plan out all the wiring. I put my limit switches in as an afterthought, and found that I had wires which couldn't go in the places I wanted them to go.
4 - Wiring loom control. Consider Drag Chains, Heat-shrink tubing and Braiding. All items are very cheap from Ebay. If you don't put the wiring in at assembly you won't be able to put it in later once everything is connected up...
5 - If you use a drag chain for the USB connection, you will either have to make sure that it's wide enough to take a USB plug passing through it, or cut the plug off, pass it through and re-solder it afterwards. If you do the latter, note that the shielding in a USB cable is aluminium, and won't solder. So you will need to use a
connector
plug which has a physical connection to the shielding, because interference can ba a problem on these machines....
5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
Forum
RC circuit
looking at flanking rudders you will need another servo working these and this can be either with a another channel or a Y
connector
working all servos have a look at "Google" how flanking rudders work hope this helps
5 years ago by jacko
Blog
Electrics in the cabin
Progress on the main build is slowed at the moment so that I can complete the electrical installation. I have decided to route all of the wires inside of the original outer sleeve. I have removed the wires and replaced only the ones I need. I have stuck them to the inside walls as I do not like them hanging everywhere. Perhaps they look a little like insulated pipes, at least that is what I tell myself.
I have terminated all of the wires into two 9 pin
connector
s. These will then connect directly into a small ABS enclosure where I have a flasher circuit and a pcb with all of the resistors for the LED`s. I have wired in this manner so that all I need to do to completely remove the cabin is to disconnect the two
connector
s.All of the remaining circuits can remain in the hull. A little more work is required in the hull to fit and wire the switches to operate the equipment from other switches on the transmitter.π
5 years ago by MouldBuilder
Blog
Painting
I must admit that the painting process is not my favourite. it takes so long and time is always at a premium due to work commitments. I rush it a bit so that the build can continue.
I fitted all of the windows into the deck structure and covered them with the low tack film. I then primed, two coats, painted, two coats followed by two coats of lacquer. I am quite pleased with the results even though it is not perfect.
I decided not to fit the deck until all of the electronics, including the ESC, battery and receiver had been installed. This is because one of the big problems with this model is the lack of room to work in once the deck is in place. Another problem I encountered was the fitting of the tiller cranks onto the rudders. if the instructions are followed, it is almost impossible the adjust or remove them once the deck has been fitted. I solved the problem by reversing the cranks and bending the connecting wire to miss a bulkhead support. The screws can now be reached from the deck opening.
I have now completed the majority of the painting and have started to assemble the remaining parts. Currently I am doing the wiring of the lighting and making a couple of circuit boards. There are a lot of wires involved so to reduce the amount I have decided to us e a common negative. (Cannot remember what this is called right now). There are still a lot of wires and they are mostly coming out from the cabin structure. I have decided to introduce some nine pin
connector
s to make cabin removal a lot easier. This is quite a big job and will take a little while. I really enjoy this bit. The results add that little bit of extra satisfaction when it all works as it should.π€
The top search light assembly came as a bit of a surprise. it is manufactured from nickel silver plate and requires soldering together. Even though I am a precision engineer, I have not soldered a box since I was at school. Once I stopped burning my fingers with the heat, I quite enjoyed the assembly even though it would have been useful to have an extra hand and took the best part of today to complete.π€
I can honestly say that I have enjoyed most of this build and even though earlier on I was thinking to avoid Aero-naut models in the future, I have changed my mind. They are very cleverly designed.
I expect to complete this model some time in March. That would be the first for me to complete in recent times even though I have two others on the go and one new one in its box ready for a Summer start.π
5 years ago by MouldBuilder
Forum
Uploading pics
Frequently the camera has a 'micro USB'
connector
on it. if you plug a lead into that (should have come with the camera, or buy one on EBay) and connect that to your computer you will probably see an extra drive - which will be the camera, and on this will be your pictures.
If you tell us the name/model of the camera, we can easily find the manual on the web. This will give you all the information you need about loading pictures from it....
5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
Forum
Aeronaut Pilot Boat
Hi Peter. I have spoken to Cornwall Model Boats and they advised me that to run 2 engines from one ESC, you should set up and get one engine running, then separately the second one and then join them together by means of a Y
connector
. I have done this and now have both engines running together. I don't need them to run individually. Steering will be done by Rudders. Best Wishes. Ronππ
5 years ago by RonW
Response
Can't stop adding stuff
Thanks Joe, look forward to that.
Been looking at some commercial ones but they're **** expensive and some are too tall to fit in some of my ships.
I have several of those small 5V computer fans in my stash, saved from obsolete PCs. I always saved the fans and the PSUs and various cables.
The ribbon cables and various
connector
s can come in very handy, esp. in smaller vessels πAlso have plastic, alu and brass tubes of various gauges up to 10mm.
About to experiment with some small ones for model railways. Will have to build box and fan etc round them.
Ciao, Doug π
PS No sea trials here either, everything frozen for weeks π€
5 years ago by RNinMunich
Forum
All hooked up, nowt happens...
Hello all, since I keep the weekend for me I thought I'd try hooking up all the lecktrickery for my brushless motor. It's one of they outrunning tiddlers. I have a 3S LiPo which is firing on all cylinders at 3.79 volts per. I plug it in to the ESC, some Chinese one I got recently. I soldered wires to a T type plug that fits the Overlander battery pack. I'd already soldered the 2mm
connector
s to the other end of the ESC wires and protected them with heat shrink. Plugged tested (6.2 volts) Nimhs into Rx and it starts flashing, then plugged ESC into a channel and the motor, yes , the MOTOR starts beeping! How the hell can that happen? I plug the battery in and the motor beeps even quicker! What on earth is happening? Needless to say, no rotation, buzzing, whistling, just beeps from a motor, clear as you like!
Please help. I am already teetering on the edge of getting rid of all my working stuff as it takes up space and is such a damned faff! But what I have, I would like to work. Just long enough to prove it all.
Martin
5 years ago by Westquay
Forum
New knee, outdoor trials begin.
Hey Colin, I've got a staple remover π you could nip over here, I'll whip the staples out and you can take the Supermarine back with you! ππ
Seriously though folksπ€; Great news Colin, esp. after all this time and pain π Very happy for you π
Wasn't kidding about the motor. I'll be updating the 'Resurrection' blog soon.
Attached are a few preview pics of the final tests run at the weekend.
She's chuntering along at 11.1V (equivalent to a 3S LiPo) drawing about 1.3A off load.
I've made up a set of connecting leads and set it up to run ahead with an RH prop as requested. I've assumed your ESC will have bullet
connector
s!?
FF I've added a Red/Green LED to indicate if it should be running forwards (clockwise) or backwards. BTW: I wouldn't recommend full astern on any more than 7.4/8.6V, she don't like it π±
Shall I put it in that natty plastic box? Or will you just screw it to a wooden frame? All the best to you both, Cheers, Doug π
5 years ago by RNinMunich
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
Hey Dodgy, thanks for the idea number 3, I will surely try that! And I hope this will work insha allah!
And those links will be very helpful. I hope those silicone are strong πͺπͺ
5 years ago by Sakibian
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
Hello all!
I have been modeling for some time now. It's been quite fantastic everywhere but this one spot I really suffer.
First times when I was kid I used pens and drilled them as shaft
connector
s. Then I found out about latex rubber tubes. They works good .
But when I use latex in fast boats they are ripped.
I used some uni joints from Ali express and they are not that good. They are shaky and after sometimes the joints gets loose. The materials ain't that good.
Normally I do build small boats. Between 50-30 cm .
Here I need help, what else is good as joints and where can I get bad ass universal joints ?π
5 years ago by Sakibian
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
The couplings you appear to have are noisy as they are built to rather generous tolerances but if you can find a piece of rubber of a sufficient diameter you can cut a narrow band and put it on the coupling at the point where the pins are. I used this method on my converted Southampton and it is still going well with a much, much reduced noise level
5 years ago by TheBlacksmith
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
1 - I concur with figtree7nts. You don't want a long length of unsupported floppy tube transmitting power. You will see that my illustrations show the unsupported tube to be very short.
2 - You also want thick tube to transmit power. if you have thin 2-3mm tube that will easily kink. I make my own
connector
s at the ends of each shaft to bring the internal tube diameter up to about 6-8mm.
3 - if you want to try a quick fix for what you have, I would suggest putting a small piece of wood or plastic inside the unsupported section of your tube, which will stop it collapsing when it is twisted. This may work if the torque is not high. And it's a quick, cheap thing to try.
4 - if you want to try making your own, you could get something like this - check the correct shaft size - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brass-Hexagon-Flexible-Coupling-Coupler-
connector
-Motor-Model-Car-Boat-3-8mm/302549582190?_trkparms=aid%3D555017%26algo%3DPL.CASSINI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20170221124951%26meid%3Ddc345e0eff7a498aaf6d1efe0039d818%26pid%3D100643%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D302549582190&_trksid=p2045573.c100643.m3226
or this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Coupling-Inserts-for-RC-Models-Various-Sizes-available-RC-Model-Boat-Fittings/322996589219?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20170920101022%26meid%3D7c9c41e4b98047af9227e21aef42a96e%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D9%26sd%3D191479721852%26itm%3D322996589219&_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109
and then buy a length of something like this - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1M-Food-Grade-Clear-Translucent-Silicone-Tube-Beer-Milk-Hose-Pipe-Soft-Rubber/253549582415?hash=item3b08bb984f:m:mLOWX25B4-LemH4pL11iYfA:rk:12:pf:0
checking the diameters that you need, of course...
Here is a similar Eezebilt to your craft. it's the OSA Missile boat. You can see that the unsupported length of silicone is short, and this boat at 32 inches takes quite a lot of power...
5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
Thank you Ed! I will try better this time. This helped me a lΓ²t, learned some great stuffs. I will show you when I do that!
5 years ago by Sakibian
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
Hi Sakibian,
Why don't you push the motors closer to the shafts!
Maybe this will help with the misalignment of the shafts!
Or even try to move the motors so they do align!
Cheers, Ed
5 years ago by figtree7nts
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
Thank you dodgy!! I needed this. I was always telling myself that a slight misalignment is okay bcz I'm going to use flexible coupler, so it's okay.
There I might have done something wrong!
Can you please give me the link,of that silicone tube that your using? Or I mean what kind of tube they are, where they are usedπ
And yes I ment a lot vibrations by earthquake. Sorry for that.
At first I used some thin silicone tubes also, they weren't great.π€
5 years ago by Sakibian
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
This is the boat I was trying to finish, Ed! I'm not very accurate at these so I face this problems. I'm quite young so when I build, I do hurry sometimes. I think this is my biggest fault when I do modeling.
The motor shaft is 2mm and the drive shaft is 3mm.
Thank you for the link ! Can you help me a bit more to know which size they Are? I can't find anything about the hole size they are havingπ€
5 years ago by Sakibian
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
Thanks DodgyGeezer,
That was Coupler was what I was looking for.
As a recommendation to Sakibian!
But couldn't find it!
Sakibian,
Should deffinately use a coupler like that!
Cheers, Ed
5 years ago by figtree7nts
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
I'm not sure what you mean by 'earthquakes' - do you mean there was lots of vibration?
The prop-shaft and the motor shaft should be aligned as precisely as you can manage. Though a universal joint will accept some misalignment, you should aim to get things so precise that there is no need for a joint!
That tube looks rather thin. I use tube which is 10-12mm in OD, with about 3-4 mm thick walls. You are correct that I 'make the shafts larger' by putting little knurled knobs made from aluminium bar on them. if you do not have a lathe, you can buy similar couplings like this: https://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/Robbe-Flexible-Coupling-3.2-4mm-R1445.html#SID=1586
5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
Hi Sakibian,
Why can't you use couplings from Cornwall Model Boats!
https://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/Universal-Joint---Red-MA5000.html#SID=737
Maybe you can take a picture of your project to show us.
What you are working on!
I think the shaft should be close to the motor.
Or the rubber hose will tear!
Try looking for plastic tubing.
Of the diameter you need!
Or harder rubber tubing....
Regards, Ed
5 years ago by figtree7nts
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
Are those fuel pipe? And you must have used something to make the motor shaft thick so it matches the tube, right ?
I had these but no fun. They are like earthquakes
5 years ago by Sakibian
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
These are the latex tube I bought from Ali express.kind of flexible rubber tubes,strong but not extreamly string. Used them on some places , fast spinning motors doesn't match. But my tug works well.
The problem is where I live, there's no hobby shop here. The closest is China. Think that! I live in Bangladesh π
5 years ago by Sakibian
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
Universal couplers work well for me any boat model shop has them
Rick
5 years ago by Newby7
Forum
Boat shaft
connector
s (which stuffs to use and which is good)
I am not sure that you mean 'latex'. The most usual soft tubes are silicone rubber. Not neoprene, as it is usually too stiff.
There are all sorts of universal joints available. Here are some metal ones from Ebay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5x-RC-Model-Boat-Robot-Universal-Joint-Shaft-Coupling-Motor-
connector
-2-5mm/253848013746?_trkparms=aid%3D555017%26algo%3DPL.CASSINI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D55149%26meid%3D95631f1d170a4b7294c22a48e8978fa2%26pid%3D101006%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D253848013746&_trksid=p2045573.c101006.m3226
These are surely too strong for small boats, however. The Eezebilt range are typically 30-50cm long and I use silicone rubber joints on brushless motors there quite satisfactorily. You just need to be sure that the tube wall thickness is sufficient - typically 3-4mm.
Here is a picture of the Eezebilt PT Boat (50 cm long) motor
connector
, with a picture of it running. You will see that it can go at a reasonable speed. See http://www.eezebilt.tk/PTBoat.html
5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
Media
March'71
165footer job from Bangladesh navy. Armed with 1 37mm Chinese naval cannon (which I replaced with type 76F variant), 2 orlicons.
Actually used to patrol costal area here , also used in coast guard.
The class name is padma class patrol vessel, designed and made by BN.
Tried to make its rc version in 1:110th scale(I'm not great like you guys so please help me do better and suggest me where I can do better). Length 45cm, beam 7cm. Powered with dual 180.
The only thing I'm suffering is motor shaft connectoΕ. Those two universal joints I bought are not good enough for smooth rotation. They vibrates. So I used silicone tubes. Now I'm using latex rubber tubes .
Any suggestions or plan what I can use in peace!π
5 years ago by Sakibian
Response
Sanding done
Hi Steve, for the 'white stick', the VHF IMM band antenna, any old rod will do.
The real ones are copper wire covered in glass fibre. Length of the real thing is about 107cm including the coaxial end feed
connector
at the bottom.
They are usually mounted on a 'scaffold' type pole with two U clamps.
On pleasure craft they are often just whip antennas approx 1m length, much much cheaper than the pro jobs π, with a dome shaped mounting and the antenna cable is fed into it through the deck/roof it is mounted on.
Alternatively there is a side
connector
in the mount with an 'N' Type coaxial socket.
Make a whip out of piano wire (with a ball on the top to protect your eyeballs!π) and you could use it as your RX antenna - about the right length.
Construction coming on nicely.π
Cheers, Doug π
5 years ago by RNinMunich
Forum
fuse holder
Hi TJ, I use spade
connector
s, sized to fit car type spade fuses, they are available in different colored and sized for different cable thickness. This is ok for inline fuses. look on ebay for fuse blocks for car accessories, they come in different sizes depending how many fuses you need
Mark
5 years ago by jarvo
Forum
Equipment wire
Redundant computer ribbon cables are also a good source, providing many colours. Even the
connector
s are useful for non essential stuff like lighting.
π
5 years ago by RNinMunich
Response
Hi, don't bother with the pics, just change the Graupner
connector
s for bullets. Preferably the gold type.
Cheers, Doug π
5 years ago by RNinMunich
Response
Hi Doug thanks again for your help , yes Graupner
connector
s and yes the one that works well are bullet
connector
s I will post pictures tomorrow asap.
5 years ago by teejay
Response
I'd twigged that π
5 years ago by RNinMunich
Blog
Hi Doug just to let you know the battery for the RX a four cell NiMH of 4.8V
5 years ago by teejay
Response
Hi TJ,
1: "grouper
connector
s"!? Do you mean Graupner? Pics please.
2: What the heck are 'Halford
connector
s'? Bullet
connector
s perhaps?
3: Why two types of
connector
s at all?
4: Fuse; I actually recommended a fuse between the drive battery and the ESCs to protect both the ESCs and the motors.
The switch is normally for the RX only, unless you can find a high current switch which isn't too big to put between the drive battery and the ESCs.
Fuse for the RX supply is not normally necessary, especially if a BEC supply is used.
With a separate RX battery maximum a 2A fuse. The RX takes only a few milliamps BUT each decent size servo will take up to 500mA. So 2A will do for up to 4 servos.
Which motors by the way? Odd that they have different
connector
sπ²
Cheers, Doug π
5 years ago by RNinMunich
Blog
Hi all back at bench for a couple hours my back is slowly improving. the build is nearly complete,
but I do have a bit of a problem with the motors, two of the motors have grouper type
connector
s the other has
connector
s form Halfords,
The one from Halfords is motor 3 this is the central motor ,
motors 1&2 have grouper
connector
s ,
motor runs really well no problems, but 1&2 RUN INTERMITTILY but only when tweak the
connector
,
Now I don't know if there is some other piece of kit I yet to find out about or maybe the grouper type
connector
s are just finicky , any body any suggestions or comments before I replace the connections with the Halfords
connector
s
and here is question for Doug you said it would be wise to fit a switch and a fuse on the battery for the RX I have a four cell battery , what size of fuse would recommend.
and lastly here is the picture of my little milling machine
5 years ago by teejay
Blog
Revell 1/72 Flower Class Corvett
Revell model at stern you see a small servo with micro switch for the Ram whooper sound module. Pic with upper deck on side shows speaker and electronics with 9volt battery power. Moving forward Harbor Models small 6 volt smoker, 3000 nimh 6 volt battery with 2
connector
s powers smoker fan and main motor from ESC.
6 years ago by Mikep
Forum
Got the bits, now what?...
OK, I bought a LiPo tother day and some
connector
s.
This is now what I have.....a motor with little (2mm?)
connector
s on its wires, a 60Amp ESC with no
connector
s at all and an Overlander battery with a square plug on the end (Deans, is it) I also have a packet of ten 4mm bullets and heat shrink.
What now? Cut the Deans
connector
off the battery and replace with bullets, or buy a Deans
connector
for the ESC to battery? Cut off the little bullets on the motor and replace with the big ones which I should put on the ESC, too?
I suppose I'll have to increase the size of the hole in the ally heat plate next to the motor to accommodate the bigger bullets.
Cheers,
Martin
6 years ago by Westquay
Forum
Got the bits, now what?...
Actually British people tend to go for "adaptor" for electrical equipment and "adapter" for people, although I have never seen, to my knowledge, the latter used in a body of writing.
What I needed and have ordered from Wales, is a Deans male to fit into the battery because I didn't want to change the battery
connector
for all your excellent reasons, going to a pair of 4mm bullet
connector
s. Bullets because I have a pack of 10 already and I believe I may have a few more in a box of bits. So I have ordered a Deans male one end of a 50mm length of 12 gauge wire to a male and a female bullet. All the other
connector
s will be bullets. The bullets on the motor are 2mm diameter and I will keep them as the wires are short and I don't want to fiddle with them, so I have some 2mm females coming, which will go on the ESC motor wires. 4MM bullets on the ESC to fit the new adaptor and we're there. The ESC already has a receiver plug fitted.
Thanks for the link. They look like a good source for the future. Now Giant Cod has gone, where would be a good place for cheap brushlesses?
Cheers,
Martin
6 years ago by Westquay
Forum
Got the bits, now what?...
Hi Martin, spell it right and Lo and Behold 74 results!
https://www.componentshop.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=adapter&cat=0
Personally, it's so easy I make my own, or swap
connector
s on one side.
I would have used the other half of the Deans and not put bullets on a battery - too awkward to get on and especially off with risk of damage to the model when it gives way! I'm not surprised there wasn't such an adapter.
Cheers, Doug
BTW; I strongly suspect that the bullets on your motor are 3.5mm, jus as they are on all mine, buy a few 3.5mil spare sockets in case you buy another ESC with open wires.
6 years ago by RNinMunich
Forum
Got the bits, now what?...
Jim, it's a 3S Overlander which my local model shop are doing a deal on.
I don't know what XT 60 is or EC3/5. I have no Deans
connector
s. All I have a re the 10 pairs of 4mm bullets with black and red heat shrink. I had found an adaptor from 4mm bullet to Deans male, but it's a slow boat from China by the end of November and I ain't that patient! So bullets all round, I guess.
Cheers,
Martin
6 years ago by Westquay
Forum
Got the bits, now what?...
Hi westquay. that looks like a 2200 3 sel battery if it is and it has a black deans
connector
on it (they are usually yellow) in my opinion they are the best. XT60 if it is put a male xt 60 on the battery side of the esc and your own chosen bullet
connector
s on the esc to motor. I like to use ec3 or ec5 (depending on current draw) with a different coloured heat shrink seal, on each one. it helps if you need to reverse the the rotation of the motor. Take a look on line at the way the electric flyboys link it all together you will also get an idea of the connctions. Hope this helps. jimdogge
6 years ago by jimdogge
Forum
Launch ELAINE,
And what a capacitor. Big enough to have come from a washing machine of that period. Maybe it did. The whole thing looks like a lashup. Used whatever would work.I had loads of old valves but noone wanted them so dumped them. Some of them were More modern ones to replace the DCC90 but 1/3 or less the size. Those relays look like the old G.P.O. type. We got them from a Gov't surplus shop for buttons. Those were the days. Sometimes we added in an R.A.F r/f amplifier without the case. it increased the range but don't ask me now how we wired them in. There were 4 connection points on the casing which accepted a multi-plug
connector
secured by a threaded ring. Nice bit of kit til we got our hands on them.π
6 years ago by onetenor
Forum
Martin's Taycol Conversion Boards
Evenin' Martin,
Boards # 2 and 3 built, inspected and tested today. All work fine with my Target.
The one with the black and green wires is the prototype.
Not so tidy as the other two but it works!
As usual going from development prototype to 'production version' several layout improvements occurred to me π
Do you want the ESC leads with bullet
connector
s as well?
Or the natty little plastic boxes? Don't know how or why any more but I've got loads of those little boxes!π²
Cheers, Doug π
6 years ago by RNinMunich
Forum
Martin's Taycol Conversion Boards
Howdy Ed,
Yep, will do. Have taken some pics along the way.
Mast lights and searchlight are working.
Red/Green Nav lights fitted (had to spray the roof the right colour first - white not grey!) but not wired up yet. About to do that now.
After that the two aft facing Towing lights and deck flood lights.
Also discovered that there should be two deck lights P&S of the main cabinπ Will need the miniscule chip LEDs for those - Now, where did I put my microscopeπ€π€
In fact while researching I found there's a whole list of 'bits' missing. Not least the Life Raft, which should be behind the wheelhouse!!π²
(In God we trust - But just in case we want a Life Raft π)
Have also started drafting new decals with the correct owner's logo and fonts.
The wiring is only a lash up at the moment to check that everything works.
As soon as I'm happy, with resistors an' all, I'll fit some mini
connector
s.
More soon,
(in a different thread cos this will bore the pants off Martin. A NO Lights Man!) That reminds me of a banner I once saw above the RAF Controllers at the London Air Traffic Control Centre.
"RAF controllers do it in the dark" π²π
The civil side was brightly lit, other side of the wall the RAF guys had minimal desk lighting only. Cheers, Doug π
6 years ago by RNinMunich
Blog
Painted outside
Finish painting and adding some stickers, and a couple of pictures of the real thing.
Fitted Motor in a water cooled jacket and motor mount.
The motor is a 3650 and is rated as 3060kv Max Power: 1300W
Max Voltage: 19V
Max Amps: 68A
Shaft Diameter: 3.2mm
Shaft Length: 15mm
connector
: 5.0mm Banana
connector
Net Weight: 181g
Servo fitted sideways via rubber bellows to external rudder fixed to transom.
6 years ago by CB90
Forum
Old Futaba servo wiring...
Just for the record Sanwa Rx s are reversed too-----------Logically BTW Who makes the best type of crimping pliers for JST type
connector
terminals? All thoughts considered. Oh yes get a servo tester. Dirt cheap from about Β£2:50 on the likes of Bang Good, E Bay,Amazon. Really worth Having.π
6 years ago by onetenor
Forum
Useful Tools & their sources
Prompted by Onetenor's diligence in scouring the net for tools which may help us build our masterpieces! 'BRAVO ZULU that man'!π
Last of John's discoveries, carried over from NPJ's 'Leaking Boat' π²
"Would this be any good for RC wiring--https://www.banggood.com/Drillpro-Multifunctional-Ratchet-Cr... or this one--https://www.banggood.com/New-Multifunctional-Automatic-Wire-... If not any suggestions?"
My first impressions-
Link #1
Great, IF you do a lot of LAN cable stripping for RJ45
connector
s and the like. Overkill for us?
Link #2
OK, but still a little overkill but the price ain't bad.
Pic shows the wire stripper I've been happily using for 30 odd years.
(Some years were VERY oddπ) adjustable for all wire gauges; squeeze, twist & pull and you're good to go!
The pic shows the four tools I use (plus soldering iron of course) for all my 'Lectrickery' and LED Magic etc. Not one is less than 38 years old (neither am I by a very long chalkπ€)
Cheers, All, Doug π
6 years ago by RNinMunich
Forum
46Firefloat Mk2 paint
Interesting, valuable photos and drawings. More like that would be welcomed by many of us.
As it would have been illegal not to have a stern light on vessels like these, for both normal passage and also when towing, perhaps that photo without one was during build before it was fitted? No draft marks either. The photo of 93 secured at Vospers (therefore probably before acceptance) shows the stern light while the early type fire monitors also show the date of the photo was early on.
I also note one drawing shows the breach hose
connector
s aft of the cockpit that indicate it to be of later than original build. Similarly the cockpit roof cleats have been re-positioned athwartships rather than the original two being fore-and-aft.
Considering their short operational life, it's surprising how many detail changes were made when all the available documentary evidence is studied! You'd think that after 60+ years all the answers would be known for sure by now!
6 years ago by astromorg
Blog
Seat Trials and mods.
Itβs been a while since the boat had itβs maiden voyage on the lake at St. Albans and Iβm pleased to report that it looks really good in the water and goes like stink if you open up the throttle.
Sadly I still donβt have any decent video of the boat yet as I canβt film and drive the thing at the same time, but I do have some static wide shots from my GoPro.
When I do the video Iβll ask a cameraman mate to do the honours, maybe Iβll put the GoPro on the bow and then the stern to get some low action shotsβ¦the storyboard is already building in my head!!
These early runs were great as they showed up some minor problems that needed attending to.
I found that it needed ballasting slightly as it was not sitting on the waterline evenly from side to side so I flattened out some old lead water pipe and cut it into small sections so that I could add ballast incrementally.
I did this in the βdomestic test tankβ and once I was happy the lead pieces were fixed in place inside the hull with some super strong double sided tape.
The ESC needed a little programming adjustment because I had forgotten to set the low battery level point to βoffβ as I am using NiMh batteries and not LiPoβs , that was the cause of the short initial run time on the first outingβ¦..DOH !!
The batteries are now held in place by Velcro straps on some bearers that I added, otherwise a battery change involved cutting cable ties and replacing them at the lakesideβ¦not very practical.
The volt/amp/watt meter is also now on a proper bracket so that the display is more readable.
I have also changed the charging connection from the nasty Tamiya
connector
to a nice little panel mount XT 60
connector
that HobbyKing sell, it comes with a handy blanking plug that I have drilled for a retaining cord.
I have also finally got around to upgrading the firmware on my Turnigy i6 radio to the 10 channel version so that I can assign the lighting to the switches properly and have the rotation of the searchlight on one of the two rotary knobs.
I can use the old 6 channel RX in the new boatβ¦.blog coming soon.
6 years ago by robbob