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RE: RC Switches
Yep, I know that there are plenty of designs out there - the one I have in mind uses a small microcontroller, which means that you can control the output in any way you want, not just a simple on-off circuit. For instance, if oyu have a variable pot on your tx , you can set up many different modes on a single channel, and you can cycle through them just by advancing or turning back the pot. I feel like this can add a greater level of detail to many builds, which is why I posted my inquiry. Nevertheless, thanks for the post Dan, I am browsing through their circuits as I type!
Posted on: 5/28/2012 9:19 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "RC Scale Boating"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11098106
RC Switches
Hey guys, this is my first time posting in the scale boating forum (been hanging with the FE and airboat guys for some time) but I have been lurking on some pretty awesome builds in this section as well. I am posting in order to guage the interest out there in R/c controlled switches - something simple that you can hook up to a spare channel to turn an LED or small dc motor on and off. This would be in a versatile and user friendly package, on a 1" square circuit board. There would be a reciever lead that you plug into a spare channel and two leads coming off the board that you could wire as an ordinary switch. Once your RC channel would go past neutral, the "switch" would turn on and light your LED/motor. If there is interest, I can make up some boards and sell them for 8$ (plus shipping) for a single channel switch. I could also make one that controlled 2 channels (2 inputs, 2 outputs) if there is interest, and also one for a 3 position switch on your TX with 3 separate outputs. I am also open to specific requests - I will try my best to put something together if you can accurately describe the application and components used. These units are all programmable, so I can make the output pulse or blink if you want without changing any hardware. The circuits themselves will be hand made single sided pcbs of a fairly high quality, although they will not have a soldermask. I just could not justify the cost of getting professional units made for such a small design. Later I will post a video showing one of the boards that I have already completed in action (acting as a switch for a remote camera shutter). I can waterproof them if you wish (encasing in a thin layer of epoxy). If anyone is interested, please either PM me or post your comments and questions below.
Posted on: 5/28/2012 8:54 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "RC Scale Boating"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11098083
RE: Unofficial
[quote]ORIGINAL: peas Okay I need to know what has gone wrong here... Running a Turnigy 3600Kv, Turnigy 35a Marine ESC off 2200Mah 30c 11.1v lipo with a Graupner Minijet. I have put about 6 batteries through it and it has sheared off all the stator vanes. My cousins did the same thing the day before though he has been running it for a lot longer with a 3000Kv but recently "upgraded" to a 4300Kv. Is this too many RPM that has caused heat build up in the stator bush, seized it up causing the shaft to tear the stator apart? Or is this just sucking up junk from the pond? There was no noticeable damage on the impellor and we both run intake grills. Anyone come across this before? Cheers [/quote] Are you using the graupner flex coupling or a straight coupler?
Posted on: 1/30/2012 12:08 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10935368
RE: Unofficial
about the graupner mini - I ended up cutting off the stock motor mount and making my own water cooled mount from a piece of 3/16" thick aluminum angle. I found that the stock mount flexxed a lot (especialy with a heavy motor mounted) and that wore down a lot of components in the drive. I also had to dril my own mounting holes in the stock mount - something that could be done much better on a custom made mount. Just my 2c. Edit - I forgot to mention that I am using a heli outrunner, hence my problems with mounting the motor. But the torque was well worth it!
Posted on: 1/19/2012 6:28 AM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10916745
RE: Unofficial
Thanks, I have as much fun making videos as I do making models - its how I can share my models with the rest of the world!
Posted on: 11/1/2011 5:48 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10792768
RE: Unofficial
I find that the still pictures from the gopro leave a lot to be desired - too much fisheye. This can of course be handled in post processing using photoshop or a similar editing program, however, I use the gopro to primarily shoot HD video where the camera is put into extreme situations (aka water, rocks, or 30 foot drops from a tricopter). Shoot in 1080p because the fov angle is smaller that way, reducing the fisheye effect (which is really visible in 720 and 960 resolutions). Now with the extensive marketing campaign the price of the gopro has gone up, but I still think it is a fairly good deal. It has good clarity and is good at adapting to changing light conditions (hence its popularity in fpv applications). I did see an aftermarket lense some time ago - however in my opinion it is overpriced and rather crudely made. My advice - having used it for about a year and a half now, is to use a point and shoot for documentation and the gopro for video (however, its lack of zoom makes positioning vital) An example of one of my videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XRxAIavQhs
Posted on: 10/31/2011 10:03 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10791575
RE: Unofficial
GoPro is worth the money (at least when I got it was $200) - it is a video camera for extreme conditions, so obviously it will be outclassed by a point and shoot in a everyday photo shoot... wait till you take it places you wouldn't take any other video camera ;)
Posted on: 10/31/2011 5:47 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10791289
RE: Unofficial
No problem sdgz... sometimes it seems like one needs a phd in electronics to post here - some pretty complex problems we run into ;)
Posted on: 10/3/2011 8:10 AM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10746267
RE: Unofficial
I know this may seem a bit daft, but are both escs propperly callibrated? If not, then that could also be a reason for the speed difference (I had a 2-prop boat with the same problem, caused me many headaches untill I realised my stupid mistake). Or it could be that one of the escs is rated for less amps, and is struggling to deliver the amount of amps the motor requires. These are just two suggestions (if sundogz's suggestion doesn't fix the problem) **Edit: timing can make them sound different - an increase in timing can make a motor go faster, but must be done carefully as it may cause unnnecesary amp draw/heat build up and sync loss with the esc
Posted on: 10/2/2011 1:42 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10745155
RE: Unofficial
Ouch... that's a shame, know how you feel right now. I guess now would be a bad time to say that you should always test your electronics outside the model first... nevertheless, I have made that same mistake before, but that was the last time it ever happened. Learning the hard way.
Posted on: 9/17/2011 5:30 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10721594
RE: Unofficial
4 pole have more torque. They have a more complex winding pattern than the 2 pole motors, hence the increase in price... I'm sure marketing also has something to do with it ;)
Posted on: 9/6/2011 9:33 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10705138
RE: Custom rc boat STUCK!
Man, don't worry about looks so much... I am 18 (I was 15 3 years ago ) and I remember I did the bathtub float tests and took pictures and wondered if the boat would ride well... you get the point. Just remember this - if you have enough power to get the boat on plane, how it looks standing still will be irrelavent because you will be having so much fun running it. My first few boats looked nice, but they were either underpowered or had serious issues with planing. Now I am happy with a shaped block of foam with a lipo-brushless setup (sure it looks hack, but you should see people's faces when I gun the thing and it hits 40 mph) Anyway, enjoy the free time you have now and build as much awesome stuff as you can - I started building RCs when I was 14 and now I am going to college to do research with autonomous drones (multicopter style) with a few grants under my belt. I started by building boats.
Posted on: 8/8/2011 6:10 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - RC Gas Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10661777
RE: Unofficial
Yes, I had a similar problem with my 35a turnigy - it wouldn't get the motor up to speed (compared to other ESCs) I tried callibrating it to the radio, messing with endpoints, the whole deal and still nothing. In the end, I just tossed it into my dead esc bin (it was soon joined there by a CC 120 Hydra!) To tell you the truth, I switched away from that line of ESCs and just put in a 50a airplane one. Although cooling was nonexistant, it still never got above 120 F.
Posted on: 7/28/2011 7:26 AM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10643002
RE: Unofficial
Here: <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ose-80895 That is where I buy most of my boat stuff from (aside from HK) and the service there is excelent! Usually ships cheap and quick, and if you break something, you can call them and they may replace the item free of charge (at least that's what they did with my motor cooling jacket)
Posted on: 7/19/2011 10:41 AM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10628792
RE: Unofficial
Agreed - sundogz is a tremendous help in this forum, and his generosity is what keeps people coming back when they need help. BTW, those graupner joints don't last. I busted through 2 sets (see previous post for outcome) before making my own solid coupler.
Posted on: 7/18/2011 3:56 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10627420
RE: Unofficial
[quote]ORIGINAL: TheOtherSide Anyone stripped a plastic geared servo on these boats? I can't see it... but you never know. [/quote] Well, since you decided to go there.... In fact yes I have, but it was when my old coupler exploded and the boat (my custon jet boat) drifted downstream and went down a 4ft dam... Surprisingly that was the only thing that broke on the boat and I safely retrieved it down-river. But yeah, I still use plastic geared servos. Thought you might be interested
Posted on: 7/17/2011 4:33 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10625661
RE: Predator Outrigger Project
That's what I was thinking - Now about the general maintenance of the flex drive... with the liner, should I do anything other than taking out the flex shaft at the end of each day I run and wiping it down with a lightweight oil? As always, thank you for your replies - they are helpful not only for me, but for others who care to read the thread (I know I am learning a lot by reading others' threads)
Posted on: 7/5/2011 1:50 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10607291
RE: The Unofficial all things Jet drive thread
Yep, green and black are the power switch, and depending on your PS, maybe put a 2-3 amp load on the 5v line to bring up the amps on the 12v lines. I have done it a few times and all have been sucessful - It really is amazing how much money you can save per watt over the commercial "rc charger specific" PS units.
Posted on: 7/5/2011 1:45 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10607280
RE: Predator Outrigger Project
I tore the top deck off of the rigger and also took out the stuffing tube - it was cut too short. Now here's a question: Why don't people use aluminum tubing for the stuffing tube? I am using the teflon liner so the material shouldn't matter that much, right? The reason I am asking this is that I have a few lengths of aluminum tubing the perfect size, and they are easier to bend then brass.
Posted on: 7/4/2011 3:04 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10605863
RE: The Unofficial all things Jet drive thread
[quote]ORIGINAL: grael Sorry to hear about your roasting issues ISIRC10, we're in the middle of winter here in New Zealand, so I'm having problems at work with plastic being brittle ! I'll remember this though, my PETG boats don't need too much heat to mould, so I have visions now of coming back to the car and finding a black painted boat pancaked! I use this charger: <
Posted on: 7/4/2011 8:53 AM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10605381
RE: The Unofficial all things Jet drive thread
This weekend I took the jetboat out to test my new impellor setup and it turned out to be a very bad day for me. It wasn't that hot, only 95 according to the thermometer at the dock. I setup my stuff on the deck our full size jet boat (I had done this in many outings before) and after a short run (setscrew backed out) I brought the boat in to check temps - they were all reasonable and the boat was running better then it did with the plastic impellor (less cavitation and vibrations). Speed was identical although acceleration seemed a tad slower. Anyway, I finished the first run and charged up the battery - It was in plain sight the entire time i was charging, but when I unhooked the pack, the charger let out a wisp or two of smoke. Crap! It hasn't turned on since then so the consensus is that the heat took it down - I could not hold the darn thing it was so hot. Discouraged, I put the charger away and ran the boat again - after another satisfying run I put the boat on the deck and went swimming. The boat, being painted black, heated up to the point where the paint started bubbling off and the ride pad at the bottom of the hull warped to resemble the rocky mountains. So yeah... right now I am contemplating sanding all of the crap off the hull and using it as a plug for a fiber glass hull and then transferring the electronics. I also need to sell one of my r/c's to get money for a new charger - I need one to charge my lipos! Anyways, sorry for the rant, I had a bad day (well, for R/Cs at least) I did not let this ruin the rest if it, but now that I have slept on it this does throw a wrench into the spokes.
Posted on: 7/3/2011 1:47 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10604193
RE: The Unofficial all things Jet drive thread
[quote]ORIGINAL: DRAGONFIRE81M Not to much . new hobby is 2 seater 250cc dune buggy . [/quote] Not to much !?! Are you kidding? That's freakin awesome - post a pic or two (put a jet boat on the thing to keep it relevant)
Posted on: 7/1/2011 8:22 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10602234
RE: Predator Outrigger Project
Well, my guess is that it is so cool that people are intimidated? But yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed the build thread - It even got the crazy thought of building a 4s rigger into my head (I already have 2 4s 5000mAh lipos) but then I totaled up the costs of hardware+motor+ESC+building materials and I sent that thought back to the backburner. I might have to make that an "aerodynamics project" in college (it falls into aerospace, doesn't it?) Might get a few more people behind it in the department and could get some nice results... Oh well, I have to survive freshman year first. Just a question - have you tried any heli thrust bearings? I heard that the aviation components are made better? (it is true when it comes to control linkages and clevises!)
Posted on: 6/27/2011 7:59 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10595552
RE: The Unofficial all things Jet drive thread
[quote]ORIGINAL: damfurst As far as the shape of the hull goes isirc10 it grows on you and I kinda like mine now.[;)] [/quote] To each their own... sundogz - Yeah, the Vtail route is the simplest for you to go now. That boat could make for a nice retrieval boat and still have the power/speed to play with when it isn't being used as a rescue.
Posted on: 6/27/2011 1:49 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10594984
RE: Predator Outrigger Project
Yeah, the Hydra was really weird... I just plugged it in and the light went on for about a second and dimmed off, and that's when I knew something was wrong. I mean, just plugging in a 4s pack shouldn't have caused any isses, right? And yeah, the ESC has not turned on with 2s or 3s (I tried it as a last resort) after that occurence. The rigger has not been run on anything other than a 2s pack and temps were all negligible so I will just have to wait and see what Castle says. The thrust bearing I blew was a 1/8" one - This probably had about 20 minutes on it. It seems the retaining rings are not made to their usual specs anymore, or it was a bad batch. Oh, BTW, it was your post of your recent build that made me want to refurbish my Pred. Hopefully I can get it set up half as good as your rigger (considering the differences in hardware).
Posted on: 6/27/2011 1:44 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10594972
RE: The Unofficial all things Jet drive thread
hmm... In that video it does seem to get a bit farther in its planing process than in the first one. Try shutting the jet off and running on pure EDFs (tape something like a credit card to the nozzle of the jet so you still have steering) I think the main problem is as you stated in your previous post - the hull type. The EDFs with their high speed/low volume flow cannot get the boat on plane (with the Jet drawing amperage) and the jet cannot get the boat on plane due to cavitation. And BTW, that is a WEIRD hull... I wouldv'e thrown it in the trash just by its looks and made something out of styrofoam... but that's just me
Posted on: 6/26/2011 8:11 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10593740
RE: Predator Outrigger Project
Well, I'm back. Had a lot of fun in the other corners of this hobby but have always come back to boating in the summer. Since the last time I messed around with the Predator Outrigger, I have made a jetboat, rebuilt an airboat, made a hovercraft, a tricopter, and am in the process of finishing an aluminum quadcopter using the Mikrokopter flight system. So yeah, I have been busy. Oh, and this is the last summer before I head off to college (Penn State Main campus) to study aerospace engineering.  Anyways, I took the outrigger out a few days ago and had some fun but it was definitely underpropped running a x432 on 2s and a 4436kV Feigao 540s can. Then I decided to try a 4s pack (I know what you are thinking). The problem was that within a few seconds of me plugging the battery in, the Hydra 120 ESC stopped responding and became warm. I immediately unplugged it and from that point on it has stopped working. I have contacted Castle about this (the ESC says 2-6 cells) and am waiting for a reply. However, to fix it would probably cost me $100 as it is over a year that I have it so the warranty has ended. At this point, I am not sure if I want to repair it or just get a cheap ESC - I have had much better luck with them and they seem more forgiving. I am currently looking to get this: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=8946 and another battery: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=11934 This should set me back about $90 with shipping, so it would be cheaper than getting the Hydra 120 repaired plus I would be getting a new pack for the boat. I know how a lot of you guys feel about the Chinese stuff, but its not like I am running a Lehner on TP lipos. I will also be redoing the stuffing tube and the motor mount, as well as the top deck and hatches on the Predator. In terms of props, I will look to buy the x435 and x438 to see if they liven the boat up - The x432 was nice but the temperatures I was getting only topped 100 F on any of my components once, and that was when my thrust bearing blew apart halfway through a run. I will be relocating the thrust bearing to between the coupler and the new motor mount I am making. I would like to reach speeds in the mid 40s with the setup... What do you think?
Posted on: 6/26/2011 7:57 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10593711
RE: The Unofficial all things Jet drive thread
Hmmm... I think it may be 2 things - One, if you are using the same battery for both EDF and Jet, you might not have enough power in that thing to supply both at once (and both applications are considered amp hogs as it is) The other scenario (and a lot of people who used EDFs in airboats have had this problem) I could think of is that the EDF's thrust is misdirected. It seems that this is lifting your bow significantly, possibly making your pump lose prime. There were quite a few airboat projects that were dropped because of this effect. Upon further review of the video, does the jet drive shut off when you try to go into high gear? I may be mistaken, but I don't see the white bubble trail made by it in the slow passes. Plus there was no forward motion of the boat, making me believe that the jet wasn't working (and I can't hear it - only cavitating once you hit the throttle)
Posted on: 6/26/2011 10:06 AM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10592910
RE: The Unofficial all things Jet drive thread
I ran the Jetboat this weekend and noticed a rather critical problem - the impellor shaft would slip out of the coupling, no matter what I did to keep it there (filling a flat on the shaft, loctite on the setscrew, a second setscrew on the other side of the coupler) Plus I was getting massive vibrations after a few minutes of running - the impeller was hitting the jet drive wall as it escaped from the rear bearing in the stator. The root of the problem - My transom is part of the jet unit, making the stock shaft a 1/4" too short. Oh well, time for a custom job! I took a 4" long 1/8" diameter stainless steel shaft and cut it so it bottomed out in both the coupler and the rear bushing in the stator. After that, I made a quick adaptor out of an aluminum rod so I could mount standard Octura props on the shaft. This was secured to the drive shaft by two 3/16" stainless steel setscrews which I filed down to minimize water disturbance in front of the impeller. Then I took an Octura x432 prop (it was lying around from an older project) and cut it down to the 19mm diameter required for my jet drive (the graupner mini). I put a 3/32" aluminum spacer behind it (to keep the prop on the adapter's splines) and screwed the stator back on to fully capture the assembly. Bathtub tests showed my new impeller to be as, if not more effective than the original plastic one that comes with the drive. Overall, I am very happy with its performance so far - now I just need to ballance it and go have fun in the rapids.
Posted on: 6/25/2011 8:29 PM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10592354
RE: The Unofficial all things Jet drive thread
Good luck with the edf boat - another thing that I have had in the works for about two years now, but could not build it due to time constraints and, well, finances (it almost sounds cliche to say this) I have not seen your design yet, but I the one I have in mind (I have only cut the foam cores for the hulls) will be an outrigger type, about 3.5-4' long, powered by a 120mm ducted fan and a 12s lipo - I have all of the components ready to order, but my adolescent mind is (finaly) beginnning to wonder if it is worth spending this much money on a hobby now that I will be going to college this year... man, all of these responsibilities now! I was actually thinking of getting a Tear Into at one point for bashing on the rocks but I had the chance to run against one during my vacation (a few friends came along) and I like the way my hull performs more - obviously it's a biased opinion. Anyways, good luck with the maiden, lets see some video!
Posted on: 6/19/2011 11:19 AM by Author "ISIRC10"
in the forum "Speed - Electric"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10581995
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