Print finished! At first glance, everything looks good. I really hate the roughness from the supports….
Well the print is not quite perfect, but it's looking pretty good. Supports always leave an imperfect finish, the only way to get better is to slice the hull into smaller sections that don't require support - but then you have to deal with additional hull joins. The Beer Keg regulator does work, but it has a limited flow rate compared to other regulators. Shouldn't be a problem in your case, due to Big Gun rate of fire.
it’s good enough for mk1 of the ship. If all the running hardware fits, then it sails! Moving forward, I’d like to invest in a dual extruded so I can use dissolvable supports. I can’t keep spending 8 hours at the maker space!
what do you need dissolvable supports for? It's an expensive upgrade, and then you end up with a vat of solvent and dissolved plastic that you've got to figure out how to dispose of. Just about the only time dissolvable supports are useful is when you need support material in a place that you can't access to remove the supports afterwards, such as the ammo ramp inside a BIC cannon. I do agree that it's far more convenient to have your own 3d printer though. Most of my printing takes place while I'm at work or asleep. As for the print finish, you'd be surprised how much a vapor bath and a little bit of ABS juice can do.
Aft Section is ready for the printer! Guns and pneumatics arrived yesterday night. Thanks BattersConnection!! The ESCs and servos should arrive later today! I can't wait for fit REAL servos into the front hull!!!!
It's been a some time since I last posted! I got busy with life and decided to focus any free time on simply building and not posting! So, I've made some great progress on the aft sections. This hull photo is actually a generation behind. Now there is a split between the motor hull and the pump hull, that way I can get easy access to the transmission. And YES!! I'm going to try to have a pump in a submarine. My plans are to use a tiny check valve to keep the water out when submerged. The bow is basically complete at this point. I need to finish the linkages for the dive planes yet. However, I'm doing something a little fun with the float. CLEARLY I can't have a float on a sub. NTXBG's pond is apparently really deep, so I can't be without a float either. SO, my plan is to make the bow a watertight compartment; such that when it 'sinks' the ship really just turns vertical and floats in the water. -> we'll see how well it works. Last but not least is the progress on the cannons. This is just a rough-in; but I am starting to have my dimensions & hope to have a 'workable' version by EOW.
I forgot that their pond is deep, that can be a serious issue. Might want to check your math on that buoyant bow, though. Not a lot of volume up there, and the submarine has barely any reserve buoyancy even before it takes damage.
i wish I knew how to calculate volume…. At this point, I just hope it floats at all! The bow is more likely only a float when the screws are pushing it up to the surface. It’s more to keep it pointed vertically.
Worked on the cannons today. It now has a reloading hatch, and where I'll add ammo. Note, it's intended to be exposed to the water and watertight to the rest of the ship.
Hull with draft for cannon. The final hull will seal where the cannons enter the superstructure... assuming its not all too heavy. The cannon's o-ring will be adjustable through this hatch: Here's where the cannons will be reloaded: Here is where the CO2 & battery will be kept, the bottom hatch should be just large enough for the CO2 bottle. This is a failed print for the radio box. The top of the box has a nice slit for where the wires will be routed and glued in place for waterproof seal. I'll also use the standard waterproofing on the electronics too... Gearbox Mk2. I have a set of gears that I've pain-stakenly measured for gear lash/etc. When this turns out to be a heavy disaster, I think I'll move toward a belt drive system....
I haven’t posted in a while. I asked for my hull to be shot up at the NTXBG battle. I found that the hull at: - 0.11” was impervious against 1/4” bearings - 0.05” and curved, survived. - 0.05” and flat was basically decimated. I’m increasing the hull to 0.08” all around. I really wanted to go 0.1”; however, Fusion 360 didn’t like that thickness on multiple curves. IDK why. I hope that it’s enough. I’m also taking the time to make sure the pen areas x blast shields have more than 1/4” gap so the rounds will fall through.
I've decided to go away from the BC cannons that I bought for this project. They are heavy, they are large, and one of the cannons was not delivered with the correct parts. Instead, I've decided to move forward with my own cannons! I know full well, that these will be a project on their own; so I've created a separate thread for them. That way I can keep their development separate from the boat. - So if you want to see the GUTS of the cannon, please go here: https://rcwarshipcombat.com/threads/surcouf-guns.447135/ The ship is designed to be 100% watertight and independent from the cannon structure. I did this because I want to iterate on the cannons independently from the rest of the ship. In this photo, you can see the air port which will be a nipple between the structures. Here is a screenshot of the cannon structure itself.
I also built the servo <> CO2 valve assembly as well. What's missing is a metal bar which connects at the pivot point. It will be pulled down by a servo arm.
Another update for the night, the watertight electronics box. I will still seal the electronics with sealant, but I wanted the extra layer of protection as well. At the top of the box is a wire check-port. I will install pig-tails in to that gap & fill it with silicon. The mid-hull section is getting pretty full. Unfortunately, I did wind up throwing out the pump. I really wish I could have found a way....
I like the "old skool" approach but, would a pair of solenoid valves and a dual firing board from Battlers Connection be easier to fit in this model? Maybe that'd let you keep the pump?
