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    Blog
    RoMarin/Krick Dusseldorf Fire Boat.
    I have been looking forward to starting this build for some time. It looks like this will be an interesting model to build but mainly I look forward to setting up the 16 channels required to give full function to all of the special features. The Dusseldorf is one of three identical boats built for use in the Ruhr area of Germany. The boats are equipped for disaster situations, (they must have known I was going to build it)😀. They can be used for ship fires, oil leaks or as a port facility at risk of explosion. The fire
    monitors
    , radar, boat crane, lighting and anchor winch will all be working if I can sort out the controls. The fire
    monitors
    are of particular interest because if I get things right, they will swivel, lift and lower and shoot water. We will see. As stated in the instructions, I read most of them to see how things looked. I got bored at page six so forgot that bit. The next stage was to check the contents against the bill of materials. There must be 1000 pieces. I checked the large pieces and gave the rest a miss also. Not a good start I hear you cry. You will get used to it. I proceeded to remove the stand parts and lightly sanded off the connection remains. I assembled it using super glue but I will strengthen the inner corners with Epoxy later. I stuck some draft excluder tape to all of the edges which contact the hull for safety. Next stage was to trim off the excess material at deck level of the Hull. With 1.5mm thick ABS this is quite a job especially considering that the boat measures around 2.8 Metres all around. I used a Stanley knife to remove the bulk of the material followed by different sized files to trim to size. This process takes a lot of care so that not too much material is removed. The hull has a rather crude sort of line to work to but I think I will put more reliance on my eye and a two foot steel rule. I still have a little filing of the edges to do before I will be completely happy as this edge will be visible on the completed model. According to the instructions my next stage is to fit the rudders, motors and prop shafts. A job for next week.
    5 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Response
    Re: Water system for fire
    monitors
    and ECS
    Hi Michael et al, This website is strange sometimes. Despite following your blog Michael I didn’t get notifications for any of these recent pump posts so I missed them. Found them by chance today. As you may have seen in my latest blog post, I’ve used the black screen wash pump, on a 3S LiPo and it gives acceptable results. I think the pipework, especially through the body of the
    monitors
    , produces quite a resistance to the water flow. Bear in mind that my
    monitors
    are 1/16th scale so the passageway bores are that much smaller. Graham93
    4 years ago by Graham93
    Response
    Re: Water system for fire
    monitors
    and ECS
    Michael, Nice to see a clear set up on the bench. Must make it much easier to work on than it will be once it is in the boat. I have also found that getting the
    monitors
    to work adequately is not as simple as I first thought. I’m still trying to find a solution. At present the flow from my
    monitors
    is quite underwhelming 😔. Have you found that the black pump in the bottom centre of your photo gives a good flow? I have just acquired the same model, but it has been too cold to go down to the workshop/shed to try it out. Graham93
    4 years ago by Graham93
    Blog
    Water system for fire
    monitors
    and ECS
    I have laid out all the various components on a building board, not necessarily in the correct orientation/position. The only thing I do know is that water needs to come out of the 4 pipes pointing into the tin. I have a caravan pump serving as a water scoop (to simulate the water pickup as the boat moves forward) any water going through the system into the tin is piped back into the container under the bench where the pump is. First thoughts are similar to others in that when the fire
    monitors
    are operated the water is drawn back through the exhaust pipes and sucks air. To try and solve this I have put some small solenoid valves in the circuit. But first test show that they restrict the flow too much so a larger valve? Or I think the easiest solution would be to put another entry opening in the hull somewhere near the pump just below the water line on the side mid-ship so the pump can be connected directly and be primed when the boat is at a standstill (anybody see problems with this?) I think the only issue I can see is that when the boats in motion it may force water through the pump – then the monitor result – drip, drip. I think a properly designed inlet, that when in motion the tendency is to draw the air out of the system and not force water in until the boat is at a standstill when the water should just flow in. I have designed another outlet (not shown) for the exit of the cooling water and hopefully the smoke which has the water coming out of the centre 6mm pipe and the smoke exits through the surrounding space between the 6mm pipe and the 8mm surrounding hole. (Ignore the black pump, top right, it was a first attempt at a water supply, it’s a car washer pump, but not powerful enough)
    4 years ago by mturpin013
    Blog
    Fire
    monitors
    final fitting
    Having trialled the various options for rotating the
    monitors
    I have decided to use the gears option. I am going to mount the servo in the roof. The cabin roofs have bridge pieces which are just about correct to mount some aluminium bars on which will carry the servo I have reinforced the inside of the roof where the base of the
    monitors
    fit as the roof is only made from 1/32” ply, I use an aluminium disc - 25mm dia x 1mm thick . The monitor bases are fastened using three 8BA csk screws and nuts. (I must say at this point that people may wonder why I use BA nuts, bolts and screws and not metric, it’s because I have a good range of all BA taps and dies) The aluminium bars are slotted to take the servo and allow for adjustment and again fastened using 8BA hex hd screws and the bars are attached to the roof again using 8BA screws and into the wood! (I have successfully used machine threads into wood of all sizes, this requires the wood area to be treated, I use a RONSEAL product that is for treating rotten wood, it’s a very viscous liquid and soaks into the wood and after an hour or so it goes rock hard the tapped holes can then be clean up with a tap) I can adjust the fit of the gears to give a nice smooth rotation; all that needs to be done now is to design the water system.
    4 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    Re: Fire
    monitors
    Part 4
    Hi JB, Re: How about using something like these remote switches which I use on my HSL and ST to turn pumps and lights etc on/off. Yes, that would work but I should have explained the issue clearer. With the pump plumbed on the feed from the pickup as you suggested, the pump will need to run both when the
    monitors
    are in use and for cooling the motor/ESC. With they way I have it plumbed currently, the pump doesn’t need to run to cool the motor/ESC. If I do find I need to change it round, I’ll probably put a remote switch together to connect to the throttle channel and the solenoid (fire monitor) channel. The switch could then turn the pump on when needed for either function. Graham93
    4 years ago by Graham93
    Response
    Re: Fire
    monitors
    Part 4
    JB, Yes, I could change the plumbing round as you suggest. The downside is the pump would have to run continuously. The present arrangement only needs the pump running when the
    monitors
    are in use. However, when it comes to smoking exhaust, maybe I’ll need it plumbed that way Doug, The solenoid valves were sourced from a box in my workshop, which is now empty, so there is no point providing a weblink to that 🤣. However as the box is empty, I did order two more earlier today from eBay for smoker experiments. These are identical to the ones I used for the
    monitors
    and look very similar to the ones JB has found. They are rated 12v but seem to work quite happily on a 2S LiPo. Draw less current that way which will help with battery duration. Whilst it works well in practice, I’m not too happy with the dual solenoid solution from a current draw point of view. One solenoid is always activated, so there is a constant current drain. The servo driven cam solution would have had minimal current drain, shame it didn’t work 🤔 Graham93
    4 years ago by Graham93
    Blog
    Fire
    monitors
    Part 4
    The boat has a water cooled ESC and engine mount. These are fed from a scoop behind the prop. The water circulates through the ESC and engine mount and then out through the exhaust ports on the transom. The first attempt at plumbing in the
    monitors
    was to simply tap into this cooling circuit, add a filter and pump and feed the pumped water to the
    monitors
    . This didn't work too well. With the pump running the
    monitors
    worked well, but water was sucked backwards out of the cooling circuit, drawing air in through the exhaust ports until the pump was sucking on air and the
    monitors
    stopped working. I had sort of expected this might occur so I had a non return valve available ready to fit in circuit just before the exhaust ports to prevent this reverse flow. I had hoped I would not need to fit it as I am concerned that the extra flow resistance it will cause will reduce the effectiveness of the cooling circuit. The second, unexpected problem with this simple approach was that, with the pump off, there was enough water pressure in the cooling circuit that the
    monitors
    continued to dribble water onto the cabin roof from where it drained into the hull. Adding the non return valve in the cooling circuit would only serve to make this problem worse owing to the increased pressure in the circuit. The last thing I want is for the boat to slowly fill with water, drenching all the electrics and gradually sinking so this dribble needs to be stopped. After some thought, I decided that a diverter valve could be the solution. This would route the water either to the pump and
    monitors
    , or to the cooling circuit. I reasoned that I would not want the
    monitors
    working while the drive motor was running at high speed and so can afford to switch off the cooling circuit while the
    monitors
    are operating. I had an interesting few hours making a servo driven cam mechanism which at one end of it's travel would squash the silicone tube to the cooling circuit while allowing flow to the pump and
    monitors
    . At the other end it would cut off the water to the pump, and enable the cooling circuit. The servo would be driven by the same channel as the RCswitch that turns the pump on/off. Great idea, but it didn't work 🤔 The servo doesn't have enough power to turn the cam and squash the tubes and simply stalls. I need to try thinner tubes, or a more powerful servo, or something? Any helpful suggestions welcome... Throughout the summer I have tried to keep the boat sailable for the local club sessions on a Wednesday afternoon. Not wanting to have to keep it in dry dock for an extended period while solving this issue I tried a different approach. I had available two solenoid valves so these were pressed into service as shown in the sketch. An RCswitch was constructed so that, with the pump on, valve A is closed and valve B is open. This routes the water flow to the pump and
    monitors
    . With the pump off, valve A is open and valve B is closed, routing the water to the cooling circuit. This works! In the video (my first ever on YouTube) you can see how water flows from the exhaust ports when the
    monitors
    are off. I don't have a test tank at home so water is fed into the water scoop connection using a small aquarium pump. Now I just need jbkiwi to solve the smoker challenge so that I can add some smoke 😁
    4 years ago by Graham93
    Blog
    Fire
    monitors
    Part 1
    The white metal items supplied are OK but really don‘t lend themselves to being working items. Graham93 has already completed a version which looks just like the drawing and photos available, and are the best I’ve seen. The bar has been set so here goes, whenever an item like this is been contemplated it’s always good to spend some time in planning a sequence of operations and assessing the problem area’s at the start of the work and if possible dealing with these parts first. Failure of the difficult process doesn’t mean you have wasted work on other parts that are now scrap. I think the most difficult and problematic piece is the pipework that sits at the top and curves round in two halves, this in reality is a casting, however replicating it can be done using brass pipe. Brass pipe can be purchased in annealed form; however my stock wasn’t so the first job was to anneal the tube. Heating to a dull red heat and allowed to cool, this treatment will soften the metal completely. In some books it is suggested that the brass should be quenched in water (which is what I do) after heating but this is to speed up the commercial process, and quenching has no effect on the annealing process. So tube annealed we need some method of retaining its tubular form during bending, in plumbing I use a spring but when you compare wall thickness/dia a spring would have to be mighty strong and so small. An easy alternative is to crimp one end of the tube and put some soldering flux down the tube, follow this by heating with a low temperature blow torch to melt solder and fill the tube, then allow to cool. You now have a soft tube which when bent will hold its shape. That’s the next challenge, the shape, and being able to replicate it twice, so an easy jig is required. Having marked out a scrap piece of hardwood I cut the “U” shape using the band saw and filled a groove along the top edge, this was then placed under my drill press with the appropriate dia bar (this must be calculated accurately as it helps to create the final form) on top of the tube, then just pull gently down (it takes very little force) this jig leave a small amount to finish bend to a complete a circle, the excess length is trimmed off and then I used a piece of hard wood with a small radius on the end to tap the final curve. Next the circle needs to be cut into two pieces I used a small slitting saw in the milling machine. Now it’s time to remove the solder, simply heat up holding in plyers and then shake vigorously to expel the solder. (Make sure you do this on your own and wear safety glasses.) The white metal “main pillar fitting” and the
    monitors
    final “exit pipe” will be used in the unit and all that is required is to mount them in the lathe and drill a 4mm hole through each and clean up the casting. Next I cut 4 pieces of 4mm brass pipe; these will form the main water passage. Two more machine turned items are the “pivot post top” that feeds water through the 2 brass pipes into the “junction block” which then feeds into the exit pipe, sounds all very simple? Having made all the components, it’s time to think about fastening them all together. First items to be joined are the “upstand pipe” to the “pivot post top” X 2 also the “feed to exit pipe” and the “junction block” X 2, these four joints are all to be silver soldered. I mounted them in a piece of wood and placed a tight spring brass ring around the upright pipe to stop then sliding down when heated. Having the joints spotlessly clean is paramount, the flux is added, I insert very small pieces of silver solder into the holes at the top cross holes (less is more) a gentle heat, and watch as the flux goes “glassy”, this is closely followed by the solder melting, watching at the lowest point of the joint for the tell-tale shinny liquid metal. No fettling is required so the 4 parts are dipped for 45 minutes in masonry brick cleaner (dilute hydrochloric acid) the parts are now clean and ready for the next soldering activity. See part 2
    4 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    HMT Resolve by Caldercraft
    I am currently working on a project that will use 16 channels. 3 fire
    monitors
    rotating, lifting, lowering and shooting water, a raise and lower anchor, a twist, lift and lower crane and all the usual. I am using an eight channel Tx with a further 8 channels using s-bus. We will see.🙀
    4 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Response
    Re: Fire
    monitors
    Part 1
    Hi Graham. Your fire
    monitors
    are excellent work as they are the first 'working' ones I've seen that actually look like they should. I think that the 'plinth' that it will sit on will present it's own problems with articulation and plumbing but you've cracked the hardest bit 👍 It was a pleasure meeting you at our club exhibition in St.Albans at the weekend and discussing our FireBoats, I know that you travelled a long way to see the show. I have put a report about the show on the club website with a video that I produced that has some shots of my Fireboat on the water and the Thames Police Launch on display. Keep up the great work. Rob.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Midships
    When the boat was fitted with a diesel there was no deck between the forward cabin and the engine room. This was to allow room for the engine cylinder head. So the first task was to construct a planked deck to fill the space. The opportunity was also taken to add the cabin door detail, complete with dummy hinges and door knobs. The davit was constructed from plasticard and painted gunmetal grey. Basic height and reach dimensions for this were taken from the plan. Details were added based on photos found on this site. The scramble nets were made using black woven cord. This was laid out on a piece of scrap plywood using panel pins to space the cord into the desired net structure. The cord crossover joints were then glued with superglue. This didn't work well. The joints were not strong, some having to be re-glued. The dried glue caused a white stain on the cord. This was disguised with permanent black marker pen. A bigger issue was that the cord had absorbed the glue which wicked along the length from the joints making the net inflexible in parts. It would not roll up neatly and looked a mess. Fortunately I had enough cord left to make replacement nets. This time, each of the 100 crossover joints was sewn with black cotton thread. This took some time but the joints are now strong and the completed net is fully flexible. This post brings us up to present day with the refit. There is still more to do including the fire
    monitors
    and spotlight. Just to show it does sail, I've included a photo of it out on the lake yesterday. It is only running at approx. 1/4 throttle which doesn't show how it planes. I haven't yet mastered driving it at full speed while simultaneously taking photos!
    5 years ago by Graham93
    Forum
    Batteries in a DX5e
    Hi Martin, There are still some 'Synchros' around! Don't see any backrest
    monitors
    !? Don't know if the ancient PCs are still alive though🤔 Cheers, Doug 😎 https://suchen.mobile.de/auto/volkswagen-passat-syncro.html
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Batteries in a DX5e
    Haha, stammtisch...I haven't heard that since I stayed at a lovely country hotel near Sontra. The proprietor was an Anglophile called "Fred" and always welcomed his English guests to the Stammtisch with his family for English breakfast or Friday night Fish and chips, without fail. As a thankyou somebody smuggled in a Sky card so his guests could watch sports in the back room. In Germany then you were not allowed a Sky card oddly. Very happy memories of that particular contract, making the first car with
    monitors
    in the backs of the headrests and touch screen centre console. It took FOUR PCs in the boot of a Passat Syncro with beefed up rear springs to take the weight! CM2 it was called ...Car Multi Media. Laptop in the rear armrest pop up monitor in the dash where the passenger airbag was (!!). You could 'phone the car or e-mail it to open windows while you walked to it in the airport carpark, etc. Very new then, almost old hat now. I digress terribly! The one friendly MBC i know is Victoria Model Steamboat Club in East london, the world's oldest model power boat club and one of which my Grandad was a founder back in 1904. Still very much a family club, despite its location in a less than desirable end of that stinking hole, London. I wish I lived nearer so I could attend some meetings, but with nowhere to park nearby, I ain't walking in knife country! Martin
    5 years ago by Westquay
    Forum
    New In The Shop
    Hi Stephen, I would certainly like a pair of 1/16 and a pair of 1/12th scale
    monitors
    providing I can afford them. Please can you let me know when they are available. Kindest regards, Dave W 😊
    5 years ago by rolfman2000
    Forum
    New In The Shop
    To all water cannon enthusiasts:- The shop is now selling working fire
    monitors
    . These can be attached to a pipe at the base. The design is based around the crash tender, but any boat or tug of the same scale would be able to use these. Currently 1:16, if there's any interest for 1:12 I'll look to add this scale too. Separately... any parts not available which people would be interested in? Stephen
    5 years ago by fireboat
    Response
    Holy SMOKE !! Video, Tin Can Madness
    BTW: I grew up with valves (or bottles as we Brits also call 'em) as well. I still have a box of several vintage 'bottles' in the cellar, many of them new still in the original boxes. if you ever run out of triodes, pentodes or tetrodes give me a buzz! Think I still have some pristine EL80s - collectors items these days - lots of Oomph 😁 My next non-model boat electronic project is a pair of digital clocks in 'Art Deco' cases, using bottle decade counters. The forerunners of the fluorescent tubes and then the LED clocks, but much more fun😉. About forty years ago I spent a year or so servicing and calibrating the radiation
    monitors
    around UK nuke power plants using these decade counters. One cosmic radiation click = one jump in the base counter and so on. Never ever saw anything above the basic cosmic radiation background count which is always there. A remnant of the 'Big Bang'. 😲 Funny where an interest in electronics and radio can getcha 😁 Look forward to your chimney experiment report👍 My destroyer has two funnels but I found that the little railway smokers were not man enough to feed two funnels via a branched tube. But two working in parallel off the one RC channel did the trick. Regarding the chimney effect; Works well at rest or at low speeds, but I also found that instead of a fan some traditional air vent scoops mounted forward of the smoker augmented the effect well at higher speeds. And my long thin destroyer with 2 x 540s on 12V made a lot of 'speed boats' look silly 😁 Have fun, ciao, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Directory
    (Working Vessel) Fairmount Glacier
    A Billings kit, the Fairmount Glacier (or Alpine - comes with 5 naming options) is a sturdy boat... 2 props in Kort nozzles, extras I've fitted...37 lights, bow thruster, working fire
    monitors
    , radar, & horn. Runs on 2 x 12v 7AH batteries, so runs for a while! Colour scheme makes it visible on the lake too! (Motor: 2 x M500 Mtronix) (ESC: JP Marine) (9/10)
    5 years ago by Harvey Kitten
    Forum
    Launch ELAINE,
    Thought U were goin' to hit the hay a while ago John!? 😉 Greetings from one model fan and insomniac to another👍 BTW agree with your comments about the water jacket. Sweat the screws out and the rest should be relatively easy. "In this the most perfect of all possible worlds"! Cheers All, Doug 😎 BTW: TELL me about those relays! For a year or so back in the early 70s I used to service and calibrate the radiation
    monitors
    at various nuclear research / power generation sites around England. The detectors tripped a relay via appropriate drivers, which then triggered the unit Nixie tube, etc, etc. My job was mainly cleaning and setting the relays and doing a calibration against 'normal' background count, cosmic radiation etc. To reassure folks; during the whole year - year and a half I never ever saw a count above background! But then - that was 46 years ago 😲
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Have started renovating old kit build of the 93/94 firefloat with no fittings. Can someone please help with paint colours, the Red and Black on hull are they both Matt. On the deck is the Dark Grey Matt non slip and are the roofs with the fire
    monitors
    the same. The rest of the roofs are they dark grey Matt or gloss. The side are they Matt or gloss light grey. Also has anyone got the main dimensions on the lift davit and the tow hook. Any other info on this build would be appreciated as am copying from two old black and white photos. The model am building is 35” long and I think 16:1 scale.
    6 years ago by Elsrickle
    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 connectors 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
    Forum
    What transmitter , receiver
    The flysky fsi6/tgy i6 upgrades to ten channels for the price of a of Data cable at £3.00 from hobbyking and a 10 channel telemetry rx £15.00 some sensers at £7.00 so it
    monitors
    main battery voltage and RPM which is very useful especially the voltage . RPM handy for prop choosing I have done my tx and now all I have to do is figure out what to do with the other channels better to many than not enough Good set and expansion at low cost 👍
    6 years ago by catman
    Forum
    Crash Tender davit info...
    I have done some more digging and I hope this confirms the colour scheme for the boat. please see the reply I received from:- Donald Smith RAF MARINE CRAFT HiSTORIAN Hello, Colour scheme for the above boat is as follows. Black topsides, red oxide anti-fouled bottom separated by a 2in white waterline. All decks dark grey anti-slip deck paint, cabin sides light grey, cabin roofs white anti-slip deck paint. Mast-white,
    monitors
    red, crash ladder and davit silver/aluminium. An RAF roundel is centred 5ft 4in back from stem and 2ft 1.5in above mean waterline. The centre red disc 4in Dia., middle white circle 8in Dia., and the outer blue circle 12in Dia. The bottom of the white bow numbers should be 2ft 7in above mean waterline. They are 9in high by 6in wide with a 1.5in stroke width and a 2in separation between each number. The forward end of numbers 3 or 4 on the starboard side is 12in back from the outside of the roundel (Port side similar). The main FIRE letters are 2ft 6in high by 2ft wide with a stroke width of 6in and a separation of 6in between letters. The base of the letters is 7.5in above mean waterline. Transom numbers are 10in high by 8in wide and a stroke width of 1.5in and a separation on 2in. Base of numbers to be 1ft 5in above mean waterline. Draft marks are 3in high with a 0.5in stroke. I hope this meets with your requirements. Yours faithfully Donald Smith RAF MARINE CRAFT HiSTORIAN.
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    Crash Tender davit info...
    Martin. The 'Deck Anti-Slip Finish' bit is on page 4 near the top. Re: Colours. As there seem to be no colour photographs or film of the boats the question of colours for the decks, cabins and roofs is open to speculation but you are quite correct to point out that the plans do not specify white for anything other than the hull markings. The cabin roofs I believe would indeed have a textured coating as the crew were required to stand on them to operate the
    monitors
    etc. but I decided not to replicate the texture as is would just look like a bad paint job! I did carefully consider the colour options when painting my boat and decided to texture the deck and paint it in the colour specified ‘BS631 RAF Light Grey’ but to leave the cabin roofs untextured and painted white as that seems to be the consensus, and to my eye it does look 'right'. It is also a great shame, as you say, that one of the most popular RAF boats were so few in numbers and not well documented or photographed during their service life. I have a suspicion that a book of drawings and specifications does exist somewhere as I have seen a few pages that appear to have 'Ministry of Supply' indexes and page references. The 'Plans & Docs' section of this site has some useful information and some 'photos and drawings but they are of very poor quality and resolution. Wouldn't it be nice if whoever has that resource were to make it generally available, I believe it's out there somewhere. We can only hope. Robbob.
    6 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    LiPo batteries
    Hi all, Lithium-Ion and Li-Po batteries do not take kindly to being stored long term fully charged. When they are new they will do it but after 2 to 3 years of intermittant use, can start to swell a bit and that is where the dangers start. When you give these cells the final run of the season and they show a charge in the the 3.3 to 3.5 (or so) volts per cell then they can be stored relatively safely. (This is called a holding or factory charge) Re start them with a balanced charge before you next use them. Do not constantly fast charge them as thi could induce swelling of the pack earlier. The old Ammo box is a good idea, any strong metal box will do but store them where it does not get very hot or very cold and ideally not in the house. Lipo cells are accepted as hand luggage by most airlines and a holding charge is recommended when flying, so remember to take a small 12v DC balance charger or 'Intelligent' charger with you to other countries, you will always be sure of a power supply, like a car battery even where the mains voltage is different. Small black plug-in cell
    monitors
    are readily available from places like Component shop and are a good guide to cell condition. One is these is quite essential as we use these cells more and more. Cheers, hope this helps. Ron.
    6 years ago by ronrees
    Forum
    Aerokits Patrol Torpedo Boat
    Thanks Doug. Finally found the Robbe on Amazon for £42 plus delivery. I took your advice and ordered it as it appears to be the only one left anywhere. I will leave the battery until I get nearer to the re-launch. I also purchased the
    monitors
    and balance unit. There is no point in starting from total scratch. Thought it safer to follow your lead. Thanks. 😊Peter.
    6 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Forum
    Aerokits Patrol Torpedo Boat
    PS re Monitor! There are separate 'Alarm' devices (i.e. Monitor) on the market for warning you if the Lipo is approaching the critical low voltage; 3.0 - 3.2V. Look on the sites selling batteries, they usually have the
    monitors
    as well. Some can allegedly be coupled to the feedback telemetry to warn you on the TX display, but i ain't tried that yet 😉 LiPo Safe ESCs can also be programmed to slow down or Stop when the voltage is low. This is (to me) about the only reason to buy a programming card for the ESC. Everything else; stick positions for Full Ahead, Full Astern and All Stop you can do with the TX! 😎 PPS: Before Canabus jumps on me about programming cards! 😲 There is one other reason they can be useful: if you have a Car Escape as Canabus recommends! I discovered that they are usually delivered set up to 'Brake on reverse', which means that you have to shove the gas stick backwards twice to engage reverse. Otherwise it just STOPS!! The programming card enables resetting this to 'Boat Mode' so that the motors reverse immediately you pull the stick back. If you use Marine ESCs this isn't a problem as there ain't no Brake!
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LiPo Battery Monitor
    Has anyone had experience with the Lipo Battery
    monitors
    which can monitor 1 to 8 cells, and have a LED (7 segment) read out. If you have do you have any instructions on how to set them up ?
    6 years ago by AndyG009
    Forum
    LiPo Battery Monitor
    Hi Andy There are many variations on the market but they all work basically the same way. Most modern Lipo ( and all Lithium based batteries) come with a small white plug with multiple contacts as well as the main power plug, usually connected to some heavy duty wires. The plug is connected to the battery negative at one end and then each pin is connected to the negative on the next battery etc. This allows the individual cell voltages to be measured. The
    monitors
    do this automatically when connected to the plug the correct way, if it doesn't light up it's probably the wrong way round. in my experience the monitor connector is not marked so you may need to try different combinations to find the correct way. You will not damage anything if you get it wrong. When correctly connected the monitor will display each cell voltage then the total voltage. This usually repeats after a few secs until you disconnect If you have a charger they have a selection of different size sockets for the number of pins and can only be inserted the correct way. You will need the manual that came with the charger to select the correct screen to display the values, but most can be found if you Google. Glad to hear you have a monitor, LiPos can be damaged if not kept balanced, or discharged below 3v ( some are higher, usually the high power versions) Hope his helps
    6 years ago by Dave M
    Forum
    Crash Tender Shaft Tube Poistion
    Hi To you all thank you for the continued advice it is making life so much easier and I do like it when the thinking is done by experts. Paul The disc idea is an absolute bonus and will be using it for sure as it takes away the need for continued measurements. Dave The water scoop is going as like you and Doug say I don't need it no working
    monitors
    for me, just a working boat would be good. I'll be using measurements given to achieve shaft positioning as at the moment I have a 2 blade prop which I think is 30mm diameter so disc to suit will be used. Doug I like KISS it's worked for me loads of times in the past but I can't help buying shining things 😁😁😁 The shim idea on the prop tube is a good one but may still go for a support even though not needed it shines 🤣🤣🤣🤣. But it may still go back to the filler piece as all depends on how difficult it is to fit the A frame support. I purchased one at 8mm for the tube and not 4mm for the shaft. I'm looking forward to the weekend to get started and even set an alarm for an early start which is unusual for me. Im off to HMS Alliance as I do volunteer guiding there otherwise id be starting now. Will keep you all posted hopefully with good news and no more questions - well on this bit anyway 🤣🤣
    7 years ago by neilmc
    Forum
    what motor
    OK. So it's 4" smaller than the Sea Scout I am currently renovating and upgrading from a 50ies Taycol motor to brushless! So keep the 'stuf' lightweight. When I asked the same question for the Sea Scout a few months ago I got the following advice from Canabus, who seems to have considerable experience in this field 👍 "All from Hobbyking. Motor propdrive V2 2830- 1000kv 370watts 3.175mm shaft(9190000328-0)3S or 4S lipo battery. ESC 30A car(HK-30A)( XT60 connectors required), program card (HKPROG-CARD)can be used on the larger ones in the series. Lipo battery Turnigy 1000mah 3S 30C (T1000.3s.20) 89grams 75 x 33 x 19mm or a Turnigy 1500mah 3S 25C (T1500.3S.25) 113 grams 80 x 34 x 25 mm both have XT60 connectors. Prop about a 2 blade 30mm 1.4 pitch" I actually opted for a 3 blade prop and a 3S 3000mAh I already had, but bought the ESC and motor recommended and am now fitting them cos it made sense, was not expensive and came pretty quick - make sure it comes from the UK or EU warehouse to avoid possible import tax from Hong Kong or USA !!! This would be more than adequate to give your boat some Oomph! it needs more than my cabin Cruiser! For the RC buy a complete set already matched and 'bound' so you have the minimum of fiddling about as a rookie😉 I can thoroughly recommend the Turnigy HT6, AKA TGY-I6 , ~US$45 also from Hobby King. in a couple of hours one evening I could programme two models into it and get it to do what I wanted instead of what the factory thought we would want for plane or chopper! Instructions are quite clear, logical and lead you through step by step. it comes with a 68 page manual! But much you can skip if you don't intend to go flying with your boat! Attached is a pic from my manual with German branding (REELY)! But it's the same beast as the TGY-I6, second pic!! The whole package should cost around a 100quid and you're RTR! The RC set has 6 channels so you have lots of scope later for special functions; fire
    monitors
    , lights, horn, motor noise etc etc 👍 By the way; the motor comes with 3.5mm bullet connectors, and of course I only had 4mm 'other halves' but you can also get connectors, loose or fitted to cables and adapters at Hobby King. (You can solder them on with your 4lb hatchet!!!) Hope this helps, Cheers Doug 😎 PS don't forget a suitable coupling to match the 3.17mm motor shaft to your prop shaft (whatever that is, 4mm?)
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Conrad REELY, Flysky iA6, FS iS6, Turnigy HT6 !!
    Most of the companies you have mentioned tend to rebadge third party suppliers hardware, and put their own firmware on it. Flysky and Turnigy normally won't work together, but, if you install Turnigy with Turnigy, or Flysky with Flysky, it will work. I have successfully "updated" Turnigy receivers with Flysky firmware updates to enable me to use them with my Flysky Transmitter. My next job is to hack my Flysky GT3-B to increase to 8 channels and ppm transmission, so I can install an 8 channel receiver on my 46" fire tender (sound, directional working fire
    monitors
    , etc). Hopefully doing it sometime next week. Progress reports as(or if) I make any 😨 Best wishes, Dave W 😊
    7 years ago by rolfman2000
    Forum
    Tank Steering
    Hi Dave, you won't find a Conrad anything anywhere else but on the Conrad (or Amazon/Ebay) sites! But if you look for the Turnigy HT-6 you will find it on HobbyKing, it's the same damn thing for nearly half the Conrad price. See pics. Pure badge 'engineering'! Also just bought some Absima LiPos 2s 4000mAh from Conrad, €40 each. Today I found out that Absima is in Nürnberg (Nuremberg) just up the road from here, same batt €25 😡😭 Conrad will shortly be getting an appropriate mail from me! NO more Reely stuff for me!! I found the HT-6 very easy to set up, amazing what they pack into a $45 set these days. My Spektrum cost 12 times that a few years ago and doesn't do an awful lot more and is more complex to set up 🤔 Won't mess with mixer boards or two stick motor control just yet. Can use the mixer functions in the TX 😊 Have tested the HT-6 with various ESCs; e.g. Graupner Navy VR30 and Mtroniks Viper Micro10, no problems. When the new 2s LiPos are charged the next test will be with a Turnigy brushless ESCs and the BL I want to put in the Sea Scout. Progress is slow but sure. Why do I get on faster with electronics than with shipbuilding!!?? 😉 You're right; Mode 1 or 2 (3 and 4 are also available!) don't matter much. With this set you can assign any control element stick, switch, or pot to any channel (i.e. RX output) you want, and very simply - not like the Spektrum🤔. Like it.👍 I also like having the two pots available for proportional control; gun turrets, cranes,
    monitors
    .... 👍 And still switches left over for lights, sound .... Very versatile 👍👍 Only irritation is it won't go into operational mode until all switches are forward and the throttle (left stick) is pulled right back - motor off for an aircraft - safety feature. Minor irritation for a boater but pull the stick back and all is OK and you can then operate normally. Used the spring removal method on my old Graupner 40Meg MC-10. That box was a pain to set up as well🤔 I could programme the radio ATE for the old Home Office Type Approval lab faster, but then - I wrote the software 😉 Cheers Doug 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    DJI Phantom 2 v2.2 drone
    DJI Phantom 2 v2.2. Anyone fly one of these. Here are the specs of the one I am looking at. But seems due to all the bits it has to carry the total flying time is 16 mins .. Is this long enough for a general flight ? Any here are the specs DJI Phantom 2 v2.0 Fully kitted out with Live video feed to the controller, has the excellent Zenmuse H3-3D stabilised gimbal fitted and has the brilliant Gopro hero 3+ black edition included for excellent results. It has an immersion RC 600mw video transmitter fitted for long range transmission and this is fitted with a Fat shark omni directional higher gain antenna. The controller has a Flysight black pearl monitor fitted with the latest folding sunshade. As it has dual 5.8ghz recievers and 32 channels it has twin antenna mounts on top of monitor and there is a fat shark omni directional antenna to match the one on the video transmitter on the drone and also a 5 turn helical directional antenna for solid video at extended distances. The
    monitors
    inbuilt diversity reciever will auto switch between antennas to get the best signal. This comes with all original boxes and 2 sets of propellers one of which have never been out of the box. This drone has the heads up display module already fitted to give you live flight data and heading to find back to home if orientation is lost. As with all Phantoms this drone has auto return to home and land so if connection is lost it will fly back to land at its take off point. This drone includes all chargers etc so is all you need to get flying and capturing great aerial footage in a single kit. I have flown this out to 997m during testing and it is faultless in its reliability. Three flight batteries are included to keep you flying longer. This is a very capable machine that has done some epic flights. I am happy to demonstrate it flying etc as it has never been crashed or abused. So what would you think was a fair price to pay for this drone ????
    7 years ago by none
    Response
    The fire
    monitors
    Hi Allenrod. Perhaps if I ever do a refit on this model I might consider working fire
    monitors
    but as it was never part of my original plan it would be very difficult to incorporate now. Besides, I have had my brother doing a little bit more brass turning for me as you will soon see in some forthcoming posts.😉 Rob.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    The fire
    monitors
    Hi Rob, They look great your attention to detail is amazing, with this in mind I wonder if you had considered working fire
    monitors
    ?, from one of your last posts I seem to remember your brother is good with a lathe, keep up the good work it is so interesting, I hope one day to have a go at this build when SWMBO decides to release a bit of cash !!!! Thanks for a great blog with great ideas, Allen R
    7 years ago by allenrod
    Blog
    The fire
    monitors
    The fire
    monitors
    are supplied in three pieces that need to be assembled, there is the pedestal, the main body & handles and the discharge nozzle (my descriptions, they may have a proper technical term!) 🤔 Before assembly all the parts were filed smooth, and cleaned with my ‘suede shoe brush’ to remove flash and blemishes and to give a key for subsequent paint. I felt that just glueing the main body and discharge nozzle together would not be sufficiently strong so I bored out the centre of each and inserted a 4mm threaded stud to pull them together, some threadlock on the stud and then some filler at the join produced a good result. The hole at the end of the discharge nozzle also looks more authentic. The pedestal was also bored out at both ends, the lower end for a 3mm stud and for a 2mm threaded stud at the upper end. The arms need to be carefully bent to the correct angle, you only really get one attempt at this as the white metal will not stand repeated bending and will probably fracture quite easily. I also added a small 'lever arm' feature to the bottom of the pedestal that appears in some photographs of the real item, this was finished with a hand turned brass knob. The finished parts were sprayed with one coat of grey etch primer, a coat of white primer and finally two coats of Halfords ‘Toolbox Red’ acrylic gloss. I assembled the two pieces when the paint had hardened and put a dab of red paint on the top fixing nut. The handle ends will also be detailed with some black paint or perhaps some black heat shrink.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    White metal deck fittings.
    In between coats of black paint there’s time to prepare more of the white metal deck fittings. They all require a bit of a clean up to remove casting lines and flash, and this is easy to do with an assortment of small files, blades and a small suede shoe brush with brass wire ‘bristles’. After a quick clean up with panel wipe I fixed them all to a piece of card with small strips of double sided foam tape to stop them getting blown around by the pressure of the spay can and gave them a couple of light coats of etch primer. To assemble the anchor I used some 2mm brass rod with some brass ends made from some larger diameter brass rod, drilled and filed to a pleasing profile, a bit of plasticard was added to neaten the pivot point and the assembly was also given a coat of etch primer. The cooling water outlet tube and flange and the dummy exhaust ports (adapted portholes) were primed also. They’ll get a coat of black gloss before they are fixed to the stern. I’ll tackle the fire
    monitors
    next…
    7 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    Graupner Tito NerI For Sale
    HI everybody, unfortunately I'm having to sell my Tito Neri.The boat has lots of working parts, fully working Shottell drives, bow thruster, working radar and fire
    monitors
    . Built to a very high standard, a real show stopper. Fully radio controlled but no transmitter. Kit cost over £1000. Buyer must collect. I would like £600 .Oxfordshire.
    10 years ago by terryaki
    Directory
    (Tug Boat) Shell Pioneer
    This is my first working RC build but here goes. A bit vauqe about the fiqures because we are still on the slipway. it is scratch built from the Phil Thomas drawing "Shell Pioneer" Twin prop with Kort nozzle steering, bow thruster, working fire
    monitors
    and lights. Throtle & steering control via Action Electronics P40E mixer. 2x 2S25C4000mA lipoly's. 6 Ch radio (4 used). draws around 4.5A hope to get 30min run time minimum. Third ESC for bow thruster. (Motor: 2x MFA940051LN) (ESC: 3xViper 15A) (5/10)
    8 years ago by marlina2
    Response
    RAF Crash Tender
    It looks great - I am just starting to build one. Do you have any recommendations on the fire
    monitors
    ? I am going to use Robbe and make them rotate. Do you find the twin motors too much ?
    8 years ago by mbrownhill
    Forum
    46'' RAF CRASH TENDER
    If you have no radio gear consider the taranis 16 channels free mixing and excellent range. Right now you will have no use for that many control functions BUT sooner or later you will want more, ( turning on and off sounds, lights, fire
    monitors
    , radar scanners etc.) You could steer the fire monitor so it would be possible to sail up to small boys then SQUIRT them !!!!!!
    8 years ago by Haverlock
    Media
    Fairplay
    Modified HegI Fairplay V tug built by My late Father. Mods include bigger 65mm Prop in a brass kort nozzle, working fire
    monitors
    , lights, radar, engine sound and grappling hooks to rescue nitro boats. Built 1980-81.
    8 years ago by Aquaflite
    Forum
    PCF (Patrol Craft Fast) SWIFT Boat Vietnam Era
    UPaul, That's a nice boat - and a nice build.... Don't be shy of asking a decent figure for it, it may be a model but even these can reach high build cost figures. In 2012 I completed my 46" fire boat after some 14 months work and expenditure of near GBP 2,000! Built using a glass hull the rest is scratch built using copies of Vosper drawings, the vessel is complete with wheelhouse instrumentation & furniture, First-Aid room with bunks, blankets & pillows - & F/Aid Cabinet, steps leading up to deck, on-deck equipment includes working rescue ladder, hoist Derek, boat hook, working fire
    monitors
    , stowed life rings, working Nav lights, folding mast, scale Hard Suction Hoses and threaded inlet, Tow hook, Rescue Nets, etc. & Many more small parts, Twin electric propulsion with brass scale exhaust outlets..... and on...... Jim Trying to upload photos but 'drop-down' box covers Submit Changes button!
    8 years ago by Aeronut1
    Response
    Engine Mount Issues
    Removal of the engine block looks tricky if one thinks about chiseling it out but on my 34" that I originally built in 1963 and fitted an ED Sea Otter 3.46 diesel I found that a hot air gun set to V hot and waved around the block got it free within five minutes- without anymore bashing. I've restored the boat and changed to electric propulsion using Johnson 980 motor... Boat comes 2/3rds out of water to amidships now. Actually I've restored two 34" fireboats and since scratch built the 46" FB but using a fibreglass hull, the 46" job has fitted out wheelhouse, ditto first aid room, working lights and
    monitors
    and is powered by two Johnson 980 motors. Jim
    8 years ago by Aeronut1
    Forum
    robbe dusseldorf fire boat Wanted
    Someone did have a Dusseldorf with working
    monitors
    tucked away. thanks Bob, and to the few who showed interest
    8 years ago by dragon
    Forum
    robbe dusseldorf fire boat Wanted
    The fitting kit for the dusseldorf consists mainly of pulleys, thread, tension springs and other bits and pieces to operate the
    monitors
    . Generally the forward monitor is operated seperately by two servos - one for rotation and the other for elevation. The rear two
    monitors
    on the cabin are arranged in the kit form to be operated in tandem by a further two servos. it then requires a 6 volt pump bought seperately or 12 if you use 12 volt electrics to feed all three units. I do have a Dusseldorf but have no intention of selling at present. You can fit quite a lot such as all lighting operating as in full size boat, radar scanner, scanning searchlight, towhook, dinghy crane, etc.,etc. Very unlikely that you would be able to find a fittings kit these days but if you can obtain a set of the plans there is sufficient detail from which to work out the servo layouts and pulley sizes required.
    9 years ago by jgs43
    Forum
    robbe dusseldorf fire boat Wanted
    I thank you for your reply but rather pointless not having the
    monitors
    working it is a fire boat. There is a fitting kit for the
    monitors
    that is used with two servo's. cheers
    9 years ago by dragon
    Forum
    robbe dusseldorf fire boat Wanted
    Thanks just been looking found two one auction the other buy it now both are the factory build ones no fitting kits for the
    monitors
    .
    9 years ago by dragon
    Forum
    Robbe Dusseldorf 1.25 In Excellent Condition
    Absolutely In really excellent condition,sailed approx 4-5 times,purchased In April from Cornwall Models. Length 1107mm Width 250 mm. 2 Direct motors Will need 1 servo & pump for
    monitors
    . Will need Rx & Batt to sail £300
    9 years ago by ColinJ


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