I was during testing today, and I'm still contemplating it. I disconnected the center red leed on the pump ESC, just using the drive ESC for power, makes the wiring simple for sure. I plan on just using a Cap on the receiver. The only thing that will be drawing anything this way is the rudder servo, so I don't think it will have a problem. But I can always move the rudder servo power over to the battery if needed.
Interesting trick you did burying the wiring under resin. Looks very clean. How are you liking the resin water channel?
Pretty well. I know some fellows will say, what happens if somthing goes bad. So far my Duke is the same way, and just finished its second year, and so far so good. I just don't care for all the wire's all over the inside of the boat. If you build it right to start with, it should continue to work. I used the deans connectors that I have shown before with the small circuit board mounted on it. My Nagato will be the sme way, all wiring, and gas lines buired, just less to go wrong I think.
To the guys who ask 'what if something goes bad' with respect to the wiring in the epoxy... What's going to go wrong with a wire?It's a thick piece of copper embedded in epoxy that will severely limit any corrosion that will take place. The service life of Dave's wiring should be siginifcantly longer than anything else in the ship, doubly so for the protection afforded by the epoxy.
Tug, what if the wire embedded in epoxy shorts and burns up? I really like the idea of it though, it is a serious pain having wires all over the place. --Chase
If you are really that concerned with it, you could readily smooth coat the bottom of the hull with a thin layer of epoxy, put down some release agent, and add a second layer with wires in it, that could be removed if necessary. I've been wanting to do something like that for a while, I really like how it turned out here.
If someone shorted the wires outside the epoxy, that could be an issue. But outside of battery packs, I haven't seen a lot of shorts.
I also used the next AWG size up on the embedded wire. So if anything shorted out, and melted wiring, it would be the wiring that goes to the battery or ESC. I have 12 embedded, with 14 going to the componets in the boat.
Run the wiring inside KBS plastic. Run the wire in that. Wires can be fished thru the plastic just like the do in construction. Just another idea. But, why do it when David's method works just fine????
If you burry the wire in the water channeling consider useing solid wire. The stranded wire will over time corrode between the strands. This will increase the resistance of the wire, causeing voltage drop. It will take awhile since the only way the water can get in is through the connector.
I use resin water channeling and it works great. Never thought of burying wires and gas lines though. I agree with Tugs that the wire should be well protected and but what do you use for gas lines and what happens if one blows? That sounds like allot of work to repair. Do you have a trick that saves the gas lines too? Why not use the Mtroniks Viper marine ESC, they are waterproof and have BEC built right in. Just wondering thats all. J
if I was to bury gas lines, the lines would be made from stainless tubing rather than the flexible stuff.. but that said, that is a very clean way to do it.
I use resin water channeling too. It's a great way to show off high-quality work in wooden hulls, especially planking. The only things I bury in it are lead weights, though. I haven't tried burying wires or gas lines.
Like Greg says, I wouldn't bury copper lines in it, but it looks really sharp (IMHO). Bob's advice about the solid wire is also good.
Well Don's experence with Brushless did not go too well today. First off he hooked up one of the ESC power reversed, due to a adaptor he had made up for his brushed setup. Nice 4 inch flame shooting out of the side of the ESC. He asked do you think its bad? I said hum, maybe, he hooked it backup the right way, and the ESC continued with another pyrotecnic show. I told Don Pyro's are illegial in MWC, and he could not use it. Needless to say, he was upset at himself about it, but as I told him, oh well at least it was only $15. Then we found his other motor would not run right either, we found that problem to be, where he put the mount screw in, it was too long and shorted out the windings, so that motor was now bad, $12 gone. Luckly I had 2 spares for everything, we put new one's in, and they all worked. But we were not able to run the boat, due to lack of 5 mm pinions, I had ordered some, but still have not received them. Just got a email this evening, they have been shipped, so I should have them by Wed, so we can test them next Sat hopefully.
Where'd you find 5mm pinions? Brian K is dying to know. I tested my home-made 1/2 unit pump today, with a 30A aircraft (unidirectional) ESC... Works well, pump is balanced and works well, although not as pretty as a cast pump. then again, looking pretty is not high on the design priority list. I have gotten a lot better at soldering up impellers. There's a technique to it Tomorrow, I'll test the pump for actual capacity, and also mount the brushless drive motor in Scharnie. The pump is the prototype of the one to be used in Edgar Quinet, and the drive motor is the same type that will be used as well, with the same 30A ESC that Dave had Don barbecueing today. I've got those waterproofed and they are working well for me (1 for the drive motor, 2 spares, plus 2 of the airplane ESCs for the pump; 1 installed and a spare). But if you've found a source for 5mm pinons, Dave, that'll make some refits easier
Look at the bottom 5 on the page. $3.95 each http://www.rcdude.com/servlet/the-Pinion-Gears/Categories
Oh man ... I should have warned you guys about the screws. Coming from an automotive background, I already knew there wasn't a lot of room for a long screw into an alternator. The brushless motors are like alternators with the windings on the case. I carefully measured the screws and tested their depth into the motor before mounting it to the gearbox. Good thing is, both the esc and motor are very low cost. I just ordered the 30 amp esc earlier for less than $15. Nothing you can do about backwards wiring though. Any consolation, I melted an airplane brushless esc after borrowing a battery from a friend. Plugged it in and got smoke. Come to find out, he wires his planes backwards. If I would have checked before plugging it in ... ah well. Heh.
