Forum

Magnetic s

I have been thinking with the idea of magnetic s and trying to get away from normal propellers. At the moment I am unable to spend much time in my little workshop (health reason) So I have had these crazy ideas buzzing around in my head. Normal this leads to me making something different. Martin.

1 day ago by Martin555

Blog

36'' Thames River Police Launch by Robbob

After the successful build of the ‘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 ‘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 £2.15 in today’s money but an equivalent cost of £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 ‘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 ‘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 , 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 ‘off plan’ to any extent. The pictures show the model in it’s present state (Nov 2018) and is ready for painting and finishing.

8 months ago by robbob

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build Q

Hi Martin, I've filled it up to the top with a syringe but the small bubbles are good for an indicator as you can't see any movement otherwise. I could just make a small header tank, (or even a bit of the large silicon tube mounted vertically on a T and it would bleed itself. I'll see if it gets hot, and if so I'll probably make a small tank for expansion so it doesn't pop the hoses off. There is good circulation all round so hopefully it won't be an issue, I certainly won't be racing it, (it's getting heavier by the minute - coming up on 6lbs and with paint and batteries probably a shade over.) It will need the weight to make it sit properly as the hull was only about 1 3/4 lbs . It will be interesting to see how these s perform, these are 6v 45T but I can always go to 60T or 12v for more grunt. The combinations are endless!

2 days ago by jbkiwi

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build

Just started a 40" model of a 41'6" seaplane tender. I have been wanting to do one for years and now that my 36" 100 series 64ft HSL is done I was getting itchy fingers. Started with drawings from the 1976 Model Boats mag (part of the series on ASRs they did back then) which show frame shapes and positions, and enlarged them to 40" (A-O paper after rearranging the images on the A4 primary enlargement used as printing 'pattern' to enable max size on A-O. ) I did the same with the HSL and with a bit of fiddling got all the frames to line up nicely to shape. You have to be a bit inventive building this way regarding framing material etc, but it's possible if you have previous building experience. I found with these particular drawings that the frames were not drawn with identical profiles (left and right sides) so I had to create 1 side and flip it for the opposite side. I also had to create an extra frame between 2+3 as there was no real support for the stringers without it. The front top deck frame is cut from 3mm ply, as are the frames,-(ply is from packaging of a big Toyota Landcruiser axle recall which was done during my time at Toyota, which is 3 ply, very light, and perfect for this type of job, and not to mention, free!) I borrowed this frame method from the old 60s Vic Smeed MTB plan and it makes a good strong bow section to work with (used it on the HSL also.) Ply longerons are run through from transom to F2 with hardwood stiffening between transom and F4. Chine, gunwale and mid stringers are 4mmx2mm Beech, bottom stringers are 3x3 beech with mid stringer doubled. I may have to put extra stringers in the sides but that will depend on how the planks lie in the flares. planking will be 1.5mm balsa as the flares are quite pronounced especially in the bow area, and you just can't get sheets to go round the compound curves. Hull will be glassed and faired when finished and sealed with thin resin inside once everything is ready. Cabin is reasonably easy but takes a bit of working out and fiddling with due to lack of any plan, but it seems to be working out reasonably with the use of photos etc. The model is going to be a representation of a tender which was imported privately in the 50s by a doctor in the Milford sounds area here in the South Island of NZ, to enable him to visit patients, due to there being water access only in many of the remote areas. I have modified the drawings to represent this boat, which included changing the mast and removing the rear oval port and replacing it with a small round port, (not sure why this was changed, maybe an interior modification made the large port unnecessary ?) The boat ended up in Auckland at some stage and was owned by a family not far from my place for a number of years (pic is on the hard at our local yacht club in the 70s, - colour pic is from a friends super 8 movie taken from his boat, on an outing together with Jaguars owner 60s/70s). It is now apparently back in the South Island being restored. The model will use brushed 540 s with twin ESCs etc but still a way off yet. I have to work out a way to make the cabin removable either with or without the rear cockpit, but more likely it will be a 2 piece job. It's a bit of a make it up as you go project. Model Boats frames boat sheets Landcruiser s ESCs 👍 Like 💬 Comment 🗣️ Share 5

1 month ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: 36'' Maiami Crash boat used for camera boat.

"Trying to replace a bush/bearing in a fragile strut (unless removable) without damaging something, would be a tricky operation I would imagine." You are so right John. I'm faced with such problem on my Graupner premium Line Graf Spee. Not that the bearing was clapped though. When I tested the s I discovered that the starboard shaft was misaligned and binding. It had been built that way in the factory.☹️ I now have an endoscope camera with display so I can see what's happening inside whilst I fiddle with the strut on the outside! I will make new threaded shafts and tubes and fit brass props to replace the cheapo plastic ones help on with grub screws. Same on my Belfast; but only new shafts and props. No hull surgery thank goodness! Appreciate the fast boat problems you describe, but that was never my game. Doug 😎

5 days ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Batteries in a DX5e

Hi Doug, I was meaning more here in NZ, as I know you have some nice shops in the UK and Germany etc ( I have bought quite a bit from Cornwall Model Boats who give really good service) and a few years ago was buying IC engines and parts from Just Engines in Shaftsbury who were a great bunch with spot on service and advice. A list of good shops would be great Doug as if you are not in the country you quite often don't get to know good local shops. When I was working on Norfolk Island (SP) in the 70s there was a shop called the 'Mini Golf shop' owned by a lady named Agnes who was incredibly knowledgeable on all aspects of modeling ( it's where I bought all my models, s and radios at the time as they were tax and duty free, - bought an OS FS 60 when they first came out for around $160 Aust for eg, in NZ a year later they were about 6-$700 NZ). The shop was tiny (about the size of a double garage and was packed to the roof with model stuff from all around the world,- a real modelers paradise and it was known worldwide . Sadly it has been gone for many years as the tax system changed due to Australian interference, (they have now taken over completely) and is now just Lego and other crap (although at one time they sold more Lego than any shop in the world from the new -1980s shop) . I doubt whether there would be many shops in the world as exciting to enter as that old one these days.

13 days ago by jbkiwi

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build M

Prop shafts positions are set up and shafts ready to epoxy in. Have made the brass coil cooling tubes and just for fun (and a bit of an experiment) closed circuit heat exchanger so I can use it in salt water, Probably not really necessary but why not,? real boats have them!. The body is part of an alloy bicycle pump and the core is copper tube soldered into 1/2" copper water pipe, crushed down in the vice onto 4"nails to make spaces for the small copper tube to solder into. End piece is a blanking plug for Buteline polybutene house water pipe ground down to a tight press fit in the open end of the pump tube. Exchanger internals look a bit rough but you don't see them. All sealed in with auto gasket silicone. coils are made of brass tube (can't buy 1m lengths of copper tube from the hobby shop any more, as I found out while doing my 60km round trip) so went with brass. Annealed the brass and wound it tightly round a vacuum cleaner tube which was 10mm smaller in diam than the . Once wound they were unwound slightly as they were fitted/screwed onto the s, giving a good tight fit. Also made the oiler tubes for the shafts which will have a reservoir tank connected. The heat exchanger will have its own pump and the main raw water feed will as well. Might have to fit a small header tank above the exchanger if it's needed, but it will never get hot enough to need one .

14 days ago by jbkiwi

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Anyone into CNC, or perhaps looking to get into it? I am wondering about putting my plans out as G Code, and it would be useful to have a discussion about the practicalities. For instance, what bed size do people use? Model boat plans are a bit specialist for most CNC boards. They worry about cutting hard materials - we mainly use balsa and ply. Their machines are usually square - ours would need to be long and thin. They use big commercial routers and spindles - we could get away with smaller s and dental burrs. I picked up one of these over Christmas, and am currently going through the learning curve. But it doesn't seem to be all that difficult.... https://amberspyglass.co.uk/store/index.php?seo_path=eshapeoko-cnc-milling-machine-mechanical-kit

6 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Back for Summer

Hi Martin - thanks for that tip - had a very enjoyable half hour on you tube - never thought of it before. Hi Colin - we had a good laugh at this fellow on this ancient machine that arrived for the run to Lake Mcillwaine one fine Sunday morning . Most of us riding Bonnevilles , Super Rockets etc with my older sibling on his state of the art 750 Norton being the fastest. The flying bedstead passed us all and we did not see him again until arriving at the hotel 20 miles odd away.You must have guessed by now - it was a Vincent - not sure if it was a Shadow or Prince. You must have been heart broken at the loss........... Have you seen that marvelous film "The Worlds Fastest Indian" with Anthony Hopkins? There is a scene on the beach where he passes a bunch of other cycles at a frightening speed - reminded me of that day with the Vincent.

20 days ago by redpmg

Forum

Pond Weed

Hi ikseno, probably the best way to see the city is by boat and going down to Waiheke Island (and other islands) on the ferries (high speed cats) is great if you are into wine (lots of vineyards on the island and a festival with music each year (rhythm & vines I think) which is real popular with locals and tourists alike, - ferries are packed when that's on. Fullers ferries have 21 vessels between Auckland and the Bay Of Islands up North and have some great destinations. I occasionally go for a ride (I get transport (ferries, trains and buses) for free on my pensioners Gold Card. I can go from outside my door to the city (20km) get off the bus, walk 100m to the ferries or 200m to the trains and go anywhere I want in the Auckland area. Great on a nice day if you're short of something to do. Longest boat trip I can do is about 28km between Gulf Harbour Marina and the city. There are tours etc on classic wooden boats as well plus sailing on ex Americas Cup and restored Sir Peter Blakes'Whitbread racers. Never get bored! My "thing" is almost anything that involves building. Full sized small boats, scale (ish) electric boats, R/C planes (converted all my IC planes (18) to electric) cars, bikes etc. All in all I've had 20 cars, 12 bikes and 12 boats many of which I've re-built - 18 R/C planes and 5 electric boats, also built 5 trailers . Just can't help myself ! I need help!!

23 days ago by jbkiwi

Forum

identification.

Hi Doug and fellow modellers, One of my pet hates is the lack of/no information on the s that we use. Are there identification charts available? I know there are many different manufacturers but with the lack of information on them I would not know were to start to find the information. Martin.

25 days ago by Martin555

Forum

identification.

Wow - that's a bit of a wide requirement! I assume you are having difficulty finding some data? Are we talking I/C s or electric here? Brushed or brushless? .... If the item has ANY markings you can usually look it up on the Web - though you may need to translate from Chinese. The big companies are easy enough to get English data from, but smaller ones may pose a problem. Recently I had to photograph the characters on a box of hydrometers, get that automatically translated from, I assume, Simplified Chinese, look up the company name in Latin characters, download instruction sheets with likely pictures attached and then translate those.... A lot of things, including electric s, are now made in China as 'clones' - that is, as copies of an original design, often sourced from the West, perhaps with a few modifications. Such items often come with very little info from the manufacturer, and may be made as a short run with a 'one-off' badge on them. Under these circumstances the only way you will get information is to have enough experience in the field to be able to recognise the item as being a copy of a known item and work from there. Often specialist forums have people who can help you here...

24 days ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Re: Joining the fuselage.

"That is one of the things that I hate about some of these s, the lack of information on them." Seek and ye shall find Martin😉

25 days ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Joining the fuselage.

Hi Doug, That is one of the things that I hate about some of these s, the lack of information on them. Martin.

25 days ago by Martin555

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build J

Glued deck on today (sun was out for a change) using 3 pre aligned/drilled dowels to locate it, as I had trimmed the deck fairly close to finished size and wanted it to go back in the right place for gluing. Just about set tonight so will give it a final trim and sand tomorrow. Drive shafts turned up and don't seem too bad, not sure about the quality of the bearings but might knock them out and replace them with stainless from MBA if available. Don't want to have to do it once shafts are fitted. Tested the s again with universals on the shafts (in a word, rubbish. Thought I'd try them as they looked ok on line (and they are not too badly made) but they are only made for cars and not for high speed running. The small amount of play means that they vibrate due to not being concentric at speed, caused by centripetal force throwing the 'play' to one side. If anyone is contemplating them for boat shafts, don't bother. Perfect for slow angled or straight use (driving winches etc) as they run smoothly at angles. The black s Gool + other names) run at 800mA with no load whereas the silver cooled s (spare s for Felun boats) run at 2.3 A with no load. The Gool s are 45T and will run down to a crawl (no load as do the Feluns) but are not as fast as the Felun s which are bigger and probably have fewer turns. I tested them with the car ESCs (32A cheapies and they worked fine (apart from the small center stop/reverse problem discussed previously). The ESCs were run on a near flat 2s LiPo and auto cut off at 3.55/6 volts / cell which is quite reasonable (3.3 being a safe min) they will re-start after a few secs then auto-cut again as soon as the voltage drops. Will cut out center top 'spine' on hull when deck is set tomorrow and start making some floors and a mounting base plate. When it warms up a bit I'll spray the hull undercoat.

25 days ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: Joining the fuselage.

Hi Peter, My U25 at 107cm is about 8/10 the size of your Gato, but probably heavier as it's hull is made of four planks of carved wood!😮 Anyway she goes just fine using two 385 s on 6 or 12V driving 3 blade 30mm props. On 12V way too fast of course but it's fun to show up the speed merchants once in a while😁 Re dive plane retraction- Here's two possibilities! This one from the German model Sub tech expert Engel where I got my Akula 2 kit. It comes with a controller. https://engel-modellbau.eu/shop/en/Submarine-Kits/GATO/Retract-Mechanism-for-front-diving-planes-GATO-with-RMR.html This one from your rc sub guys https://www.ebay.com/itm/RC-Sub-Mechanism-retraction-and-operation-of-front-planes-1-90-1-144-Scale/272217983093?hash=item3f6174c875:g:pGIAAOSwBLlVA~jN Neither particularly cheap 🤔 but maybe the pics on these sites can provide some inspiration. Good luck and welcome to the 'Pig Boat' club! Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW, having put the 'fuselage' together when are you going to stick the wings on!?😮😉

25 days ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build I

That's a good idea Martin. I was thinking along those lines but locating pins on a mount tray might be an idea. The s in my HSL are on quite nice mounts which come out fairly easily, and they are in turn on blocks glued to a tray which is screwed onto the bearers. Due to lack of space, I had to do it that way so I could wriggle each out (the stiff wires go through the bulkhead to the ESCs on the other side) and you have to be careful not to bend them too much,- see pic) This boat has a lot more room to play with and I might make as much as possible 'plug in' with Deans type plugs or 'Banana plugs '( not too much worry about drawing a heap of current with 6v s !)

27 days ago by jbkiwi

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build I

Deck cut-outs done. Deck will go on once I've checked I have everything in that's not going to be a problem to get at later. There's tons of room to get the hands in so shouldn't be a worry. Once deck is on I can remove the top center brace from the 2 front openings to open the space up. Waiting for the shafts to turn up so I can get the holes cut in the hull (will be making a template) ready for lining up with the mounts / s etc. Making the rudders later once shafts are done to avoid any clashing with the props, and making sure they are easy to remove for shaft removal etc (unlike my HSL which has no access to the rudders, and the shafts have to come out frontwards through the 'engine room' bulkhead, - better than cutting holes in the rear deck where there weren't supposed to be any) Something to remember on the future maintenance side!

27 days ago by jbkiwi

Blog

New drive Train and Oiler

Most of this actually took place last August / July! Regular readers may have seen that when Dad built this boat in the 60s he put a Taycol Target field in it. About 25 years ago I put a Decaperm and 'modern' transistor ESC in her to provide forward and reverse. Performance was sedate to say the least. I have since modified the Taycol (see below) so it can be run forward and reverse and decided to put it in an ancient Billings Boats Danish fish cutter (Gina) that I inherited from an Aunt. The cutter is badly in need of renovation (see pic 1) and the Taycol will be more suited to her performance requirement! On advice from Canabus in Hobart I obtained a Propdrive 2830 1000kV brushless , appropriate ESC and a 35mm 3 blade prop from Raboesch. Pic 2 shows the old and new s. Next step was to trial fit new mount, coupling and prop. Pics 3 &4. While doing this it became obvious that a new shaft was in order, as mentioned in last update. Soooo, - appropriate stainless steel rod, thrust washers and set ring were acquired and back to the workshop. After cutting to length to accommodate the new coupling type a 3mm thread was cut a the prop end. At the inboard end I milled recesses for the grub screws in the set ring and the coupling, pics 5 - 7. I don't like to just file(or even mill) flats for the screws cos they have a tendency to slip and work loose😡 Trial fitted the new shaft and found I'd boobed a bit with the measurements and need extra thrust washers to make up the difference. 😲 Pic 8. No sweat, they came in a pack of 50 anyway😊 You can also see in this pic that I decided to fit an oiler pipe while everything was in bits anyway.😉 To solder it on in a cramped space without setting the boat on fire 😡 I packed a wet rag underneath and used a gas Kitchen Torch! Known as a 'Gas Gourmet Burner'. Yep, those handy little gas torches like your Missus uses to melt the brown sugar on her Crème Brûlée!! So do I, delicious 😜😉 The torches are not expensive, small, very handy, refillable with lighter gas and can be adjusted to a very small hot flame. ideal for this job. See pics 9 & 10. Pic 11 shows the new & mount, shaft and coupling all trial fitted after using a brass alignment tool I quickly made up on the lathe. Pic also shows the trial electrical installation after cleaning up the 'machinery compartment' a little and painting with silver Hammerite. A Quickrun BL ESC is sitting in the bottom in one of the trays my Dad originally fitted for the 2 wet cell (very wet!) 6V lead acid batteries. The home made board on the left carries the battery and ESC connectors, main ON/OFF switch with LED, blade fuse holder with a 20A fuse and a green LED which tells me if the fuse is blown! Stuck on the walls (OK Bulkheads!) with so called Servo Tape are a 6 ch Turnigy iA6 2.4Gig RX and the arming switch for the ESC. Battery compartment is sized to fit 2S and 3S hard case LiPos. For trials I can fit my Wattmeter forward of the switchboard and splice it into the battery supply using Tamiya connectors. Might change these to XT60s later if current drain is more than 12 to 15A. All for now, all this was pulled out again preparatory to cosmetics on the hull, decks, cabin roof and walls inside and out. But that's another chapter so, 'Tune in next week, same time same channel when once again it's time for 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN BUCK RODGERS IS APPROACHING!? 😁 Or 'The Saga of the Cabin Roof' 😉 Cheers Doug 😎 BTW: After drilling the shaft tube for the oiler pipe I flushed it out with light machine oil (pumped in from a big syringe) and shoved a few pipe cleaners through (rotating them on the way) to remove any remaining drill swarf!!

1 year ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Aerokits 46'' twin screw brushless conversion

Today I had a run with the new batteries, and It was a great success. I wasn't after more speed, although I couldn't help myself seeing how fast It would go, but wanted more efficiency, which didn't happen as I went too fast, and better run time. When you have a big lake all to yourself on a sunny bank holiday morning, you just got to open It up. Data logging was on board, so with 5 cells per , almost 20 mins going fast most of the time, I recorded 25.3mph which Is stupid speed for this boat as It Is so heavy now and a whopping 939watts, 51.82 amps, which are maximum spikes. On a smaller lake It would last a lot longer, but I like speed! 😀

5 years ago by pmdevlin

Wiki

Radio Control Wiring

NOT from me (RNinMunich)! I just edited it to delete a previous comment of mine! Wiring Methods Wiring can be a little tricky, especially when there are more functions than just power and steering. To wire correctly you should first check: - What is to be wired up. - What voltages are going to be needed. - if there is any equipment that is not compatible. Receiver Where possible try to have a separate battery for the receiver and not power it through B.E.C. circuits in speed controllers. There is a simple explanation for this. The speed controller works by switching on and off and different rates. Depending on the rate of switching the will speed up or slow down. it is this fluctuating current that is not good for the receiver if its using the B.E.C. *Edit* More modern electronics are not affected so much by this, but if you start to experience problems with reception it could still be something to consider. The receiver should be placed as far away as possible from other electrical equipment such as s/servos. Also DO NOT CUT THE AERIAL ON THE RECEIVER. The receiver aerial is a set length and can affect signal quality if made shorter or longer. All s should have suppression to avoid any interference with the signal. There is a section in the knowledge base for this if you need to learn more. Lighting Lighting equipment is running at a constant current and can be placed off any battery without it affecting anything else... BUT if it is put onto the same battery as say a drive , the lights will dim everytime power is asked from the . If LEDs are being used you will have to be careful about the voltage. Three things can be done to ensure the LEDs are getting the right voltage (usually between 3.0 to 3.5v). One. Use a voltage regulator. Two. Put resistors into the circuit. Three. Put the LEDs in series with each other. Each LED is about 3v so two in series would need a total of 6v. Sound/speakers Speakers generate sound using a fluctuating current through the coil. it is recommended that all sound devices are run off a separate battery to avoid interference. Another problem with speakers is the magnetic field. This can play havoc with the signal, especially analogue radio sets, therefore the speaker should be as far away as possible from the receiver and have magnetic protection if there is no choice. Relays/switches A switch is always a good idea so that the boat or anything else can be switched on and off easily, but they should only be used if the current is low going through them. To reduce the amount of problems that could occur it is recommended to do without a switch if possible. A switch for the receiver is fine as it is only low current. For drive s it is better to have a straight link onto the battery. Fuses Fuses are always a good idea to ensure they blow up before your boat does! Make sure you use the proper car type fuses for high current applications (blade fuses).

1 month ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build D

These have jumpers to select between NiMh and Lipo so I'm not sure if your info applies to these (most likely does, haven't seen your info before,- depends on who's selling them I suppose) but I have never had any probs, and can run the boats till I get sick of it and still have 3.8 v/cell left using 2200 Mah LiPos (1 per ). Also am using the BECs in them for the RECs as I have very little draw,- being only REC and 1 servo to worry about. I use small props and run them at high speed to unload the s (the brushless 2000kv in-runner s in the HSL only draw about 3-4A flat out in a static test which translates to about 2.5-3 moving, giving a good hr or more of cruising round.) The MTB and Maiami use 12v 380 s (15000 rpm) and 22mm 3 blade props which draw practically nothing while chugging around, and give slow maneuvering while spinning above stuttering speed, but will still run at scale speeds. Being cheap, if any smoke leaks out of these little rice cans you haven't lost much. Depending on performance I have 4 nice little 25A Trackstar programmable ESCs and 2 Ocday 25A programmable ESCs to use with brushless s (the Trackstars being really nice little units with lots of features) the Ocdays not so much Ocday (& other names) programme card shown). PS I only use LiPos. PPS Haven't tried tasting them yet, probably be ok with a nice sauce Bordelaise peut-être ?

1 month ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Reversing Field-Wound s

Field-Wound s - of which Taycols are the commonest example for model boating - used to be used extensively as hobby electric s until the Japanese started producing decent permanent magnet s in the 1960/70s. They are not easy to reverse, however, requiring a polarity switch of the field coils, OR armature coil, but NOT both. This means that vintage modellers cannot easily use a polarity-reversing radio control ESC to control such a . A common technique to address this problem uses a diode rectifier to maintain the initial polarity on one set of coils while letting the others be driven in reverse. This is a simple to apply solution, but it has a few drawbacks - it lowers the voltage available for forward running, for instance. An ideal method of reversing would be to switch the coil connections as specified by the original designer. Such switching could be done physically by an extra servo, but that brings its own ergonomic difficulties. A better method would be to detect the polarity change and switch the coils using a relay. The circuit below is designed to do this, with few components (though more, of course, than the rectifier!) The PWM signal is smoothed, then fed into an op-amp acting as a comparator. Hysteresis around the switching point is achieved with a resistance feedback. This seems to cope with the problem of generated back-emf interfering with the polarity detection quite effectively. The output switches a 5-20A relay (depending on the being used) via a mosfet. The relay is, of course, set so that it is on for reverse, so that the only circuit drain during forward running is the op-amp, which is a matter of uAs. This approach appears to be novel - I can't find anyone else doing it - so I am cautious about recommending it for widespread use. I have tested it on several ESCs and s, and put it through simulators on a circuit forum that I follow. The circuit seems to work reliably with these component values, but I would appreciate it if someone else would trial it with their system. There are so many different ESCs out there that it would be hard to test them all! There are some PIC-driven polarity-detector units on the market place for other purposes - reversing steam engines or water-jets, for instance. I have tried one, and found that interference made the logic circuits very unstable. Using a standard op-amp avoids that problem.

1 month ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Direction finder aerials /water pumps

Have got some small geared s spare and can work through my 6 volt reducer in use with the smoke generator. Switched in conjunction with my esc so it runs when the prop runs. Also the same switches to run pump for engine cooling.

1 month ago by Elsrickle

Forum

Help and advice please

Hi Gren, You might be in luck! That's a 27MHz AM TX. https://aucview.aucfan.com/yahoo/r325252598/ Can only find it on web pages in Chinese ☹️ But the pics show what it is. This might match the 27Meg RX that you have IF THE CRYSTALS MATCH, i.e. they are both for the same channel frequency. This should be marked on the side of the crystals. But remember; even if it works you may be plagued with interference problems, some caused by the boat's own on-board equipment, especially sparks from the s if they are the two wire brushed type. Make sure that they are properly suppressed with capacitors. As in attached pic. The numbers in brackets are the value codes printed on the capacitors. Most model shops will have these in sets, as per the Krick set in the pic. Other interference sources can be CB radios; 27Mhz Citizens Band such as truckers still use. Good luck🤞 Cheers, Doug 😎

1 month ago by RNinMunich

Blog

HMS Cottesmore in 1/48 scale.

Hi Guys, Well buildwise that is as far as I have got, lots more detail work to be done. I was a bit stuck as to how to switch on and off the lighting until I came across Arduino. So I purchased an Arduino PCB and then I looked on utube to see how to program it. I just picked up enough programming knowledge to be able to switch the lighting on and off in a loop sequence. There's a lot of really good tutorials about programming the Arduino on utube. My plan is as I have to fit suppression capacitors to the s I will remove all of the removable trays and at the same time wire it all differently as when the superstructure is complete it will be very easy to brake something off just to switch Cottesmore on and off. I will also learn a bit more programming so that lighting is more controllable. So that is about it at the moment I hope that this log has not been to boring. I will update this log from time to time when I get back to working on her. Martin.

1 month ago by Martin555

Forum

Abergavenny steam and vintage show.

Hi Colin . would be quite reluctant to admit how many half finished boats I possess - shall we say quite a few, at present there are about 15 completed that are still with me . Gave my grandson a large Ripmax speed boat - loves it but restricted to their swimming pool which is a bit small. (lots of home pools in SA). Making up a kit from a Graham Goodchild design to build with him when he visits in August. - easy and a more appropriate size. Tried to get my son interested but he was among the first of the IT generation - so computers got him to the extent its now his life's work. Did not help when aged about seven he fell into the harbour at our clubs dam whilst running my Rhodesian Patrol Boat - very proud of not getting the transmitter wet - but embarrassed and seemingly lost interest after that. Now he is a lot older and moving with work to Seattle it might be easier to get him interested as its got a lot of sailing places around............. Saddest loss was a boat given by an old friend of the family - an aluminum hulled yacht driven by a Taycol "Star" via the then usual 4 1/2 volt cycle lamp battery. Saw the same hull on Ebay also with a Star fitted some years ago but was unable to come up with the 50 odd quid they wanted. Think it possibly could have been a Basset Lowke yacht hull available in those long ago days , to fit out with your own deck & superstructure as our old friend did.

2 months ago by redpmg

Forum

Mistery box

Whilst I was at the Abergavenny steam and vintage show today I was offered some model boat stuff for a charity donation. Box of assorted boat fittings and a box of s etc including another Taycol, plus a mistery box. When I got home I opened the box to find a large tug Hull and decks but no name or instructions. So if anyone has details of this tug I will be eternally grateful. All parts are labelled, J&P. McConnell, Mersey Tugs, Catalogue number 00603.

2 months ago by Colin H

Forum

Fairmile c class maiden voyage

hi there Chewi having read through your postings and watching your video - I am not sure if you have the ACTion P94 set up correctly. You should be able to spin that model round on the spot as the P94 contains a rudder mixer built into it. However, be warned, the P94 doesnt like certain 2.4 transmitter sets. Basically, you have to set your transmitter back to zero manufacture settings with no mixing at all on your transmitter to get it working - and - its all done in the ESC - I have built several triple screw vessels myself - the RAF63and the MTBs and basically what I used to do there is use the old Electronize speed controllers from the 90s which dont have the pre-programmed chips in them so that I could switch the signal on and off to the speed controller, thus allowing me to control the centre prop by switching the signal off and on. So, when I wanted speed I ran on all 3 props but when I wanted to manouvre I switched the centre prop off and allowed the 2 outboard s to spin the vessel with the rudders, using mixers. In this particular model - I would ditch the gelcel battery and go for a Ni-MH battery and the 9.6 volt 500 mAh - 3 of these batteries one for each should give you ample run time. John

2 months ago by JOHN

Forum

Fairmile c class maiden voyage

Sounds like you need to have a dedicated TX for the boat. I had a similar problem as I fly planes also. I bought a Hobby King HK6s mode 1 which is a basic 6CH but is easy to convert to twin throttles for boats (I have 2,- 1 for smaller planes and 1 for boats + a 6x, 9x and 2 9XRs). Makes life a whole lot simpler not having to use relays and switches for s. The other TX is the Fly Sky 9X (Turnigy 9X, IMax 9X) which has more switches and functions (plus easy to find extra RXs outside HK,- 3ch, 4ch, 6ch,which suit) or if you want overkill, a TGY 9XR pro and JR module, which has everything you will NEVER need on a boat . Maybe you could use a program to pulse lights, (I have it lowering the flaps on my Cub in 2 stages in small steps /pulses and slow stepless up for eg,) or perhaps have the center only coming in over 1/2 throttle through a separate RX,- options are endless. I think the HK 6s is the best if you just need a 6CH or the 9X for more features. You can use the rotary switch (6s) through a Sky RC remote switch (eg) to turn on lights etc plus the toggle sw for another function. Just depends on the $$ really Not sure if you are using Lipos, brushed or brushless setup but either way sounds like 2x 3s 3000mah 20c lipos should work, especially if your s are brushed 12v , also maybe try reducing the prop pitch or diam to take a bit of load off the battery/s. Depends obviously on a number of things such as space, type (no of poles, KV, size etc), boat weight, battery type and capacity/discharge rate etc. Lipos are by far the best option for powering models.

2 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

forward and reverse

Hi Peter, I have just had another thought. Maybe you could use striped down servos! I don't know what s you will be using but the PCB from the servos might do the job. Martin.

2 months ago by Martin555

Forum

Fairmile c class maiden voyage

Nice work, looks great and runs really well. Have you thought of using twin ESCs on the outboard s and converting the left stick (elevator - mode 1 set or vice versa for mode 2 ) to twin throttles. Most TXs are easy to convert, just a matter of removing the centering spring and making another ratchet plate for throttle use, - then plug your second ESC into the previous elevator plug on your RX . Would make your maneuvering easier in tight spots with a long narrow boat (plus adds to the scale effect.)

2 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

suppression

I could do with a little electronics advice please. I have purchased two Krick s with gearboxes for my Dusseldorf Fire Boat. I also bought the necessary capacitors for suppression. I have 47nf for across the terminals and 10nf for terminal to case. There is, however, a capacitor already fitted across the terminals which states a number of 224 on the casing. I have looked this up and it appears to be only 1nf, (1000pf). Is this acceptable to suppress this or should I change them to 47nf as per the instructions. Thanks.😊

2 months ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Brushed to Brushless upgrade

"...So would you say that if you made something like my HMS Cottesmore (1/48 scale) and was to run it at more realistic speed it would be better to use brushed s?..." 1 - Do what you are happiest with, and experiment to learn more...! 2 - Brushless are a more efficient type, use a more advanced technology, and will probably supersede brushed technology at some point. They are being used more and more often in household appliances. I expect that we will eventually move to them 100%. 3 - I don't know your particular model, but if you moved to brushless you would get more power and a longer running time out of the same batteries - though maybe not enough to notice...? 4 - If you want to maintain slow running, you might think about gearing the brushless down, or using a Sensor . Both of these options involve extra cost, and you might not find the performance advantage worth while. Sensor prices seem to be coming down, so that might be something to think about for the future. That's probably what I would use if I were making a big slow-speed model at the moment...

2 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Brushed to Brushless upgrade

Hi DodgyGeezer, Thank you for all of the information. I understand this a little bit more now. I see many models hammering across the water but I like to see more scale speeds. So would you say that if you made something like my HMS Cottesmore (1/48 scale) and was to run it at more realistic speed it would be better to use brushed s? (I must admit that is what I have fitted) Martin.

2 months ago by Martin555

Forum

Brushed to Brushless upgrade

"....that is why I was looking at this thread with interest. As I hoped to learn something!." My thoughts about brushless s... - they are a different kind of , so they have different characteristics. In particular they need different ESCs. - Their ESCs come with three cables. You can connect them to the three inputs to the in any order. If you want the to go backwards, simply reverse any of the two connections. - you can get In-runners, which are high-speed ones. Out-runners are higher torque ones. There is a special type called 'Sensored' which can go very slow and are used for rock-crawling vehicles, but they need special Sensor ESCs and are expensive. - they are much more efficient without a sparking commutator to pass electricity through. - they don't have tight limits on the voltage they must be run at. More volts = more speed, and hence power. - they are happiest running at high speed. They don't much like trying to run slowly, and tend to start with a jerk. - the main limitation on them is thermal. You can run them until the coils get too hot for the magnets to work (upon which they are fatally damaged!). - you can get astonishing amounts of power out of quite small sized s if you give them enough electricity and keep them cool. They suck up power from batteries given the chance, and high-output batteries like Lipos are ideal for them. If you use other batteries, check that the battery can output a lot of power - if it can't, the brushless performance may be disappointing... - I find it is best to run them at low voltages (12V or less) at which point they don't heat up at all. The s are often capable of running from 6v to about 20v... - Rather than power, the s are measured on size of can and KV. KV is the speed in RPM that each volt will produce. So a 1000 KV will do 12,000 RPM on 12V. If it is specced as a 2824, that means it is 28mm wide and 24mm long. - Cooling is important, and hard to specify precisely. Depends on the power being used, and the cooling technology you provide. Most brushless are designed to run in aircraft where there is lots of cooling air. For boats, you can get cooling jackets for in-runners and cooling mounts for outrunners. Having some air throughput is a good idea - but hard to arrange on a boat... Unless you are sure that you are running well below the power limits, you should use a Watt-Meter to track the power usage rather than try to calculate things. This discussion may provide an idea of how to worry about brushless limits: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1329612-Brushless--rated-voltage

2 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

What batteries?

Hello, my friend from a distance. Sufficient energy is needed to drive class 700 s. NiMh batteries are by no means unable to stably release their current power and turn off the controllers. The LiPol battery is ideal, and in your case the 3S - 11.1 volts. s would work reliably with 2S LiPol cells, but I recommend a minimum capacity of 4200 mA if you want to drive at least 40 minutes in full power. 600 class engines would be good for you. I use LiPol 2S 4000 mA in all models. Two regulators per battery is not a problem with one connector you put into the receiver with the help of a red cable needle to ensure that the receiver is burned. If you have one battery, count on the fact that you will drive max 15 minutes at full power and end. In either case, you will need two 60A min. They have a very strong current draw and especially during start-up. If you want to make an investment in the future to buy AC controllers and AC s, it's power elsewhere and very powerful shaft power. Then you will need a 400W and a 45A regulator. https://www.bighobby.cz/Bighobby-NANO-Tech-4200mAh-2S-25C-d1972.htm https://www.bighobby.cz/Sunrise-X80A-Car-sensored-stridavy-regulator-80A-d1010.htm# https://www.bighobby.cz/-Turnigy-D35-36-1250kv-d609.htm Hi Zdenek

2 months ago by Inkoust

Forum

Sea Commander restoration.

" is King George up and running yet" Not yet. Apart from acquiring some upgrade parts, wooden deck etc, I haven't progressed with 'him' yet. Have been testing s for her though, and have some pico ESCs and RX lined up for her. I'll probably do KGV and PoW in parallel, what works for one ....! Life's been sort of getting in the way of modelling lately ☹️ I'm now embrangled with German authorities thanks to the BREXIT mess! 😠 If / when GB leaves the EU, especially if it 'crashes' out, I will have to be 'Retitled' as they put it, and my UK/EU driving license will probably no longer be valid here and must be exchanged for a German one. Wonder what happens to my passport, new last august and with European Union on the front!? Hey ho! As Granny used to say "Worse things happen at sea!" 😉 Ciao, Doug

2 months ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Yorkshireman refit- rear deck

No turning back now I thought this was going to be straight forward. I've decided to put the main bridge superstructure to one side of the work bench and forget it, for now. In the past I found its easy to try to do to much, you get bogged down,disheartened and loose interest. So the next job now the decks are off was to check the rudders operation. It did seem a bit vague,the boat came with a full set of working radio gear. 4x6volt batteries in banks of 2 that took a charge well. A steering servo and 2x decaperm geared 6v s turning in opposite directions with handed 4 bladed screws. The rudder cranks were white metal that didn't grip the rudder shafts tight enough, hence the vagueness, 1 was loose on the mountings, the other had a cracked gear box cover. Is it me, this scenario seems so reminiscent of so many good looking cars and bikes I've bought over the last 40 years, only to find within a couple of weeks you've got "sucker" written across your forehead, and a lame dog on your hands. These to me are the type of challenge I like. There the only ones I know come to think of it. New kits are for pussies? Jokingly. Anyway if someone in the past has taken all that time and effort to turn a silk purse into a pigs ear, I look at it as a challenge to turn it back into its former glory. None of the hatch tops were square especially the covers for the rudder cranks, and as can be seen in the accompanying photos the deck holes weren't raised to stop water ingress. I re cut the holes to help fit new cranks and fitted 10mm up stands, made new sheet hatch covers then refitted the original hinges and handles. Also while cleaning the loose paint layers off the outer stern bulwark, I uncovered the original name of the boat. It was originally a "Yorkshireman" hence my goal to turn a Irishman into a Yorkshireman. Apparently after a bit of reading up they were sister ships in real time and were built not 20miles from me at Selby, Yorkshire around 1976.

2 months ago by Rogal118

Forum

Anti-Submarine Boat MA/SB

My latest project, a 1/24 scale MA/SB is currently taking shape. The vessel is based upon the 63ft BPBCo launch and I understand some had planked decks. There is nothing I like better than planking a deck but I can find no reference to MA/SBs having anything other than metal decks. My recommended reference book is Caostal Craft History Vol.2 which only tells me that planked decks were usually varnished whilst metal decks were usually painted grey. Can anyone assist please? Steve

6 months ago by cormorant

Forum

, speed controller

Hi there, As promised here are some pics of Terry's rescue craft and you know the old saying - when you don't know - keep ya clagger shut - well, it hasn't got 500 s in it - it only has 380s which are geared. There are two servos which are the 180 degree type movement; and were purchased from Ebay and these operate the 2 arms and the arms are hidden underneath the two cable drums either side. See what you think. Bit thought for ya project :-)

3 months ago by JOHN

Forum

Tug towing

The Decaperm 6v geared is 1:2.75. And very high torque, so it ought to swing a pretty big prop. Measure the prop diameter when you get home as well, also the number of blades. Have you considered experimenting with different propellers? That can radically change a boat's performance with little effort. Props can be expensive, but you can buy a few cheap ones, or borrow some from a club colleague for experiment. Either increase the diameter or the pitch (or both!) if possible, or go for a 4-bladed one rather than 3-bladed.... I don't know about a Kv/torque relationship - the key distinction is inrunner (high speed/low torque) vs outrunner (high torque/lower speed). Although that is a very general statement, and almost certainly untrue for some s. KV is a measure of how many revs per volt you can expect. So an 800KV would give you 4800 revs at 6v - not a lot, though that depends on the prop, of course. I normally go for around 1000Kv, and run at 7.2v. Voltage is important for a brushed - the brush gear is designed for a particular voltage and will wear badly with increased volts. Brushless do not have this problem, and can run on a wide variety of voltages. Running at 24v is quite possible... The ESC you want for a brushless is simply one that can handle the maximum current your will draw - which you can either look up or measure with a Watt Meter. The key concern I usually have with brushless s is thermal. They are normally designed for aircraft use, where they will get lots of air cooling, and we are putting them in sealed enclosures. Unless you want to water cool, I would suggest running a brushless well down below maximum power, to keep the temperature down. So overspec it, or run with a lower than maximum voltage...

3 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Tug towing

Not a lot. I couldn't easily find any data on the full sized boat on the web, so I don't know how long a 1/32 model of it is. Perhaps it's 36"? You have 2 s - does that mean two screws? A '6v ' is not much of a description - do you know the make? You might simply be able to run them on 7.2v or more to increase the power. I doubt whether changing the ESC will be necessary, though of course we will need to know what that is to estimate whether it can take more power....

3 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Tug towing

Thank you for replying basically I have a Smith zweden which is running on 2 6v s which have not got enough pulling power. I think the scale is 1/32 scale does this info help?

3 months ago by georgeo5664

Forum

, speed controller

Hi there, this is a rescue boat which was being used by one of our members on Sunday - sorry about the quality of the picture - as I had to blow it up from another photo. I thought it may give you an idea as I am sure it uses a 500 as a drive and its got two smaller 400 s, I believe, driving smaller props either side of the model rather than the bow thrusters. It also has two arms on the front to capture the stricken model. Its about 18 inches to 2 foot long and if he brings it down this Sunday, I will try and get more detailed photographs of it if you wish. I may have all the details wrong, as I haven't had much time to look at the model - it belongs to Terry from the Club, anyway. :-)+

3 months ago by JOHN

Response

Re: HMS Cottesmore in 1/48 scale.

Understood👍 BTW A word to the wise; looking at an expanded view of your last pic I note that you are using brushed s but without suppression capacitors! This may be no problem for you and other 2.4Gig users, but it can cause major interference problems for the submariners amongst us if operating near unsupressed s. We still have to use 40 or even 27MHz sets as 2.4GHz waves don't like getting their feet wet! They shy away from water and whizz back up to the sky 😉 Spent 30 years of my professional life solving colocation interference problems on naval ships! Cheers, Doug 😎

3 months ago by RNinMunich

Media

Ultimate Enticement

This is a 1984 re-issue of a Lindberg Chris Craft Sport fishermen purchased used on Ebay. Some of the parts where broken and some partially assembled. The model did come with 2 MACK RC s and some fabricated wood parts, including a template for the aft deck. The interior was assembled from quarter scale doll house items except for the dinette. There are 4 underwater LED bulbs with a dedicated power supply. The running, interior and radar unit are powered by a separate systems from the hull electrics. The second Li-po battery is for backup and balast. There are number of additional items added since these photos were taken including a stern seat and larger radar array .

6 months ago by Puddle-pirate

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Aluminium for stables? Perhaps a slab of oak would be more appropriate? I am cutting slices off old oak fence posts for use as coasters and think I can engrave them using the 'boat cutter' - so long as the cut is not deep. A laser would be ideal - but the cost and the danger mean that it needs a bit of thinking about. I must look up the Rumba and mega2560. One issue I have with the Uno and GRBL is that the software does not do 'tool radius compensation'. You have to do this in your conversion, and Dfx2Gcode does not do this either. I do not know if there is a GRBL version running on the 2650 which does do this. Essentially you need a GRBL which implements G41/2 commands, or you will have to do the compensation in your original drawing. I am using sub-milimeter cutting tools for balsa, so the compensation required is negligible and can be ignored, but when cutting ply I may need to worry about it. Your TMC2130s may not need endstops, but the limit switches are also used for homing. You will find that if you want to cut lots of parts out of a single sheet of material, it helps to be able to home accurately. GRBL allows you to have a 'master machine home' and then several subsidiary homes. So, when cutting, I start with the cutter in the master home position in the top right corner, then move it to a secondary home position which is directly over the workpiece top right, then do all of my cutting in relation to that secondary home position...

3 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

You seem to be doing pretty much the same thing as I am! I picked an eShapeoko whose mechanical kits are a fair bit cheaper, which meant I could afford the longer rails initially, but apart from that we are pretty much identical! Oh, and I'm using a different breakout board... You will be adding limit switches? I find them essential for decent control, but also found it a bit tricky to get data on the best way to connect them to an Arduino. Does Ox provide an advised circuit and pinouts? I see you are using DesignSpark. I don't think this accepts .DXF files, which are the standard 2-D interchange format. It will output them, but not import, which seems crazy to me! Which is a shame, because I could send you any of the model boat plans on the EeZeBilt or Marinecraft sites as a .DXF... Most of the EeZebilts can be made on the cutting area you have, and all the Marinecraft. You don't need a powerful router to cut balsa - a model boat is sufficient, with a cheap Chinese cutter for a couple of quid. The great thing about that is that there is essentially no cutting noise, just the quiet hum of the . A 4" wide plank with balsa edges will hold a sheet nice and firmly. What materials are you thinking of cutting? I am experimenting with cutting ply, and find that old dental burrs (which I got free from my dentist!) will go through 1/8" deal like butter powered by a Graupner Speed 400.

3 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Having successfully used the machine to make the workholding support for the wood sheets, I started on the final leg - getting the machine to actually produce parts for a model boat. It's just going to be used for EeZeBilt balsa parts initially, until I understand a bit more about cutting tools and feed rates. I'm not using a 'professional' spindle (which can cost well north of £100), but just an old model boat with a cheap Chinese chuck and milling head. You can see a couple of examples in the pictures below. The first material I tried to cut was cardboard. I wanted something really weak, because the cutting tools are very narrow, and I did not know how much sideways force they would take. Turned out fine, though. Further pictures show the first attempt at cutting balsa sheet, a whole sheet of 1/8 balsa being cut, and a couple of parts which have just been cut. Points to make: 1 - you need a high RPM from the cutting if you want a fast feed speed. Boat s work, but a high speed brushless would be better. As it is the edges of the balsa are a bit ragged... 2 - Probably the best way to keep all the parts in the balsa sheet is not to use tabs, but just to cut 90% of the way through. I left about 5 thou on the balsa part, which meant it stayed in place but could easily be pushed out... 3 - you need a soft surface under the balsa sheet in case you do cut deeper by mistake. I thought of felt but that gets caught up in the blade too easily. You could use another balsa sheet, but I used a bit of Correx. Depron would be fine... So there we are. I have now cut a complete kit out of balsa and will start to make it up. I can recommend this machine if you want to just sit and have a beer while all the hard work of cutting parts is done for you...!

3 months ago by DodgyGeezer