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    ToraDog
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    Member No.#5952
    RegisteredπŸ“…9th Aug 2020
    Last OnlineπŸ“…9th Jun 2023
    CityπŸ“Union
    CountryπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΈUnited States
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    PostsπŸ’¬559
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    Recent Posts
    πŸ’¬ Re: HMCS GLENSIDE
    5 days ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 54 Views · 2 Likes
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    This will be exciting to follow!

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    πŸ“ Anybody have a known-good schematic to homebuild an ESC?
    9 days ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 59 Views · 1 Like
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    Rod,
    That is beyond my pay grade, but I will suggest that the high frequency brushed units I have received from Europe are a step above most others. Totally silent.

    πŸ“ Question of the Day?
    14 days ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 28 Views · 2 Likes
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    That is correct. Recreational diving on Arizona is NOT allowed. Not to mention the fact that it is within the bounds of an active naval base hosting nuclear powered ships.

    πŸ“ Capacitors for 12 volt Mabuchi Motor
    16 days ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 54 Views · 0 Likes
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    If memory serves, it would be 0.01uf, ceramic capacitors.
    Than said, unless you are running an older radio that operates in the surface range, 75mhz, or 27 mhz, OR if you run your boat with folks who operate in those ranges, there is not a great need to mount them.
    2.4ghz radios are pretty immune to RFI and most folks do not add capacitors anymore.

    πŸ’¬ Re: Foundation Franklin
    17 days ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 48 Views · 2 Likes
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    Beautiful classic. My favorite Farley book.

    πŸ“ Juneau
    26 days ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 18 Views · 6 Likes
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    I managed to create the fairwater out of .025 brass sheet. I silver soldered some pegs to it and have epoxied it into place. Some West system epoxy fairing, first round, and some sanding to come.
    I could not resist setting up the superstructure, which is more or less assembled, but not yet in it's final form. I added seven of the gun turrets for effect. She will be imposing.
    I hope to finish primer the hull this week and maybe throw some finish paint on her. I'll see how that goes...

    πŸ’¬ Re: Outer Limits
    30 days ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 37 Views · 0 Likes
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    Wicked!

    πŸ“ Juneau
    1 month ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 34 Views · 9 Likes · 2 Comments
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    So much for best laid plans. I was all ready to cut out my fairwater, but no scroll saw blades. Do you think that I could find any locally? Of course not. Back to the internet...
    So... I decided to start building my superstructure kit, which was especially made for me by a gent in North Carolina. It is CAD routed out of about .080 Sintra like material. Of course I could not help myself to see what it would look like, instead of a bare hull, so...

    πŸ“ FLOAHAZZ Smoke Generator (Amazon)
    1 month ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 51 Views · 3 Likes
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    Doug is on the money. Smoke units are VERY sensitive to the volume of oil put into them and each size unit is different. More than once, I have over filled a unit and had to drain it, one way or the other.
    Another point i would make is that almost all of the "oil" based units I have seen or used, use a "smoke oil". I may be a bit off when I say that I believe it to be a kerosene like oil.
    Bay oil is quite thick comparatively and if the unit does use a wick, baby oil may not be thin enough to wick.
    Lastly, smoke oil is pretty readily available. Most model railroad shops and web sites sell it.

    πŸ“ Juneau
    1 month ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 39 Views · 6 Likes · 1 Comment
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    Well it has been about 5 months and this is where she lays. I managed three coats of high build primary(wow! Expensive stuff...$34/ spray can, witha discount) after way too many hours of filler and spot putty and sanding.
    Sanded all over and filled pin holes while re-edging the deck. Next up is cutting out mounting and soldering braces to the fairwater which is .025" brass. Fair the gaps where it meets the hull and three more coats of primary over the bare spots and the red stuff. Sand again and then add some color to the hull.
    Almost time to start cutting out the deck access holes....

    πŸ“ FLOAHAZZ Smoke Generator (Amazon)
    1 month ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 56 Views · 3 Likes
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    Rod,
    Heating element smokers are fairly sensitive. If run without the cooling fan, or with an input voltage even 1/2 V over it's rating, the nichrome wire will melt and brake. And easy way to check if this is the problem is to put a multimeter across the heating wires. Disconnect them from the power source first😁. There should be continuity, if there is none, then the wire either disconnected in the case( I've had that happen) or the heating element burned thru.
    I have used this company's units for 15+years with good success. The warranty is limited, but they service what they sell.
    www.facebook.com/smallandlargescalesmokers
    scalesmokers@gmail.com

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    πŸ“ FLOAHAZZ Smoke Generator (Amazon)
    1 month ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 69 Views · 2 Likes
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    Rod,
    What is your boat's name....BongπŸ˜‚

    πŸ“ 20mm Oerlikon drawings
    1 month ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 15 Views · 2 Likes
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    Doug,
    As Al photos show, a 20mm Thunderbolt mount was a PT mount used in a limited number of boats. There were several iterations that it went thru with the final version being 4 20mm canons on the mount.
    Many are available on Shapeways here:


    https://www.shapeways.com/marketplace?type=product&q=pt+thunderbolt
    πŸ“ 20mm Oerlikon drawings
    1 month ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 71 Views · 6 Likes
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    I can scan drawings from "Allied Coastal Forces of World War II, Volume 1" which has extensive drawings of Oerlikons. However the drawings do no have dimensions. That said, there is a scale included with the drawings so that you can scale the images.
    I'll need your e-mail because they are copy righted and I do not want to post the images.
    Please send me a PM if you want to go this route.

    πŸ’¬ Re: USS Jueau
    1 month ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 42 Views · 5 Likes
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    I did not realize how long it had been since I had posted an update. Best laid plans do not always work out. It seems like all of the parts I was depending upon were delayed. Well....
    Anyhow, I have installed the motors and jack shafts, pretty standard stuff.I won't find out just how noisy they are until Juneau hits the water. Fingers crossed. The rudder servo, connecting rods and quadrant(if you can call it that) are installed and test. I have made and installed battery and equipment trays out of 1/8" aircraft ply epoxied on all sides. I am pretty sure that I have more than enough room for my electronics and batteries.
    Speaking of electronics, I have set up the entire on board radio system on a piece of cardboard and tested it's function. Everything up to and including electronic switches, smoke systems and all five ESC's are included. It seems to work well, but I can still screw it up yet.
    I received and installed the wayward deck beams and when all the other "items" were installed in the hull, I laid on the deck. As I mentioned before, I am using 1/16" fiberglass sheet. It is epoxied to the deck beams and deck edges. When hard(3 days later) I began the joyous chore of radius-ing the deck edge. Juneau and her sisters, like the Greaves/Livermore class of US destroyers, had a radiused deck edge. Oh what a messy job. My better half even helped by directing the shop vac, but it did not do enough. All of my models now have a nice dusting of pink....😭 I'll be cleaning for years😠
    Sand, sand and sand so more. I am almost ready to spray some high build primer and see just how many blotches there are to deal with, then sand, sand , sand....

    πŸ“ Receivers
    1 month ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 32 Views · 0 Likes
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    Just to possibly confuse this issue, just a tad bit more, some expandable radios, like FrSky, utilize multiple receivers, identical receivers, but the channel assignment of the receivers is set in the transmitter when the receivers are bound to the transmitter. For example, using two 8 channel receivers, the first is assigned channels 1-8 and the second is assigned 9-16.
    I don't see where your system's instructions mention any such capability, but as Doug said, the Chinese translation may leave a bit to be desired.
    If you are able to expand your transmitter, the question becomes, 1) will the system recognize two receivers as I have described, or 20 do you have to purchase a larger multi-channel(6-8) receiver?
    Sorry, but I can not answer that.😌

    πŸ’¬ Re: Graupner HMS Belfast 1:150.
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 124 Views · 3 Likes
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    Scratchbuilder,
    It must be wonderful to be able to share your hobby with a Grandchild!
    I would urge some caution on your build plans. You will be adding quite a bit of weight and much of it will be "high" on the ship. Hopefully, there is some ballast that you can replace with your build plans. Also, be aware of the added current load of those servos( if that is what you are planning to use for your turrets).
    Carry On!πŸ˜€

    πŸ“ Receivers
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 42 Views · 4 Likes
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    Nick,
    I have downloaded and read the manual for the FlySky FS GTC-3 and there is no mention, anywhere, in the manual that the system can be expanded beyond 3 channels.
    Please enlighten us as to where you saw/read that this system can be expanded.
    I am not saying that you are wrong, but I just don't see any information about doing what you suggest.

    πŸ“ Receivers
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 44 Views · 2 Likes
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    Nick,
    Don't believe everything you see on YouTube...
    You have not told us which radio system you are using. It would certainly help.

    πŸ“ Receivers
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 48 Views · 3 Likes
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    There appears to be two questions here. I'll answer the second one first:yes you can power two receivers off the same battery or BEC, the latter is preferred because of the increased current draw of multiple receivers and the added servos you will be operating. A simple Y connector will suffice to provide the power needs. ( I usually remove, or tape back, the signal wire of the Y splice)
    To your first question regarding whether you can expand your system: It depends upon the radio system that you have. Some systems, like FrSky, are designed to be expanded.
    You need to tell what brand and model radio system you are using. Also, carefully read, or download and read, your radio's manual.

    πŸ“ What Radio do you use?
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 83 Views · 5 Likes
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    I am using FrSky Taranis X9E's, Horus x12s's, and I have a new XE24 that I have not played with yet.
    Have you done a range test out of water? I am not suggesting that the H2O is the issue, it certainly should not be with the antenna extensions you are using.
    So far, all my radios, BTY I am using X8R receivers, operate to beyond range of sight, ie, I can not control them because I can not tell which way they are goingπŸ˜‚.
    Are both receivers using antenna extensions, or just the primary? If the back-up receiver failed, the primary should still have maintained signal and control.
    I have found FrSky to be some what sensitive to voltage and current supply. I use BEC's that are definitely over kill. My only failures, to date, have been when bench testing and using a battry pack that proved not up to the task. Running telemetry certainly increases the load on the receiver's power supply.

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    πŸ“ ESC
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 55 Views · 6 Likes
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    Nick,
    Pre-setting the max speed of the vessel can be done on most transmitters. It is done the same as setting the servo throw. This is what the Admiral was talking about(he just used fancy words).
    If your transmitter allows you to set the end points of your servos, just do the same for your throttle. Consider your ESC to be a servo.
    You should be able to do it while you run your boat, but make sure that someone is with you to watch the boat while you fiddle with the transmitter. πŸ˜€

    πŸ“ ESC
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 71 Views · 4 Likes
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    First question, why would you want to do that? Second question, what exactly are you trying to accomplish?
    I agree with the previous response, ie, puting a "manual" speed control in line between the RX and the ESC accomplishes nothing. The manual control does not hook up to the RX and it would block any signal to the ESC, if it did.
    Go back to my second question and let's see if we can help you out.πŸ˜€

    πŸ“ power boats
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 44 Views · 2 Likes
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    Oh NO Doug. Now I am totally disillusioned.🀣🀣
    I agree with the interlock idea. That said, the new computer radios, like FrSky, Spectrum and others, allow for scripts and virtual switches to be activated. I would think that this would be a perfect place to try such a thing.
    Unfortunately, none of my fleet uses bow thrusters,, otherwise I would try programing one, as soon as I figure out how to.😁

    πŸ“ power boats
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 74 Views · 6 Likes
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    If I can butt in here, and I am probably poking a hornet's nest,, but here goes anyhow. Bow thrusters are designed to work and really only have an effect at low speed. In fact, if you look at Queen Mary or her sister, I may have dropped the #'s here, they both have doors that close off the thrusters above a certain speed, 10 because the thrusters don't work above that speed, and 2) because the thruster tunnels create a huge amount of drag and turbulence.

    πŸ“ Motor cuts out
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 62 Views · 4 Likes
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    I looked at the motor specs, and it appears that you may be a bit mismatched. That motor draws up to 35 amps, and it appears to want 7.4 volts minimum. You indicated that you have tried a different ESC, but was it a 7.4 volt or greater unit?

    πŸ“ Servos not working / moving
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 56 Views · 3 Likes
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    Colin makes great point. Servo testers are a very handy tool to have in one's tool box. Inexpensive and versatile.
    I sometimes use a servo tester as a speed control with 360 degree rotation servos, ie, for radars.

    πŸ“ Servos not working / moving
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 60 Views · 5 Likes
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    I would always start at the batteries. Are they new or fully charged? Both transmitter and receiver? Does the receiver use a NiMH battery or a NiCD? How long has it been since they were charged and cycled?
    You can check your receiver pack switch by eliminating it from between the battery pack and the receiver. I have seen them go bad and cause issues with voltage.
    With your manual in front of you, rebind your receiver. When you do this, don't put the receiver right next to the transmitter. Some radios don't like this much and it causes problems. OK, you re-bound.
    Had you previously set the failsafes? If so, you might consider un-doing them.
    I am guessing that your radio and servos are set for throttle and rudder. If they are not working yet, try them connected to the auxiliary channels of the receiver.
    BTY, has your receiver and or servos ever been underwater?
    Are the servo cable plug polarized, ie, can they be put into the receiver in only one way? If not, check to make sure that they are installed correctly.
    You could try some other servos and see if they work. As long as the cable plus fit into the receiver properly they should work fine.
    Lastly, if you are still stuck, do you know anyone with a similar radio that you could try your receiver and servos on?
    That is about all I can come up with. Good Luck

    πŸ“ Hog Chains on a Sternwheel Riverboat
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 19 Views · 1 Like
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    There is a article on Wikipedia addressing hog chains, here:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hog_chains
    πŸ“ chargers
    2 months ago by πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ ToraDog ( Lieutenant Commander)
    ✧ 27 Views · 3 Likes
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    Roy is absolutely correct. The link to PowerSonic battery site, which I previously posted, illustrates these rates for all the different size SLA's they offer. While not exactly spot on for all manufacturers, the rates are pretty close and provide a good guide line for our uses.
    The site's charger listings also show the chargers rates and cut off slopes which, again, give a good illustration of the recommended charging parameters to use.
    I am not says that these can only be used with PS products, but most of us are in the dark about the correct way to discharge and charge these batteries.
    Lastly, please remember that the batteries DO have vents and therefore they are designed to be charged in the connector in the upright position. Otherwise the gas can not. will not, vent and the batteries increase the risk exploding at some point. More importantly, the efficiency of the battery drops and premature failure is the end result.😐



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