Didn't know where to put this so slapped it in general.. Okay I have picked a boat.. contemplating two different radios (laser 6 or eclipse 7).. Time for the next round of questions.. Mark is sending me down the path of Team Delta boards. He also pointed to their R/C Dual Ended Switch (RCE220) for throttle it allows to turn off and on items w/ one board, so the motors will be in an off or on state. I would figure sometimes going slower will allow a tighter turn even though I do realize the prop wash also impacts the turn. 1. So would only having on or off states lead to larger turns at times? He mentioned that ESCs seem to burn out due to the lack of ventilation (guess he sees them put in the otter box). 2. Is this what y'all seen? Burn out in box or are the water proof ones safe to have outside the box ect.. 3. If not what ESC's are recommended? I am also trying to figure out what I need on hand to do a trial layout of the hull and otter box ect.. beyond the typical stuffing tubes, guns, pump, motor mounts ect. (going to BC for that will double check w/ em and their Cleveland Hardware kit it should work I think). Guess this leads to what do you guys normally have on hand when you do your layout of the hull? I would figure that is key to a good good balance, thus good turning characteristics. Next question lets say I use two solid state d switches (RCE200) could I use one stick to control one w/ an up motion and the other w/ a down motion? Now I know that one channel would normally go to one servo but you never know till you ask. Lets say to control two different guns on a ship... I am using the questions to see if having another channel is worth the additional cost of the Eclipse 7. Would having EPAs on all channels be an additional justification on top of the channel? I could see it helping with say diving planes or the like I guess not sure tho.. It would be a difference of say a little over 100 dollars. He gave me a nice Bill o' Material to gauge cost ect.. trying to see where I fall in this or that and what I need immediately ect..
Short answer is no. Prop wash plays a huge part in how well your ship will turn. The more is generally better as long as you can stay on speed. Many people are using ESCs with mixed results. I have not burned a single ESC yet (out of three I have now). The ESCs are not in a waterproof box. Two of the three are already water proof marine ESCs. The third was waterproofed with Scotchkote spray and has not failed. All three have been sunk/submerged multiple times. Of course, I've used ESCs in planes and cars since 1988 and know what they can take and how to install them. Keeping them cool is important and water works very well as a coolant. The most popular seems to be the Mtronics Viper series. Proboat (and the chinese clones of Proboat) work well for some people and not well for others. I have been sucessful using the chinese Proboat clones. Try to put the heavy stuff in the middle of the boat and as low in the hull as you can. For layouts, check in the build area for pictures of some of the boats currently under construction for a good visual idea of how the layouts are. Yes, you can do this. Use a Y-connector between the receiver and the RCE200s. Set each RCE200 to trigger on opposite sides of the stick movement. EPA is very handy if you are using an ESC. If your ship is too fast, just dial down the EPA on channel 3 until the ship is back on speed. EPA is also handy to prevent servos from traveling to far and binding the linkage. If a servo binds, it might burn out. Frankly, you should be able to do anything on any ship with only 6 channels. The 6EX series transmitters are a good value. You can also find good deals on Ebay if you are patient. After all, you don't need the radio until you have started work on the ship itself.
Good answers Mike. I personally like the Dimension Engineering ESC Sabertooth ESCs, but the Mtroniks are pretty" standard" in the hobby as far as ESCs go since they are already waterproof. As Mike said the Proboats seem to be hit or miss for people. ESCs are a little trickier to use than an RCE220 or a servo with a pair of lever switches. If you have prior experience with RC stuff and feel confident about using an ESC then go then go for it. If all this is totally new then I would recommend waiting and going with the RCE220 or servo/switches as its easier and cheaper and less likely to cause trouble in a rookie boat. You can always upgrade to an ESC later once you've got the basics down.
I didn't even think of the DE Sabertooth for an ESC even though I use one in a 1/6 scale vehicle. Good motor controller for a modest price. Waterproofing it should be easy enough to do. Heck, I might use the Sabertooth in the 1/96 Jean Bart after it's built.
If you are looking for a "Shopping List" for your cruiser or looking for layouts of other simalar ships check out: http://www.portpolarbear.com/reports/index.html There is a Cruiser Parts List and several inside warships. The Honalulu will have the same layout as your Cleveland. If done right ESC are fine. But the cost a lot, you should always have a spare. Getting a cruiser to speed with a Team Delta or MAG throttle is easy.
Thanks all! I thought I could do be able to control 2 different cannons w/ one "channel" w/ the boards but wasn't sure. Think you know and knowing is two different things. I will go w/ the Team Delta switch for throttle then to start off with. On a side note there is an Eclipse 7 w/ a 75MHz module -minus servos and reciever on Ebay for 200.. that is looking a bit tempting since it will have epa on all channels (which may be nice when I want to attempt subs some day) and capability to transmit any 75MHz channel.. it will be w/ receiver probably 100 more than the straight up laser 6.. Like I said I need to go 75MHz for subs.. the 2.4 just does not penetrate water from what I have read on sub website boards. So I sent out an inquiry to BC regarding if my "grocery list" will be enough for the internals minus team delta boards. Heck I might as well put it here for your thoughts.. Cleveland Hardware kit (same class and nearly exactly same size ship as Houston) Cleveland Cannon kit +2 spare 1unit magazine cannons to part out for failures. 4 Solenoids (want some back ups) and 2 expansion tubes (since I don't think they come w/ the cannon kits) 3.5 bottle Regulator Bilge pump This w/ the hull, 4 team delta RCE2, 1 RCE220, and some wiring. Lastly.. would Goff be a good place for Indianapolis plans? I'll check locally for balsa, there used to be some nice local rc hobby shops as a kid growing up w/ my pops but think they went out of business. Any good place for balsa and birch ply? Saw this place.. www.balsastore.com/store/categories.php
I got my balsa here http://www.nationalbalsa.com/balsa.htm Don't forget the on/off valve for the co2 bottle
Mike I have been useing the DE Sabertooth in my Des Moines. Started with a 10 amp unit and went to the 25 amp unit later for it. So far only reason I have killed a DE ESC is my miswireing.
ESCs are reliable and a great solution, provided you (1) properly size them to the stall current of your motor(s), (2) properly install them, and get one with the right features (some, like Proboat, do not have the same range in reverse as forwards, some have delays going from one direction to the other, some, like the Polk, have reverse for only a limited time). Of course some of this is more critical in Small/Fast Gun then Big Gun, as Big Gun does not allow battle reverse. There is a great article on the NTXBG.org web site how-to section, ESCs, lessons learned. MTroniks is waterproo (potted)f, LR{/Team Associated has some waterproof versions (conformal coating), Polk and MoPed can be waterproofed with Scotchkote pretty easily (but Polk only lets you run in reverse for 10 seconds at a stretch). If you were using very frugal motors (Fast Gun doing so due to the much higher speeds allowed and attendant more hefty motors needed), Robot Power has some nifty little ESCs, and, for that matter, Vex has introduced a $10 one that runs directly off your receiver. This should work nicely with the little micro geared motors from Pololu.com that draw less than 1A at full stall, but are probably impractical for Small/Fast Gun. I am thinking about converting some of my freighters o this drive system, though, for simplicity. Cheers, Wreno
