New Radio Box Started - V3.0

I just started V3 of my new radio box I hope to have completed in the next few days. I am using a Otterbox 1000 (nice and small) and I am adding the test fire buttons to the lid of the box.
In order to make this work I had to use smaller firing boards and as such I used a prototype board that I am testing to see how it works.
I am not sure how I will seal the box but I want to be able to replace my interface board for the ribbon cable so I will proably use the blue gasket maker I got from Auto Zone I used to make my deck seal gasket with good success.
I will utilize a simple pump switch to keep the radio box small in that I will use a firing board to trigger a sealed automotive relay ($4) that will sit outside the radio box near the pump. This will not only save space in the radio box but will cut down on the amount of expensive 12G silicone cable I have to use in the ship.
For the throttle I plan to use the banebots ESC and encase it in epoxy and run it from outside the radio box, once again to save space and cut down on silicone wire. This will keep me from having to add the larger motor output cables to the outside of the box. I will just feed the reciever leads out on the ribbon cable. I dont currently have a bane bots ESC so I will utilize the same output pins to trigger sealed relays that I will store outside the radio box near the motors.
This should be one step closer to the modular box I am wanting and help with overall wiring reduction. The other main objective is to make a drop in box that is compatible with any of my ships allowing me to mix and match at any time.
Pictures are below:

 

Looks good!
Are the buttons watertight? You may need to put some sort of rubber boot over them.

 

Im not finished yet! Haha a ways to go but lots of fun to put together.

I bought some bladder rubber I used on the previous water-tight box that didnt work very well. I might use Marine goop but I am afraid of it leaking down into the switch itself. I like the blue gasket maker I used for the deck seal and may seal the buttons with that. At least with Goop or the Blue Gasket I can peel it off and re-apply if I have to change a switch. There is not much gap around the threads in the hole anyway so it may work out ok.

Once I work out the rest of the internals I will seal it and water test it.

 

Well I made some progress and got the box far enough along for testing the 'proof of concept'. I made the final decision that I will not run the pump or ESC controllers in this box to leave it small and light.
The firing boards are 6V compatible so I didnt include the 5V regulator. Adding the regulator at this point is easy I just go inline on the reciever power lines.
Here is a progress picture:

Below is the button testing rig:

The red wire for the solenoid is temporarily connected to those pins which are reserved for the ESC.
I am thrilled that it all worked as expected on the first time out. I may change out the board on the top for a new type of connecting cable but I am not sure yet.
Johnny

 

That's an impressive looking wt box. Nice work.

 

Thanks! I really like working on this type of stuff - believe it or not its relaxing. hahaha

 

any new progress on this? I would like to know more about the firing boards. My main complaint about the standard TDE boards is their voltage sensitivity. Being an old Ham operator and builder, I have no problem soldering up my own boards if they are available.

Nate

 

Funny you bring that up. I am nearing making an order and have been working on the final specs. It turns out the MAX supported is 6.0 volts and SLA batteries start at around 6.3 and 6.4 volts. I can have a voltage regulator added for a small fee per board and an engineering fee but through discussions had decided that since most people were familiar with wiring the TD boards it might be better to just follow the current standard. The VR will add about $4 per board so its not an easy choice. However it would be great for those that want to run a higher voltage to the receiver without using a complicated inline power supply for the rudder servo. Keep in mind that if you run a higher voltage on the receiver then you must supply power to the solenoids from main power. The boards do offer the ability to power the solenoids direct from receiver power , keeping the solenoids completely off main power but I am concerned about incorrect installation that will damage equipment. I may leave that feature off.

I used them all week at Nats except Friday, also at the Tangler and Brouhaha this year and found no difference between them and the TD boards. I used one of them to power a 40amp 6v automotive relay I used for the pump and it never failed once during Nats.

 

Darren,
I wasnt sure what you meant at the time but as it turns out the buttons were not sealed. That opened up a whole big issue that started the beginning of Radio Box v4 which has not been posted.
The buttons are a catch 22 in that if they are sealed then I am told they will retain water and other matter and fail. The unsealed buttons allow the water to drain. So in the end the radio boxes were leaking... not around the mount hole but THROUGH the switch.
If I had waterproofed all my radio equipment it wouldnt have mattered, in fact if I had not taken this box apart I could have just lit it fill up 2 or 3 ounces each sortie with no problem. The reason I did it this way was for modular swapping in ships and the fact that my ship had nowhere to mount the buttons in an easy to access location.
I used this box at the Brouhaha and then switched over to the old TD box on Sunday due to the leaking. I then re-worked the box for the Tangler in Missouri, then another re-work for Nats. That box will be retired this fall and replaced by V4 ( I hope). V4 will have surface mount switches mounted on the circuit board. V5 will hopefully have a circuit board manufactured for it based on the experiences of V3 and V4.
Johnny

 

I would NOT put a VR in each board.
I personally use completely 12 volt ships. I have found several good motors of varying sizes with 5k rpm , ie, direct drive territory,at the right power level for ships ranging from 6 lb size to USS NC. I use 12 volt solenoids that will work on 6 but not the 5.8 a 6v SLA sometimes drops to under load. I would power the rcvr either off the ESC at 5v or a separate 6v pack. any voltage regulation can be done with a part common to the entire module, and I would recommend anyone else to do so. I have been working on a similar system here over the last 5 years and am on what we call MCB (modular combat brain) v3 . I have kept the fire test switches off the box but can definitely see the advantage of doing it your way. The IRC Axis admiral has a nice system on his Ostfriesland. He uses the 2000 series otterbox. I, like you, try to stay with the smallest size and it is quite a challenge.

I would be interested in your boards. I like the philosophy of keeping the ESC outside the box. I currently run the pump off of a TD board, BUT, use it only to activate an automotive relay near the pump. you understand the electrical logic I am sure.

 

All the VR would do is allow a wider range of input voltages, its not on the output side.

Which relay do you use? I have used a 5V but also have a 6V Tyco I have been using. If I supply + and - power from the firing board I could use the 5V but that is extra work. It is simpler to run it off the 6V. I am designing some fail-over into the box as I found a few problems in the design and am adding ways to bypass problems in the event of a failure. I have found I have to have a soldering iron around wherever I go, but I don't get frustrated as I am not finished with it yet.

I was trying to save more room in the radio box but in the small radio box I can easily fit two of my dual firing boards, 1 TD board to run the pump, the receiver and the bec. I waterproof it all so I dont really need a box but I dont like these things just laying in the bottom of the boat or having a bowl of noodles in the bottom of my ship.

When I rebuild / build a new ship then I may in corporate the test buttons back into the ship but for now the radio box makes sense.

I would be interested to see your MCB if you can. Post it or send me one privately.

 

I currently use a 12 volt sealed Automotive relay from Jameco that is rated for 30 Amps. All my active ships ( I include my son and his friend Doug - ie our shipyard crew) run on 12 volt SLA's. This includes a VU, North Carolina, West Virginia, and my personal South Carolina. The relays take power from the main power buss. The boards run from the Mtronicks ESC. I have the MCB's wired to lift off the rcvr and board power to a separate supply if desired, and can use an isolated 4 cell AA NiMH pack.

I will be happy to post my MCB pix. I just need to figure out how to post photos on this forum.

 

Well I got version 3.5 done and it is missing a few things due to time but it works for now. The previous board had some problems and so I just started new. That was more work than I thought., you should see the bottom of the board. I believe this box is lighter than the box I was using before. This one should fit in the FUTURE Graf Spee and any ship above that size.
I plan to test it in Missouri with a larger ribbon cable and locking shroud, new beakout board for the ship and smaller breakout boards for the solenoids making it easier to add the solenoid and to replace them in the future. I used some surplus cables that have the same connector as the 3 pin fans on motherboards to connect the solenoids to the box. I like the setup since I can swap connectors around if I need to. I will be using the dual-firing boards to run the guns and the pump solenoid so all I will have in the box is a bec, reciever and 3 firing boards (2 for 3 turrets and 1 for the AUX)
I was going to add the led, and pass through pins but may have to wait for V3.6 or V3.7.
Lets hope it holds up.

 

Well the new box is complete, 100% operational. I learned a few lessons from the box above, mainly about waterproofing. Apparently West Systems likes to ooze so when I coated the underside it leaked into all the switches...
Now I have a replacable switch board based on pc mount switches that cost half the price of the normal test fire buttons. The module with 5 switches costs the same price as 3 of the standard c&k switches that most of the mwci guys use for test fire. I just cut up a circuit board and can just pop it loose from the marine goop.
Inside the box.. no pic yet... I have an integy 3amp bec (probably not big enough for someone with trip sterns), reciever, 3 of the double shot firing boards, and for Nats.. a couple of secrets!! It is jammed full of goodies. I have room for another double shot firing board so I could use both toggles like I did for night battle at Nats last year.
I designed it to be used in the Bizmarck under refit for next year, with the change of the BEC to the castle 10amp version (20 bucks.. wow).
Any thoughts?

 

Awesome box !

 

Thanks. Survived 10 Sorties at the tangler this weekend with no leaks or failures, it was a treat to be able to tweak the guns without the radio in my hand again.

i will try to put together a parts list. the swirltches are surplus here locally so they may cost moreif you order them.