Forum

Musical Christmas Tree Project

Brilliant Stephen. Happy Christmas. I have recently bought a 32 project starter Arduino kit from ebay for £20. It is incredible value. The software is free on their site. It all looks very interesting. I will post a photo of the kit later today.😊

4 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Musical Christmas Tree Project

Some screenshots here of the arduino code and the software I made. I've seen the vixen lights software before, but I don't think it works on a mac? Also, part the fun was to make my own sequencing software. It's all HTML5 based and works in the browser. Each block is a draggable div, you can select many or some in one go, copy/paste, change colours, fade in, fade out etc. These are then split into tracks and saved to the database, then exported as function calls off a 50ms timer in the arduino code. It's an Arduino Mega, simply due to the space required and the fact it has more available timers in the chip. Some are used by the MP3 player, so it was important not to mix timers. As for a whole house display... although I know I've the technical know-how... it's not something I'd want to do! 🤣 Stephen

4 years ago by fireboat

Response

Re: Another Exhaust Smoker V2

Hi Graham, Well done👍 Seems to me to be more than enough smoke.🌪️ When the engines warmed up surely should only be wisps? Clouds like that only on start up / cold engine? Am interested in the PIC chip you used, and PIC chips in general. Have never used them so have done some research this week and would very much like to know which software and HW interface to PC you use. Did a lot of for ATE systems, but that was a LONG time ago. Tempus fugit🤔 I've also noticed with interest that Action Electronics make extensive use of PIC chips in their modules!! Be nice to be able to read them out😁 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build Z7

"Buildings 100+yrs old are still standing but many designed using computers fall down!?" Not to mention Stonehenge, the Pyramids (well - some 0f 'em🤔) or the Pantheon JB😉 Mathematically perfect, without even a slide rule! Been inside a coupla times, magnificent. And Roman concrete, as in the dome, is better and harder wearing than ours! "unless someone had programmed that particular solution in to give it a choice." ... and even then the idea had to spring from the mind of the human programmer. Hope I'm not around when computers start computers!😮 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Friday's Child Fairey Huntsman 31

Hi Stuart, At 23" your Huntsman is only a tad smaller than my 24" Sea Scout which I refurbished last year, look for the build blog 'Jessica - A Sea Scout restoration' on this site. I fitted a 1000kV 28mm Propdrive motor and Quicrun 16BL30 30A ESC from Hobbywing. including the ESC card the whole kit an' caboodle was just under 40 dollars from Hobbyking.com. With a 2S LiPo (7.4V) performance was sedate to adequate. With a 3S LiPo performance is 'twinkling' and a lot of fun to drive. Check out attached video links. Pt1: https://youtu.be/zPgYicA0yGw First run with a 3S LiPo. Pt2: https://youtu.be/oMUlSOaAREM 'The competition'! Pt3: https://youtu.be/b0BWJ3duzDw 'Final run', the Bier was getting warm Prop is a brass 30mm 3 blade from Raboesch. Hope this helps, Happy Sailing. Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Video is in HD 1080p, taken at the Ostpark Lake in Munich (adjacent to the Biergarten😉😁) May 2018.

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Slightly confused newbie

Hi John, regarding the rudder, the 'Normal' and 'Reversed' designations are purely arbitrary. If you put a servo arm in one position on the servo, then remove it and place it at 180 degrees to the original position, the servo is reversed with respect to the original position. Try it with a spare servo and servo arm. The Normal/Reverse options on the transmitter are only there to allow for variations in servo to servo arm location variations. The 'Normal' designation is somewhat misleading. As far as the ESC goes, that is sorted by the ESC. That's my 2.7p worth. (5 cents Australian) Cheers, Terry

5 years ago by terrymiff

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Hi Steve, Sorry to have to correct you BUT changing the Running & reverse Mode IS described in the instructions posted, see Step 3 , as shown in attached Snipping Tool clip. After selecting 'Running Mode' as the parameter to change (Step 2) wait for the two beeps close together. Then immediately shove the throttle stick forward. You should then hear the 'special tone' which tells you that you selection has been saved. Move the stick full back within 2 secs of this tone and you exit the mode and all should be stored. If you still have to command reverse twice then the ESC may simply not be capable of normal For/Rev. Although the table indicates that it is. I often wonder why folk buy this stuff without instructions! Just to save a few shekels? Or was it found in a flea market or donated? Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Steve, have you calibrated the throttle first? (read 2 and 2.2) on the instructions, You have to give the ESC a full, low and mid-point throttle position before you can start the . Plug in motor and ESC BEC lead into throttle position in REC. Turn on TX and give it full throttle. (make sure motor is held firmly as it may kick hard if started) Program - plug in batt wait 2 secs for beeps then wait 5 secs for musical tone (now in program mode) wait for 1,2,3 or 4 beeps (asks which program you want and will keep cycling through till you chose one) as soon as you hear the no of beeps for the program you want quickly pull the stick to the bottom and wait for the reply,- it will now cycle through the programs in step 3. Choose the one you want in the same manner as the last selection but by moving the stick to full throttle (if you miss it it will cycle round again) Hold it there and it will reply (musical beeps) wait and the program will return to step 2 and you can select the next setting to enter and repeat the process. Safest to set Auto battery and then the others as per chart especially min batt volts. Once happiness filled, follow the Program Exit instructions (step 4) Also as 'RN' previously mentioned, if you have a Futaba, you may have to reverse the throttle to make it all work. When finished, unplug batt, turn off TX, re start everything (TX, Batt/RX) and check. AS A PRECAUTION,MAKE THROTTLE NEUTRAL BEFORE RE STARTING IF YOU HAVE SET FWD AND REV, OR LOW IF NOT. BE AWARE THROTTLE MAY BE REVERSED ALSO). You may have to have a few goes but you will get there and realize it's not that difficult after all . if in doubt just un-plug the battery and start steps again. Just think of it like the ESC is asking you "do you want this"? at a particular set of beeps, and you are replying by moving the stick, or ignoring that question and moving to the next one. if you are using a pistol grip TX just let the trigger go and it will give you neutral/center (as per instructions 2.2

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Right I'm in a similar position. Plugged it all in an just got beeping noises. After some fiddling it all fired up. But, somehow I have programmed it but don't know with what info. The motor will run but not both ways. is off at the mid position and is at full chat with less than half lever travel. The ESC is a Top Edge SC060B and I have been unable to find any instructions. So, what can be programmed in? How do I get it back into mode? The instructions earlier in this thread mention a 'brake mode' but give no indication what this is? Help

5 years ago by steve-d

Forum

Ship rudders

Hi Toby, that's exactly why I do not use a 'Dumbphone' for such things. I also have a Samsung so called smartphone, I use it for telephoning (now there's novel) and SMS and occasional snapshots if I don't have a real camera with me. First thing I do with a Smartphone is dump all the the bl***y pre installed Apps that I don't need and just take up memory space or constantly try to 'Call Home' and demand updates😡 As you have discovered; it's the Apps that are smart (or not😲) and NOT the phone itself. Like any computer; 'Rubbish in = Rubbish out'! Before I left UK to work in Germany I worked for a year or so with the then Home Office Radio Regulatory Department and the then 'start up' Vodafone on Acceptance Test systems for the phones and surveying for cell sites. it was pretty clear even then, reading between the operating software lines, where things were going! My first job here in Munich was re a test system for mobile phones so that it actually did what was needed to simulate the network and prove all functions of the mobiles. Searching for cell sites with two great guys from the Home Office labs was a lot more fun - but the Germans paid better 😁 As you rightly noted 'Ich bin ein Nachteule'! Aber jetzt reicht's mir auch! Gute Nacht, Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Arun now sorted. card did not work so I translated the pidgin english instructions for the ESC and it worked using the Tx. I now have forward and reverse, correct prop rotation and no battery protection. Also the water cooling system for the ESC works with the water exiting from the exhausts on the stern. On the down side the nav lights have stopped working! Pictures of installation and finished boat later.

6 years ago by rapidair65

Response

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

Doug, you are probably correct and good thought regarding the polarised caps , but I was just thinking that if the battery input was going through a fuse system as it appears in Rowens photos (difficult to see) it may have caused a slight problem. I have seen mentions of up to 12" between batt and ESC being no problem at lower Amps. You might notice that one of the inputs was from a guy from Castle Creations (USA) which I thought would give a bit of weight to the information. I have always gone with the ESC manufacturers suggestions regarding wire length and have never had a problem in boats or planes (mainly in planes,-18 most 'converted' to electric from IC -3 capable of pulling 1200W) it's great to be able to chuck ideas and info around, as we can all pick something out of it all which will solve a problem, or perhaps stop us from toasting an electronic component or whatever. BTW, I saw somewhere that extending the wires could cause stuttering and that was one other reason for mentioning the info, as I know Rowen's had a problem with that. I'm sure it will be ok as is,- if its working fine, and it's not going to be run flat out every day it will probably last for years. Probably me thinking on the cautious side as my personal approach to building is to use the K.I.S.S method (may not be the flashest but usually keeps me out of trouble) Regarding the quality of ESCs, you will find that many have the same internal bits just with different cases and colours, (same with chargers) HK is bad for this. Many I have seen use an Atmega chip and you can tell differences by the method (some you have to do 1 step and disconnect power before the next step, others just with stick forward center back center etc. Most boards are made in China (Castle Creations and a few others being exceptions) and what you get depends on the quality of assembly/soldering etc in the plant they are made in (if you want to see how many of these items are made in China check out Made in China.com and search ESCs for example. I have cheap ESCs I've used in my planes for years with no probs which look like the HK Red Brick ESCs (except blue) and they are better than the TGY branded ones at 3x the price, and really let the power through !. Even CC have apparently made boards for HK with different cases as have Hobbywing. it's really a case of "you pays ya money and ya takes ya chances". in saying that you are pretty safe with Hobbywing, Tamya, SkyRc, or Castle Creations (USA) but there are other better non China ones around but a a much bigger price. Hope we aren't overloading you Rowen, you might have to get into the 'anti-freeze' to soothe the brain in that cold weather. Another site for you to check out which I have found to be very good, with prices to match HK is RCEcho.com (Hong Kong) Have bought most of my aircraft ESCs from them (around 28 from 30A-120A with no probs)

6 years ago by jbkiwi

Response

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

Doug, Am using the HobbyKing 50A Boat ESC 4A UBEC along with their card. The diode explanation makes sense so will fit one. jbkiwi My battery -ESC and ESC -motor wires are short, probably around 4" each. The addition of capacitors as suggested is intriguing as have never heard of it before. Think it is easier to keep things together in a boat, whereas with an aircraft pitch trim becomes a factor. Am using 2S batteries with a 50A ESC, with the motor max current of 30 A. Have you any idea what size of capacitor I should use? The Tx/Rx combinations are almost infinite as the ESCs are programmable too. Just wish the ice would go so can experiment! Thanks both for your help, with this hobby you never stop learning.

6 years ago by Rowen

Response

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

Thanks jbkiwi and RN in Munich for your suggestions: Have never used Ali Express, those components look interesting. Will follow up. I have used a battery alarm of the type suggested and it does work well. Have a couple for use once back on water. The rule about adding a capacitor into the ESC circuit is new to me. Have ferrite rings fitted so will now explore adding capacitors too. Are these is series or parallel with the wiring? The relays are not used with diodes or any electronic gubbins. Wanted to make the circuit as simple as possible for a Mechanical Engineer, so used one separate relay per ESC. The relay operation is controlled by a RC switch off another Rx channel. it seems to work. Am aware of the back feed possibilities and hope to have avoided them with the separate circuits. Appreciate any thoughts though, can add diodes if necessary. Am using a new FLYSKY 10 Ch. Tx/Rx on this model which opens up a host of opportunities. Am experimenting with various features such an the interval between Fwd/Rv also limiting ESC response. As am now using the brushless motors essentially in unison, also toying with controlling the 2 x ESCs on a “Y” lead on a single control. Much to think about, pity our winter has arrived early and the pond has been converted to a skating rink.

6 years ago by Rowen

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

The Arun lives! All wiring completed this morning, Tx turned on, stick full forward, boat turned on, esc bleeped, stick to neutral, more bleeps, advanced throttle, both props turn in correct direction for ahead propulsion, motors stop when returned to neutral. No reverse yet so it looks like the esc will need . Down at Derby Model Boat Club tomorrow to consult our guru. Result!👍

6 years ago by rapidair65

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Mornin' Martin, I've never used a trigger throttle (and never want to!) but I suspect that yanking back is Full throttle, which means you need to push it forward for !! Corresponding to stick back (or down) on a normal two stick set. Which is motor stop on such an aircraft ESC with no bacckuds. Cheers, Doug 😎 PS: just checked the manual for a typical Flysky Pistol Grip set (usual Chinglish gibberish🤔) but it confirms that trigger hard back is 'Full Ahead' !! BTW: since you appear to be using an aircraft ESC on a Car/Boat radio set (not a good idea!) make sure that before you switch on the RX that the throttle trigger is pushed right forward. Otherwise the motor will go off half cock straight away. if you release the trigger it will probably go to the 'Half Ahead' position. So mind your fingers.😡

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Hi Doug, as you can probably guess, I have as much chance of an ESC as flying with my own wings to Munich! The ESC didn't come with any instructions. I didn't know they needed them! More to the point, how the Hell can a motor beep? Where's the beeping kit in a motor with one moving part? So, now what. it's a Flysky pistol grip 3 channel (third is a switch) set of Tx and pre bound Rx. The ESC ? Gawd knows, a flat thing inside a big yellow heat shrink casing. I got it from China recently. All I can do is take a picture of it with my nice new camera tomorrow. Does it matter which way round those three wires go on the motor? I'll post pictures tomorrow. Thanks, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Dear Martin, the motor is beeping because the ESC is telling you it needs . It sends a series of pulses to the motor to do this. means telling the ESC where is neutral on the throttle stick, and where are full ahead and full astern. Check the ESC instructions to see how to do this. If you get stuck again tell me exactly which TX, RX and ESC you are using and I'll see what I can do. Cheers, Doug BTW; IF you do decide to ditch all your 'working stuff' please send me an inventory for first dibs!! 😁👍

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Mcgregor 1990s transmitter/receiver

Looks perfect Mike, no , uncomplicated to use for the littlun, and at that price what have you got to lose? Don't dump the 35Meg set, you never know when you might need it! Like me and my Sanwa 35Meg set, 30 odd years old and still works fine so I keep it as backup for my Catalina. It's great that your getting your grandson started, we're gonna need replacements for the Old Codger Guard some time, and that includes me😉🤓 All the best, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

PT 109 upgrade?

Not necessarily Bubble, By correctly the ESC for a soft start and a not too aggressive acceleration curve you can tame brushless at low speed and stop 'em leaping ahead like scalded cats! Worked fine on my Sea Scout upgrade. Even adjusting the motor timing can help with the fine tuning. Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

BRAVE BORDERER

Been researching the squeal and stutter on other websites and conclude RFI is probably not the major contributor. Others attribute it to a mismatch in the ESC / motor timing, which seems more likely. Whatever caused it, resulted in the affected motor failing. Which came first, the failure causing squeal or squeal causing failure is open to conjecture. Much to my surprise the manufacturer has decided to replace the motor under warranty. In the meantime, the motors I had planned to use originally (2800kV Outrunners) came into stock, so purchased a couple. Until now have had to use the ESC default settings as did not have a card. This also arrived with the motors. Following advice from another contributor reprogrammed the motors with “softer” start and acceleration settings. Fitted and tried the new motors and settings. On the bench, the squeal and stutter have almost gone. The motors are also more tractable. As the brushless motors are now going to be used for high speed operation only, with slow on the centre brushed, thought could simplify the controls by putting the brushless ESCs on one control system using a “Y” lead. However, this introduced inconsistent and erratic motor responses. Reverted to the two previous separate controls, port and starboard. On the water the performance is fine, as is the reliability. The 2S battery gave almost half an hours operation. The bow lifts nicely with both 2 & 3 S Batteries; plenty of spray. Hopefully resembling a 50 knot vessel! Another adjustment is needed to the transom flaps to try to hold the bow down later as she accelerates. Feeling now to finally be making progress with this model. The squeal has not gone, nor has erratic motor operation. The squeal is high pitched screech, rather like treading on a budgie! When it happens, bringing the control back to neutral and advancing it again almost always overcomes it. The erratic operation happens also when starting and is rather like the motors are not getting a signal to react to the control. Again, returning through neutral briefly seems to correct it. The revised motors and ESCs have increased the weight to 6lbs for the hull including all running gear, excluding batteries and superstructure. Whilst still trying to control weight have concluded this figure is satisfactory as the performance certainly is.

6 years ago by Rowen

Forum

ESC info...

I was looking at that one! But as for the card...Gawd knows. I wouldn't know where to begin! Right now I'm bloody panicking as I can't find the Supermarine motor for the Crash Tender! I thought it was in the old motor drawer, but it ain't. I'm crossing fingers it's in a box in the loft. My son-in-law will have to go up there when the weather cools. Even he doesn't deserve the temperatures up there! Got my watt meter today, so that's now in a box with the condition meter and multi-meter, oh and the chenglish Charger and its power pack. BL motor and CNC 32mm prop still on the slow boat. So the ESC will be the last of the clobber for a while. By the time I have it all together it'll be Winter and all put away again! Thanks again, Doug. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Blog

Seat Trials and mods.

It’s been a while since the boat had it’s maiden voyage on the lake at St. Albans and I’m pleased to report that it looks really good in the water and goes like stink if you open up the throttle. Sadly I still don’t have any decent video of the boat yet as I can’t film and drive the thing at the same time, but I do have some static wide shots from my GoPro. When I do the video I’ll ask a cameraman mate to do the honours, maybe I’ll put the GoPro on the bow and then the stern to get some low action shots…the storyboard is already building in my head!! These early runs were great as they showed up some minor problems that needed attending to. I found that it needed ballasting slightly as it was not sitting on the waterline evenly from side to side so I flattened out some old lead water pipe and cut it into small sections so that I could add ballast incrementally. I did this in the ‘domestic test tank’ and once I was happy the lead pieces were fixed in place inside the hull with some super strong double sided tape. The ESC needed a little adjustment because I had forgotten to set the low battery level point to ‘off’ as I am using NiMh batteries and not LiPo’s , that was the cause of the short initial run time on the first outing…..DOH !! The batteries are now held in place by Velcro straps on some bearers that I added, otherwise a battery change involved cutting cable ties and replacing them at the lakeside…not very practical. The volt/amp/watt meter is also now on a proper bracket so that the display is more readable. I have also changed the charging connection from the nasty Tamiya connector to a nice little panel mount XT 60 connector that HobbyKing sell, it comes with a handy blanking plug that I have drilled for a retaining cord. I have also finally got around to upgrading the firmware on my Turnigy i6 radio to the 10 channel version so that I can assign the lighting to the switches properly and have the rotation of the searchlight on one of the two rotary knobs. I can use the old 6 channel RX in the new boat….blog coming soon.

6 years ago by robbob

Forum

ESC info...

So, the is done with the TX.? Ah, right. I didn't understand a word of the instructions, though. I don't want want backuds or brakes. it's an outboard racer. Don't do backuds. And my other boats, even if they had a brushless wouldn't do backuds either. All speedboats. I don't have a club to go to, so no fiddly steering competitions. Guy I met last Monday about setting up a local group has already disappeared. How like model boaters. Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

ESC info...

Hi Martin, Scroll further down in the description and the How and Why of the is explained. Basically; reverseable ESCs are generally factory set for the truckers,car racing and buggy boys! That means that before you can go from forwards to reverse, or vice versa, the ESC commands the motor to stop, this is to protect the landlubbers gearboxes😉 it's irritating for boat drivers to have to shove the stick twice each time you want to reverse the motor, makes precise control more difficult. So for boats you need to switch off this function. also means teaching the ESC the Max forward, Stop and Max reverse throttle stick positions. Looks like a decent deal to me👍 A card isn't essential, you CAN use the TX and listen carefully to the 'Beeps', but the card is much easier. More 'lecktrickery' 😁😁 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Charging NiMhs, one for Doug?...

Evenin' Martin, Oh dear oh dear oh dear! 😲 There is some good advice above, but maybe not optimally expressed for use by a Luddite! Sorry guys but this might be a relatively long post to separate the wheat from the chaff, explode a few myths and resolve this little conundrum of Martin's! One thing at a time! NUMBER1. THE RADIO- Dear Martin: Whatever possessed a self confessed Luddite and Scrooge like you to spring a large chunk of your hard earned pension on one of the most expensive and complex RC sets on the market in the first place???? I bought a Spektrum DX6 on impulse a few years ago while strolling around Conrad here in Munich. I've regretted it ever since. in retrospect it was way too expensive >600€, and complex. it is intended for the Fly Boys, as unfortunately most sets are these days. I have still not successfully programmed it to do what I want to do, instead of what it is pre-programmed to do for helis and fixed wing aircraft. Not even with it's own Spektrum RX, let alone a 'foreign' RX like Orange. So I have not yet risked it in a model. Definitely NOT my Catalina. Since then I have bought a Turnigy I6. Which does the same as the Spektrum, works fine with my Orange RX with giro for the Catalina😉, cost only 69€ (is now available for around 33 quid😡) and within a few hours I had it programmed and tested to do all I want in my destroyer and Sea Scout.👍 In short: the Spektrum is way way way Overkill for your yacht or Fire Float or similar, where you will only ever want rudder and sail servo / winch or rudder and speed control. So flog the Spektrum and get a nice simple (and cheap😉) 2 or 4 channel set. I can't imagine you ever wanting to start building special effects into your models so 2 (max 4) channels is all you will probably ever need. Stick your Spektrum on eBay, maybe you'll get at least a 100 quid for it. If you still want to go 2.4Gig get yourself a Turnigy i6 set with RX, 6 ch but cheap enough and I can help you directly with binding and from experience - I have a good English manual with no Chenglish gobbledygook. If not and you still have a working 27 or 40MHz FM set (40 would be better) use that. Where you sail, all alone, who's going to bother you or be bothered? BTW: Yes the Spektrum TX IS DSM2 and DSX compatible BUT you have to tell it what you want to use!!! Frankly I think trying that with a non-Spektrum RX is risky - especially first time out and for a novice Luddite😉 NUMBER 2. THE NiMh BATTERY- Voltage is not a reliable indication of battery charge / remaining capacity. After use a battery will recover slightly when at rest and the open terminal (off load) voltage will rise, often to the nominal voltage or slightly above. This is NO indicator of remaining charge as when a load is applied the voltage will drop again rapidly, the higher the current drawn the faster the voltage drops. if it goes below 1.0V per cell the battery will be permanently damaged and never regain it's original capacity. Haverlock is dead right about batteries losing charge when not used or regularly recharged. An NiMh batt loses charge at the rate of about 1% per day so after 3 months or so you can send it to the great recycling depot in the sky and buy a new one. Periodic cycling, discharge / charge prevents / minimises this - see care hints I posted above. And yes, NiMh do have that irritating Memory effect🤔 albeit not so pronounced as with NiCads. Lipos apparently not, but I ain't seen any evidence yet - the jury is still out! Sooo - ignore the 6.37V and run the batt through a discharge and full charge cycle. if your new NiMh batt has not yet been cycled and charged I would bet that it's present capacity is about 45%. See example below (and in attached pic) of one of my new 4.8V (nom) NiMh RX batts. NUMBER 3. THE CAPACITY CHECKER - "Glorified voltmeter" ? Where did the 6.37V reading come from if not from your 'new toy'? If it is showing volts it should also be showing capacity in %age. If you received the wrong thing it's not the "bloody electrics" but the bloody nit who packed and sent it that's at fault. Before you send it back check the below😉 Send me a photo of the Checker you have and with your battery plugged in so I can see what's happening on the display. Otherwise we are all poking about in the dark (Are we back to Jules and his friend Sandy😉😲) The link I sent you was for a checker exactly the same as mine except for the labelling! As you can see in my photo, properly connected it shows the terminal voltage and the remaining capacity (charge level) of the battery pack. Forget the Nixx (=2 Ni possibilities) display, that just means 'It ain't a LiXX' (3 Li- pissibolities). Attached photo shows a brand new 4 cell NiMh RX pack 4.8V (Nominal) connected to one of my Checkers. As you can see the voltage shown is 5.19V, according to the popular 'folklore' that would seem to indicate FULL charge. Unfortunately not🤔 Capacity indication is 45% which is normal for brand new batteries in storage and transit. Explanation thereof - see above! RE: " if it can do LiPos, why not the relatively simpler NiMhs?" a) the LiPo pack has a different chemistry and construction which requires different input circuitry on the checker, b) LiPos need balancing and are fitted with Balancer Plugs which connect to the multipin connectors on the checker. Each pin connects to one cell of the LiPo so that they can be monitored individually. LiPo chargers use this to balance the cells to within 0.01V (100mV) or less by adjusting the charge / discharge currents to each cell. The checkers use this to show you the individual cell voltages and charge states. A big difference, i.e.lower V and capacity, indicates cells with faults, e.g. higher internal resistance, or a discharged pack which needs charging and balancing. NiMh packs don't usually have this facility to measure individual cells. They are thus connected to a separate input on the checker which can then only show total pack terminal voltage and capacity. BTW: if you can get it passed 'THE Management' store your battery packs in the fridge😲 The 'coolth' slows down the rate of self discharge, which is a function of the battery internal resistance, which reduces slightly with reduced temperature😉 Enough for now, back to stripping my PTB for it's Midlife Refit! Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Martin: Just saw your post about another RX. Why the hell not buy a Spektrum designed Rx guaranteed to work with their TX? Or better still; flog the Spektrum and get a nice simple Turnigy set as above, also recommended by Ron, albeit the 9 ch version. All this frigging about with 'claimed compatible' bits and pieces just wastes money and time, fogs the issue and don't prove nutt'n!

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Brushless Cards

Hi looks identical to goolrc brand available on ebay from uk sellerhttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GoolRC-200A-Brushless-Water-Cooling-Electric-Speed-Controller-ESC-4-RC-Boat-R3U6-/282598266345?hash=item41cc2b55e9 also I use hot glue gun to seal instead of silicone

6 years ago by BigAlio

Forum

Brushless Cards

Brushless cards, can they damage the ESC if they are not the correct one, if not what are the problems associated, eg programmes wrong section. I have a new 200A brushless ESC but the instructions only show via the transmitter stick in response to tones. which I am having trouble turning off the brake option. I wondered if a programing card may work? I have two Hobbyking cards both with different options available, I just don't want to damage or mess up the configuration. Many thanks

6 years ago by CB90

Forum

Brushless Cards

Thanks for your responses, please note this ESC does not have a brand name (generic Chinese job) and it didn't have any mention of a card on the instructions. Anyway I tried it on 2 cards I have got and they did not work, resorted to sticks and code tones to turn off the break function. Boat ran well if a bit too powerful, may use 7.4v instead of 11.1v Features: 200A Brushless ESC with 5V/5A SBEC Water cooling. Waterproof design(Need to use 704 silicone rubber by yourself). This super simple boat series comes with a limited range of functions and are designed to be plug-n-play. A perfect ESC for those looking for something simple to use and economic. Specifications: Cont current: 200A Burst current: 230A BEC model: Switch BEC output: 5V/5A Recommend battery: Li-ion/Lipoly 2-7S;Ni-MH/Ni-Cd 6-20NIMH Cooling: Watercooled ESC weight: 124g ESC size: 92mm * 40mm * 22mm Please note only cost £17 at the time , now £32 (4/2018) via Amazon

6 years ago by CB90

Forum

Brushless Cards

I have 3 or 4 boards from Hobbyking, and i have never thought of using one that isnt the correct one. But, having said that, the cards are now only six or seven pounds each, there seemed no sense in not buying the correct one when purchasing the esc. Good luck with however you choose to move forward. Best wishes, Dave W 😊

6 years ago by rolfman2000

Forum

Brushless Cards

Hi CB90, I also have quite a few of Hobbykings esc's and they have changed quite a bit over the years, needing different cards, have just bought three new esc's with their own card £39.00 from HobbyKing. I try any one with all the esc's and have never had a problem,just make sure you plug into the card, + to + and - to -, you should be OK with no damage to either. cheers, Peter

6 years ago by Rookysailor

Forum

Newbie radio control question

Hi All, don't sweat about mode 1 or 2, you can easily reprogramme any stick or switch or pot to do whatever you want on any RX channel you want!👍 If you want the ratchet throttle stick on the right hand side just swap the sticks over! There are instructions in the manual and demos on U-tube. I have one, a re-branded German version which they call 'Reely HT-6', and spent an entertaining evening chucking out all the fixed wing and heli presets. Attached is the excellent 68 page English User / manual I got with it. it has no Chin-english gobbledygook in it 😉 I reprogrammed mine for various boats and a Sub no problems. A Good Buy, Cheers Doug 😎 PS I program my sets always for right stick rudder and throttle, leaves the left hand free for any 'special effects', or the Bierkrug 😉 - I sail here on a lake in a Biergarten 😁

6 years ago by RNinMunich

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 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 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 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

Blog

more progress.

First job today was to reduce the rudders by 1cmx1cm which I think not only looks better but should reduce the affects that have been mentioned in comments below. Ive fitted the cockpit which I assembled yesterday. its not the best fit into the deck, however, I shall blend it all in with some balsa strip, sand, filler, sanding sealer hopefully for a seamless finish. I have pictured the 2 x Hobbyking waterproof boat 30 amp esc. These are supposed to be water cooled, however I am not going to fit the tubing and start drilling water pickup and exit holes in the hull x 4 until I think that water cooling is going to be necessary. Once I have watt meter readings for 2S and 3S lipo, it will give me an idea what the ESC are going to be like. Of course if you guys think I need to go water cooling, please let me know! I have an Mtroniks W-tail mixer that will allow the motors to be synched to the rudders allowing the inboard motor to slow or stop when turning. Never used one before, so may need to some once hooked up, we shall see. Last job today was to shoot a could of coats of red oxide primer on the lower hull to see what the resin finish was like. on the whole not a bad finish at all, just a could of tiny areas that need a little sanding for a faily blemish free finish.

6 years ago by Skydive130

Forum

Aerokits Patrol Torpedo Boat

Hi MB, Sorry for late response, I've been occupied with varnishing and painting of my Sea Scout renovation. The Turnigy i6 and Flysky FS-6 are hardware identical but have slightly different software, not critical I understand. I have the German branded version of the Turnigy i6, called here HT-6. Attached is the excellent German / English User / manual without the Chenglish gobbledygook! Flysky Chenglish manual also attached for comparison. Only mistake I found in the manual is re Binding (see pic); they mention Binding button on the RX when it is on the TX at bottom left item 13 in the attached pic of my German branded Reely version. BTW; iA6 is the RX type number. The TX is TGY-I6 or FS-6 for Flysky. Pics 4 & 5 show my Reely HT-6 and Turnigy TGY-I6 versions. identical except for labelling, same goes for the Flysky - see manual. Re: Servos: I have tested my TX and an iA-6 RX with all sorts of servos; Sanwa, Futaba, Hitec amongst others some going back 30 years and they all work fine. I currently have an iA-6 RX and ancient Hitec standard rudder servo in my Sea Scout and it works just fine. Re: controlling the ESC; it just plugs into the RX like a servo. Usually channel 1 or 3 depending on whether you want throttle on the right or left stick respectively. Re: 3D printed stuff 'brittle or not'; depends on what type of filament they use for the print so can't really say. Up to now have not had problems. What I have noticed with some 3D plastic and resin items is surface defects, pits etc, which need some treatment before fitting. Resin also tends to be more brittle than 3D plastic prints. Resin don't bend well and don't like knocks! As I discovered with the resin gun barrels on my Graf Spee 😡 Will be replaced shortly with turned brass or Alu! Re: LiPos; attached is a file from Model Boats mag of Hints and Tips for using LiPos. it also explains the tech jargon surrounding brushless motors, i.e. interpreting model numbers and parameters😉 All for now, cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Aerokits Patrol Torpedo Boat

Hi Guys Looking at the motor 5,100 rpm @12 volts is 60 Watts of power. We use Hobbyking gear in our club mainly. As they have a special on a present with free delivery over $50 US. 3639-1100kv(800 Watts)(170 grams) is cheaper than the sister motor 3639-750kv(600Watts). ESC car 100 Amp is near half price. A card is required but these are cheap. We used a MFA Spearfish as a test boat with the 1100 and on Zippy Compact 3S 5800mah 60C(449grams) clock 27KPH. Changing to a Zippy Compact 4S 5800mah(567grams) 40C clock 37KPH. Run time a good half hour or more depending how fast you push it. We do not watercooling on this motor which will work out OK in your setup. The Hobbyking car ESC(part No.HK100A)(106 grams) has a fan for cooling and with the large interior of you boat heating will not be a problem. I am using this setup in both my Sea Commander and 1920 Gentleman's Runabout. My little Sea Hornet is using a 1900kv 28mm motor on a smaller 3S 2650mah. If you have no plans for your boat, I have a PDF copy(free of course). If you wish to go faster, a straight change over to the 3648 1450kv(1600 Watt) beast!!!! Canabus

6 years ago by canabus

Forum

upgrading Turnigy i6 to 10 channels

Hi Dave, yes you're right. My version is marketed by Conrad here in Germany under the brand name REELY and they call it the 'HT-6'. It came with comprehensive manuals in German and good English on a mini CD-RM. When I checked on the Conrad site (they have an excellent Downloads page 😊) I found an update from 2015. I had no problems completely the TX unit from this manual. The only error in it was in para. 16 "press the binding button on the receiver ..." when of course it is on the TX! But at least the photo legend was correct😉 If anyone wants a copy of the PDF file PM me and I'll mail it to them. This reminds me of the discussion we had on this unit and clones / branding a few months ago! When I looked on the Turnigy site I found only the half Chinese half English gobbledygook manual 🤔 which needs a lot of interpretation. Penalty I paid for much better documentation was that Conrad price was nearly twice the Turnigy/Hobbyking price 😡 Good luck Chris, - if I were you I'd do a 'Factory Reset' and start from scratch step by step. Cheers Doug 😎 PS w.r.t. 'using what for what' My Turnigy/Reely will probably be used for most surface ships. Will probably use my Spektrum DX6 for the Catalina, and I still have the old Graupner MC-10 40MHz for the two subs where 2.4 gig don't woik 🤔. MC-10 only has two model memories so that fits! Now what can I do with the old Sanwa 35Meg job??? 30 years old and still going strong 😉

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Steam sound unit (variable speed)

I have the following in my steam tug 'Alte Liebe' and I purchased it from Technobots originally but it is now sold by its original designer who now manufacture its under the name of Forge Electronics. http://forge-electronics.co.uk/index.php/boats/combo-mk3 You can change from petrol, diesel or steam and change each type according to how many cylinders you want to use. Simple via a plug and unit sound is proportional to speed and has an idle mode in the static position whereby the piston stops in steam or if using petrol/diesel the 'engine' shuts down then as soon as it receives a throttle input the 'engine' cranks over. I think it is a great unit.

6 years ago by ads90

Forum

Twin motor control problem

Another week and the problem remains despite trying different options. Plan is to buy two new ESC which do not require or setting up. The good old blue metal ones! Will let you know what happens of course.

7 years ago by John2

Place

web site

Hi Dave, Thanks for the advice (aimed more at the non-computer guys here I guess 😉), but I was computers back in the 8 bit paper tape days! Due to limited storage space (kbytes not Giga or Terrabytes!🤔) I quickly learned to use it sparingly and clear the junk out after every session! Nowadays it's sadly more of a security question. ALL my possible browsers are set to clear cache, cookies, searches, sites visited etc etc on closure. At the end of each session I also use CCleanerPro (formerly CrapCleaner!) to clear out all caches, MS usage logs, temporary thumbnails Temp files, and deleted files - Waste Basket and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all!. So there can not have been anything in the browser cache - especially on the very first attempt. I agree with your last comment - my interpretation is that when McAfee looked at the site it exhibited behaviour which is classed as Suspicious! I won't be trying it again. Cheers Doug 😎 PS: i suppose I could dig out the site report, but frankly it's not worth the bother, more interesting things to do! ColourCoats paints for the PT boat and T45 as well as LifeColor cammo colours for KM and RN WW2 arrived today. Only ordered 'em yesterday 😊😊

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Sea Queen refurbishment

Need to keep up with these things as some of my stuff is on old drives that were on win3.1/XP/millennium/vista/NT./7/8.1/And now 10 sometimes a bit awkward moving between system's. But have a nephew who is a analyst and sorts it for me. Wish I could do it but Microsoft changes aren't always easy to keep up with unless your loaded and cost doesn't matter. Cheers Colin

7 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Glazing help

Hi Doug I used a trader (Steve Tranter- Model Boat Bits) to get the waterjet cutting done. The machine needs and I provided a spread sheet with the dimensions and they produced the file and did the cutting. As we were building two large models this was the only way we could get the project finished on time. I have been experimenting with crystal clear resin to produce portholes for a Confiance Class tug I am building. I made portholes out of brass on the lathe then filled the centre with the clear casting resin. I had bubbles in the initial attempt but by using a syringe and flicking the tube the bubbles all go to the top of the syringe and the result is to my liking. I do paint the portholes first. When dry I just glue in the fibreglass hull with epoxy. Mine are near the waterline and whilst cyano would work I don't trust it when wet as experienced with the Olympic. You could drill and fill your portholes with this, just need to place a blanking plate behind each porthole til the clear casting resin sets. I suspect this would be quicker than using acetate. incidentally I used to cut my acetate portholes with a heated brass tube. I used a piece of stainless rod inside the tube to push the portholes out. Cheers Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Programmable Tx

Always assuming that the set actually transmits during ! I'm not convinced of that so will test with my Reely/Turnigy and Spektrum sets. Watch this space!! 😉

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Tank Steering

Don't quite know what started this but here goes The Turnigy HT-6 has the non-centering throttle stick on the left. if you want it on the right there are clear instructions, with photos, in the 68 page (!) manual to show you how. 👍 Guess you can get a spare part if you want two non-centering. Will have a look tonight to see if it's 'modable'. I spent the evening on Wednesday one, disguised as a Conrad REELY HT-6 at twice the price 😡😆 of a Turnigy on Hobby King! I now have it doing what I want in mode 2 and not what it thinks an aircraft should be doing 😉 Can recommend the set 6Ch with RX for ca $ 46 at Hobby King. €80 at Conrad 😭😭😭 Thinking of putting a Product Review together. Nothing else to do!! 😉 Cheers Doug 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Place

South Bavaria Scale Model Boat Builders

Sounds good to me 👍 Might just do that. Signing off now, it's 2:15 here now. Spent half the night and testing a new RC set and various ESCs! All A OK 😊 Cheers and good night, Doug 😎 PS have fun in Ocean City, I assume boat eye candy is what I know as candy floss?

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

The electrics, drive & radio

The switch panel and wiring loom was made, tested and dry fitted a while ago and so it only needs securing to the bulkhead with four fixing screws, the two NiMh batteries were strapped down to the bearers with cable ties as close to the chines as possible and the XT60 connectors mated. I have read that placing the heavy batteries as far away from the keel as possible improves the handling, all other heavy items are centered along the keel for symmetry and should help the boat to sit evenly in the water. I’m not sure if I will need to do any ballasting, hopefully the maiden voyages should give me an indication. The prop shaft was greased and fitted, and with the prop, thrust washers and lock nuts in place, the clearance was adjusted and locked with some Loctite so the motor could then be installed. The initial motor alignment was made with a solid coupler which was then replaced with the universal joint, I took the precaution to grind a flat on the motor shaft so that the locking grub screw has better grip on the shaft. The grease tube was then fitted to the shaft clamp and secured to the side of the switch panel. The ESC was fixed to the back of the bulkhead with another couple of cable ties and the input cables, again XT60 types, and the three pole XT60 motor connectors mated. I have also fitted a Turnigy in-line volt, amp and watt meter in the circuit before the ESC so that I can log readings in case of spurious fuse blowing issues or unexpected battery life problems. The water cooling tubes were then run from the water pickup, through the ESC and then back to the transom ‘exhaust’ outlet, all water connections are fitted with spring clips to ensure water tight connections. I have used quite a large bore silicone tubing to ensure maximum water flow and made sure that all bends are kink and compression free. The R/C receiver is fixed to the rear cabin wall with some Velcro pads for easy removal, the two aerials were fitted in some plastic tubing at 90 degrees to each other as recommended for 2.4 gig systems and as high above the waterline as possible. The receiver is connected to a separate 4.8 volt NiMh battery via a changeover switch that also has a charging connection and LED power indicator, and I have also fitted a battery voltage indicator, just because they are cheap and convenient although the R/C system that I have has telemetry that reports RX voltage as standard. The battery charger I have chosen can handle the 16 cell series configuration of the drive batteries and so they can be charged in-situ when the main power switch is toggled over to the charge position. The RX and lighting batteries are charged separately. All of the servo and lighting switch cables are routed through the hull to the receiver through pre drilled holes in the bulkheads at high level for neatness and to retain the integrity of each compartment just in case 😲!!. The servo and cables and the water cooling tubes are strapped to a supporting bar between the bulkheads for neatness and security. With the TX switched on first, the RX is then powered up and the main power switch toggled to the ‘operate’ position, the ESC then gives a reassuring series of bleeps that confirm that all is well. The ESC was set up using a Turnigy card specifically for that model of controller and if required I can tweak the settings once the boat has had a few sailings. The last things to do now are to fit some strong magnets to hold the hatches and roofs down securely and then finally raise the RAF ensigns 😁

7 years ago by robbob

Forum

3D printing

I've been using a 3D printer for 18 months now. Very useful for printing things like ship's wheels, bollards, etc. Thingiverse is a useful resource although, these days, every other design seems to be for a fidget spinner - very yawn inspiring. I design much of the stuff I print with OpensCAD, an open source (free) application but it helps to have a bit of computer experience to use it effectively.

7 years ago by Delboy

Response

Aerokit Sea Scout 'Jessica' Renovation

Evening Dave, many thanks for the response 😊I wasn't sure how my 'style' would come over! Martin thinks you created a monster 😲 monster fun for all I hope, maybe a breath of fresh air ?? "Tune in next week!" Many German forums are very stiff also nehm ich nicht teil (so I don't take part!). But my brand of humour always stood me in good stead during contract negotiations over the years. Often not so easy to convince the Admiral to spend his hard won millions on my system design, not to mention the yards who want to maximise their own margin. British humour went a long way to breaking the ice with navies and yards around the world. The Koreans and Chinese were the most difficult to bring round, after that Algeria, Oman and UAE were child's play. The navies of Chile, Ecuador and especially Brazil were; very professional (and good dinner parties)👍, interesting! 🤔, and a barrel of laughs 👍😉 in that order! Canada was good, but bl...y cold! 😡 French & italian yards had great lunches 👍but small budgets (thumb down!)! But seriously though folks; you're right of course, the ancient caps are now useless and I have much better ones now, plus ferrite rings and inductors to choose from. Re voltage; the Taycol specs also give values for 12V running! I can use the Spektrum TX to limit the max volts to 12, also, when the Target is fully renovated I will first test it using my regulated PSU to find our where the limits are. Non-destructive I hope. Theoretically the motor will only take what it wants, never mind what the LiPo can provide if asked. I will also use my new Watt-meter; a tip I got here from you guys. 👍 Many thanks for that. Re sparks; thought I might try to see the energy spectrum on my 1G/S digital scope, most energy should be in the VLF-HF band and tail off considerably above VHF so an indication may be possible. Might be able to rig up some sort of rev counter using it's frequency meter?? Worth a try 😉 After several years concentrating on gallivanting round the world I have some catching up to do! You guys have sure accelerated that. Muchas gracias y muito obrigado! I've learned a lot the last 3 months and I think I can give a lot back. Looking forward to it 😎 Haven't used the 35Meg set for years, found it this week while looking for something else, as usual. Maybe I'll resurrect it for the flying boat?? It was replaced long ago with the Graupner MC-10. Latest set is the Spektrum DX6. Still learning how to modify or cancel all the fixed-wing and heli pre- I don't need. 🤔 @ John; thanks for the friendly response 👍 There was an ESC in her with the Decaperm while Jessie was using her, massive alu box thing with a big ol' 2055 sitting in a heat sink on top! Did several years good service in HMS Hotspur and still works, I think! Glad to revive some hopefully happy memories. idea for a new topic perhaps- "Against the stream - Recycling the hard earned technologies of our youth!" 😉 Happy modelling, or better "Sailing" 😎 Gute nacht aus München 😉 PPS @ Dave (and / or other administrators): WE NEED MORE EMOTICONS OR EMOJIS AS YOU CALL THEM! Check your dumb-phones!

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Speed controls

mode 2 is generally considered the standard for UK, which is throttle on left stick. Mode 1 will be throttle on right stick. Spektrum dx6 or dx6i can be changed, its in the menu, however then a mechanical change needs to be made inside the transmitter First paragraph https://www.horizonhobby.com/pdf/SPM6630-Manual_Addendum_Mode_Change_EN.pdf

7 years ago by pmdevlin

Forum

Speed controls

"As an ex flier I do believe all engines had the throttle idling with the stick fully back and I have always associated forward with stick up leaving backward for stick down." This might be the clue! This is what I meant by TX mode. I note that Grandpa has a Spektrum DSM set, he may have it in Mode 2 the usual flier mode, as my DSMX 6 was delivered. if so first of all maybe switch to mode 1 to put throttle (full range) and rudder back on the right stick Channels 1 and 2. Then check the TX (offset) on Ch1 and centre it. Then worry about the ESC. Had a similar discussion a few months ago with Andy at Micron Radio Control about the set up for some miniature receivers for my plastic magic! Still getting to grips with the Spektrum. Until then all Sea Trials done with the old MC-10 40MHz kit. 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich