I ordered a butane soldering torch the other day, and I'm supposed to receive it today. So that should help out a little. The problem I tend to have is that the solder just refuses to flow right and hardens right as I take to iron away. So it's not transfering heat right. I think I ruined the tip because I forgot to pretin it before I first used it, and so now it's all black and messy. Lesson learned I guess. I'll be sure to pick up some of that E6000. I think Walmart carries it for about three bucks.
flux is your friend. he who controls the flux, controls the universe - or at least the flow of solder. Don't forget to pre-tin your work pieces before attempting wire joins, that will generally make your soldering experience much less frustrating.
I was wanting to give a bit of an update as to how the ship build is coming along. Not much has really happened since I got the ship somewhat sea worthy. I ran out of funding before I was to buy the cannon solenoids. But lucky for me I just got hired for my first job and so I'll be able to finish of this ship here pretty soon. I did do some testing about two weeks ago and busted all three blades off the starboard prop, and also found that my otter box still leaks a little bit. What I can't seem to figure out is why the ship simply refuses to turn to the right. Because I think the blades busted off when I ran into the shore, but that was halfway through the test. I was also having problems turning to the right the other two times I had the ship on the water. Although during the first two tests the rudders came loose and were not turning all the way...I just need to buy a new set of props and run some more tests.
Two right or left handed props? That might do it. If the ship has a left and right handed prop, then maybe both shafts are turning in the same direction, thus making one prop thrust backwards while the other thrust forward. The other possible effect is the rudder isn't turning one direction while on the water.
How can you tell if a prop is a left or a right handed prop? That could be the problem because I just checked and both props spin towards each other. The prop on the left spins clockwise, and the prop on the right spins counter clockwise. Is that how they are suppose to spin? The problem is being caused either by the shafts, or the props, because the rudders are turning correctly and they don't move when under pressure.
Sounds like both shafts are spinning in the correct directions. The props in the pictures are left and right hand props. The blade angles between each prop are opposite of the other prop.
Does she turn right if you're _not_ hard over on the rudder? Sometimes when you gear rudders you have to reduce the throw on the servo so that you don't turn the rudders too far - in my experience 60 degrees is really all you need, much more and water likes to go the wrong way.
You could be over loading the servo. With class 4 props the surface are should not be high enough to overload a servo. But your gear system might be binding. The gears could have a slight tilt so they work in one direction but bind up in the other. Or you might have too tight of a system. To test these problems take the arm off the servo, if everything moves freely and smooth your system is not too tight. Turn the ship on and move the rudders out of the water. Unplug the motors so you don't turn them on and get your hand in the props. Turn the props from side to side. They should get full throw. Now at full through put pressure on the servos as if the props were pushing water against them. You can also put your ship in the tub without the desks to see what is happening.
Hi all!!! I took a rather long break from building mainly because I just haden't had the time or the money to build. Until now that is. I'm looking at ordering all that is needed to get the ship battle ready tomorrow, but I was hoping someone could help me put together a list of what is needed as I still don't understand how to power the solenoids or how to get the co2 from the co2 bottle, to the solenoids, and then to the guns. I have all that is needed to turn the ship into a driveable model that can pump aqua, but it's lacking cannons and all that the cannons require to work. Here is a list of what I'm looking at getting and where. Please let me know if I'm forgetting something, or if there is something else I'm needing. I was looking at ordering two 50 round coil magazine rotate cannons from BC for the bow and stern side mount, then one 50 round straight magazine cannon also from BC for a side mount stern gun. Then a 3.5 once co2 bottle and a standard regulator from BC. Then three 1/16" Orifice solenoid valves from Strike Models, and ether the 2.3 amp or 5 amp battery also from Strike Models. As for the tubing, what would be a good size? The larger 1/8 in? Or the 1/16 in? Oh and what would I need to hook up the tubing to the solenoids? Thanks for all the help!!!
Greetings again! 1)Armament: 2 50round coil cannons (either rotate or standard) 1 50 round straight mag. If you are using solenoids, get Kips or the 6V ones from Strike. That way you only have to worry about one voltage in the boat. (6V) 2)Pump: I don't recall if you have a pump already or not. Get a large size pump (the size with the 500 size motor). I like both styles (BC and Strike), but if you order a Strike pump you can get the Stinger motor included so you dont get hosed by Tower hobbies on shipping. 3)Plumbing. This is how you get the gas from the bottle to the guns. You will need a 3.5oz bottle. I recommend a light weight regulator since Invincible is fairly light. I think Strike has a new style regulator now this is just as light as the older style, and more reliable. You will need some various clippard fittings. the 1/8" hose delivers gas (through the fittings) to the intake size of the solenoids. 1/16" tubing delivers gas from the output side of the solenoids to the cannons themselves. You want the 1/16" hose to be fairly short, so the solenoids should be somewhat close to their respective cannons. 4)Electrical. You need way more than 5Ah. Go to Batterysource.com and purchase a pair of 6V12Ah SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries. This is the cheapest way to get sufficient power for an Iboat. You will need 2 rolls of 14ga wire (1 red 1 black) and about 15-20 either deans ultra connectors or Powerpole connectors. These will hook up all the various systems in the ship. You will need 2-3 microswitches. These turn the pump on and off, and can be used to fire your guns using a servo. 5)Electronics. This is the brains of the operation. If you haven't already gotten one, you will want a radio. I like the futaba 6 channel 2.4ghz, but this is just me. You can get away with 4 channels, but 5 or 6 would be better. You will want an ESC, most likely a Viper40 but a Viper25 might be tough enough for a smaller ship like Invincible. Now there's some choices. You can get solid state control boards (Team Delta, strike, bane bots, etc) to control the guns or use a servo hitting microswitches. Boards are more $$$ but there's no moving parts and are easy to waterproof. I use boards, but I may have a bigger budget than you are working within. These are the systems that sound like you still need some or all of. So, that being the case here are some things I suggest you order. I am not endorsing any particular manufacturer over another, and I am not a spokesperson. From Battler's Connection: Cannon system CSYS6 This includes 2 50 round straight mag and 1 coil, when you make your order ask if you can get 2 coil and one straight. There may be a cost difference. This also includes some clippard fittings and a bunch of tubing. 3.5 ounce bottle. 1 pack each of 1/8" and 1/16" quick disconnects From Strike Models: Viper Marine 40 ESC (speed controller) Again, you might be able to get away with a 25, but I am not sure. Fixed regulator (if he has any left) or you might be stuck waiting until January when the new model comes out. 3x 6V (1/16" oriface) solenoids. From batteryspace.com: 2x 6V12Ah SLA batteries (part#LA-6V12AH) From radio shack or Kragen: 2 spools of 14 gauge wire, 1 red 1 black From Towerhobbies.com: 1 or 3 Traxxas waterproof 1/16 VXL servos. If you choose solid state control boards for the gun, you will need one of these for the pump, if you do not you will need 3 of these to control the pump and guns. 1 Traxxas high-torque waterproof servo. This is for the rudder. (These servos do not need any extra work to make them mostly waterproof, that said they do sometimes fail but they work much better than waterproofing standard servos if you don't know how to do it) That is where I'd go next. Just a suggestion, my feelings won't be hurt if you choose other things. I also STRONGLY suggest that you meet up with another builder/battler and take your boat to their shop. I don't know how far away you are from other battlers, but I learned more about building boats the first hour I spent with an experienced builder in his shop than I did with 100 emails. I seem to recall you are in Idaho somewhere but my brain could just be making that up. If you are, PM me please.
Thank you Renodemona!!! That just helped out a lot. Sorry, I should have clarified what I have already. For power, I have two 6 volt 10 amp nimhs. I didn't think about running the solenoids off of them until you just mentioned it. I also have the viper marine 25 esc. As for the pump, I'm running the standard one from Strike with a micro switch(subject to change). I also have a DX7 controller. Where can I find The solid state control boards? I did a search, but only random stuff comes up. Other then that, I think I have all the info to finish this ship. Oh and I think I found a lake I can use during the better part of the winter. It's so big (over 25 miles long) it takes a LONG time to freeze over. I stopped by today and the water level as of right now is about three feet deep for the first hundred feet or so. a little cold, but it's better then not running at all. P.S. PM sent.
OK, you should be fine on batteries then. The DX7, is that a spectrum? Ask Steven from Strike about his controller boards. I am using those in my Emden and Nagato, I have some more on order for the rest of my fleet.
The coil mag run for the bow sidemount will not fit. It goes right over the bottle, there will not be enough room. Get two straight guns, one for the stern gun in the wing turret, one for the bow sidemount. The stern sidemount should have enough room for a coil mag, but put the decks on and make sure. The gear boxes or rudder servo might be in the way. For electrical you'll need 4 male Deans Altra connectors (motors, pump, batteries) and 4 female Deans Altra connectors (Motors, pump, batteries). If you get more batteries you'll need more female. If you run solenoids you can use smaller wire, #18 or #20. You can use a Deans 4 pin mini connector or a couple Deans 3 pin mini connectors. Depending if you put in test switches or not. You can get the electronic firing boards from teamdelta.com. I think Strike and BC both have them too, but a little different style. If you need a part number by part number list of Clipard hose fitting I can put one together. I have a Word Doc with a layout I can send you.
Oh I see. Which of the four boards should I order? http://www.teamdelta.com/products/prod2.htm I was thinking to rc solid state d switch, but I'm not sure. Would I cut the tips off of the wire coming off of the receiver and solder them onto the three appropriate points on the board(ground-ground signal-signal power-power)? And would I need to waterproof them? P.S. email sent.
The Team Delta boards come with very good instructions. If you buy from them let Dan know with your order that you're with the model ship group. There are also instructions and the type you need for guns here: http://www.mwci.org/howto/RCE200HookUp/RCE200Circuits.htm The boards should be water proofed, liquid electric tape works just fine. The 3M Scotchcoat is the best out there. If they blow up, save it as the part that most likely blew is the little white chip. It can be replaced pretty cheap. Team Delta boards are 1 board 1 gun they cost $24 each. The boards Johnny Adams has, I think he's selling them through BC, or maybe direct, are a little cheaper as it's one board two guns. They are a little different to wire up as you use a servo extender not soldering on the board. Johnny looks at this forum once and a while, speak up!!! I think Strike has these too, but Kerry/Steve would have to confirm that.
I'm changing over my ships to the strikemodels firing boards. It has many advantages over delta boards. It comes already waterproofed, you don't have to wire in a fly back diode (failure point for most td boards), it can handle higher amperage, no switches to fuss with, pre wired leads, and it is bidirectional, so 2 boards can handle 4 turrets. I tried them last year and liked them. Ron Hunt
The ones that Strike Models carry, and they have them on their website? Or do they not yet carry them? Because I couldn't find them on the site.
