Beautiful photos Andy!

Hi Chugalone, I was looking for this information among your posts but maybe it's not there, so I searched online, is the scale of your model 1:32? Can you confirm?

Hi Chugalone, you built and posted this beautiful new model before I read and translated the posts.
Thank you for sharing every step of the construction process in such detail, explaining the process with words and images.
For anyone who wants to build the same model, you've left an excellent trail to follow.

Hi Pat, I'll let you know how things are going.
Unfortunately, it won't be turned into a museum.
It will be given to Indonesia as you predicted, but it won't be sold as you were hoping.
It will be given away for free.

Beautiful Jumpugly, I hope you rebuild it soon.

As I said, it's a real shame. It's difficult to recover from a loss of quality and experience in many fields, but even more so in ship modeling.

I was deeply saddened by the fate of the German brands "Robbe" and "Graupner." Sadness.

I hope the Italian companies that still make quality ship modeling will endure for a long time to come.
Currently, the world-renowned Italian ship modeling companies are:
"Amati" of Turin;
"Mantua Model" from the province of Mantua (which has absorbed the products of the "Sergal" and "Panart" brands);
"Corel" from Milan.
Then there are two niche brands, small, hyper-specialized companies: one makes only high-performance dynamic boats (electric and internal combustion), "Tempest RC Boats" [a tempting subject for Jumpugly], and the other makes only RC sailboats and submarines, "AMON (Nonsolovele)".
I could also add "Italeri," which also makes plastic model kits of ships that can be made RC.

I've analyzed some aspects, and (at least for now) there are many reasons and assumptions that give me hope.
1) First of all, the quality is generally very high and the selection is very wide; but this factor alone would not be enough for survival, as has unfortunately been seen in many cases.
2) The quality-price ratio is very favorable.
3) These companies offer a wide range of products. There are complete kits, drawings and plans only, and individual materials for the modeler who doesn't follow kits (wood, metals, plastics, and all types of accessories).
What's important to keep in mind is that the dynamic part of the product range is a minority, so competition in this area doesn't threaten the company's entire distribution.
Static materials and kits still face no competition from Chinese companies, and there are no real alternatives online to the products offered by these historic companies, neither in terms of quantity, quality, nor cost.
Even a beginner modeler like me doesn't put these companies at risk because I turn exclusively to them (this type of company) for many materials and accessories.
Unfortunately, companies that focus solely or primarily on dynamic RC models face strong competition. It's easy to understand why: you can find cheap electric motors, ESCs, servos, drive shafts, propellers, joints, etc. online.
Furthermore, these models have a plastic hull that's easily reproduced with 3D printers, even by companies that aren't very specialized or high-quality.

I try to buy from model shops in my city; for the static side of this hobby, there's still affordability and quality, but for RC and electronics, the internet offers more options at much lower prices.

P.S. A separate mention goes to the Milanese company "Mamoli," which had a beautiful and extensive catalog. Unfortunately, a devastating fire there in 2014 caused the company's collapse.

I realize that in Italy we don't have huge tidal ranges, but in other places we do.

Hi Steve, you read my mind, hahahaha.

After all, the question of the day is also a little daily entertainment.

When I read the answer options I had to laugh a little.

Hi Kevin, I agree with all the positive comments you've received.
You're truly amazing with mechanics, congratulations.

Now I have a point of contact for these kinds of issues. If I need advice in the future, can I ask you?

What a shame!

Hi Rogal, I really like those piers and docks you made.

You're right, Ed and Pat, and if it was confusing to you, imagine what it was like for me.
In many conditions, answer B is correct, which strangely has a 0 percent chance.

Beautiful place, Mike, an enviable little lake.
I love your dock and I can finally see it in the water.

Thanks for sharing, bravo hermanK.

I like how you're showcasing your work.
I think it's very important and helpful to detail every step of the process.
Well done, Chugalone.

I wanted to add two more tips for those who intend to build a circuit themselves and use resistors.

MEASURING RESISTANCE

Resistance measurement (all multimeters, even low-cost ones, have this feature) should be performed on a de-energized circuit.
Be careful if the resistor is not isolated but connected to other components, the measurement may be distorted.
For example, if it is connected in parallel with other resistors, you will have the value in Ohms of the equivalent resistance of the resistors in parallel and not of the individual resistor.

DISPOSITION OF POWER INVOLVED

For small circuits with low currents, this information may be useless, but it's good to know.
When purchasing a resistor, only the resistance value in Ohms is considered.
In reality, we must also check its power, or rather, its ability to dissipate heat in Watts without breaking.

A small resistor, like those used in electronics, is typically 250 mW (1/4 Watt).
Well, to know if it's suitable for our use and won't get damaged, just do a little calculation.
In direct current, according to Ohm's third law, electrical power is given by the product of voltage and current.
P = V x I
For example, if a resistor is subjected to a voltage of 12 volts and a current of 40 mA, it must support a power of at least 0.48 W.
480 mW is greater than 250 mW, so one of the resistors mentioned above cannot be used. The resistor was 300 Ohms, of course.
So, in summary, the advice is: always calculate the power involved based on the voltage and current.

Hi EdW, as I was saying to Dave, everyone has their own needs, interests, and hobbies. I agree with you.
I agree with you about the difficulties of learning Arduino (which requires knowledge of computer science, not just electronics) and building a DC/DC yourself.
I agree that building electronic products, now sold cheaply on Aliexpress, is uneconomical.
Furthermore, people often want to save time. I could have made the anchors myself because I knew how to do it, but I chose to buy pre-made ones.
Some time ago, I started sourcing components to build an ESC myself, just for fun, certainly not to achieve better performance than ESCs sold online. I stopped because I couldn't find everything and didn't have time to finish a time-consuming project. I don't rule out picking it up again in the future, along with many other things.
Personally, I don't need to adjust the brightness of the lights on a boat. Once I've found the right brightness (combined with the right current, thus choosing the right resistor), I don't think it's necessary to change them, but that's my personal opinion.
In any case, I could place a variable resistor in series with a fixed resistor for fine adjustments.
As for me, I respect everyone's opinions and choices, so if anyone needs information on basic electronics, to the extent I can, I'm available and happy to share my limited knowledge.

Hi Dave, in electronics, there are many ways to achieve the same result.
I didn't say using resistors is the best solution.
The advantages of a small LED circuit with resistors are these:
You can understand what you're doing, and once you've learned it, you can repeat it over and over again, applying it to various situations.
It's fun to learn and apply the basics of electronics.
In fact, JSS4 is doing it very well with Ronald, congratulations to both of you.
Other systems, like DC-DC Buck Step Down or Arduino, are much more difficult to DIY. Impossible for a novice to learn easily.
There are those who want to learn more, and those who are content to buy what they need and assemble it.
Basically, with discrete components (resistors, capacitors, transistors, etc., etc.), it's simply fun.
This is obviously not a criticism; everyone is free to do as they prefer, and from your point of view, you've certainly made the best choice in achieving the result you wanted.
Furthermore, resistors are very cheap.

Sorry Ron, I'll reply to your PM as soon as possible.

Hi Ron, I counted at least eight lights, great challenge. I'll be rooting for you, of course.


I will reply to your PM as soon as possible.

Thanks for the reply Ron, I was really curious. Will you use this power supply (5.88 volts) for the LEDs or directly from the battery (7.2 volts)?

Great work JSS4, the photo with the boat illuminated at night is very suggestive.

That's fine, Ron.
Since there are only two LEDs, there's no chance of confusion.
You need to tidy up when you have a lot of LEDs to manage.
What were you measuring that gives you 5.88 volts?

Hi Ron, as I was saying, I've added the last three sketches to post number 9 of this topic.

I did the same for the voltage and current measurement sketch.
I preferred to put them all where the main explanation was given.

Anyway, I'm attaching them in this post as well.

The first one is about voltage and current measurements (later I'd like to give you some helpful tips on resistance measurements, which any multimeter can perform). The second, third, and fourth ones show an example of moving from a circuit diagram to practical wiring.
Generally, the connection logic is on a board (as a beginner, it's best to buy a punch board because it's very easy to use). From there, each LED will be connected to two wires, a positive and a negative, which will run through the boat as best as possible.
Some people, in fact, prefer to proceed as follows:
1. Position the LEDs and wiring.
2. Prepare the board with the resistors, connected to the battery with a manual or remote-controlled switch (or, better yet, both).
3. Solder the LED wires in the correct positions on the board.

In order to facilitate research and understanding of a topic that is widely discussed in dynamic naval models, i.e. LED lighting, I am inserting the following links from this same forum.

forum/135645

forum/138041

forum/162486#162586

Hi Ron, I've added the last three sketches to post number 9 of this topic.

After addressing the issue of voltage and current measurements, there's another aspect to consider:
Transitioning from an electrical diagram to a real circuit with actual connections and wiring isn't easy for all beginners.

So I've considered a practical example.
Let's say a modeler wants to position the regulation position lights on a boat over 50 meters (according to COLREG).
I've included both the electrical diagram and the possible practical connection.
In practice, there are many possible approaches; the one illustrated is one of many.

Fantastico!

Oh, okay, this connection is very nice.

I added the seventh diagram in message #9. It's for current and voltage measurements.

I hope it's clear, but if you're not sure about something, just ask.

Ron, you're lucky to have a guide like JSS4.
I agree with him on resistors and LEDs.

If I understand correctly, you live nearby and can meet in person. Is that right?
Well, that's the best thing; explaining things remotely isn't always easy.


P.S. Sorry I haven't posted all the schematics yet, but I'll do it soon (it's one thing to write on your cell phone while standing, but it's another to find a surface to draw on. So far, I've had a few opportunities).