Hi Walt. I assume Kerr Lake is in the USA? Not sure I can help as we are in the UK.

Hi SC. I have lost track of this. Just to make it clear in my mind. Are you using the RX and TX that came with the tug and designing your own interface with the RX to improve performance?

As per SeamanCook's response just one red wire to the RX.

Hi Seaman Cook. It is a bit of a mine field when looking at specs. It would be good if you set up an Electronics blog, I would certainly follow it. Just to let you know that the account I have with RS has no min order value and most of the bits I get are one or two off but it depends on their pack size. They have a credit/debit card payment option and I have ordered as little as £2.95 for some capacitors which were carriage paid and next day. I agree the low Vgs (th) is usually for low current level. As mentioned I have my IRL MOSFET running at 3Vdc with a 1 Amp current draw but I am using it as a switch and driving the gate with 3 V from a reed switch. I will be posting the project at some point on the site.

I agree with Fleet. It's not worth making an ESC as they are so cheap but the fun for me is in the design and making. I have been an electronics engineer for over 40 years and still love messing around. Always something new around the corner and never to old to learn. I buy my stuff from RS Components which in my younger days was called Radio Spares also have an account with CPC who I find better for spare parts. Since retiring I have started to get into the Arduino which is what steered me in the direction of the logic level MOSFET.

Hi. Not sure about the China versions as I am using a Fairchild MOSFET and it has a a Vgs of 1-2 volts. I have also tried an IR IRLML2502PBF-1. These are surface mount 7A devices and have a Vgs of 0.6-1.2 V. They are a pain in the B... to solder on as they are surface mount but very cheap. Nice for a compact motor controller. I was using them with 3 Vdc drone motors. I like your ESC design. I was looking at repairing an Electronize unit but found that the PIC chip had blow and although I could replace it I couldn't find the software on any forums so gave up. However now that the contact details are on this site I might take a fresh look at it.

Hi Ken. Quick update. I did an RA and revised rules and the council have accepted them. So we went sailing last Sunday. Even better the local😍 cafe was open so Bacon, Egg and Mushroom role + a cuppa all for £4.0 was very welcome.😍

Hi. Just a little update to this and I am sure everyone already knows this. If you find a MOSFET with the letter "L" in it's numbering it will be a logic level MOSFET and will work down to almost 1.5 Vdc. I am using them in a 3 Vdc motor circuit and when driven on their resistance is around 0.058 Ohms. They don't even get warm. IRL540A. I had tried the IRF530 and it wouldn't switch on. When I did drive it from about 5 Vdc it got warm as it wouldn't turn fully on. Anyway the IRL version solved the problem.

Thanks Ken. Very helpful.

On the subject of your web site. Your clubs Face Book page needs the new URL posting on it. The existing one points to the old site. If you have access to the old URL it would be a good idea to put a re-direct in it so it takes you to the new site. Hope that makes sense.

Thanks again

Martin (Simple Sailor, CDMBC)

Hi Doug. That's what I get in all my browsers including the link from their Face Book page.

Thanks Nerys.

Martin (Simple Sailor) Corby & District Model Boat Club

Thanks for the swift response. I tried the www.vgmbc.org but my browser will not let me look at it as it's not https: could you please forward a contact email address?

Hi. Has anyone been asked to produce a Covid 19 Risk Assessment for their boat club? Our local council are insisting on one before we can start using the lake again. I have done RA before but this is a strange one. Any help would be great.

Hi. The HK controller is an Aquastar 120Amp water cooled which has suffered all of the burn outs and never failed. SKU: 9052000008. The failed motors were all 2848SL 3900kv Brushless inrunner (WaterCooled) SKU:3900-2848SL. I have my doubts about the specifications as their watts and amps do not add up. I have a temperature sensor on the motor sending info back to the TX and usually after a full charge and a fast run it would get to 60°C, then I would cool it to 45°C before the next run it burnt out at 85°C when I wasn't paying attention. The new motor runs at about 45°C how ever hard it is pushed. Still using the 120A ESC. The new motor was in the HK sale and I don't think they do it now SKU:S2858-2630. it just happend that the water jacket for the failed unit fits it.

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Hi. Nice boat. Can you tell me what the sound unit is?

Thanks for the info. I thought maybe something like vinegar and baking soda in the DCs them might make them produce loads of bubbles. Making them blow off at a certain depth would be interesting. As for RC on the torp, looking at maybe a tethering system so it homes.

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Hi. it is a scale model of a Formulaboats.com sponsord jet turbine powered hydroplane. I think this livery was from 2009. They can be seen racing on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4HPB4PtT0k .As for the burning out motors that is sorted. Nothing to do with my cooling system but the unit I had from Hobby King seems to have a number of complaints about them burning out. So replaced it with a different model. HK have been very good and replaced all 3 failures. I will keep the latest replacement for another boat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4HPB4PtT0k

🔗

2013 Detroit APBA Gold Cup: CBS Sports Network

▶️

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Hi. Just put this back together after the 3rd brushless motor caught fire. Made from a rejected glass fibre hull which I bought cheap at a show. I have now learned how to do glass fibre repairs.

Red Cat rides the waves

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Hi. Pleased you like it. Not radio contolled yet. Been working on that one. But might be some time away.

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Hi

Just want to share the launch of my 24th scale Perkasa torpedo. After various attemps it goes fast and in a straight line. Anyone tried making depth charges?

Torpedo launch from Perkasa MTB

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Plywood 1:24 scale MODAV kit from 1976. (Motor: Turnigy AquaStar 4084 620Kv) (ESC: Turnigy AquaStar) (10/10)

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Well after loads of messing around I eventually bought all new gear. So I now have a 160 Amp ESC, brushless motor and LiPo batteries. The 48" Perkasa runs like a dream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9Y850Y_o1w Not sure if the hyper link works. Noise from out of balance prop but sorted now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9Y850Y_o1w

🔗

PerkasaOnboard

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Hi all you well found some of how members at the boating lake ,on a thursday morning at 11am and on a sunday morning at 11am all welcome ,

http://corbymodelboatclub.org

🔗

Thanks.

Martin

Hi. Could you tell me what brushless motor and controller you are using for the 46" boat? it might be a solution for my Perkasa. Thanks.

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Thanks Dave. I will keep you posted.

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Hi. I have tried an Acoms 27Mhz RC and a 2.4Ghz RC both do the same thing. I have given up with Mtronik. it looks like they have buried their head in the sand maybe because they do not know. So moving forward I am going to build my own speed controller based on an article on www.pt.boat.com.

For what it's worth this is what I sent to Mtronik:

"Sorry but this made things worse on both Viper ESC the 25A and 40A have the same problem so does my cheep Chinese Import.
I have set them up on my bench now with the digital scope coupled up to confirm what is happening and have come to the conclusion there is something in the software causing the problem. This is my test method. Two 6 Volt gel batteries coupled in series feed the main power to the ESC. A separate 6 volt supply powers the servo tester. A 4 Watt 12 Volt bulb is connected to the ESC output (this is to give load and make sure there is no EMC) The servo tester is giving out 0.945 to 1.926ms with centre off around 1.452ms. At 1.087 and 1.85ms the ESC's output switches hard off and on. This is what causes the flickering on the bulb. All that happens when I use the left or right mid point to set the travel is the problem moves in proportion. Which makes me think it is a software glitch. Would it be possible for you to set this up and replicate it?"

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Just to let you know I have received this reply from Mtroniks and it made matters worse.

"Have you tried reducing the throttle end pints on your transmitter? This would bring the throttle end points closer together and stop the controller from seeing the spurious signal at 75-80%. Dong this would not effect your feel or proportionality in any way.

Let me know how you get on.

Best regards,"

I have replied to them with the outcome and await their reply. 😀

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Thanks for response Dave. I did some more checks yesterday (Sunday) and ran the ESC from a servo checker. I put a 4 watt 12 V bulb on the output of the ESC. Coupled it to my digital scope and sure enough the wave form is very clean but switches off and on at around 75% throttle. The PWM looks like 1Khz so it makes the bulb flicker rather than switch off and on. As soon as the throttle gets to 90% it clears up and at 100% full voltage is applied. I did this on all three ESC and the result is the same. I have written to Mtronik as my conclusion is the ESC cannot resolve the change in mark space well enough. it looks like the system thinks there is a loss of signal so it shuts off. From what I can gather most ESC use the same embedded software in the PIC.

Just as a matter on interest I did all the usual suppression things including running a large separate negative wire to the RX.

Will post what Mtroniks have to say to the site if I get a reply.

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Hi.
I came across this site while browsing for Info a problem I have with my brushed ESC's. I am running a Viper Marine 40 with an MFA850 motor from two 6V 10Ahr gel batteries. The boat performs well enough but I get Intermittent motor cut out at around 75% throttle (froward or reverse) This has already caused the ESC to blow up. This was replaced FOC. However I now have another new Viper Marine 25 on a smaller boat running from NiCad cells and this does the same thing. To cut a long story short I have replaced the 40A ESC with another make, replaced the TX-RX with a new 2.4Ghz system and I still get the same thing. Being a bit of an electronics engineer I coupled the kit up to my digital scope to see what was going on and It looks like the problem Is with the ESC. The Input from the RX Is a good 1 - 2ms steady signal but the output of the ESC switch off and on around 75 - 80% throttle. I have emailed Mtronik on the the subject but no reply. I just wandered If anyone else has had a similar experience? I might go back to glow motors.

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