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    Response
    Holy SMOKE !! Video, Tin Can Madness
    Hi Joe, When you click on the Media File icon have you ever noticed the [Download] button in the top left corner of the media window!!?? 😲 Click on that and you are given the choice to Open or Download the file πŸ˜‰ BTW: to answer your question above - No scale railway at all! I intend to use the loco smokers in RC conversions of 1/350 scale plastic navy ships, such as; HMSs Ark Royal, Colossus, King George Fifth, Prince of Wales, Exeter, and KMSs Bismarck and Graf Zeppelin. As well as RMS Titanic and my 1/128 HMS Belfast and Graf Spee. Two more perhaps for my Southampton tug. Have used them in the dim and distant past for my 1/72 scale RN destroyer. Built a little RC pulse decoder using CMOS chips followed by a transistor driver to switch a relay supplying the smoker coil. See pics of self etched decoder board. The other three outputs are for various lighting effects and destroyer 'Whoop whoop'
    siren
    . 30 years old now and still going 😊 The smokers work pretty well just using the capillary action of the thin glass feeder tubes. So no wick to come into contact with a a hot wire coil 😊 They were mounted on a bridge across the cap of a large spray can which I used as the oil tank. Exhaust used the chimney effect of a 10mm alu tube running up the funnel. I'm also still pondering how to turn the usual white steam/smoke black! Cheers, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    Krick Police Launch
    Hi nice to see your build, I built a Krick police boat about 18 to 20 month ago and it is my favourite boat to sailI have a 550 motor in it and although it was very fast I experimented with props and I am down to a rough scale speed. The only other mods are I fitted spray rails on the chine and I used a longer propshaft and reversed the position of the motor and batteries, it sits in the water at just the right level with no ballast and planes beautifully. I bought a couple of 5mm. 9v. led's and used one along with a
    siren
    kit from the now defunct Maplins. Happy sailing😁
    6 years ago by TheBlacksmith
    Forum
    Council madness...
    We need to show these jobsworths and nimbies that they don't rule the roost. Go sail your boat- but I suggest without the
    siren
    !
    6 years ago by commodore
    Response
    WSP 9
    A very tidy build, I am building a styrene model 60cm long for fun racing as it is a police boat what about a
    siren
    / sound effects too!
    6 years ago by CB90
    Forum
    Footy
    Well the measurements are close to the
    siren
    , which is a USA design. Weight should be about 480 grams of which 200 grams are ballast. I use domestic scales but the kitchen may have a suitable type provided permission can be obtained. You could just rest the keel on the scales with the boat on its side to get an indication. The rudder is clearly a mod and may not be in the original designed position. On such a short length boat this may be relatively critical. Can you see if there are any marks on the hull suggesting a previous fitting? Are the sails the original that came with the model?
    6 years ago by Dave M
    Forum
    Footy
    Ok Is the weight and dimension the same as the
    siren
    or 507? Looking at the rudder this looks like an after fit and does seem to be differently mounted (more vertical) than those on the website. The keel looks flat on the bottom. Has it been chopped in half? This would make the model very sensitive, especially in a gust. I'll wait for your response before adding more thoughts.
    6 years ago by Dave M
    Response
    RSS P71 Sovereignty
    Many thanks for the Turnigy tipπŸ‘ much cheaper than the 20 quid Action /Component Shop version πŸ˜‰ I hated wasting channels, and multi-channel sets were horrendously expensive😑 so many many πŸ€” moons ago I made my own 4 function switch decoder for my destroyer, home made PCB, a few 5V CMOS chips, driver transistors and 5V 5Amp relay outputs. Pics 1, 2 & 3. Gave 4 functions Nav lights, Signal Lamps flashing, Whoop Whoop
    siren
    , and smoke unit from one proportional channel. Still seems to work 30 years later!😊 Around the same time I added a winch for the crane on the stern deck and also made a home cooked PCB with a simple forwards / backwards motor driver; again CMOS chips, driver TRs and relays. Pics 4 & 5. Pulled in well but there was no free-run mode on the winch so it needed something like a tin o' beans on the hook to run it out πŸ€” . Lovely smelly etching for the PCBs πŸ˜† Ferrous oxide!? Or was it ferric chloride? Never did like chemistry, I was a physics man. But it worked😊 Most of the bits were sort of 'lying around' at workπŸ˜‰ BTW: if anyone needs CMOS or 7400 series TTL chips I still have pretty good stock! Nowadays it's all plug n play and such things are miniaturising so fast one day they'll disappear up there own whatsits! Back then half the fun was doing it yourself and squeezing the utmost out of a 2 or 4 channel radio. Happy days? πŸ€” Cheers Doug (AKA Rambling Man😁)
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Hobby Engine Richardson Upgrade
    Hi Neil, I know the feeling, but Gently Bentley! πŸ˜‰ What do you want your sound system to do? there are simple single sound boards e.g for motor sound; diesel, petrol, steam in various types,
    siren
    s - operated by a simple servo/micro switch/relay system or full blown programmable modules where you can load your own .WAV format sounds. There are thousands on the electronic spider web! Several years ago I built a CMOS driven relay board so I could operate four functions from one proportional channel: destroyer
    siren
    (Whoop Whoop!), smoke, lights, fog horn. Was a home made PCB about 4" square! Nowadays one mini module will do all that and much more; Plug and Play, plus you can load your own sound files from the PC, but is that so satisfying?? Another debateπŸ˜‰ Cheers Doug 😎 PS for some inspiration have a look at the Component Shop site under Action Electronics; sound! I've just bought the Asdic sound board for my destroyer; test report follows. πŸ˜‰
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    And now it is ESC time
    Hi Dave, absolutely clear! You and I seem to have the same Web Adviser πŸ‘ With the sub that's just research at the moment! it needs renovating just to run as dynamic, not used for 10 years. Needs new accus and then re-trimming for the different weight! So, spurred on by WestquayπŸ‘; I have moved the renovation of Dad's old Sea Scout up the priority list. Took her down of the shelf day before yesterday after 25 years or so and removed all the junk. See attached photos. Junk was used for experiments with
    siren
    , water pump, lights etc. Photo 1 'Off the Shelf', photo 2 'Junk Removed', photo 3 'The Junk!', #4 Stern and cockpit 'Off the Shelf'. Old DIN audio socket is for charging the RX accu. The hole was for a screw in telescopic antenna, borrowed from an old TX! Not very aesthetic but Quick and Dirty for trying things out. The 'odd thing' sticking out the transom is just a dummy exhaust hiding the bolt I put in to fix the antenna bracket inside. Needs must .... I have also started cleaning up the old Taycol Target and will put that back in instead of the Decaperm. Taycol will be adapted to run on a modern ESC with reverse; using the bridge diode method. Have been thinking of a Blog for the renovation of the Old Lady (the boat not the other half!!!πŸ˜‰)! So U26 will have to wait for more than just an interim refit. The SLEP comes much later! Not much room for diving gear, hull was carved out of 4 thick planks glued together with a big slot in the middle for equipment! Will be a challenge!!!!!!!! Cheers 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Using old motors
    Wow! A real collector πŸ‘ Now that I have a Watt-meter I shall run some tests on my Target (after restoration!), test the reversing circuit and put it back in my Sea Scout where it belongs. The Sea Scout looks a bit sad after 25 years on the shelf. πŸ€” She also has the commonly reported problem of de-lamination on the transom, also the Cabin roof curls at the edges. Any tips how to repair and cure this are very welcome. I'm thinking of stripping and varnishing her. What do you recommend? The grey lump half hidden in the cockpit is a
    siren
    , the servo with 2 micro switches is for this and the nav lights. Second servo is to swivel a water jet nozzle, pump is the black conglomerate at the rear of the engine compartment. A horrible piston pump but it worked,enough to surprise small boys who got too close πŸ˜‰ Rudder servo on it's side, like everyone else has had to do. Current motor Decaperm, performance Sedate πŸ€” Cheers 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    dusseldorf fireboat
    I believe only one pump was used in the Robbe kit, but I never used it. So I went ahead and used three car screen pumps from Halfords. Then I went ahead & designed electronic circuits so that I could select any one, any two or all three monitors which worked well. I did away with the Vertical motion Servo's, the cords kept snapping. I used a F14 transmitter with 8 Channels. The only sound unit used was for a
    siren
    complete with flashing blue lamp. Lights and Radar are activated by switches before sailing. No working Anchor, and last year I installed brushless motors which improved motion.
    9 years ago by Ronboy
    Media
    Police Launch 1.12 Scale
    Police (Scotland) 1.12 scale. made from a Semi-Kit by Models by Design, built 2014. This is modelled from the interceptor42 range by Safehaven Marine. This is my first full build of a model, having only done restorations previously. Model length is some 42 inch, beam of 12 inch. (106cm x 31cm) Power is by twin E-Max BL2826 Brushless motors and 1, 80amp speed controller running on 2 NiMH 7.2 volts. Fitted with Action electronics Police
    siren
    , and with detailed rotating blue lights and searchlights. I sail this at Cold Knap Lake Barry Vale of Glamorgan, and I am the Founding member of the Vale Of Glamorgan Model Boat Club. Also included is my Portland Pilot interceptor 42 which was the original prototype from Models by Design which I purchased and added lighting etc, this runs on Brushless motor running on 12Volt lead acid. Visit our website at http://vgmbc.org/
    9 years ago by SkipperVGMBC
    Response
    VOSPER PERKASA 49 INCH KIT
    HI Les You should not discharge LiPos below 3.3volts per cell. at best you will Irrepearably damage the battery if you allow this to happen and at worst the battery will become unstable and be at risk of explosion. The charger should have a small plug in addition to the main connector. This is to allow for balanced charging, again to protect the cells from overcharge. Your ESC should allow you to set a cut off voltage (16.5v in your case) and reducing this may result in one or more cells dropping below 3.3 volts. Some ESCs allow you to set a reduced output when the battery voltage is too low, giving you time to bring the model to the bank. I use a two way system that advises me of the individual cell voltages whilst on the water so I can avoid stopping in the middle of the lake. There are also some cheap add on devices that flash lights and sound a
    siren
    to advise low voltage. A damaged LiPo often shows bulging of the soft plastic covering. Dave
    9 years ago by Dave M
    Blog
    Vosper 1/16th scale crash tender
    Hull now waterproofed with fibreglass cloth and Z-poxy finishing resin. Deck waterproofed using sanding sealer and lightweight tissue. With the various hatches and net rails in place, the wooden structure is complete except for the window frames which will be added after painting. As suspected, the battery has had to be moved forward for the boat to float on the water line. Next step will be to complete the plumbing and electrics to see if it all works. I hope to add a working
    siren
    which may be fitted where the battery was originally located. A working search light and running lights are also on the wish list. Happy Christmas to all 😊
    9 years ago by JeremyBB
    Response
    Vosper 1/16th scale crash tender
    HI Alan Thanks 😊 . No hurry for the measurements but they would be useful when you have a moment. I will take a look at the Action
    siren
    . Jeremy
    9 years ago by JeremyBB
    Response
    Vosper 1/16th scale crash tender
    You don't get away with an easy paint 😁 the black goes down to the white water line, try to work it so that you are painting the white line on top of the red paint and not the black. I am away now until Tuesday, I can give you measurements off my boat on Tuesday if that is any help. I have an Action
    siren
    in my boat. Don't care if they had one or not 😁 (a quick flick of the switch gives you a horn Alan
    9 years ago by AlanP
    Directory
    (Tug Boat) Lulonga quarterwheeler
    Scratchbuilt,plywood, balsa, PSH/two ESC,two el motors GM37 - 150 (snail instruments)two independent paddlewheels 140 mm dia,steam engine sound module, fog horn module,el. device
    siren
    12V, Tx/Rx six-channel HKT6X 2,4 GHz. (Motor: 12V geared 150 rpm) (ESC: DSYS 28 DCRS) (5/10)
    10 years ago by tomarack
    Directory
    (Life Boat) Douglas Currie
    A model of the Solent Lifeboat Douglas Currie to 1/12 scale. Fully operational
    siren
    , radar scanner,windscreen wipers lights etc. scratch built wooden hull and wooden superstructure. Hull coated with fiberglass gel to make waterproof. Most of the fittings are also handmade. Stanchions and hand rails all handmade. (Motor: Ford Cortina Fan Motors) (ESC: Home made) (8/10)
    10 years ago by MAXTON
    Forum
    Rivets
    Hi! Des hope you find these useful. Note the window detail with RIVETS done with a hypodermic needle and syringe filled with PVA adhesive, easy peasy. The windscreen wiper, radar scanner a lights and
    siren
    all worked. Cheers Max
    10 years ago by MAXTON
    Media
    Scratchbuilt RAF FIRE Boat
    Single 550 Brushed Motor and Reversible ESC, 2S LiPo, 2.4GHz Radio System, Turnigy Blue Prop, 2 x 9G servos for rudder and lights. Functional Nav Lights and wailing
    siren
    . OA Length 690 mm, Beam 180 mm, AUW 1656 grams.
    11 years ago by veecee27
    Media
    Wannabe Police Launch
    My own design deep "V" hull with upper-works loosely to 1:15 scale replica of the Mitchell 31 boats previously used by various Hampshire constabularies in and around the Solent. The intention is to fit this model with a working, rotating, radar scanner using the servo motor and gearbox from an old video camera lens system; working lights including flashing blue police lights and a sound-alike "wee-wah"
    siren
    - just for the hell of it (and because I can)! Technical details: Hull length: 867mm. Construction: GRP layup with 1.5 and 3mm ply and balsa deck, cabin etc. Motor: MFA Torpedo 850. Propeller: X50mm plastic. Battery: 2 x three cell LiPo pack in parallel. Speed controller: Mtroniks Viper 25Amp. Radio: Hobby King 2.4GHz.
    11 years ago by Robin Stobbs
    Media
    USCG 52' MLB Triumph
    This model was scratch built from US Coast Guard plans. The boat is constructed of balsa wood and the hull coated with fiberglass resin. All the deck gear is scratchbuilt from brass, the propellers, led's and figures are the only commercial parts. Scaled at 3/4=1 foot the model measures 42 inches in length. It's powered by a Pittman 12 volt motor and controlled by a 4 channel radio. Working features are running and spot light,
    siren
    with flashing blue light, sweeping radar antenna and deck lights. Built in 1985 the model the lifeboat is accurate in appearence for that time period.(The prototype has been modified since). The actual lifeboat is attached the the Coast Guard's Motor Lifeboat School at Cape Disappointment and is one of four boats of this class.
    11 years ago by rustypiston
    Response
    Mersey 12-26 Moira Barrie
    The basic syatem consists of: 1/ sound module. 2/Amplifier 3/ Speaker. from this you can get the basis engine sound system up and running, linked in via the reciever, it senses the motor esc pickup and alters the engine note accordingly. You can also power the system from a seperate battery [pack, so it does not affect your drive battery/s. Ansd you can also add a on/off switch, so you dont have to run it permanently, unlike the mtroniks version, which, once linked in, runs constantly. You can also "add" a switcher unit, which then opens up thr "other sounds" within the module, giving you horn/fog horn/ships bell, telephone/
    siren
    etc . you can also "add on" the "cd rom and link cable, so you can change the sound played within the module and swap from a wide range of engine sound packages supplied with the disc, plus you can "fine tune" the switcher unit to the specific horns/sounds you wish to operate via the joystick. It is well worth the money, you will not be dissappointed. yes, ok mtroniks is a mere 60 quid, this system , "all up" is near on 200, but id buy another one tomorrow if I need too. if l;istening to this video clip is not quite enough, id suggest you visit one of the model boat trade shows and see and listen to one "live" on the Action stand", then try walking away empty handed [ha ha]. Best of luck with whichever system you choose.
    12 years ago by Gregg
    Forum
    34'' fireboat restoration
    HI All would just like to say that Jon is the genius behind the fire monitors, power, and wiring, I am sure he would help others if he can. As to the colour we tried to bring it up to date as with some of the equipment as it has flashing blue lights,
    siren
    , also working monitors, surchlight, nav lights, etc however I did not have chancce to see the paint for the deck dry to see the finished look so things may change , there seems to be as many coloue scheams as there are boats. Kev
    12 years ago by surreykev
    Forum
    FIREBOATS #4
    The hull and superstructure Is homemade to represent a 1/16th US Navy Swift. I changed scale to 1/24th. Model has pump, and three working monitors. Tower rises and lowers by aircraft servo. Lights,
    siren
    , and spinning radar. Controled by ACE 5 channel, two seperate speed controls. Painted yellow and green for Fort Lauderdale Fire Department. 38 Inches long.
    13 years ago by chuckgeo1
    Forum
    FIREBOAT #2
    Robbe hull (altered), with fiberglass superstructure. Tower elevates, turns, and extends. Pump with two working fire monitors. Lights,
    siren
    , and voice sound system. Futaba converted to fifteen channel, with on-board computer. Bow thruster, and dual 700 power. 1/24th scale, and 48 Inches In length. Painted In Fort Lauderdale Fire Department colors.
    13 years ago by chuckgeo1
    Media
    Hovermarine HM218 built by James Ramsey
    This is a model of a sidewall hovercraft fire and rescue boat (Hovermarine HM218) built by James Ramsey. This started its life as a broken hand vacuum cleaner. Opened up there are two squirrel cage fans. He obtained pictures, sale data, amd small GA drawings from a Hovercraft Museum and was able to scratch build. It has twin motors operated through mixer and two ESCs, steerable fire monitors plus nav lights, deck lights, flasher, fire pump,
    siren
    , rear mast lights and serch lights operated from the transmitter via a Digiserv unit.
    16 years ago by No Account


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