I am about to buy this radio: http://www.servocity.com/html/laser_4_fm_ground_systems.html and I think I understand basicly everything about it, the servos etc. However, I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what a switch harness is and I can't find any information anywhere on the web. What is it and what type do you feel is best (the choices are micro, standard and heavy duty)
I should add that minutes after posting this I realized that I could buy this radio: http://www.servocity.com/~servo/html/laser_6_fm_ground_systems.html With the same servos etc. for only $7 more. I figure that $7 for an extra 2 channels is a pretty good deal, so I am going with that The same question still stands though, as this radio also asks what type of "switch harness" I want.
it is simply a switch with wire and servo style connectors attached to it. I generally avoid on/off switches like the plague and simply have an accessable deans plug below a removable bit of superstructure.
Greg is right. It's just a simple switch, with 3 servo plugs/receptacles (I don't remember how many of each, too lazy to go look at one) & some wire. It's a standard R/C item that plugs into your receiver, your standard receiver battery, & your charger. The switch turns power ON/OFF to the receiver, & also connects the charger plug to the battery when it's OFF, so that you can charge the receiver battery without having to remove it from the airplane (except that you don't have an airplane; everything for R/C is built around airplanes, pretty much). The connection to the transmitter looks just like a servo plug, but has only 2 wires instead of 3 (missing the signal lead, for reasons that should be obvious). I don't use them myself, & I think most people are the same as me in that regard. I always just wire a power lead directly to my power bus. Switches have a way of failing, especially when they've been submerged, & the switch harness is basically a $2 piece of crap that won't stand up to the kind of abuse that it'll get in combat. You can plug a standard receiver battery directly into the receiver, if you want, which is a much better arrangement than using the switch harness. I don't even use standard receiver batteries at all, preferring to put everything on a pair of "clean" (electronics; sensitive to glitches, sags, etc.) & "dirty" (motors, etc. that can cause spikes, sags, & glitches, but don't care if their power is "clean" or not) power busses at 6V. JM
Thank you very much! I look forward to my system's arrival. One more question, I also make submarines, but in the past they have had trouble getting tangled up in their cord. About how far does a radio signal from a transmitter like this go underwater?
72/75 mhz will penetrate 8 feet or more, depending on power, local conditions, and angle between you and boat. Remember, the more water it has to penetrate the lower the signal strength. 2.4ghz, on the other hand, just for reference, will not penetrate far enough to be usable. I would loose signal at 6-8" direct line.
Here's what the Subcommittee says in their FAQ: How far will my signal transmit under the water? This will vary on the amount of dissolved materials/metals in the water. The deeper you go the more scattering of the signal. The Cleaner the water.... usually the better the Reception and the lessening to the Attenuation of the Broadcast signal. Overall, a depth of 5-10 feet fairly common. Types of water in order of Best Reception/Transmission of Broadcast Signal: # Deionized Water # Tap Water # Chlorinated Pool Water # Fresh Water # Brackish (Most Still Pond Water) # River Water # Ocean Water JM
Thanks! I build mine for the local pool, and that is 9ft deep at its deepest so this should prove useful for that as well
