You could put the two 6v batteries in series (positive of one to the negative of the other) that would give you 12v.

Alternatively yes, the 11.1v battery will also work. I’d think a 12v fan would likely work down to around 8v.

Stephen

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!

Stephen

Message from Scamp:

Thank you for notifying me that I have been lucky to be a prize winner.
I wish all the Model Boats website members a New n merry Christmas and a safe new year.
Looking forward to the new year when we will be able to meet and go sailing again.
Happy new year.
Scamp.

and the winner is............

Scamp!

I did my best to keep it as random as possible. Congratulations Scamp!

Thank you to everyone else who has participated (40 in total), I wish you all a very Happy Christmas! We may do more fun little competitions like this in the future so keep your eyes out 👀

Stay safe everyone.

Stephen

So with no expense spared, the randomiser spin wheel has been constructed!... from an old cereal box, a pin, ruler, pencil and blu tack.

It’ll be spun at 8pm uk time. Last chance to enter!

Stephen

Hi, this is not how LiPol batteries are treated.
I recommend using a cheap digital charger, which has a built-in balancer and the ability to discharge batteries. At the same time, it has a storage program in its menu, which will take care of charging the cells to about 60% after discharging.(charger from TURNIGY) This way, the articles can be saved for up to half a year. And they will not be damaged. I myself have 4000 mA twin cells, which are 5 years old and are still not inflated and have full capacity. Under no circumstances should LiPol batteries be stored in a discharged state - they will be damaged.
Zdenek Czech Republic - Central Europe👎👍

Don't know where my post has gone,?? but there is nothing wrong with discharging a LiPo like this. It is exactly the same as running a motor to discharge a battery you have charged but are not using, and want to discharge back to storage level. You will note that there is a cell monitor as well as a voltage alarm to show when the battery is nearing storage level. Then you discharge the battery using the discharge/balance/amp meter (you will need to buy one of these to do this) the rest of the way,- or you can put it on the balance charger to storage level I have been doing this for more than 10 years, have 15 planes and 6 boats,- all LiPo powered. I also use the same LiPos in camping lanterns. Never had a problem.

JB

So how is Christmas working out for everyone this year? It looks like the UK prime minister is now only allowing people to meet Christmas Day (up to 3 households) and only in some areas of the country. High risk areas being told to stay home even on Christmas Day.

So what’s it like elsewhere around the world and what are peoples plans?

It’s ironic that people joke about Christmas being cancelled but it looks like it’s a reality for many.

Stephen

Thank you! I didn’t realise I was that close to a promotion 😁 I shall celebrate later when I pop the lid off the orange juice 🥳

Just a quick heads up, the draw closes on the 24th when they’ll be a name pulled out the hat.

If you haven’t yet entered and would like to, please go to the prize draw page and answer the question. Only correct answers are considered!

Entries can be international and there’s no bias to long serving or high ranked members, it will be random.

It’s also likely they’ll be a few runners up too 😉

https://model-boats.com/prizedraw

Good luck everyone! 🤞

Stephen

https://model-boats.com/prizedraw

🔗

Hi All,

On the topic of PayPal fees; it’s quite true that 12 donations of £1 ends up being less than 1 donation of £10, simple due to the accumulated transaction fees.

I’d love to offer alternative ways to contribute, what do people have in mind? Cheques and BACS?

I do have a contactless card reader if anyone wants to drop by 🤣

I’m also considering other options for PayPal like quarterly or half yearly which would reduce a little of the fees they charge.

Stephen

I've not seen the eyes change to dots either. That's spooky! Although it's when they start looking around and following you that you have to worry!

Pleased you like the addition 👍

Stephen

Haha, nope, no big injuries, just a few bruises! 🤣

Ah ha! Well it should have done something... please try again now! 👍

Stephen

Hi Pete,

I've taken a screenshot of all the subject lines of emails you should have received recently. Which ones have and haven't come through? I'm hoping there is a pattern...

Thanks,
Stephen

Hi Rick,

That email is against another account (Cobra7) - I assume a redundant account. If you're ok, I'll disable that other account?

Thanks
Stephen

Hi Guys,

I am going to try and do a simple “HOW TO USE THIS SITE” mini instruction sheet to help new members get started.
——————

TO CREATE A NEW FORUM TOPIC.

On the home page click on the “CREATE NEW FORUM TOPIC” tab.
Click the “SELECT CATEGORY” field and select the required category.

In the “SUBJECT” field enter your heading.
In the “POST TEXT” field enter the information you want to post.

TO ADD PHOTOS TO YOUR POST.

Click on the “WHITE CROSS” on the right hand side of the main text field.
Drag your photos into the light blue field.

To get the photos to appear in the correct order add them one at a time in the order that you want to see them in the final post.

Click “DONE”

You can add YOUTUBE links and Web links to the required fields if needed.

When complete click “CREATE NEW TOPIC”

————————————————

TO SEE ALL FORUM TOPICS.

Click on the “SEE ALL DISCUSSIONS” tab.

scroll down the topics or click the chevron tab to go to next page.

Or enter text into the search field and click the “SEARCH” tab.

Clicking on the required forum topic will open it.

You can also use the jump to function by selecting one of the jump to tabs.

—————————————————————————————


TO CREATE A NEW BUILD LOG.

On the home page click on the “CREATE NEW BLOG” tab.
Click the “BLOG TITLE” field and select the required category.

In the “TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUILD” field enter the information you want to post.

TO ADD PHOTOS TO YOUR POST.

Click on the “WHITE CROSS” on the right hand side of the main text field.
Drag your photos into the light blue field.

To get the photos to appear in the correct order add them one at a time in the order that you want to see them in the final post.

Click “DONE”

You can add YOUTUBE links and Web links to the required fields if needed.

When complete click “SUBMIT NEW BLOG POST”


————————————————

TO SEE ALL BUILD BLOGS.

Click on the “SEE ALL BLOGS” tab.

scroll down the BLOGS or click the chevron tab to go to next page.

Or enter text into the search field and click the “SEARCH” tab.

Clicking on the required blog will open it.


—————————————————————————————


TO VIEW VIDEOS

Some videos open normally but others have a different way to open them.
They may say Invalid File, or Media File but if you click on them a new page will open.
At the top left hand corner there is a white arrow on a blue back ground, click on it and it will download.
Depending on the computer you are using it might open or give you the choice to select a viewer.
Sometimes it will download it as an MPG4 file so you will have to rename it as an MP4 file to view it.


MEDIA GALLERY, BOAT HARBOUR, and HOW TO ARTICLES all operate in the same way.


On the left hand side on the main page you will see the following:-

MAIN MENU
THIS WEBSITE
HOBBY SUPPLIES

Under each title there is a list of different titles,
Clicking on these will take you directly to the pages.

Also there is a section called “CURRENT WEBSITE SUPPORT”

This site is completely FREE however you can support this site by subscribing or donating just by clicking on the “SUBSCRIBE” or “DONATE” tabs.

By subscribing or donating to the site although gratefully appreciated it doe's no effect the points or ranks.
However you do get a Digital Gold or Silver medal.

I must mention the POINT/RANK system is just for a bit of fun.

But if you like or comment to a post then points are awarded.

If you post or members like your work then points are awarded to you.

The more points you receive the higher up the ranks you will get.

So the more you participate on the site the more points you get.

You can see the value of the points on your profile page.



THIS IS ONLY INTENDED TO GET YOU STARTED.
If you require more help please do not hesitate to ask.

ENJOY THE SITE AND HAVE FUN.


Martin555.

Hi All,

It might sound daft at first to have this forum thread, but most of us are currently spending more time at home than ever before. All events are cancelled, all clubs are shut, we're being encouraged to isolate ourselves as much as possible. The down side to this is our mental health and wellbeing.

At my workplace there has been a huge push on mental health first aiders. The majority of staff have been working from home since March, some people working from spare rooms, kitchen tables and even from the loft! It's not a fantastic working environment and you can sometimes feel isolated, focusing solely on work and losing the general camaraderie you used to have with colleagues.

Martin suggested the idea of having a similar approach here, where people who already share a common interest (model boating) can reach out to these volunteers and talk about absolutely anything in confidence.

Likewise, if anyone is interested in becoming a mental health & wellbeing volunteer, please get in touch and I'll add you to the list.

All volunteers are shown at the top of this forum thread.

None of us are experts, but if we can help anyone feeling alone and finding it tough then it's worth it.

Stephen

What happens exactly? Does it freeze, white page, stay on the original page, loads incorrectly?

I have checked on all browsers this side and it appears to be working. What browser are you using? Or is it the mobile app? If so apple or Android?

Thanks,
Stephen

Hi Bill,

I've taken a look at your profile. You are following a lot of members and topics, hence why there are a lot of notifications and emails.

If there is another email than your btinternet one and you can't get into your account page to change it, then please send me your alternative email address via Private Message, or to modelboatswebsite@gmail.com

The my account page looks to be working correctly from here. What happens when you click on it?

https://model-boats.com/myaccount

Stephen

https://model-boats.com/myaccount

🔗

Thanks Paul, always good to hear the advice and learnings of others.

One of the problems I have is with prints coming off the base and warping. It usually happens with larger prints that have a large surface area fill at the bottom. You mentioned it above, so I would be interested to know how you’ve solved it?

I’m pretty sure it’s to do with the layers cooling down, but without putting a heated build plate in, I’m out of other ideas. Tried sprays and tape on the build plate, tried rafts, tried without the cooling fan. In the end, I often have to print things diagonal or upside down with supports or sideways if I can. Not ideal.

Reluctant to buy a heated build plate unless I’m confident it’ll solve the issue.

What’s your experience here?

Stephen

I could claim I single handedly got things going again... but this time it wasn’t my fault (makes a change). I can only think it was the hosting company. I’ve had my head in excel spreadsheets all morning, so didn’t notice a thing!

Stephen

Well in my experience of 3D printing... larger objects are risky when printing in high resolution (thinner layer heights). I tend to stick to 0.3mm if it’s a larger object. Was the Eiffel Tower printed with a lower resolution?

Also, it can be more reliable printing from the SD card too. When I’ve had it connected to my laptop... it cannnn crash half way. Various reasons, laptop going into standby, doing some kind of update, accidentally closing the lid, etc. And if it stops midway it’s never seamless to continue and often fails completely.

Does yours have a heated build plate? Have you found it warps at the base at all?

Stephen

Not sure how to connect arduino boards to boats & controllers, but this was my last arduino project 😎 so if you get stuck with coding!...

Stephen

Musical Light Show Christmas Tree - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

▶️

It's best first uploaded to YouTube.

Start with going here: https://www.youtube.com/upload

Once uploaded, copy the video URL into a new post where it says "Link YouTube Video"

Stephen

https://www.youtube.com/upload

🔗

Just a quick update to all. Had a few glitches in the last couple of days as well as spam being posted.

Apologies to anyone who received spam, although removed from the website quickly I am aware email notifications still went out which unfortunately cannot be recalled.

As a result, the flag and post removal system has been changed. Please can I ask you all to flag posts with obvious spam content as soon as possible so moderators are made aware quickly.

Thanks to all of you for keeping the site safe and friendly 😊

Stephen

Are we definately talking about mobile notifications, or is it email notifications that aren't coming through?

From what I see, you don't have any mobile apps installed, or you're logged out if you do?

Emails should come through, although they're always unpredictable. Emails are often scanned, filtered and delayed. Try checking they're not going to spam and if they are, mark them as not spam.

Stephen

The videos and photos part of member ranks only refer to media gallery posts. The full descriptions did used to be "video gallery" and "photo gallery" as the website used to have two distinct sections a few years ago. Agree it's not overly clear.

Pleased everyone likes the new members page layout 👍

Stephen

How did you notice that quickly? I only made the changes just now! Didn’t think people looked at the members page much 🤣

Stephen

I've an idea then where things may be going wrong. When you're editing a post it's temporarily saved, then when finally posted it transfers everything over. It sounds like it's this part which is faulty.

I agree on everyones points with uploads. I keep procrastinating about fixing it as I know it's such a troublesome feature to code up and have working reliably x-browser/x-app, also what happens with unused uploads (need deleting after a while), file formats that are acceptable, re-sizing hi-res images if needed to reduce file size, reading exif data and rotating upside down pictures, having a working progress bar for uploads so people don't give up, what happens if files get corrupted. Then shifting files around... well not too bad but adding drag and drop is complex, desktops need mouse down, mouse move and mouse up events, mobile users need touch start, touch move and touch end events and thumbnails need to snap and shuffle around similar to moving phone app icons. It's complex!

I'm tempted to remove the upload window mind, agree there is no need to pull images from google photos / dropbox etc. Anyone use that feature at all? If using the mobile app it's often a built in feature now to pick photos from other services on your phone directly.

The other thing I'd quite like to do is change the media viewer. On desktops it's ok (except arrow keys to toggle through), but on mobile it often shows the image smaller and doesn't allow for zooming in which is sometimes annoying.

All on the to-do list. Perhaps something for my next holiday.

Stephen

Struggling on the mystery photo uploads. Few questions for everyone;

* At what point do you first see the unknown photos? Is it after you click submit or do they appear in the post window?

* Is it always when adding new boats to the harbour? Or other areas?

* Is it always the same photos?

Thanks