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    Forum
    Robbe Smaragd
    I have a Robbe Smaragd Yacht. 1/10 scale. This is quite old now and could do with a β€˜make over’. I would like to see some plans or
    instructions
    from the build before I start and would therefore be grateful if anyone with knowledge of this model or better still, copies of any paperwork that came with the kit contacted me. A few pics attached of this very β€˜forgiving’ yacht............ All the best. NPJ
    7 years ago by NPJ
    Blog
    Krick Police Launch
    I have just started to build the Police Launch that I have had for a while. Work commitments have left me with little time lately but hopefully I can get a good run on this one for a while. I hope to finish it by late July which just leaves me enough time to send it to Hungary so that I can test it. The kit is said to be good for a beginner. This would be good as many years ago I built a Patrol Torpedo Boat which took me five years. I am currently restoring this one as well but I think that will take most of this year to complete.😁 I have started by buying the speed controller. The motor is a 400 brushed. Probably not going to be too difficult to keep up with this one. The kit itself is not too bad considering the price, but I do feel that the ABS vacuum formed hull could be of a slightly better quality. Also I am finding the ply wood to be rather brittle. Does anybody have an idea for a good filler to use to fill the chips which will take to acrylic paint. I have prepared the hull and added the propeller shaft and rudder holes. Care taken here to avoid splits in the plastic. Cellotape on both sides before drilling helps.πŸ€“ I have assembled the internal parts which hold the motor, battery and rudder and also fitted the prop shaft.😲 I will start on the deck and superstructure next. An additional note about the kit. The
    instructions
    are reasonable but they are in black and white which is not helpful considering they are photograph based with text. I found a PDF on the web which is in full colour. Why don`t Krick supply this. Surely not that expensive.πŸ€”
    6 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Forum
    Norstar Wave Princess original box
    Thought I'd post a photo of the original box as it shows the Wave Princess in her best 'dress'. I almost got it right. I have the original build plans and
    instructions
    , remembering that she was a kit and not built from scratch. If anyone would like copies please let me know.
    7 years ago by AllenA
    Blog
    36'' Thames River Police Launch by Robbob
    After the successful build of the β€˜Vintage Model Works’ RAF Crash Rescue Tender I was asked by Mike Cummings of VMW if I would undertake to build a prototype of their new model with the aim of checking the construction method and the assembly
    instructions
    for accuracy before the kit is put into production. The model is a β€˜Thames River Police Launch’ and is based on the original design by Phil Smith for the Veron company, this was a very popular model kit in the late 50’s and 60’s and sold for the princely sum of 43 shillings and tuppence, approximately Β£2.15 in today’s money but an equivalent cost of Β£48.50 in 1960. This design has been updated to accommodate electric propulsion and radio control by Colin Smith, the son of the original designer and it has been re-scaled to be 36” in length where the original was 24” which gives much more scope for detailing and provides more β€˜hiding room’ for the drive, control systems and all the associated wiring. The kit produced by VMW uses the same construction techniques as the original and the materials are a combination of balsa and plywood both of which a laser and CNC cut for precision. The ply and balsa materials supplied are of very high quality as one would expect from VMW and all the stripwood for the chines, rubbing strakes and deck detailing is included, even the dowel required for the mast is in the box, very comprehensive! The kit also includes white metal fittings such as the fairleads and stanchions, and the searchlight and horns. The glazing for the windows comes in the kit too. The instruction sheet supplied is in need of revision as it is largely taken directly from the original as written by Phil Smith and some of the terminology needs updating, for instance the ply bottom and side skins are referred to as β€˜strakes’ but I understand that a re-write of the
    instructions
    is in hand along with an updated plan showing the best positioning for the motor, prop-shaft, battery, ESC, receiver, rudder and servo. During construction I have added a few additional pieces of ply or balsa as reinforcement or supports and substituted some balsa parts for ply where I thought a stronger material would be better. I also added some hatches to give access to the wiring at the bow and the rudder & servo at the stern but largely I have not gone β€˜off plan’ to any extent. The pictures show the model in it’s present state (Nov 2018) and is ready for painting and finishing.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Pilot Boat
    Winter approaches again so what better than a new project,.......to go along with the other two yet to be completed. I have excuses. Honest!! This new one is a bit different again. No wood at all this time. It is the Aero-naut Pilot Boat. I thought it didn`t look too much of a task but I think I will have to re-assess as it is tricky in parts. I have assembled the hull frame, which although the parts are rather loose fitting until glued went ok. I have, however, stumbled slightly on the next stage, to fit the hull skins. The
    instructions
    suggest to cellotape them in place prior to glueing. Not as easy as it sounds as considerable bending of the parts is required to get them to fit, too much for the tape. Does anybody know of an easier approach please. The ABS is extremely difficult to hold in position when trying to tape it, which incidently, does not hold anyway. Should I warm up the skins or will this distort them and give a rippled finish. Any help here would be appreciated.πŸ€“ I will continue with the refurbishment of the Patrol Torpedo Boat for now as I have been trying to manipulate the sides of the Pilot boat into place for hours, no, days!!.😑😀
    6 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Forum
    Turnigy Standard 9x transmitter
    Hello all. I hope you can help me before I lose all of my hair. I recently purchased a Turnigy 9x set which, according to all of the reviews I have seen, is good value for money. I am sure that they are all right but you need to be a genius to understand the
    instructions
    . Everything is in short hand. I am fairly new to the latest radios but I can read. This is not good. The internet has been invaluable and I have found a good instruction book for the Flysky 9x which appears to be the same. I have now got through the basics but I am having a problem achieving what I bought it for in the first place. My latest build, a Pilot boat, has been wired such that I need to use three channels to operate rc switches. I would like to use channels 5, 6 and 7. I have found that I can set 5 to gear which gives me one switch, another can go to throttle something to give me two switches, but the other choices go to trimmers only. After reading bloggs it seems that I can get a third switch working on, say, channel 7, but have to alter mix settings. I am completely lost now and wondered if anybody could instruct me as to how to get this third switch to operate on channel seven. Thank you.😊
    5 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Forum
    Build manual/
    instructions
    Hi all I have been asked to renovate a Thames sailing barge, after some research I have discovered that it is this one https://www.modeljetdrives.com/thames-barge.html Does anyone know where or have the build manual/
    instructions
    that they could copy and email for me Thanks Ron
    6 years ago by kmbcsecretary
    Response
    Basic hull construction completed
    very nice bit of shaping on the balsa there and filling. I purchased a Perkasa MTB hull off of a boot fair and that part they have done is awful. I have got to sort that out. As far as the motor size goes, I put a 10 cc Irvine engine in a model boat that should only have had a 7.5cc in it. it went like stink. But even then it would all depend on how you use your throttle control. I would myself still go larger than
    instructions
    say but that's because I'm a speed freak. Flat out on the straight and test to the extreme on turn's. Turned a couple upside down as well and still was able to carry on running once recovered. I always take a telescopic fishing rod with me with a weight and floating line for recovery.
    5 years ago by BOATSHED
    Response
    Basic hull construction completed
    No. The motor size is not in the
    instructions
    , but from a previous forum post I've been recommended a 28xx Brushless 1100Kv with a 11.1V 2200Mah LiPo battery. Yes. I have that edition and following the editorial. it is a more detailed version of the
    instructions
    as both written by Dave Milbourne. πŸ‘
    5 years ago by StuartE
    Response
    Basic hull construction completed
    I guess you will only be able to tell properly is when it's primered. I suppose you could always fill it and resand - that will be my fallback position! Is the motor size in the
    instructions
    ? Had a look at a build article and it's not in there. if you haven't got it it's well worth getting because as well as the build of that very kit Dave Milbourn has written an article on finishing nd painting which I'm reffering to. it's the Model Boats Winter Special Edition 2018. Chris
    5 years ago by ChrisF
    Blog
    Basic hull construction completed
    This week has been about getting the basic hull construction completed and especially the tricky bow. This was done in three stages; the first group of pictures shows the four balsa blocks being roughly sanded to shape. The
    instructions
    were good here as they recommended the required curves be shaped using sandpaper wrapped around an aerosol can....This being achieved, the next stage was to fill all the gaps around the balsa blocks with P38 and sand back to smooth out the curves. The 3rd stage was to fully coat the entire hull with Balsa Lite fine surface filler and sand back to wood so that all the fine grain imperfections are filled. I'm very happy with the results, but now concerned that too much has been sanded off the bow to get those curves...What do you think? πŸ˜‰ Next stage is to apply a couple of thin coats of sanding sealer and then onto covering with 35gsm lightweight glassfibre fabric and Eze-Kote to give the hull more strength and durability.
    5 years ago by StuartE
    Response
    Brave Borderer
    Canobus, Have not done a circuit diagram yet, but can explain the Tx settings. if that will suffice can write something up shortly. The
    instructions
    are fairly sketchy.
    5 years ago by Rowen
    Response
    Friday's Child Fairey Huntsman 31
    I would have thought the motor size would be given in the build
    instructions
    or on the plans given Dave Milbourn's (the kit designer) attention to detail. Chris
    5 years ago by ChrisF
    Blog
    Hull progressing nicely!
    OK, so the last 2 posts on the blog were from work undertaken three weeks ago. I am now up to the present day and have spent the whole week and weekend in getting the bottom and side skins on the skeleton of the hull and putting on the transom. Because the curves of the hull are quite specific on the Huntsman, only one piece of skin can be fitted at a time, and then trimmed into place before the next piece of skin will fit. In the previous post I mentioned all the laser cut pieces are cut oversize.....fitting the skins was a real challenge! Following the
    instructions
    at this stage went out the window and I fitted the skins in the reverse order, but feel it was the best option. The
    instructions
    say built from the bow first and work back to the transom, but impossible to fit the pieces in this order, so I started with the aft and worked forwards. It also mentions to overlap the side skins with the bottom skins, but all I could manage was to butt the pieces together with a tight fit and fill with P38 afterwards. The pictures show the completed skins, trimmed, sanded and gaps filled with P38 and then sanded again. It now takes on a good shape, however the difficult pieces on the bow are still to be completed. These are formed of 4 pieces of solid balsa wood that need to be cut and sanded to multiple curves...… next weeks job! Once this is done then its on to filling again and re-sanding and finishing. Hopefully it would look more like a Huntsman Hull rather than a hammer head shark!
    5 years ago by StuartE
    Blog
    Fist eager steps...easy!
    I opened the box, eager to start and quickly assembled the keel and base deck following the excellent and easy to read
    instructions
    and picture manuals....easy...I'll finish this in a week or two with a following wind and the wife and daughter being away on half term holidays!
    5 years ago by StuartE
    Forum
    Richardson/Southampton Smoke Generator
    Hi Pete, Doesn't it say on the
    instructions
    . How long of a run you will have with a fill up? You are right that's why. I put switches on my smoker and fan! You don't want it smoking indoors! Pete, I have some very small switches. I had purchased! If you'd like I can send you two! I'm not too far from you! And I wouldn't mind sending you. The switches they are small. And would be just right for you model! If you like I can PM you mailing details! Regards, Ed
    5 years ago by figtree7nts
    Forum
    Slightly confused newbie
    Sorry JB but, Total waste of time and postage.😲 1. The Mtroniks ESC and your TX appear to be working as advertised. If you arbitrarily reverse the servo output at the TX then you must tell the ESC that, i.e. go through the Mtroniks setup process again. 2. if the whole thing works just fine with the servo reverse switch on the TX set to reverse - so what? Why mess about and waste money? There seems to be no particular standard for what is 'Normal' or 'Reverse' between manufacturers. I have noticed this phenomenon with several manufacturers. In particular between older 40MHz sets and 2.4Gig sets of recent Eastern manufacture. I just set the TX switches so that everything works the way I want and 'Bob's yer Uncle, Fanny's yer Aunt'. I really don't care if it's 'Normal' or 'Reversed' - "If it works - DON'T FIX IT!!" Whatever, I would be MOST interested in Mtroniks response. I don't believe there is anything wrong with the ESC.πŸ˜‰ Please post their answer πŸ‘ And yes, I have several Viper Marines in operation with no problems. Just follow the
    instructions
    as John posted above, and IF you change anything at the TX - TELL THE ESC!! Good luck, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Richardson/Southampton Smoke Generator
    Hi Pete, Feel better that's for sure! Maybe after that you'll be able to. Do some work on your tug! Pete, It looks as if you would. Put the smoke liquid down part "A"! Pete, Your going to have to find that plug! But, I believe where the plug goes. That's where you put the smoking Liquid! Don't you have the
    instructions
    to the model? Maybe you can get in contact. With Hobby Engine see if they'll send you a copy! Regards, Ed The smoker bottle come with a dropper. I would just put one or two dropper. Full of liquid see if that works! Pete, When you call Nick at Harbor Models. Tell him Ed from Connecticut sent you!
    5 years ago by figtree7nts
    Forum
    Mtronics W-tail marine mixer connections.
    Have decided to remove the vintage rc gear from my recent acquisition and put in 2.4ghz system, I am hoping to be able to control the 2 motors via 2 ESC's and Mtronics w-tail mixer, (which I already have) but I have don't have any
    instructions
    or diagrams for fitting it. Can anyone help me please. BTW it will be a 6 volt system. Thanks in advance Colin.
    5 years ago by Colin H
    Forum
    Mtronics W-tail marine mixer connections.
    hi ya Colin - I had a good look round the web to try and find the
    instructions
    manual for your Futaba FP-T7 UPH and it keeps coming up with the links that I have already posted but there are also one or two links which the firewall wont allow me to open - it says its got virus' on - so I wonder what that one is. I did come across an auction site - not Ebay - that had one for sale with the
    instructions
    and if you look at the
    instructions
    they are similar/same as the link I have already posted. So, I am wondering are these
    instructions
    for the two sets of transmitters - and possibly the one you have is an upgrade. I see on Ebay there is someone in USA who sells manuals on CD for around Β£8 if you desperate. Of all the transmitter manuals I have looked for this one is an oddball one for finding the manual. Happy days. John
    5 years ago by JOHN
    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 connectors 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.πŸ€“ 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.😀 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.😊
    5 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Directory
    (Other) Lady Marian
    This Drifter was a Marvon Models Kit and was incredible value for the money, a double planked plank on frame hull, and detailed
    instructions
    and good quality timber and fittings. As the engine was a four-stroke and silenced, plus the fact it was ticking over at very few revs, it made less noise than your average electric motor. Plus we were not trying too hard to save the planet in those good old days. (Motor: OS. 6.5cc Marine 4 stroke.) (ESC: servo controlled) (10/10)
    5 years ago by GaryLC
    Forum
    1950s sea commander refurb.
    ".....Thanks for all your comments and input. What i really need now is a copy of the templates sheet so that i can cut some new parts to replace some of the missing ones ....." There was never a 'templates sheet', of course. There were just the original kit parts. This is a fundamental problem with trying to 'save' old model boat plans. The aircraft plans usually have all parts described precisely. Many - possibly most - boat kits are essentially sets of parts with assembly
    instructions
    . So, if you need to reproduce an old kit, you need to include part templates as well. Which means a lot of work for someone. Not only do you have to obtain an example of the original kit, measure it up and draw it using a CAD package, but you also have to allow for the fact that wood changes, and that die-cut parts may be cut badly, and so what you have measured may need correcting - sometimes quite extensively. Here's a classic example - the old Yeoman MINX, with templates drawn up...
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    aeronaut
    hi can anyone help me out there i am building johnny tug boat, the instruction that came with it was in german, i managed to d/load english version, ony problem is the
    instructions
    are shocking there is no measurments or dimensions, i have parts i dont know where they go, if anyone can help me id appreciate it, ive even tried to contact aeronaut to no avail, cheers colinπŸ‘
    5 years ago by jaffy012
    Forum
    DF95
    Just recently put together one of the newer Joysway DF 95,s What a pleasure. The
    instructions
    are very clear and concise, Obviously written by somebody that knows English. This boat fits into the RG 95 class. Comes complete with 1 sail set made of Mylar. Other sails can be manufactured suggest Sochs Sails
    5 years ago by Ianh
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    Have a look at the Banggood website. They are selling A3 sized laser cutters for less than Β£200. it is sold as an engraver with a 2500 mW laser but this can be upgraded. it should cut ply up to 3mm albeit with multiple passes It comes as a kit with "Chinese" English
    instructions
    so you will need your modelling skills to assemble it. They are fairly flimsy as a stand-alone, but, if fixed to a stout MDF board, it should be sturdy enough
    5 years ago by Delboy
    Response
    Classic sports boat
    It looks like an Aeronaut Classic, I am half way through building one and am not happy with it as I have built it as per
    instructions
    and the bottom skins are a good eight of an in too short. it seems tome that a lot of the parts like the side stringers are way too thin. I saw a picture of one that was being built that some one was doing a couple of years back and now the parts have been dramatically skimped now. I am very dissapointed with the model generally.
    5 years ago by BOATSHED
    Forum
    Paint for Thames River Police Boat.
    Can anyone confirm the correct colour for the hull of The Thames Police Boat above the waterline? I have seen various shades of blue on other models, some very light which doesn't look at all right, and some in black. The
    instructions
    state it should be a dark blue and I'd like to order a custom mixed RAL colour quite soon and I'm looking at RAL 5011 Steel Blue or possibly RAL 5004 Black Blue. Any advice appreciated. Robbob.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    Older Billings Models
    Hi Garth & Brianaro, l too have been building Billings kits, although l do find some of there
    instructions
    a bit hit and miss, but l think any kit has its challenge. My first Billing kit was the Norden fishing boat, my second kit was the Boulogne-Etaples, now l am currently building the St Canute tug, but l took a rest during the run up and over Xmas, to be honest l am struggling with the hull planking, so l will knuckle down very soon. I have also built the Aero-naut Diva which was a fine kit to make. Your chat reminded me of my early school days (late 50’s) when l used to spend my paper round money of the β€œKeilcraft boat kits” (May have got the kit name wrong), the boat l recall was called the Mermaid, does anyone out there remember these early kits? Anyway chaps l’ve attached photos of my current finished kits, l always like to see other completed kits! Happy new year and good modelling for 2019 Richard
    5 years ago by Richard7
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    Bit more info. The donor has come back with some basic
    instructions
    for the ESC but I already have more than that from my searches. He also lent me a program 'Card' which is very easy to use and seems to confirm that I have a very basic ESC. The card has 12 levels of settings on the
    instructions
    but the ESC only recognises 4 items and then within each item does not have all the setting levels. Have set it best I can for now but will go find me a better ESC later. Steve
    5 years ago by steve-d
    Forum
    internet sales
    Bom dia Wingcoax, If I want something pronto I go online to Conrad or Krick here in Germany and usually get the 'stuff' in one or two days. If I order from Turnigy/Hobbyking I make sure the stuff comes from the EU warehouse. Then it's usually here within the week. Most of the stuff has reasonably understandable
    instructions
    , or I can find it on the web. Learned that the hard way with a delivery from China that took several weeks and and then cost me a small fortune in German customs duty 😑 Model shops around Munich are basically model railway, aircraft or toysπŸ€” Such is life today! Cheers, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    internet sales
    I would much prefer to purchase the items I want in a local shop, be able to gain some expert advice and look before I buy, sadly the nearest shop only has a very limited stock and the owner admits he knows little about model boats, railways being his thing. To find a specialist shop entails a round trip of 126 miles which makes buying on line far more attractive, but this has frequently meant that when the item has arrived (often after weeks of delay as it has come direct from China) it is the wrong size, not as described or there are no understandable
    instructions
    . Not sure what the answer is, perhaps moving near to a big city would help.
    5 years ago by RobbieMcKennan
    Response
    Crack in seam Repaired!
    Joe, I did as per the
    instructions
    ! Guess it's one of those thing's. What can go wrong will go wrong! She's now repaired! Good as new so to speak! I also built the Jersey City. No problem's with that one at all! I can't wait to see your Springer Tug! From what I've read you should seal her. Before you paint her! Ed
    5 years ago by figtree7nts
    Response
    Crack in seam Repaired!
    Ed, I have the plastic hull. I used a strip of fiberglass per
    instructions
    and never have had a leak issue. At the time I did this, about 4 years ago, I was doing a lot of fiberglass work so I had the proper supplies. Adheres to plastic hull well. My current build is a Springer Tug Rescue Vessel, I am hoping to get the plywood hull sealed only with paint. We will see... Joe
    5 years ago by Joe727
    Forum
    Mamoli Puritan yacht plans
    What-ho chaps, hope you all had a merry one. I appear to have become the 'proud' owner of a Mamoli kit for the Americas Cup cup boat 'Puritan'. Everything is in the box with the exception of the plans,
    instructions
    and the keel and formers to build the hull. There is evidence the the owner had started to build the boat, some of the detail parts have been assembled, companion ways and the like, but all the hull planking appears to still be in its pack. I suspect he took the missing parts out to start the hull but got distracted. Sadly he died earlier this year but the kit is a few years old. Now this is where you come in, hopefully. Has anyone out there built this now out of production kit and still has the plans that came with it? If so can you send me a copy, I'll pay the copying and postage costs, or can you send scans of the plans?. The interweb has yielded a set of lines and I think I can get them into scale, having found the basic dimensions of the boat, but the actual plans might yield information to ease the build. Either way I hope to produce a build blog along the way - but I've set out to do that before and failed on a Type 21 frigate HMS Active built from scratch, got carried away building the boat. Thanks in advance Graham 'smiggy'
    5 years ago by smiggy
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    Hi Steve, I have the same problem with the ESCs in my HSL. They are cheap Chinese car models and can be a bit tricky to get into reverse quickly. I have found that either waiting a few seconds in neutral before trying reverse, or going to neutral and flicking the throttle forward a few clicks and back to neutral quickly (in .5 sec) usually sorts it. I think it may be that the motor stops somewhere that the cheaper ESCs can't detect (bit like an old car starter that hits the bald spot on the ring gear and you have to jog it a bit) so you have to move it slightly for it to 'see' it (maybe the capacitors also). Brushed ESCs don't have that problem as the brushes are in constant contact, rather than relying on correct positioning in Brushless motors. You will also find that some Chinese motors are not timed/wound correctly, and you can feel weak or 'floaty' spots between certain magnets which may also cause a problem. Perhaps trying a higher or lower ESC timing by 1 step either way might help if you have that capability. if it works by just flicking the throttle method, you can just slow down as you come in and take you time finding reverse in a scale like manner (remember the PT109 movie where they went through the shed on the wharf) You can also try swapping the other pairs of wires on the motor (same direction but different pairs). if you are still not happy then it might be time as Doug said, for a better ESC with
    instructions
    . Get one which has all the programing features, (fwd, rev , timing, auto batt detection (lipos or NmH etc) starting mode- ie soft,hard, brake etc) this will give you plenty of options for adjustment. Doesn't have to be a marine one, a good known brand car/buggy one will do and if you have any heat problems you can always put a mini fan on it. Water cooled marine ESCs are really only for high amp high speed setups. My 36"HSL has 2x 30A car ESCs running 2x 28/45 2000kv water cooled motors and ESCs never get even warm. Pictured are the ESCs I am using from HK which have an output plug for a fan if needs be. The 3rd pic is the brushless ESC types (EBay, AliExpress) I am using, which have no problems with reverse transition (see vid section re Thornycroft MTB maneuvering) also the HSL vids to give you an idea of how these brushless ESCs perform even with the minor reversing problem. Hope you get it sorted.
    5 years ago by jbkiwi
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    Hi Steve, I don't think I misunderstood at all - Quote: "If you still have to command reverse twice then the ESC may simply not be capable of normal For/Rev. Although the table indicates that it is." Sadly this seems to be the case with your curious ESC. I would dump it and use a reliable unit from a supplier where you can first read all about it's capabilities AND download the specs and operating
    instructions
    before ordering. Worthwhile suppliers do provide this service. I do my best not to waste my shekels on a pig in a poke. The Germans have an expression for this sort of experience; "Lerngeld" = Learning money! Click simply means actuate or 'do it'; i.e. moving control stick or trigger. A stupid way of expressing it I agree. Bon chance mon ami. Cheers, Doug 😎 Just saw your edit! Maybe now you realise why he gave it away! πŸ˜‰
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    You misunderstood me Doug. Yes, it is in forward and reverse but will not go from forward straight into reverse. you have to come back to centre, go into reverse (nothing happens), back to centre then into reverse. I found another set of
    instructions
    that described this...see pic. Not sure I understand what they mean by 'click'. Steve Edit to add...I was given the motor and ESC just before christmas and did not know then that I would need to program it. Since knowing the guy has been on leave so I can't ask him.
    5 years ago by steve-d
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    Hi Steve, Sorry to have to correct you BUT changing the Running & reverse Mode IS described in the
    instructions
    posted, see Step 3 , as shown in attached Snipping Tool clip. After selecting 'Running Mode' as the parameter to change (Step 2) wait for the two beeps close together. Then immediately shove the throttle stick forward. You should then hear the 'special tone' which tells you that you selection has been saved. Move the stick full back within 2 secs of this tone and you exit the programming mode and all should be stored. If you still have to command reverse twice then the ESC may simply not be capable of normal For/Rev. Although the table indicates that it is. I often wonder why folk buy this stuff without
    instructions
    ! Just to save a few shekels? Or was it found in a flea market or donated? Cheers, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    Wired it all up again and confirmed you are right Doug it is in the 'brake' mode. However in the
    instructions
    sent me by DG there is no option for turning it off. also I have found similar
    instructions
    for others that look the same from the pictures and they have the same options. So, looks like I'm stuck with it. Steve
    5 years ago by steve-d
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    ".. Worked through the
    instructions
    and it made beeping and squawking noises in what seemed the right places but still no reverse. The increase in revs does now cover the whole of the stick travel above the mid point so I has changed something. Lost the will to live after 2 hours so went and worked on something else. Steve..." Just a thought - may not be applicable, but we often share our reversible ESCs with the car fraternity. And some of them have an odd reverse. For some cars, you may be happy with straight forward and reverse, but for racing this is not ideal. Dropping into reverse if you move the stick/trigger back past neutral would make the car uncontrollable on a corner. instead, the racing car boys have a system whereby the forward stick increases speed, while 'reverse' performs dynamic braking by shorting the motor terminals (or perhaps even regenerative braking!). To a boaty, this would seem as if the forward stick worked, while reverse did nothing. These racing car ESC programs DO allow a proper reverse. The way you usually get to it is to bring the stick back to reverse, then forward to neutral, then back to reverse again. it's a two-stage process - call for reverse twice. if you go into reverse, then forward, then back again you won't get reverse - it has to be reverse, neutral, reverse. Which is fine if you are manoeuvring a car into a parking space, but rather clumsy for a boat....
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    Steve, have you calibrated the throttle first? (read 2 and 2.2) on the
    instructions
    , You have to give the ESC a full, low and mid-point throttle position before you can start the programming. Plug in motor and ESC BEC lead into throttle position in REC. Turn on TX and give it full throttle. (make sure motor is held firmly as it may kick hard if started) Program - plug in batt wait 2 secs for beeps then wait 5 secs for musical tone (now in program mode) wait for 1,2,3 or 4 beeps (asks which program you want and will keep cycling through till you chose one) as soon as you hear the no of beeps for the program you want quickly pull the stick to the bottom and wait for the reply,- it will now cycle through the programs in step 3. Choose the one you want in the same manner as the last selection but by moving the stick to full throttle (if you miss it it will cycle round again) Hold it there and it will reply (musical beeps) wait and the program will return to step 2 and you can select the next setting to enter and repeat the process. Safest to set Auto battery and then the others as per chart especially min batt volts. Once happiness filled, follow the Program Exit
    instructions
    (step 4) Also as 'RN' previously mentioned, if you have a Futaba, you may have to reverse the throttle to make it all work. When finished, unplug batt, turn off TX, re start everything (TX, Batt/RX) and check. AS A PRECAUTION,MAKE THROTTLE NEUTRAL BEFORE RE STARTING IF YOU HAVE SET FWD AND REV, OR LOW IF NOT. BE AWARE THROTTLE MAY BE REVERSED ALSO). You may have to have a few goes but you will get there and realize it's not that difficult after all . if in doubt just un-plug the battery and start steps again. Just think of it like the ESC is asking you "do you want this"? at a particular set of beeps, and you are replying by moving the stick, or ignoring that question and moving to the next one. if you are using a pistol grip TX just let the trigger go and it will give you neutral/center (as per
    instructions
    2.2
    5 years ago by jbkiwi
    Response
    Internal wiring & bottom skins
    There's plenty of access to fit the rudder tube at this stage because the deck skins have not gone on yet, and I still have fairly nimble fingers πŸ–– 😜 I'm generally following the kit
    instructions
    but I have sufficient experience to 'plot my own course' and deviate from them to achieve the same or better result. A great deal of thought and forward planning goes on when I build anything so I don't usually 'paint myself into a corner' so to speak. Here's a 'sneaky peek' (see pics) at the rudder and servo location that I'll cover in detail in the blog shortly. Happy Crimbo to you and yours πŸŽ„ πŸŽ… ⛄️ Robbob.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Response
    Internal wiring & bottom skins
    Hi Robbob, it's great to watch this coming along space, and the hull seems nearly there. But I notice no mention of the rudder post being fitted, and now the bottom skins are in place, the access has just gotten a whole lot harder. is this "as per the
    instructions
    " ? Or your own decision made from experience ? I'm afraid I would have at least fitted the rudder tube, as my rather large hands will have a hard time getting in later on. Kindest wishes to you and yours for the Christmas season, and a prosperous New Year, from UK family Weaver 😊
    5 years ago by rolfman2000
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    Worked through the
    instructions
    and it made beeping and squawking noises in what seemed the right places but still no reverse. The increase in revs does now cover the whole of the stick travel above the mid point so I has changed something. Lost the will to live after 2 hours so went and worked on something else. Steve
    5 years ago by steve-d
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    So how did you get to "SEAKING"
    instructions
    from TOPEDGE? In any case many thanks. I have a lot of playing to do tonight Steve
    5 years ago by steve-d
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    All attempts to find
    instructions
    have failed.
    5 years ago by steve-d
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    Steve, I also described the 'brake' function! "Also I have found that many reversible ESCs are set up by default (Out Of The Box) for cars with a brake function activated. This means that before going astern it just brakes the motor and stops. You then have to give the stick another shove backwards to actually go astern. Irritating but correctable by changing the ESC mode from Forward / Brake / Reverse to just Forward / Reverse.πŸ˜‰" You need to find the
    instructions
    (Google?) to see how to change this mode and which modes the ESC is capable of. it might not be capable of reverse! Cheers, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    All hooked up, nowt happens...
    Right I'm in a similar position. Plugged it all in an just got beeping noises. After some fiddling it all fired up. But, somehow I have programmed it but don't know with what info. The motor will run but not both ways. is off at the mid position and is at full chat with less than half lever travel. The ESC is a Top Edge SC060B and I have been unable to find any
    instructions
    . So, what can be programmed in? How do I get it back into programming mode? The
    instructions
    earlier in this thread mention a 'brake mode' but give no indication what this is? Help
    5 years ago by steve-d
    Blog
    Anteno 2 tug
    Decided not to double plank as per kit
    instructions
    but skin the first planking with thin cloth 0.60 oz. Lot of rubbing down,now awaiting top coat Quick tip when using aerosol can or airbrush,use a large plastic storage container on its side as a spray booth.
    5 years ago by Dick


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