Forum

powered winches for pusher tug.

I wanted to be able to attach a barge to the bow pusher posts of my Egrete Pusher tug. BUT did not want to simply use a couple of bits of elasticated rope, would not really look "right" or would be prone to failure. So after a bit of searching around I found a nice little geared motor set/kit In Maplins, think It was only A£9.99 or less, I know Is wasn't much. Anyway, It was possible to swap teh gears about a bit till I got the speed of the winch drum to a nice slow pace, so not to grab at the winch cables too quickly and cause problems. The motor assembly comes with Its own mounting plate, so nice and easy to mount Inside the winch house of the pusher tug, the cables ran through the actual cable pipes through the forward bulkhead. All I had to do was make sure that the actual "tow posts" on the barge were bonded deep In to the hull of the barge, to take the load, especially when turning. The motor operates on 3v so I just used a maplins twin AA battery pack, and wired up a couple of micro switches on top of a normal servo. So by using one channel of the , I now had "in/out" control over the winch via one of the joysticks.

12 years ago by Gregg

Blog

Winch Linkage

For the linkage system I used 8mm x 1mm brass sheet, the first piece from the servo I tapped a M2 hole at servo end with a flat washer between the servo this is then adjusted for free movement and secured with a lock nut. Second angle piece had both holes tapped M2 and again fitted with flat washer and fastened with locknut. The pivot piece I soldered a brass tube in centre as seen in photo also had to add spacer pillar of 10 mm to get correct height as a straight pull on pillar is required so no twist on pivot as with the magnet pull there is a lot of strain hence the reason for upgrading from micro servo to 3kg servo. This is fitted with thick washer and nyloc nut to allow free movement but not sloppy. The final part of the linkage is the most critical this is 2mm brass rod with a long thread for adjustment and ease of fitting, other end is 6mm dia x 2mm thick brass disc also tapped M2 and screwed onto the rod then soldered for for security. Next the two brass pillars one drilled for the rod the other solid both have 1mm shoulders and tapped M2 with the link approx 12mm between centres (may change according to servo movement) on top to move freely on pillars. The hole going through the motor mounting for the rod also tapped M2 with locknuts either side to keep secure. This must be exactly below the centre of the motor shaft to ensure a straight pull from the magnet drum. The operation of servo. When magnet is against chain drum and servo in neutral position inside pillar should be resting against disc on the rod. When servo moves to down position it should pull the the magnet totally free from the chain drum and allow the it to revolve freely the motor at this stage will also turn but if servo is fully over should not affect the free fall. When the servo is returned to neutral position the outside pillar will tap the disc on the rod and the magnet pull draws the magnet drum back home. Now when the servo goes to the raised position the linkage slides along but does not press on disc and the motor will be raising the anchor. Bother motor and servo are connected to same receiver plug. The speed controller allows inching of the anchor as it comes home. Adjusting servo movement on is not advisable as it will effect motor speed. Best to adjust linkage to get correct. Hope this is all clear any queries with this just ask and I will try to help. Elsrickle

4 years ago by Elsrickle

Forum

Aerials & Pacemakers

Years ago we had a strange incident at our club water in Johannesburg - a friend Neville was trying to adjust a valve on his steam boat and was leaning over it trying for the right position - giving short blips on his to check . The aerial was pointing outside the fenced off club circle. An elderly spectator was leaning over the fence to try and see what was going on - with the aerial tip close to his chest . All of a sudden the spectator leapt about as if he had St Vitus dance - nearly falling over in the process ......... Turned out he had a pacemaker fitted and it had gone berserk as Neville blipped the - if he had been holding it on the spectator might well have had a heart attack and died. Fortunately he recovered quickly and saw the funny side of it..........One of those people who are able to laugh at themselves. If I remember correctly his comment was "serves me right for sticking my nose in ". Wonder if 2.4ghz would do the same ? we were all using 27mhz at the time.........

5 years ago by redpmg

Forum

WEE NIP

Sunday afternoon session with the Nips. Only five there today but still enough to have a bit of a run. Temp. about 38c with gusty winds of up to 20kph. My boat (green with purple sails) had a few issues with the breeze but I managed to get some photos after handing the over to another person. Two of the boats have the florist wrapping sails, mine and the other green one, with the other three having the white mylar. All boats in our club bar one have the lunchbox type hatches which do a great job with the only drawback finding another if one is lost. Apparently there has been a design change in that particular lid. As you can see from the photos, close racing with a bit of carnage was the name of the day.

5 years ago by peterd

Forum

I've not died.

Cheers Doug, mum's shed is still waiting for me to deliver it. Wasn't able to drive with the visual problems. Tried a short trip today to the shop 3mls and back and seems okay. Workshop is the next thing, BTW, I have given up on my old Futaba 35mhz s with the 2.4ghz modules. And I have bought 2 cheap flysky 2.4ghz sets, one 6 channel to try and get my Westerriff up and running. And a 4 channel for my dad's old Sea Commander. Both units cost me £38.00 including delivery. I will let you know how I get on. Bye for now, must read more of what's happening. Cheers Colin

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Age of steam

Mate, I like your oscillating engine and your great video. I have been steaming for eons and am fascinated at the steam pressure gauge at the start registering pressure , though I cannot read the actual pressure gauge numbers and what seems a lot of condensate ( so what ) and after a short while the pressure gauge drops to near zero or thereabouts and stays there for the full run and yet your water gauge glass is so very FULL ( yippee) , such a good pump till it, the glass water gauge eventually shows it has not too much reservoiur water left for the run and the pressure gauge STILL shows near zero to indicate the end of the run , do you have a faulty pressure gauge ? Maybe the Mamoli tube should be inverted to the pressure gauge as you may have it filled with water? I do not know. On another matter, my club Webb identity picture shows my model 56 inch Cervia steam engined Tug which I replaced the Stuart 10 to the Stuart twin 5/8 bore and stroke same as yours ? I think, which may be their still selling 11mm or so bore and stroke (me, still imperial and not modern ). My little twin pushes the Cervia displacement 44lbs hull like a rocket , such power. In my latest model build I am struggling with a 46 inch long hull with a Stuart 10 twin AND it is the Kitchen rudder ( that is the struggle) which I have done several times. My mate who is "radio modern" says he will fix/train my 2.4 ghz on his computer my two rudder cup servos to do "mixing " like Ailerons to impart opposite throws so that the Kitchen cups will then turn such that "I have left and right rudder" in addition to normal opening and closing of the Kitchen rudder cups. I was not to impressed with the threaded screw tiller and the triangular wings mine is ALL brass to impart strength, as you have ALL on a base that imparts steering .I just found I lacked hull room for a swivelling base in my needing a beefy apparatus, as it weighs about 20 to 26 pounds at a guess, so far a lot of finishing still needed ,I love to build big, such is . Though I got off the track, your thoughts on the pressure gauge may be revealing to me ! Regards Lyle.

5 years ago by Lyle

Response

Re: Gato Ballast Tank Test

Hi Pete, Thanks for your PM. I'll get back to you on that. Some thoughts! (Doh my 'ead 'urts🤕) The Solenoid Valve. Suspect number 1! 1 Tested a few of my solenoids and electro magnets from a batch picked up for a song at a local flea market. (Felt a bit of a twit doin' a song and dance routine in the middle of the market🤔, but it worked😁) Sooo, the solenoid doesn't care about the polarity of the supply volts, as was already beginning to dawn on me. As soon as the current flows in the coil (either way) the magnetic field is there and drags the core in on mine. 2 I note that your valve has input and output at right angles Pete.Which end is the tank connected to? If, as I suspect, it is connected to the side tube it may be that the back pressure from the tank is jamming the valve against the opposite side. That, combined with probable reduced voltage from the ESC in reverse (Suspect number 2!) AND the 1.4V drop of the bridge rectifier (2x0.7V of the diodes, Suspect number 3) means the solenoid coil is not getting enough current to create a strong enough field to overcome the friction of the side pressure. Solution? 1 Pt 1 tells us we can dispense with the rectifier. 2 Then connect the tank to the pipe which is in line with the solenoid, thus eliminating the side pressure on the valve plunger. If back pressure from the tank then causes the valve to open / weep then the valve return springs are not man enough for the job. 😭 As mentioned above, it could also be that you pumped in more water than you actually need, thus creating unnecessarily high pressure in the tank. That's what I meant about unrealistic test conditions. You might be chasing a Ghost Pete 😮 3 Check ESC programming possibilities to see if the reverse voltage can be increased, to 100% if possible. 4 Most s these days have a 'servo travel' function, up to 150% independently at both ends. Maybe (if available on your TX Pete) that could be used to increase the reverse voltage when applied to the ESC channel? If nun o that woiks then, as Grandad (a master carpenter and cabinet maker) liked to say- "If all else fails .... use bloody great nails!" 😁 And Change valve! I'll PM or mail you on the two valve version Pete. G'night all, Doug 😎😴💤💤

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Fitting sub decks and Sea Trials

The fore sub-deck is glued onto the bulkhead assembly, prior to fixing it into the hull. This is a straightforward operation, but some sanding of the sub deck is needed, particularly around the bow. With short strips of square balsa glued onto the hull sides between the deck beams, to support the edges of the foredeck, the whole unit was again dry fitted. Happy with the dry fit and armed with various clamps and clothes pegs, I glued the assembly into place. (Once again, apologies for the lack of photos as I did this before deciding on doing the blog). Before fitting the aft sub-deck, I cut out an opening to get to the tiller if necessary. The opening will be disguised later in the build. Sea Trials. I decided on lead acid batteries, as the weight would go a long way towards ballasting - she sits very low in the water. Jotika advised 60mm 4 bladed props, which were duly fitted. As I have already said, I use a Taranis radio and this has the advantage of being able to set up a differential drive between the motors and rudder in the . As you can see on the video, she turns in her own length. You will also see from the video the 'deck cargo', or cardboard box full of the white metal fittings. This gave me a better idea of how much more ballast I would require for the finished model. I did have a scary moment when the 'deck cargo' shifted and she took on an alarming list to port! I thought I would be a contender for the 'Titanic Award', presented annually by our club for the best sinking. However, with nerves of steel, I navigated her safely back to the slipway. I was most pleased with the way she handled and moved through the water. The motors and props supply more than enough power and she will require very little more ballasting.

5 years ago by cormorant

Forum

HMT Resolve by Caldercraft

Hi Martin Yes, it does, thank you. I can adjust the speed of the servos on the . I will ,et you know how I get on. Steve

5 years ago by cormorant

Forum

Gifted

Hi y’all. Last Wednesday was our monthly “club meeting” for the North Texas Shipwrights. It’s held in a members home. Larry is retired, has been in modeling since..well, forever. He has a lot of models and kits..enough to fill the upper story of his house! AND, his wife is okay with that! Anyway, Larry loves to horse trade. He’s also fairly generous. If he has something he doesn’t need, will never use and he doesn’t feel like trying to sell it, he’ll give it to a friend. That’s how JP and I both recurved Futaba FC16s! Mine has the twin throttle installed, and one more upper switch module than JPs, but they’re the same . It’s 40mhz, illegal here, but I’ll install a 2.4 Frsky DHT module and go from there.

5 years ago by Cashrc

Forum

Analog or Digital

I am seeking some advice please. I am going to purchase some small servos to run my Gato Submarine. I have a 40MHz , a Hitec Optic 6, so that I can receive under water. My problem is though, Analog or Digital servos. My questions are, will both work with this on 40MHz; What are the advantages of Digital over Analog or vise versa; Does the receiver have anything to do with the choice. Thanks. Peter.

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Mtronics ESC's

My boat is powered by two 540 brushed motors running on 12v, each with an Mtronics viper marine 20 esc. Having switched on the , I switched on the port esc. The motor revved very quickly and smoke billowed out of the boat. I pulled the plugs and through the the smoke screen burnt my fingers on a melting esc. The negative power lead had been pushed out. Any thoughts gentlemen? ⚡⚡

5 years ago by cormorant

Forum

Fast attack craft

".....it seemed to generalise without mentioning the the decisive parameters involved, including cost difference!..." Um. Tricky to cover everything, in a 4 sentence comment! There seems to be a grave shortage of balanced advice in all aspects of modern life - though no shortage of advice per se at all! In a field where technological change is proceeding it is even harder to gather a useful view. Comparisons which were true one year are incorrect the next, and I suggest that it would be very useful to update any advice on the board which covers batteries.... Luckily there is one reasonably independent place we can go for a balanced view - the market. Although it is not perfectly unbiased, we can deduce that if some battery technologies are surviving in that marketplace there must be a demand for them, and hence that these technologies are likely to be the best available ones for some specific task. We only need to determine what that is. As a quick example, if you look at a major UK battery supplier to the model hobby - Component Shop - you will find available: NiMH - both standard and low self-discharge LiPo LiFe Lead Acid (sealed) Alkaline (probably Manganese) Silver Oxide All of these will be the 'best choice' for some application. Our interest is probably mainly with the first four. There are many battery features to take into account. The energy capacity that the battery contains is one common figure, usually measured in amp-hours, but most people do not realise that that is only correct for a particular delivery rate. To make a motor go fast you need a battery with a high current delivery rate - able to put out a lot of amps over a short time. Dry batteries, for instance, do not usually have a high delivery rate - hence the poor performance available to us in the 1960s! My top-of-my-head generalisations are below, though I am sure exceptions can be found in all cases! 'Robust' refers to a mix of physical strength and resistance to misuse, such as over-charging or excessive drain. I will try to use the words 'capacity' for the amount of energy stored in a battery, and 'delivery' for the maximum rate at which that energy can be released... SLA Very robust. Cheapest for high amp-hour capacity at 6 and 12V. Can do high delivery as well, Very heavy. Use for displacement boats, where the ballast weight is a positive benefit. Can do heavy discharge as well, but many small SLAs are designed for emergency equipment use, and expect to support a light discharge over 10-20 hours. NiMH Fairly robust. Quite cheap for medium amp-hour delivery, and reasonable capacity. Low self-discharge costs are dropping and that technology seems to be expanding in the market, though they tend to be low amp delivery types. Some types can compete with Lipos for high amp delivery in the 30-40A range. Fairly heavy. Make sure that you buy a high-delivery type if that's what you need for motors. Low self-discharge types are good for emergency flashlights and RC /receivers... LiPo - Less robust. Best current choice for high amp delivery with low weight. Only readily-available type offering current delivery in the 100+ Amps range. Light, and available in very small sizes. More expensive than NiMH, high capacity very much more, and you need a special charger, though these can be quite cheap nowadays. You should really be using a charger optimised to your battery type anyway. Remember that each LiPo cell is 3-4V, not 1.2V... LiFE - Similar to LiPo, but more robust. Slightly lower voltage, but very flat volt delivery. Typical current delivery in the 30A range rather than 100+. More expensive than LiPo at the moment, but may displace them eventually. LiPos are essential if you are using a very high consumption motor - perhaps a racing boat? But when using such currents you usually require cooling systems and quite a specialist drive train. Brushless motors can take high currents, so LiPos are often associated with them, but you can use any battery with any motor if you want - just so long at it delivers the amps! There is no reason why you should not use brushless with SLAs, or LiPos on a low-drain application - though a LiPo may be more expensive than you need for that... NiMH are perfectly capable of making a boat plane - IF you ensure that the max amp delivery is adequate. You can, for instance, buy NiMh batteries designed for wireless phones with max output 500mA or less - these will disappoint you if you try to use them for motor power! A handy rule of thumb for estimating optimum battery discharge is to look at the capacity in Amp-hours. A low-drain battery is probably designed to put that out over 20 hours, so divide the Ah by 20 to get an estimate of optimum current draw. A high-drain battery is usually designed to output over 1 hour - so divide the Ah by 1 to get optimum amps. That's only a generality, of course, and the battery spec sheet is the definitive place to look... "...more likely that HE had shares in a LiPo company to be able to afford them back then..." When it comes to electrical equipment I do have connections. 😊 If you think LiPos were expensive in the 2000s, you should try buying NiCad pen cells in the 1960s. Probably the most unusual battery I have used was a pack of saline/manganese oxide cells from ex-RAF life jackets, where the battery was open to the water underneath the boat and you could speed it up by scattering salt in front of it....

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Mtronics ESC's

I think I saw a post on RCgrroups about the Mtroniks, IIRC the poster states that they were very good, but their posted limits are absolute. Any high amp draw or over voltage and they would fail, stay under the limits you’re good. And, it might be very possible that you got a bad one, or Mtroniks just had a bad batch leave the factory. The Hobbywing Quicruns are great, I have 3 of them, never a problem, and you can set the parameters of brake, no brake, lipo or nimh with jumpers instead of doing the throttle stick 2-step. I have some Turnigy Plush brushless escs that I use if I don’t need want reverse, and I bought a program card to suit. Beats the living snot out of trying to program with the .

5 years ago by Cashrc

Response

Re: Futaba F14 Controller Arrived!

I’m happy for you, that’s a neat ! If I didn’t have so many of my models using a FrSky and receivers, I’d think about going that route myself. Anyway, good call on the F14 and the Smit Nederland!

5 years ago by Cashrc

Forum

Extra channels

Those of us with long memories might recall the difference between the words 'channel' and 'function'. Nowadays a 'channel' is thought of as a stream of information dedicated to a single task - such as working a rudder. That stream carries 'proportional' positioning information, and so can be thought of as carrying a set of theoretically infinite positions between 0% and 100%. If it was not used to position a servo, it might be used to control a 100-position switch, for instance! In the early days of radio control, we did not have the luxury of multiple channels, each carrying proportional information, sent as a single frame which could be separated out and sent to different servos. We had a signal - it was either on or off. If we wanted to do more than one thing, we had to process the signal ourselves - usually mechanically. One 'channel' meant one signal. In its basic form we used an 'escapement' - a bit of mechanics which switched its state once every time it was given a signal pulse. So one pulse would move a bi-directional mechanism from neutral to 'right', and the next pulse would move it to 'left'. For model boats quite complex switching systems could created, driven by a single channel. They were like old telephone dials, whereby a 10-position switch could be pulsed round one click at a time. if you combined that with a mechanical delay on each position you could select one action without initiating all the others - if you were quick! More sophisticated kits had multiple channels - giving one switch for left, and another for right, a third for 'up' and so on. Full control of an aircraft needed 8 channels, and you needed some extra ones to give in-flight trim! When proportional systems came out the old use of the word 'channel' became redundant - each proportional channel was the equivalent of an infinite number of 'single channels' - and for a while the word 'function' was used. So what would have been a 4-channel became a 2-function .... Nowadays we do everything electrically, but it would be possible to create a mechanical device which would give Martin multiple switches running off a single proportional 'function'....

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Extra channels

My frsky Tx can operate 16 channels. This can be done by either fitting two X8R receivers or using 8 channels on one X8R and s-bus with two four channel decoders for the second eight channels. These do not need switching as you can set the for either 8 or 16 channels. The s-bus channels can be 1-8 or 9-16. My Dusseldorf Fire Boat will use all 16 channels, if I get it right or if I actually complete it.😁

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Wiring help needed.

Good day Doug and Martin, I think I am on the same page as you now, look at my sketch and see what you think. Still have a channel free, so might use another rc switch to operate the radar. If it is correct I will then ask for help setting up the . Ah the mistery of radio control systems. Cheers Colin Ps none of 40 mhz stuff had enough channels. And just found another one of my old flight tx's. See picture. Can't find my instructions for any of this lot so sailing in thick fog.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Wiring help needed.

What I need to do is to get the thruster to run in 2 directions??? I thought that you were going to drive a second reversible ESC from the receiver to the thruster, and stick a voltage-dropping line in the ESC output if it was a bit too high? ...then combine that channel with the rudder if your is programmable... if you want them to operate together...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Wiring help needed.

Thanks Doug, I have sketched the layout as best I can. Lights and radar will be switched direct to batteries. I need 4 channels to operate the esc, rudder, fire hydrant rotation, and fire hydrant vertical movement. The pump is switched via micro switches and cam on the rotator so it only works when pointing away from the boat. What I need to do is to get the thruster to run in 2 directions??? The UBEC can give me either 5 or 6 volts output. So I'll need to switch it somehow, as it only needs to run at one speed. I only have a 4 channel rc and receiver spare at present, so I may go with a fixed height on the fire hydrant if i need another servo channel to control the thruster. 🤔 ALL and any help gratefully received. Now to go and look at the electrics on the Wavemaster. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Sea Commander.

Well fellow boatworlders, here is the Sea Commander. Originally built in the early 1960s by modeller from Cumbran in Wales. Sadly it had been left in a shed for a few years where it suffered the ingress of damp and woodworm. I have managed to turn the propshaft and motor with the aid of WD40. I have hopefully cured the woodworm in the keel and injected it with resin to stabilise. I can't move the rudder servo. And the forward and reverse system is a puzzle to me, also the old rx may not work unless I can locate a suitable . If anyone has an old magregor that is no longer needed I would be interested in buying it. The Hull and superstructure are solid and in fair condition, which is he as I am in the process of renovating my dad's old one and it has parts missing which I can measure and rebuild. All comments appreciated. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Charity shop find.

Hi ya here are a couple of pics of the bow thrusters that I am using in the Seaforth Clansman - as I have said - the one at the front :-) - is linked in with a Y lead to the rudder - the stern bow thruster is on its own stick on the (I think its channel 2) so, therefore, I can control the model by making it move sideways across the lake and also spinning it on the spot. Both thrusters have independent speed controllers.

5 years ago by JOHN

Blog

Detailing the pilot house and 2nd lash up

So, the few guys we had ready to sail today decided to postpone due to people being out for various reasons, and it’s just too doggone hot in Texas in during most of August. I can deal with highs in the 90s, but when it’s 100 or over, I’m out. When I used to fly a lot, I would disappear from around the end of July to the first week of September. I’d rather sit in my somewhat air conditioned garage and build to utilize my hobby time than stand in a field, or at the edge of a pond holding a and roasting in my own juices. Anyway, I had taken all of the details off of the pilot house, and this week I masked the windows and did a repaint, as well as making another railing as the first one wasnt up to snuff. Today I added the details back plus many I had not finished, built up the catwalk, then spilled the holes in the pilot house that the catwalk support tubes will be glued into. I then did another lash up to see where I stand, and what adjustments need to be made. I’m that close to finishing all the details that will glue to the deck/hatch, hopefully next update will find that part finished. Cash

5 years ago by Cashrc

Forum

Mixing throttle and rudder

Having read somewhere on this site ( I can’t find it now!) that turning a 34” crash tender at speed can be a problem I have been thinking about ways to Reduce the risk. The obvious way is to pilot it carefully, turning gently, or slowing before turning sharply. But that requires the pilot to be paying attention. I’m not sure my young grandson would take that care, even if I do. So, is it a good idea to mix throttle and rudder to overcome this issue. It seems to me there are two options: 1. Reduce the rudder throw based on the throttle setting. i.e. mix such that as the speed increases, the maximum rudder throw reduces. Or 2. Reduce the throttle based on the rudder demand. i.e. mix channels so that the boat automatically slows based on the rudder demand. I haven’t found any reference to this on this website, which make me think it isn’t a good idea, but I would be interested in any thoughts from those with much more experience than I have. Also, can these mixes be set up on an fs- i6x ?

5 years ago by Graham93

Forum

Problem with Skysport 4 TV4F

Hi there I wonder if anyone has had a similar problem to this one. Had model boat down to the lake today; and the transmission range was shall we say 'very short' say about say 20 yards. I had the same problem last week with a totally different model but same . No-one was on the same frequency, and the aerial was fully extended on the and on the model I had this morning, the aerial runs along the deck for the receiver - and - the model I had out last Sunday (an MTB which the aerial is coiled around the inside of a Carley float on deck ) , The MTB (I know for a fact has a range of over 1/4 mile with a Skysport 6 ). Riggers and I tried this out a few years ago. Now, came home today thinking the aerial wire may be snapped inside the - took it all apart - but couldn't find a thing wrong. No evidence of black wire or anything inside the . But, I noticed - when I switched the on - and removed the crystal from the - the power needle goes up to 100% - replace the crystal into the and it drops down to the near enough 60% or, just outside the red bar. Tried this crystal and other crystals in another Skysport 4 which I have and it stays at 100% same as on my Skysport 6. So, has anyone experienced this type of problem/any ideas - I still cannot sort the shortness of range - Its as though there is a short when you plug a crystal into the . Obviously I have tried various other crystals in this , but, they all have the same affect. John

5 years ago by JOHN

Forum

Problem with Skysport 4 TV4F

Hi Doug , This is the type of battery that was in the slow drain https://www.componentshop.co.uk/9-6v-eneloop-2000mah-aa-flat--battery-pack.html

5 years ago by JOHN

Forum

Problem with Skysport 4 TV4F

Hi there Doug sorry for the delay in replying, your knowledge and replies are much appreciated. What I have been doing the last day and a bit is, going through my s and checking all their batteries and what I have found is that I have two which are 'duff' and they are the slow drain type. Its got me thinking. Due to the fact that we don't charge these often, is this one of the reasons that the cells are prone to deteriorating? Be interesting to see if anyone else has had this problem. I am going to go back to the standard battery pack for the s because I had 2 old ones in the drawer and they have charged straight up and replaced the one in the 4 channel that was duff and everything seems hunky dory now, or , seems that way - so it will be a test on Sunday to see if I get a greater range :-) john

5 years ago by JOHN

Forum

Problem with Skysport 4 TV4F

Hi there thanks for the reply; I think I may just have solved the problem - the battery pack for the looks as if it has a duff cell in it - cos when I put the battery under load out of the - the voltage dies off rapidly, even though its fully charged,. Could be the strong suspect.

5 years ago by JOHN

Forum

Mixing throttle and rudder

I did this, well sort of, by using the settings in my , which at the time was a spektrum DX6i. You use dual rates, and exponential settings, I would imagine most modern 2.4 sets have this feature. In simple language, dual rates (D/R) will limit the throw, so by experimenting you flick the switch, and all of a sudden you have limited the throw of the rudder, flick it back for slower speeds and you have full movement. Exponential (expo) nulls the centre stick movement, and is generally on the same switch, so it makes the stick (rudder) in your case less sensitive, so easier to use at higher speed. Just remember though, most s and receiver have aeroplane terminology, so, if your rudder is right stick, this is labelled as the aileron in the instructions, menu and so on

5 years ago by pmdevlin

Blog

Andrea Gail continued

Got around to the railings & some of the crane hardware . Haven't done a lot other than wiring up all the electronics had to use a older as the newer 2.4 g s don't have servo reverse switch's my rudder was backward's . Made up two battery boxes for 5 AA rechargeable batteries to make 6 volts used a holder for 4 & added a single holder for the 5th battery

5 years ago by GARTH

Forum

futaba radio and receivers

I have been using Futaba 2.4 for years, be aware there are 2 systems, FHSS and FASST, they are not compatible, except with some of the high end s which work with both systems. As to other type compatible receivers, i have Corona and Orange, a lot cheaper than Futaba, they do work, but, as Dodgy said, you might lose some range, look for the ones that are surface receivers, 'air' receivers depend on height for there range, also beware of park fly receivers, they are very limited range, park or indoor. It all depends how many channels you need to use. if you need more info give me a shout

5 years ago by jarvo

Forum

Motor reversing

Thanks for the link Fred👍 First thread I looked at 'Submarines and 2.4GHz' is a timely warning! Read it and you will understand why I have a stock of 40MHz RXs from Standard to Pico versions. And why I bought all the 40Meg crystals I could find locally a few years ago. I also have two MC-10 40Meg s plus the 40Meg job that came with my Southampton tug. Southampton is being converted to 2.4Gig leaving that TX free for my subs😊 Cheers, Doug 😎 http://www.theassociationofmodelsubmariners.com/t83-openlrs-and-2-4-ghz-and-submarines BTW: I think this should be a good source of 40Meg sets, tailored to submarine use😊, for some time to come. This guy is a specialist who does ONLY sub stuff. https://engel-modellbau.eu/shop/en/home/

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Stern Module assembly

Hi Pete, "I have now purchased my chosen motors. They are MFA 360. ... I wonder if I have to put the usual three suppressors on the motors if running a 40Mhz ." Most definitely!! Considering the attenuation of RF signals under water the last thing you want to do is take risks with interference😮 As the RF signal level falls off when you dive the boat any local interference, i.e. from the motors, will become more significant at the RX input. Re warped stern parts. You could try gently (and I mean gently Bentley!) warming the part (hair dryer?) while weighting it down on a flat surface. You may want to put some shaped wood block supports inside to ensure the part does not bend inwards. Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Stern Module assembly

This weekend I decided to do more work on the Gato Submarine. Now I am starting to realise how big this job to build the model is, let alone the WTC which I am thinking about and starting to plan in tandem. I have been working on the stern module today trying to get the rudder and aft planes in a working state. I have followed the video made by a kind soul on the internet which I am finding very helpful. To make them fit properly has resulted in a lot of filing and reshaping particularly on the rudder. All of the edges were interfering all over. After a considerable amount of adjusting, they now fit and work perfectly. A hole was carefully drilled right through the height of the rudder to allow for a shaft to be inserted for operation. Small holes were also drilled through some waste material to produce two running bearings for the rudder shaft. There has had to be a considerable amount of material removal inside the stern module halves to allow for the planes and rudder to work. This was done using a burr in the Dremel and files. Great care was taken not to remove too much and go right through the part. I am having a little problem with warpage of one of the stern halves. You can see the gap between the parts in one of the photographs. It might be that they will glue together without incident if I fix them well with bands during curing. Does anybody have a cunning plan to straighten this part before gluing? I have purchased the propeller shafts and tubes so further work on this module will continue when they arrive, probably towards the end of July. I have now purchased my chosen motors. They are MFA 360. I have also ordered the raw materials to make the motor mount and servo trays. I wonder if I have to put the usual three suppressors on the motors if running a 40Mhz . Next time I am going to work on the bow planes. I will have them working and retracting. I bought the gears for the retracting mechanism today but have found them to be too big on diameter to fit two side by side in the bow module. The gears are perfect in every other way so I think I will reduce them to quadrants which should fit nicely. More cad design work for me I think.

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Response

Re: 34'' Crash Tender

Yes it was McGregor that produced kits. I still have a 27meg and receiver tucked away somewhere. I also have a couple of Elmic rubber driven escapements too [I was aeromodelling in those days].

5 years ago by swanee

Forum

Hintsand tips - Decals made easy

A really good way to get nice graphics is to order vinyl graphics from a web company called "Callies". Vinyl graphics are much sturdier than decals. They are very understanding of the needs of modelers. They will make whatever you specify for very reasonable charge. You deal with the company by email. You can get images and text; of whatever you need and specify colors, size, font etc. It's almost too good to be true. After you contact them with a request, you will receive an email with a price. They can easily produce replicates, so you can get some spares in case one is damaged or you want to stick some on your , boat stand or toolbox. It's a lot easier and cheaper then buying a vinyl cutter and learning how to use it. It might not cost much more than a pack of decal paper.

5 years ago by Commodore-H

Wiki

Basic RC Setup

NOT from me (RNinMunich)! I just edited it to delete a previous comment of mine! There are many people who are new to radio control, or may have had a model for a while and want to make it electric/remote controlled but don't know where to start. Hopefully I shall explain some basics here. I will start off with a two channel controller. You can get these from hobby shops or other RC shops, you can also buy them (usually a little cheaper) at boat fairs. it may be much better to buy a new one at first so that you get most of the RC parts in the same box as a complete set. Most /receiver sets such as Hitec or Futaba include the , receiver, the batteries to go with them and servo's. The style of is seen here showing the control layout. The channels match up on the receiver and the corresponding equipment should be plugged into it. The wiring can be fairly easy to setup by just following the diagram shown below, providing the speed control has B.E.C. (Battery Elimination Circuit) you will not need the separate battery for the receiver. It is advisable that you incorporate a switch and a fuse in either wire coming off the battery. This will reduce the risk of future smoking electrics if things go wrong! 😊

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Can anyone help please?

I have just fitted the rudder servo and connecting rods and tested them with the radio without problem. I was about to install the motor and speed controller in the hull and connected all up to test. I connected the servo and Moronic Hydra 50 G2 speed controller to the receiver, then connected the brushless motor and lipo battery, all correct colour to colour as I have done several times before, turned on the then the speed controller and the speed controller went up in smoke!!! The only uncertain connection was which way round the cables connected to the servo, again I have connected these before and changing direction of fit makes them operate if they are the wrong way round. I suspect the speed controller is ruined now as the whole system is lifeless. Can anyone offer some advice please....and how do I get rid of the smell? !!!!

5 years ago by Brianaro

Directory

34'' Crash Tender

Here is my Crash Tender together with the homemade 27MHz . Built in the early 1970s. The collage photo is from 45 years ago, sailing on the boating lake in Llanfairfechan, North Wales. Recently rescued from the garage covered in dust. Diesel replaced with brushless motor and on the water again. Now in dry dock for a major refit!

5 years ago by Graham93

Directory

Puffer

Built from Mountfleet kit. Chain drive operates Rudder . Puffer sound, whistle, smoke generator, working lights Navigation and interior also flickering orange and red for boiler fire.all switched from .

5 years ago by Elsrickle

Forum

Help and advice please

Hi JB, Comes from 30 odd years of designing COMMS systems for naval vessels, including submarines. Did several surveys of submarines for refit designs. At 6'2" I'm not built for working on subs, kept bangin' me 'ead! 💥😭🤕 Martin, whales have the advantage that they are transmitting directly into water, where sound travels about 4 times faster than in air at sea level. And they can do this mechanically, process still not fully understood, at very low frequencies from around 2Hz to 100Hz mostly. Hence the long ranges achieved. Up to maybe 24kHz for short range echolocation - nosh hunting!😜 Interestingly, spectrum analysis of Humpback whale sounds shows an FM type structure with pulsed modulation. Just like our FM RC s! 😮 We have to transmit first through the air, for several thousand kilometres in some cases, and then have enough energy left to penetrate down a hundred metres or so. We have to do this electrically, hence long antennas. Wavelength = Speed of light / frequency in Hertz! Do the math - it's a long chunka wire!😮 Halfwave at 8kHz ~18.75km. Happy whale listening folks,😎 PS; JB, you can always use the antenna for a spot of fly fishing - while waiting for your sub to come up again!😮

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Help and advice please

As Doug said, ditch the AM radio, prone to just about any interference these days. This is pre FM (which better and is still used by some in more remote interference free locations but is still prone to interference, plus you need to change frequencies TX and RX) with both of these sets if another person is using the frequency you have). This means either waiting for a frequency to become free (and making sure no one is on your frequency so you don't destroy someones model) or having a number of pairs of frequency crystals to change to, plus having to use a frequency peg board at clubs. Buy a modern 4 or 6 channel on 2.4G and you won't have to worry about all of that. 27Mhz -on (AM) 40Mhz -on(FM) is 40 yr old technology really

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Help and advice please

Hello again, I was donated this and wondered if it would be any good and can i get a receiver to match it. I have no idea how to know which is receiver is compatible. Thanks Gren

5 years ago by Bobsan

Forum

Help and advice please

Excellent suggestion TG 👍 I use the German branded version of this system and it works perfectly. You only have to first dump or overwrite all the default aircraft/heli presets! Gren: dump the 27MHz receiver. Your chances of finding a matching are remote. And the 27MHz band is prone to severe interference anyway 🤔 Cheers, Doug Oh! BTW: Welcome aboard 👍

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Help and advice please

Here is a new and receiver that will work for you. It has a few extra channels that you dont need. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flysky-FS-i6X-2-4G-6CH-RC--With-FS-iA6B-RX-for-RC-Car-Boat-in-stock/292884688293?hash=item443149ada5:g:8jMAAOSwclxcuT5z

5 years ago by tgilchristjr

Forum

Help and advice please

I run sailboats all the time. For the battery pack you can use a 6v hump pack. Here is one with a charger. (you dont need the switch)( I'm in the US so I dont use the UK Ebay site much. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Modelsport-UK-6v-Receiver-Battery-and-Charger-Pack-Hump-Pack-MSRXNP/253828164657?hash=item3b19566c31:g:s88AAOSwAlJbfoYD For the , there are 2 ways to go. 1st is to use the existing older frequency receiver that you have and try to find a compatible , or just get a new and receiver combo.

5 years ago by tgilchristjr

Directory

(Working Vessel) Mowe 2

I hadn't build a RC model for over 45 years, so as a 60th Birthday present my wife bought me this Aeronaut Mowe 2 kit, complete with all the RC equipment; motor, servo, and receiver, ESC unit etc. It was a great kit to build and took me about 3 months from start to finish. The hull was a bit tricky, but a tube of P38 and lots of sanding, re-filling with light balsa filler, re-sanding, finishing and painting and patience won through! Not a brilliant finish, but an ideal boat to get my hand back-in to modelling. When sailing, the boat needed a bit of ballast in the form of 2 old AA batteries in the bow to keep it stable and level in the water at speed! (ESC: Aeronaut) (8/10)

5 years ago by StuartE

Forum

Abergavenny steam and vintage show.

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

5 years ago by redpmg

Forum

Fairmile c class maiden voyage

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

5 years ago by JOHN

Forum

Motor forward and reverse

I am seeking some help with the electrical setup for my new Dusseldorf project. The model, when completed, will use 15 channels to operate fully. I am using a Frsky Taranis Plus with the x8r receiver. I have purchased two frsky sbus 4 channel decoders which will give me the required channels. I have most things covered, I think, but am a little stuck on what module I will need to make the small geared motors work in forward and reverse on one channel. I have a lot of the Turnigy rc switches to operate most of the functions but these will not give forward and reverse options. I have been thinking that I should have the main items such as rudder, throttle and lights etc operating through sbus on channels one to eight and the more difficult functions, such as the crane lift and lower and the anchor up and down, directly through the receiver on channels nine to 16. I think my problem with the lift and lower (reversing motor direction) might be solved this way by using the on off on switches, several of which are on the . I would love to hear what those who have experience of multiple channel usage think and possibly if there is a module that I could connect through sbus to give the forward and reverse option I seek. Thanks. Peter.

5 years ago by MouldBuilder