Response

Re: Ready for guns

Hi Cash, "The plans show a servo with a large driving a smaller on the gun, this way you have a 120 degree servo driving the guns roughly 270 degrees, but I might see if I have the room to just direct drive the gun with a modified servo, or a store bought 270 degree servo " When faced with the same conundrum on my destroyer many years ago I found that gears were a better, more reliable option. Repeatable movement, easier than modding servos, and much cheaper than buying special servos😉 Slowing the servo travel down is recommendable though, otherwise the barrel twitches back an forth like a fly swatter!🤔 Pic shows X and Y turret drive. The drive to Y gun tends to slip☹️ as the s are smooth, almost polished so little grip. Mod required! Cheers, Doug 😎 PS the mountings are ball races left over from car restoration days😉

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Fire Monitors final fitting

Thanks Mike, That's how I originally built it. That slipped as well. Then I found that green silico rubber like 'stuff', which can be easily cut to length and the ends glued with cyano. That worked OK, for a while, then started to slip. Maybe I'll have to rough up the small brass driving s on X and Y turrets? "I think I'd better think it out again!" Doug 😎

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Fire Monitors Part 3

jbkiwi, the gearing is essential in that I can't connect directly to the end of the shaft as thats where the water connects, so even if I did alter the servo the rotation will still have to be transfered by gears, or cord etc

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

Fire Monitors Part 3

Having created the “rotating” monitors I have to deal with the rotation mechanism and since the design requires the central tube to rotate I have a few different options to consider, they include:- 1 solid rod drive 2 Belt driven 3 cord driven 4 modified servo 5 gear driven Having looked at the rotation of a standard servo which appears to be about 170 degrees, if I want to have something in the order of 300/360 degrees there will have to be some sort of increase in end movement. Option 1- rod driven although very controllable it’s limited to about 170 degrees otherwise it gets locked at either end of the cycle. Option 2 - Belt driven needed a couple of s machined up this meant the large was 50 mm dia and the small one was 10mm dia. The drive belt was an “O” ring. This option works very well and could be a possibility. Option 3 - Cord driven this system is simply a cord running from the servo arms round a 10mm twice (to give some grip) but between the servo arm and cord is a spring to give some tension in the cord, again could be a possibility Option 4 – a servo modification (addition of resisters) servo this has already been shown by Graham and although an easy option for an electronics engineer a bit more difficult for me, but achievable. However for my configuration it’s not suitable as I can’t drive onto the end face of the rotating tube. Option 5 – Gear driven would need a pair of gears at a ratio of 10 teeth to 50 teeth and some modification to a gear to fit on the servo. This was the last option to be tried and looks as if it may be the best option. The rotation of 360 may be OK but from a practical point of view I don’t need water spraying over the cockpit or front deck. So I decided to change the gear ratio to 30:10 this gives a rotation of about 280 degrees which I think gives a good spread of spray (see top view of deck). All the prototypes were built on scraps of ply and with an old servo. Having proved my system; I will now build it into the cabin roof in such a way that the gear ratios can be changed if required.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

Wheelhouse

Having completed the basic hull repaint, it was time to get on to some of the more interesting details. Many of the deck fittings, ventilators, Samson post, etc were sourced from the shop on this website. These plastic fittings were primed with a grey etch primer and then top coated with Tamiya Gunmetal or Humbrol white enamel as appropriate. Being the 1/16th scale Crash Tender, I don't have the benefit of having a set of white metal fittings. I wasn't able to find many off the shelf fittings in 1/16th scale so decided to scratch build them instead. It makes the job more interesting, if a bit fiddly, ....... and very time consuming! The first task was to replace the fixed wheelhouse roof with a removeable one. This gives access to the interior of the wheelhouse for fitting lighting, new windows, and the searchlight servo. The window frames were cut from 1mm plasticard and painted silver. The mast was built from brass, including making the s. A 5mm white LED is fitted to the top, with a little white painted brass cap to make it look the part. Rigging is 1.5mm elastic cord. I think this is a little thick and 1mm might look better. I still have to source the ensign to fly from the mast. There is a in place ready for it. The port, starboard and wheelhouse roof navigation lights were all constructed using plasticard and fitted with 3mm LEDs. The aerial on the roof of the wheelhouse is made from brass based on the details given by Mike (mturpin013) in his blog. The boathooks were also scratchbuilt from brass. I thought they would look better than the white metal ones available on eBay. For the "shepherd's crook" hook, the brass rod was first tapered by filing and sanding before being bent to the appropriate shape. The other hook was formed by silver soldering a brass cross piece onto a tapered shaft. Both hooks were formed on the end of a long length of brass rod to make it easier to handle them. Once complete, a short section of rod behind the hook was turned down to 1mm dia to form a spigot for mounting on the poles. The poles were carved from mahogany. With all these details in place it is really beginning to look the part. Next up the rear deck.

5 years ago by Graham93

Forum

Martin Westquay's Piper Cub ;-)

Hi Martin - the OS10 will definitely be Super Cub rated - bags of power there - just don't overprop. Interestingly enough I have a water cooled head for an OS - not sure if its for a 10 or 20 - looks like a 10. Also has what looks like a back plate with two water intake fittings and all the bolts etc. Both components obviously original parts . Never found either a motor or taker for it . Price was R9.52 in 1982 (now roughly 50p !!!) Wot no steering wheel - we had those in solid wood - piece of pipe, cable ,two s and a pair of eyebolts. Shows you us colonials were much more civilised - although the local soap box derby was run by the members of SOE (Sons of England society)

5 years ago by redpmg

Forum

Battery backup

Funny you should mention that Martin 😉 I built one many years ago.😊 It used a 5V two pole change over relay to switch to a second battery. It must be still kicking about somewhere. I had it in my destroyer. Originally I set it up to work like an overdrive. I had two 6V SLAs in the ship. Cruised around on one battery and used the relay to switch the second in series for 'ALL AHEAD EMERGENCY'. RC controlled of course 😉 Was quite spectacular and made some 'speedboat' drivers look silly if they started driving in circles around me while I was cruising 😂🤣 Hotspur was halfway across the lake before they realised I'd gone. Had to go easy on the rudder when flat out though, the heeling was heart stopping😮 Nowadays I might try it with power MOSFETs (like in modern ESCs) instead of the relay. Relay is simpler to build though. Simple enough to rig the comparator circuit up to either relay or power FETs. You just need a small single transistor preamp in between to boost the few mA from the chip output to enough to drive the relay or FET switch. For emergency 'Get Home' use the second battery could just be a small capacity version, if there isn't enough space or weight margin for a second full spec drive battery. I think I would prefer a high brightness all-round LED flasher to raising a flag. Plus an alarm horn perhaps. Although a flag would be a nice gimmick. Cream on top so to speak. 'spose it could be rigged up to small winch and a closed loop of cord with a at the mast top. Once the basic circuit stands what you use it to drive is only limited by imagination, resources and space and load margins. So get your thinking caps on lads and lasses!! You don't want to flatten the emergency battery too quick though! Gotta go now, Dinner with the GF 😋😋😋 CU later, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Help me please

I have an old 35mhz but if I need new will get motor is the one that comes with it which is a brushed motor going through a system and the prop was one that came with its well

5 years ago by m02is500

Forum

LED Lighting tip

Hi Martin, There's a saying over here amongst ship model builders, which translated means "Ship modellers will collect and save anything that won't start to stink after a few days!"😉 I do the same as you with old video recorders, PCs, dead garden solar lamps etc etc. Great sources for motors, LEDs, power supplies, fans, connectors, ribbon cables, cogs n s ..... I also browse around the flea markets here; great sources for odd bits n pieces. Have found boxes of assorted cog wheels and s, once even a whole tray of miniature 5V relays. Which I used for a home made controllable switchboard in my destroyer. See pics! Carry on recycling👍 Cheers, Doug

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Z-39 German WW2 Destroyer

Hi Rooky, Bit late getting back to you on this - bin kinda busy🤔 I hear where you're coming from (as our colonial brothers might say. Sorry Ed 😉) Back then there wern't no Action Electronics / Component Shop so I just did what seemed logical! Worst (and smelly😝) part was making the circuit board. No PC, CAD or even photo-reactive circuit board back then. Yep, I know the Servomorph. I've bought one to experiment with on a Plastic Magic project. To drive the gun turrets on a 1/350 King George V battleship, where there ain't enough room (never mind weight margin) to mess about with cogs and s. I'm thinking two micro servos, Y lead, or even independent A+B and X+Y turrets. My German Turnigy re-brand has two pots that I can assign to these! Many thanks to Colin-H for sending me the KGV kit in a wonderful package of 'stuff' as recompense for renovating and converting his Taycol Supermarine motor. Was like Christmas all over again 😊 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

blocks and Deck Rigging Screw Eyes

Been away on holiday for a few weeks so not been doing much but back at it again - blocks The mast has a small block on each end of the cross bar, but I wanted to have a go at making them so using some 0.5mm I marked out the profile and then bent the flat pieces into a channel this was followed by drilling an 8BA clearance hole through both sides. Next I machined the centre out of brass with a 2mm rad to suit the rope I will be using; I also did an extra round dummy in steel to use as the template to file the radius on the frame and use as a guide for the width of the block. Using a smooth file I carefully filed the radius on each piece using the dummy as a guide and trimmed the width, this was followed using wet and dry paper to finish. To fasten the blocks to the cross bar they need a screw fastening on the top, this was done by soldering an 8BA nut on the top. Finally the brass wheel was secured in place with an 8BA nut and bolt, with a threaded stud in the top. Deck rigging screw eyes - can be bought, but again, I had to have a go, so first I ground a tool to form the end ball which would also part the piece off after it had been turned and threaded. The bar was turned down to the thread o/d and then using an 8BA die the diameter was threaded. I then used the form tool to produce the ball end, this worked OK but could be improved on as the final turned finish wasn’t as good as I’d hoped for, but I don’t have time to spend on this as I only wanted six eyes so the diameters will be finished with a small file and wet and dry. Turned pieces finished, next I set up a gang of slitting saws to mill the flats, holding each part in a split threaded clamp in the machine vice the flats were milled in parallel. Finally using the same clamp jig the ball was drilled with a 2mm hole again to suit the 2mm rope. There’s some final dressing to do before the parts are clear lacquered.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Response

Re: Z-39 German WW2 Destroyer

Well I'm damned! That's exactly how my HMS Hotspur started out when I was 15! 52 years ago, Tempus Fugit 🤔 Based on the old 1/600 Airfix kit! Back then no digital micros, PCs, Internet or 3D tech☹️ I used calipers, a crude plastic micrometer, Dad's steel rule (half mm and 1/64th scales) and a slide rule. Drew the plans at 1/72 on an 'endless' printer roll Dad brought from the RAF Cosford Tech Training School, where he was chief syllabus writer for the Radar Tech courses. Much much later (32 years ago) I made my own decoder board with relays to switch the lighting, smoke and horn circuits. All operated from one channel at the TX. Servo mounted micro switches provide for two further functions. Looking forward to your sketches / photos very much👍 For my turrets I used one servo reduction gear and a system to increase the 'firing arc' to ~270°. The whole shebang is mounted underneath the aft deck section so all comes out together for servicing. Think I'd better continue this in 'Retro Build Blog'!😮 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Steering Mechanism

I thought of a few ideas on how to make the rudder servo controlled. However I thought i would stick to using the chain drive. You can see from the pics I manufactured a square tube with a slot in the top. From wood made a block that would slide freely inside the tube. I anchored the chain to either side of the block using ring nails. A drive pin was put through the slot into the block. The servo and drive mechanism fitted onto a base plate which fits into the hull. Four s were fitted to deck and plastic straws used as guides. Effectively this works like the real thing.

5 years ago by Hillro

Blog

Forward mast and associated fittings

The mast is used for raising the ship signal lighting. These lantern were oil lamps and could be raised and lowered using a system and two guide ropes. I have used two guide ropes using brass wire. these are insulated from each other. Using wheat grain lamps fitted in brass lanterns soft soldered to the two guide rope allows them to be lit using 12volts from the battery. The mast footing is made from plasticard and fitted with belaying pins. The mast from a tapered wood dowel. The masthead brackets from brass sheet and ring pins. The rigging turn buckles from soft soldered brass tube and ring pins. Small blocks from spares box. Rigging cord used to secure the mast to the hull and to the bowsprit. The flag was added as an afterthought. I could have used LEDs but there is always the problem of dropping resistors and where to put them. The bulbs leads also could be hidden quite easily. Mast head lanterns purchased from Croppers Models

5 years ago by Hillro

Blog

Windlass Construction

This was put together using plasticard, brass wire and pins, heat shrink sleeving, wooden dowels, brass sheet. Cogs from a misc batch bought on EBay, etc. The s are the end of golf tees, a tip from model boat mag. It was quite a challenge considering the scale of it however the finished result I think looks quite effective. The scale is slightly larger than it should be, mainly because of my limited skills.

5 years ago by Hillro

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Having built (well, assembled really) i am currently building a small CNC router with 3D printed parts. See https://reprap.org/wiki/Cyclone_PCB_Factory. Currently redesigning to be driven by GT2 belts and s as I have some reservations about using 3D printed gears from the point of view of back-lash and wear. The stepper motors are driven from an Arduino Mega running the GRBL g-code interpreter. There are a host of free g-code generator tools to be found on the internet. Some of them are a bit "knife and fork" but there are some useful ones out there and there is lots of helpful information too.

5 years ago by Delboy

Forum

Kingfisher by Norstar upgrades

Ron, Nice looking setup. I see you have a belt drive, I like that. I have tryed to set one up but had some problems with the the belt slipping off. I was using a neoprene O ring and plastic s. Have you had any trouble with yours? Regards, Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Forum

servo

Great idea Steve, I was thinking on the same lines as that's how my dad's 22 ft fishing boat was controlled using cables in tubes with s in the corner and a forward steering wheel / helm in cuddy / cabin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Response

Emerald - ''Round the Word'' ocean racing yacht.

Main Sheet Modification: Yachts of this nature, would be fitted with a Traveller, which would be used to help shape the Main Sail. Also, the route of the main sheet, has a lot of twists and turns to get out of the cabin and up to the Boom. Plus, it has to pass through the tube and bend at its edge. The starting point of the control would be from the cockpit, especially if it is a Single Handed yacht. The ideal place for the traveller, would be on the roof of the cabin. To keep physical disruption to a minimum, I decided to use the original boom running gear s. The termination of the MainSheet would now be at the traveller on the cabin. 1. The cleat was removed from the cockpit, and the eye bolt was replaced by an S hook, screwed to the cockpit deck( see picture 1). 2. A hole was drilled in the cockpit, adjacent to the cabin hatch, and in a direct line with the main Sheet control system. This will allow the main Sheet to pass directly from the cleat. Through the assembly (withought going round the ), and straight aft to the cockpit. 3. A brass tube was glued into the hole, flush with the cockpit surface and extending inside, towards the mainsheet control system (see pictures 1 and 2). 4. The Traveller was formed from a length of brass rod, (approx 300mm long), formed to the same curve as the cabin roof. Slide the onto the rod so that it runs freely. Make a 90 degree bend at each end, the length of the traveller apart. These 2 legs will pass down into the cabin roof, leaving about 10 mm for the to run from end to end. Plus about 10mm at each end of the rod, which will be bent up against the inside of the roof and glued. (see picture 3 & 4). 5. Mark the cabin roof where the traveller is to be mounted. I chose to mount the traveller directly under the boom . I have made a revised sketch which is taken from the original plans for guidance. See picture 5. Note: make sure the is mounted on the rod between the two bends. 6. Drill the holes in the cabin, pass the ends of the rod through the holes. I put a 10mm piece of wood under the traveller rod, next to the hole. This allows you to hold it securely, while you bend the rod out, on the inside of the cabin. Apply plent of glue or resin to secure it. Do the same at the other end of the rod, and leave to set. With the cockpit removed, and the mainsheet control system in place, take the free end of the main sheet and pass it through the new hole in the cockpit. The cockpit can be secured by the 4 locking s. Now pass the mainsheet through the S hook and up to the boom. Adjust the S hook to suitable angle. When the yacht is rigged, the mainsheet is passed up to the end of the boom , along the boom, over the and down to the traveller . With the tx/ex active, pull the mainsheet right in, and the trim set right out (this allows for final tightening).Secure the mainsheet to the eye of the , ( I use a figure of 8 knot ). Now adjust the trim on the joystick to pull the main Sail tight. Finally, run the servo right out, and back in a few times, to make sure it works properly. Move the boat round so the wind cones from a different angle, and watch the traveller as the sail is pulled in and out. Now you are ready to sail. May your wake be long and straight. Ray 😎

6 years ago by East-RN

Forum

Fitting Propshafts

Mornin Ed, 1 to 1. Basically cos that's what I've got in those big nylon cogs. Want to use the nylon ones cos they are wide, so more freedom of movement aligning them, and they should be quieter than metal gears. Think they came from old printers! Bought a batch of assorted cogs and s at a flea market here years ago. Now they're coming in handy😊 Main purpose is to get the drive down to the propshaft which is mounted very low down in the hull as can be seen in the pics above 😲 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Spektrum, new, useless...

Hi Martin, First your last question😉 "What DO you do with a 3rd channel?" Example: 5 foot destroyer! 1 Throttle. 2 Rudder 3 Gun rotation, servo and s 4 Torpedo tube rotation, servo and s 5 Smoke switch, servo and microswitch (Smoke could be linked to the ESC to free this channel for the ASDIC pinger!) 6 Split into four functions (by misusing the gear down lever on my Graupner MC-10😉) for Whoop whoop, Fog horn, searchlights and signal lights, NAV lights. All switched via a home brew decoder / switch board and 5V relays! Alles klar? 😉 Re the DX5e; if I were you I'd let a (supposedly?) Spektum trained guy look at it first. With luck he'll have a service manual or at least a circuit diagram, which I don't 🤔 and should know the binding procedure backwards. I could only do some rudimentary tests without the circuit diagram, and make some educated guesses. I could at least try binding it with a variety of Rxs, including my Spektrun RXs which all work faultlessly with my DX6. Up to you, will PM my address anyway. I could at least check, with a simple RF meter, if the damn thing is transmitting at all! Just thought - if you're going to smash it anyway ........ 😉😁 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS: 4th attempt at the prop shaft for the cutter also failed 😡 She just does not want to get her bum wet!! Too long 'on the shelf' 🤔

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Charging NiMhs, one for Doug?...

Evenin' Martin, Just back from 'nosh' with Gisela, my camera girl in the vid! She's mean like that too, keeps me hoppin' about like the proverbial cat on the proverbial hot stuff 😡 Can't wait to see the rotating teddy👍 Put a couple of mini Cam lenses in his eyeballs and you'll get a terrific 360° First Person View from the driving seat😁 Re Sea Scout, I took your advice and did the hull in Royal Blue (no navy knickers!😆) or what passes for that here. Anyway I'm pleased how she turned out. OK, I admit I accidentally turned her into a Sport Fishing Boat😁 She's 24" what scale do you think that makes her? I'm looking for crew figures and stuff to fit out the cockpit but I'm not sure what size to look for. I thought maybe 1/20 i.e. a 40 footer? Waddya think? Re Kako; while recently trying (fruitlessly🤔) to make space in the workshop (got two renovations on the go in parallel - saves getting the same tools, rattle cans an' stuff out twice!😁) I ran across the original Kakos and Mabuchis I used in my scratch 53" H class destroyer Hotspur in 1966. She ran off a 4.5V EverReady flat (form not volts😁) battery until Granny took pity and bought me some 6V Lantern batteries! I ran 'em up on a power supply and they turned but now sound like mini football rattles! Think they need new big end shells 😁 Jeez, how many guys under pension age have ever been down to the bitza bazaar looking for 50 thou oversize bearing shells and compression and oil control rings?? Pics show her Sea trials in Radnor Park pond, Folkestone, Kent, summer 1966. Sorry about the quality, only had a Box Brownie 127 in those days and could only afford Gratispool free B/W films🤔 Pentax? Canon? Sony? Not to mention Digital? HD? Wassat? 50 years on I got all three😉 I like Lupins too, preferably the blue and purple ones. BTW, for your steering guy's arms you don't need a separate RC function or channel! You just need a coupling from the rudder control to turn a and cord which turns a suitably scaled attached to the wheel axis. The arms are fixed to the wheel and go with it! Dead simple (to write anyway😁) and no lecktrickery! 😊 OR you could just put one of his hands on the wheel and the other on the throttle. Then use a 'Y' cable to split the ESC cable into two. Connect the second output to a servo which moves the throttle lever via a push-me-pull-you-rod, s and cord or gears or whatever. Sure you can figure out the mechanics better than I. Whatever, have fun and don't electrocute yourself, keep your socks dry😉 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Steep angled rudder shafts

Bring it out like the old auto steering geared quadrant with the combined with or connected to a spur gear engaged with the teeth on the quadrant.Two small swiveling/self aligning s under the deck to allow both sides of the wires/cords to emerge through fairleads and take 2 turns round the .Make sure the s have deep grooves and close fitting shields or even totally enclosed to avoid the cord jumping off. The problem is keeping the gears engaged at the sharp angles involved.Perhaps some sort of flap hinge can be incorporated to allow the required movement

6 years ago by onetenor

Forum

Steep angled rudder shafts

Ron, there is nowhere near enough space for that and also the twisted arms would still move through a strange path. I have snakes, but they don't seem to work as well as the man suggested. So, I've ordered a universal joint in steel which fits a 4mm shaft. I will take a short bit of 4mm out of the top on which will be the arm I've made, but that will need a bearing (just thought of that as I typed) otherwise it will flop about all over the place. Damn! More space I haven't got. Looks like the idea might be the only way of working it, but getting access to those s would be very awkward. I have very little space back there. We're in the lazarette and that was bend double territory on the real boat. The only other way would be to actuate the tiller on deck, once again with s. I'm making the tiller currently. I may have to look into a deck operated system, with the line coming out of the middle of the deck and then via a on either bulwark. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Steep angled rudder shafts

Cables and (s) would likely be the way to go as per some full size systems. The cables running from servo arms out to Port and Starboard and running over s then down to stern and over two more s under the gunwales then to rudder arms. Using more s as required. The servo arms being set fore and aft and swivel s to change direction. I can't draw it on here but it is quite logical to follow. Good luck👍

6 years ago by onetenor

Forum

Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

Thanks hammer have used the heat shrink like that on a previous boat and i tend to use the grimb tubes for the nylon line. i did think of making the s but just couldn't get my self motivated to do it. i have my next project ready for starting and thinking will have to make everything for this one.

6 years ago by kmbcsecretary

Forum

Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

I think you're right Ron 🤔 only just barely visible - a good argument for NOT painting it black! 😉 Fully understand with the s - there are so many of them, would have done the same 👍 Keep up the good work, cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

Way to go man!!! At the risk of becoming monotonous 🤓 Brilliant woodwork and fittings 👍 Did you make the s yourself? Looks like stainless, if so Hat Off Sir 👍👍 PLEASE DON'T PAINT THAT LOVELY CLINKER BOAT!!😲 It would look Soooo good varnished to your usual standard, and I'm pretty sure from the photos of the original that only the canvas cover was blue. Surely the boat itself was varnished. More power to your rigging, Cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

HMS HOOD by Trumpeter

Even tastier with the Frankfurters, and Colemans Mustard I trust😜😋 Steve: I found a cheap way to mechanise the two aft turrets of my H class destroyer Hotspur, using one servo with a , a couple of smaller s on the turrets, about 2:1 ratio to give at least 180° rotation at the turrets, and a spring loaded nylon cord around the s. I'll see if I can dismantle her over the weekend to make some pics. I plan to try something similar with my 1:350 Hood, also Trumpeter and also excellent detailing. Another way is to use one micro servo per turret, connected with Y cables if you want a synchronised Broadside; A+B and X+Y turret. Then use the servo travel adjustment at the TX to maximise the rotation. You can then move all four on one channel or two channels for 'Independent Firing" fore and aft. I will use the two pots at the top of the Turnigy i6 TX for this. On Hotspur I used the left stick left/right. I plan to do this in my Graf Spee, Belfast, Hood and Bismarck. Maybe also the ack ack turrets on Ark Royal!? Will knock up some test jigs sometime 🤓 Cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Directory

(Other) Sidewinder

Another of my Foam hulled, own designs using an own design Azipod thruster with B/L motor submerged and running in water. Steering by sail winch servo via geared s, can rotate unit 360 degrees. Hope to put build write up in MB mag. Wierd model that turns in its own length and is powerful enough to clear the weeds on the pond (and break ice!) (Motor: Own Azipod Drive) (10/10)

6 years ago by ronrees

Forum

rotating radars off mast

Hi Seafarer, a few basic questions! Mast for what boat/ship? Dimensions / pic or sketch of the mast? Space for drive motors/gears/s etc? Hint: for the radar on my 1:72 destroyer I used an old servo; disconnected the feedback, and removed the mechanical end stops so it rotated continuously and drove it with a single 1.5V dry cell (alkaline), lasts for years😉 But in my case the scanner aerial sat on the director tower on the bridge, not on a mast, so simple direct drive coupled to the servo (hidden in the ridge) output shaft with shrink sleeve. Does a sweep in a little under one second. What type of radar are you trying to simulate? Cheers Doug 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

M.V. TEAKWOOD

The only remaining area requiring significant rework was the bow. Decided now to concentrate on getting the shape and dimensions correct. Made a template from a steel wire coat hangar, shaped to follow the Teakwood bow profile. Cut a mating recess in the upper bow and bulwark, fitted the template into it using CA glue. Once fitted and relatively rigid, cut a piece of styrene to fit into the space between the hull and the template. Epoxied the styrene into place at both the template and to original Velarde hull bow profile. This gave a nice looking bow from the side elevation, one that is also strong. Unfortunately, when viewed from the underside, the usual nice smooth water entry is not apparent. Had two ideas to attempt to blend the bow into the hull sides properly. The first was to cover this transition area with thin styrene and then feather it into the bow and the hull. The second was to use the modelers secret weapon, wood filler and do the same. After either approach planned to cover the whole area in thin glass-fibre cloth and sand down until smooth. Mocked up the styrene installation and decided to abandon the idea. The styrene makes the bow transition bulky, it also became quite clumsy around the upper area. Thought would try the wood filler approach instead. Shaped the rough filler with sand paper, it worked out relatively easily as it required little rubbing down. The modification worked out well and the bow looks satisfactory from both the side and underside. Decided also to replace the drive arrangement with a toothed belt system. Have never tried this before and, as a friend of mine had a selection of belts and s, thought would be useful experience to try it. One question perhaps somebody can help me with – what colour was the deck on this vessel? All my pictures showing the deck are in black and white!

7 years ago by Rowen

Response

Decks

👍 Don't forget the s at the end!

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Working radar

Hey guys!!! I'm looking on the web to find a way to build a working radar for my 1/32 Statia Relaint tug. I don't like the idea of feeding the radar movement from the bottom with a rod but rather with s or a micro motor with low rpm that would fit under the radar base. (Third photo to the right). By the way, the radar base will be aproximatly 3/4"-12/16" I know you guys have,the answer to any of our rookie questions. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

7 years ago by chugalone100

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Working radar

Hi Julian, don't know exactly how much room you have under the radar mount but I still think you will need a couple of s! Motor mounted out of sight underneath the mast - shaft running up the mast to #1 - #2 mounted at end of the boom underneath the the radar mount. Choose ratio of diameter 1 to 2 according to the space available and final rotation rate (RPM) you want. Strong rubber band to connect the two s. Didn't need this method for my destroyer radar cos it sat right on top of the Director Tower, but used the principle for gun turret rotation to connect two turrets together! 👍 One servo with extended rotation arc and two s. Cheers Doug 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

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Working radar

Dennis: Thank you for your feedback about the radars. I believe you have your s hidden under the pilots cabin. I have very little room for that type of set up, so I think the best way is to purchase the small motor that Doug recommended without any mayor wiggling. Show me some pictures, or I believe I have seen your set up in this forum. Thank you Julian😎

7 years ago by chugalone100

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Working radar

Hi Chugalone, Have a look at this, describes 3 solutions. #3 using two s is the best if you want to hide all the works, but more fiddly to build. Happy fiddling, Doug 😎 http://www.shipmodelers.com/uploads/3/2/2/2/3222171/workingradarformodelboats.pdf

7 years ago by RNinMunich

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Working radar

Hi chugalone100 It would appear you have already worked out that some sort of may be an option. Angled small gears may also work but there may not be the space available and you would probably need to make your own. I did buy from http://www.gizmoszone.com/ some very small (6mm) planetary geared motors that run on 3volts and are certainly suitable for your purpose via a system. Using 1.5 volts gave a very realistic speed. Using one of these motors should allow you to use two small s on the mast, where I suspect space will be limited. I would make sure you will always have access to the s and belts as they will almost certainly need servicing over time. Hope this helps and please post details of the setup. Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

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Sailing a straight line

I appreciate all the good ideas and suggestions. I'm going to work through the list in an order which I think will be easiest and/or most effective. Starting off with increasing the rudder size by mechanically attaching something grossly oversize. if that works, I'll reduce the size step by step to find out what's the minimum size that makes sense. The rudders at present are oversize compared to the plan of the original. One of my early fixes attempted was to attach a 1" deep brass plate about 20" long under the bottom centreline of the hull as an external keel. I considered that would make a big improvement, but it made no difference. Steering control has a servo rotating a toothed . The toothed drive belt goes around it and the two rudder s. The toothed belt ensures the rudders move and stay synchronized. Roy

8 years ago by Trillium

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Sailing a straight line

It's certainly not a silly thought, but it would be major rework. So if that were to be the only cure, I'd have to live with the present behaviour. The screws and the rudders have been moved forward of their correct scale position to place the rudder posts inside the walls of the passenger compartment. I considered it the least offensive compromise to give access to the rudder posts. Moving the rudder posts outboard to the screw centrelines would mean major rework to the walls and deck of the superstructure, as well as the hull. Even with the rudder posts in their adjusted position, they are close to the walls and there was not enough room to swing a rudder arm. Rudder control is arranged using toothed belts and s on the rudder posts.

8 years ago by Trillium

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electric v drive

Thanks pmdevlin,nice bit of engineering especially the motor cooler the belt drive would take a fair bit of power from the motor but you wouldn't have to disturb the propshaft alignment when changing motors or s, good photos thanks again. Steve.

8 years ago by Stour-boy

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electric v drive

Thanks Gents, I will put this project on hold for a while and think about the system whilst doing catchup on my other boats , when I think about it a V drive is not required with an electric motor ,but a parallel drive is a good idea as it puts the motor lower down and reduces the length of the drive and also gear ratios can be varied provided the s can be readily changed Have a good new year. Steve.

8 years ago by Stour-boy

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electric v drive

HI Steve You will be able to source what you want from Technobots http://www.technobotsonline.com/s-and-cams.html. They may not have the actual drive unit but certainly sell the s and cogs. They have a sale on at present so should help ease the cost. Dave 😀

8 years ago by Dave M

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s

Needed 3 small metal s. Turned a ali rod with a 1/16 packing piece between one jaw. When down far enough move the rod around 180 deg; turn down to same size, the result will be a perfect oval. Could have done the same with a 4 jaw chuck, but the packing is a lot quicker to setup. Next remove the packing, and cut a grove with a thin parting tool, move then part off. Centre spot for the 1mm holes, place packing in the grove so it doesn't squash. The problem is holding, (could have done it in 4 jaw) but solved as the photo. Not many chucks will hold a 1mm drill, so I have glued it in to a brass tube. Twist thin wire through the holes & form a hook one end & eye the other.

9 years ago by hammer

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robbe dusseldorf fire boat Wanted

MFA used to do nice Olympus 2:1 toothed belt drives, but no longer. I have a set in a Rother class, nice engine Sound. SHG models sell the belts and s, had thought of those. Also there was one on direct drive for sale on here, I asked what the motors were and got no reply. if I get it wrong I can reduce the speeds on my Spectrum transmitter to compensate.

9 years ago by Derek

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robbe dusseldorf fire boat Wanted

The fitting kit for the dusseldorf consists mainly of s, thread, tension springs and other bits and pieces to operate the monitors. Generally the forward monitor is operated seperately by two servos - one for rotation and the other for elevation. The rear two monitors on the cabin are arranged in the kit form to be operated in tandem by a further two servos. it then requires a 6 volt pump bought seperately or 12 if you use 12 volt electrics to feed all three units. I do have a Dusseldorf but have no intention of selling at present. You can fit quite a lot such as all lighting operating as in full size boat, radar scanner, scanning searchlight, towhook, dinghy crane, etc.,etc. Very unlikely that you would be able to find a fittings kit these days but if you can obtain a set of the plans there is sufficient detail from which to work out the servo layouts and sizes required.

9 years ago by jgs43

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Focus

I have a Dragon Force 65 which is similar, but uses s on the deck whereas I believe the Focus uses a winch below decks with fore and aft connections. Can't find an on line manual, but one appears to be supplied with the kit. I did find a YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyXCHtHOk3Q which may be of some help. This shows a servo winch with an enclosed drum with connections for fore and aft sheets. Have seen them in use at my local club and they appear to work but can sometimes jam if the sheets are not kept taught. This is a popular model and hopefully another member will be able to supply a copy of the manual or pics of their set up. Dave

9 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Focus

Can anyone help me the Winch servo on the Joysway Focus. I have got a Focus hull with Rudder and sail servo fitted. What I do not have Is any Instructions as to how to connect the two sails to the Winch servo. I have had a look on line and s are mentioned and continuous loop. Can anyone help.

9 years ago by randhbarker

Forum

Joysway Focus Help needed.

I have a Joysway Focus In bits. The problem I have Is that I do not know how to connect the two sails to the winch servo. I have done a little bit of research,s and the loop system has come up a lot but I can't find any diagrams to put me on the right track. Can anyone help.

9 years ago by randhbarker

Response

Velsheda

HI Nasraf, Brass is mostly from Cornwall Model Boats with a few parts direct from RB (Poland) and the last remaining s from Deans Marine. The 4 hand winches ate still being turned from brass stock and yet to be fitted. The gooseneck is hand-made from brass sheet and was about the most difficult thing as I do not have access to brazing equipment. I still need to make a kick strap as this gooseneck allows too much movement. Sails are made from a Hospital Cotton bed sheet. The mainsail is in 5 sections, each having a different curve top and bottom to attempt to get the correct billowing and twist. I was surprised at the reception issues and haven't yet ruled out a dodgy receiver (sourced on ebay!) I'll report back on the satellite receiver placement later in the week. We have a Night Sail on Wednesday so I can test my deck lights! Neil

10 years ago by NeilHodson