RE: Robbe U47 help
Darksheer: Just sent you an email. I live in St Francis Xavier. Lee
Posted on: 12/29/2008 10:20 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8294000

RE: Know nothing about , so?
Hi: Once you get into subs for a short while, you'll get past the "let's see how deep it will go and still come back up" phase and realize that the best depth for visual appeal is just below the surface, or periscope depth. Its sort of like flying model airplanes, one of the most commoon questions is "How far will it go?" and after you've flown it out to what seems like a million feet away and come home again, the best flying enjoyment comes from being in close. Give subs a try, its really neat stuff.
Posted on: 10/15/2008 9:39 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8050875

RE: Looking for a Nikko Seawolf or Ocean Explorer
[image]Deathwish: I have a Nikko that I've painted and it looks pretty nice ... but when I was running it in a heavily chlorinated public swimming pool, it didn't seem to have as much range as I hoped, and I'm willing to sell it. Comes with its own hard-shell carrying case. PM me with your email address and I'll send some pictures. Asking $100 for it. Lee
Posted on: 10/7/2008 7:40 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8026132

RE: Krick U-Boat? Anyone?
One of the regulars over at www.subpirates.com has listed 2 very nice subs for sale. I think the price is certainly very fair for an operating, well constructed sub that just needs a radio installed. Take a look at the pics in this thread http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=907692 Regrads, Lee
Posted on: 8/17/2008 10:15 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7855018

RE: nikko seawolf
Just thought you might like to see my Seawolf with a few mods. The neatest thing about this sub is the carrying case I adapted so it could travel on airlines and be safe. This has done a lot of miles and survived without a scratch on my quickly done paint job. My main complaint with the Nikko subs has always been poor radio range right out of the box. After talking with a nice tech at Nikko, he says what I get is about all they are capable of ... about 50 to 60 ft on the surface and much less in a pool. I'm not able to get more than a few feet away in the heavily clorinated public pool where I went on vacation. I'll be selling this one and finishing my static diver. The only other thing that was a problem last year was a broken main drive shaft magnetic coupling cup. I made the mistake of letting somebody else run it and he enjoyed doing panic stops a little too much and cracked the cup. Nikko were very good about supplying spare parts and I've now also got a spare prop on the shelf just in case. Although this "pool toy" has been fun and taught me a lot, I've decided to go with a conventional radio system and a different sub for next sub season. Lee
Posted on: 3/27/2008 2:32 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7289422

RE: Steve Neill's New RC Sub Conversion Book
Hi Folks: I got a copy of this "E-Book" a few weeks ago and have already learned a great deal from it. Steve has poured his heart & soul into making the information easy to read and understand regardless of your previous model building experience. I recommend this product without reservation to anyone with interests in modelling submarines or just general curiosity about how thses things work. It might even be of benefit to a "first-timer" thinking of maybe buying a sub kit but isn't "really sure if its for me." Even if you watch it and then decide to go in another direction, the worst you'll be out is the cost of this "E-Book" rather than sinking a big bag of dollars into a project and then decide that learning to hook rugs or collect stamps is a better use of your time. Steve Neill is a real resource for anyone new to this aspect of the hobby and will save the builder a great deal of time, frustration, and money. Well worth the cost from a fully satisfied customer..... and no, I didn't get paid to say this ..LOL. Regards to all, Lee
Posted on: 1/16/2008 12:33 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6916733

RE: RC USS Marlin
Hi: here's a link to my USS Marlin progress so far has been slow .. just too many things on the go right now and I'm also a tiny bit concerned about leaks in the WTC .. that I think I've got plugged, but not sure how well .. LOL http://www.subpirates.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1827&hilit= Lee
Posted on: 8/1/2007 10:54 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6185887

RE: nikko seawolf
Hi Folks: I got the replacement parts from Nikko last month and have repaired my Seawolf's magnetic drive coupler. It has passed "the bathtub run test" and now I wish to sell it for $100 plus the cost of mailing it to you. The sub has maybe 5 hours running time since new. Thought I'd offer it first in this thread, since I said that's what I'd do in my earlier post. More info and pix available via email if you are interested before I list it elsewhere. Regards, Lee Smith
Posted on: 4/30/2007 4:08 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5792578

RE: Canada post shipping
Oh Boy ... another opportunity to warn people away from even thinking of using UPS to destinations in Canada. They are just a lousy company .. plain and simple. UPS will levy a "Customs Brokerage" charge on each item from the US. The amount varies based on the value of the item. The lowest I have been assessed is $25 and that was on a single transistor used in radio broadcast transmitters ... value on the part was $7 US funds. I needed the part desperately to repair a sick sounding transmitter, so I very angrily paid their blood money on a part which had no duty owing. Next was a purchase on EBay as a part of my wife's birthday presents when I specifically asked the item to be shipped via US Postal Service, NOT UPS. The clown on the other end made a bad decision, screwed up, and sent it via the dreaded UPS. This time it was assessed at $45 on a $20 item. Wife's birthday was the next day and I just didn't have the time to stand up and fight the buggers. Again, it was an item where there were no duty surcharges. When I complained to the seller, he explained UPS was convenient because the driver would come to his place of business and pick up the outgoing item. He would have had to take it to the Post Office, and that was too much effort. The last straw for me came a few months ago when I ordered something else from an auction on EBay .. a collector's plate of a nice Rainbow Trout. It looked great and the owner was made aware that UPS rips off its customers under the guise of making it seem like they are doing extrememly complex work as if they were clearing the paperwork to allow importation of a suitcase-sized atomic weapon. This time it was another $25 "Customs Brokerage" charge. This time, I had the time to look into this more deeply and found I had the following choices: 1- Refuse to accept the parcel and it would be sent back to the shipper with a notice that I had refused delivery....that would have meant negative feedback on EBay and I'm new enough to EBay that I didn't want to start getting people saying I was a deadbeat. 2- Take the paperwork over to Canada Customs and clear it myself rather than use their "service." They only work limited "usual business hours" and close at 4 PM. I had to leave work 2 hours early .. and take the pay cut and then go over and run it through the system. That only took about 2 minutes to complete and cost me zero except the lost pay and an extra day's delay in getting the package into my hands....oh and I almost forgot to mention the damage done to my circulatory system by the elevated blood pressure. Understand something, Canada and the US are each other's largest trading partners. We have had Free Trade between the two countries for about 2 decades. Almost nothing that enters Canada from the US ... of US manufacture ... has any form of duty applicable. Sam thing for items going to the USA. There is no favored industry protectionism in the form of government surtaxes (duties) to prop up an industry that can't make it on their own merits. Like many places, we have sales tax ... some people are highly confused and think that sales tax is Customs & Excise "Duty" which it is not. You pay sales tax on anything you buy, and doing it by mail order is no exception. So UPS has some sweet deal going ... charge Brokerage fees on everything and anything that crosses their doorstep from the USA ... a giant ripoff. Be very aware of this when you purchase something from the US and think about using UPS. Now, I absolutely refuse to buy anything from a supplier who uses only UPS to ship items. My experience with the US Postal Service has been universally excellent. If I get something using their service, it just shows up at the door ... via courier I might add, and it is just like someone mailed from the other side of town. Sometimes a little slower than I'd like, but so be it. I trust this has been somewhat helpful if you are considering using UPS. Regards, Lee
Posted on: 3/10/2007 2:42 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Tanks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5538967

RE: nikko seawolf
Hi Guys: I don't have much to add to the camera discussion, but I bought a new, zero-time Seawolf just before going on a southern vacation to play with in the pool. I have a really nice carrying case for it, and it travelled well in checked baggae on the airline .. going and coming with no shipping damage. Overall, I thought it was an OK runner, but it just didn't meet my expectations and will be offering it for sale as soon as I get a replacement part for the drive train ... the magnetic cup on the "dry side" of the WTC failed due to being slammed from full forward to full reverse a few too many times. A repair was tried but as I was fooling with it .. the part dropped off the balcony onto the sidewalk .. the magnet broke and I was without sub entertainment for the rest of the vacation. If you look at the first picture in the series posted by reiatwork up higher in this thread, you'll notice a black circular item ... that's what is broken on mine. I was also disappointed by the very limited radio range .. in the pool, I'd be lucky to get 30 to 40 feet of range .. on the surface. Next year, I'll be taking a static diver with me which will hopefully "peg my fun meter" at poolside. I guess I could say, watch this space if you are interested in buying the Seawolf after it is repaired. Regards, Lee Smith
Posted on: 2/26/2007 4:56 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5478991

RE: Walmart Submarine = Cool !
I took my modified WalMart sub on winter vacation to Jamaica and ran it many hours in the pool .. was a good time. Just to make sure I had some motivation to upgrade to a "real RC Sub" I gave the WalMart sub to one of the security guards who really was enthralled with the unit. I had moved the prop to outside the hull, used the transmitter antenna as the recive antenna, sealed the radio and motors really well to prevent leaks, done the voltage mod to provide 6 volts to the drive motors, and bent the "up" out of the rear dive planes and spent a fair amount of time adding foam to get the trim right. It performed pretty well and gave me many hours of fun while teaching me some basics about running a sub, bearing in mind this is a $20 pool toy meant for 6 year olds! At home, I run it in a freshwater pond and didn't seem to require the "high power mod" to be done to run the tx on 12 volts. However, in the pool range was a problem due to chemicals in the water. I recommend doing that upgrade for those running in larger pools or wanting more reliable control at depths of more than a couple of feet. Lee Smith
Posted on: 3/5/2006 9:36 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3993514

RE: Stopped submerged and level control
Hi Cyclops: There's loads of info on the bladder system available for you and it is a popular way to control a sub. A Google search will come up with some good links if you look for "RCABS" which stands for Recirculating Compressed Air Ballast System .. which was developed by Dr. Art Broder. There are many pictures & articles on the following sites and each has a search function to make things easier for you: http://www.subpirates.com/ http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=60 http://www.subcommittee.com/ Hopefully, you'll find this info helpful. Each site has their "resident experts" and assistance is readliy given. Regards, Lee Smith
Posted on: 3/5/2006 9:26 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3993479

RE: Mako Mini sub?
Brandon: I bought one about this time last year before I went on vacation to play with in the pool. It worked surprisingly well for the first 3 or 4 runs and I enjoyed it. Then ... nothing. Turns out the Mako is a "leaker" ..... and the radio was soaked. You'll need to pull off the body covers and nose and let the water out and let it air dry for a couple of days before trying it. If you're lucky, it might work. My first one didn't so I took it back to the store. The second was much better ... it lasted maybe six sailings before it quit due to water coming in around the nose seal. I was lucky this time and the radio worked after drying out and I took precautions to seal the nose with liberal amounts of silicone grease. I managed to get maybe a dozen runs with it and it leaked again. Now its sitting torn apart in a box awaiting my next few spare moments to mess with it, but my motivation level to do anything with it is at a standstill. On the plus side, I could do a roll with it underwater, had a reasonable speed and it was easy to see with the LED in the nose and bright colour. Lee
Posted on: 1/15/2006 10:27 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3779864

RE: Walmart Sub turns into the FLYING SUB !!
Strat: Actually, finding tubes via the internet isn't at all difficult. There is one type ... the 1L4 I think .. which is super-tough to locate and very expensive if they can be found at all. Neat old chunk of history there. Lee
Posted on: 1/11/2006 3:06 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3761600

RE: Walmart Sub turns into the FLYING SUB !!
Neat. I hadn't noticed the Zenith Trans-Oceanic under the sub til you mentioned it. My Aunt & Uncle used to have one and I spent a lot of time in front of it listening to shortwave during the Cold War. From listening to Radio Peking about 1964, I learned I was a "Running dog imperialist lackey of the military industrial complex." Lee
Posted on: 1/11/2006 9:34 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3760554

RE: Walmart Submarine = Cool !
Harq: I had the same problem and it was especially frustrating after having done the voltage increase mod which gives full 6 volts of power to the motors. It really scoots after that little change. I was having broaching problems too, which really limited the max underwater speed before it would pop to the surface despite my best efforts to have it cruise along at a good clip. It accelerates surprisingly well when submerged. To cure that broaching problem, I just took a cigarette lighter and heated the aft portion of the bent up fins and made them more or less straight and held them that way til the plastic cooled ... don't use your fingers! It made a huge difference and it went where you pointed it rather than continually fighting with it with the dive motor. On mine, I am able to partially twist the forward dive planes so that one is slightly up and the other is slightly down .. this counteracts the torque roll which happens due to the extra power of moving the prop to outside the body and the increased voltage mod. I also have sealed all the parts very well with silicone sealer and done the transmitter antenna extention and used the stock transmitter antenna as the receive antenna on the sub. The range is such that I don't see the requirement for the increased voltage mod to the transmitter. I can control it on the surface until it is almost out of sight and underwater I get all the coverage I need for my particular running site. My sub is also converted to run on NiMh rechargable batteries and I added some foam to compensate for the extra weight. The extra time spent getting the boat's trim really bang on was time very well spent ... a big difference in the level of performance after I finally got it fine tuned. Mine also was slightly bow heavy and when I took it apart, noted a cylindrical weight just in front of the dive/surface motor. I took that out and the boat was perfectly in trim after that. I think the best combo would be to be able to have the full 6 volts on all motors except the main drive ... it is just a little too fast. Maybe the stock 4.8 volts on just that single motor would be the way to go. Even by pulsing the power, it still really screams along underwater. Too bad these don't have a better radio system, as the constant pulsing of the buttons wears thin after awhile, and the degree of control certainly suffers. All in all, a great "pool toy" that has taught me at least a few basics of submarine contol and functions. Its also convinced me that I want a "real model sub" for next year's sailing season. I run mine in an old flooded gravel pit which has a nice sandy bottom at one end and a high bank on one side ... makes for a perfect place to stand and see the sub running deep in clear water about maybe 10 ft deep. I've had it on the bottom many times .. always made it back up ..LOL To make the sub more visible to the operator, I painted mine all white .. sort of an Arctic Cammo Pattern. Regards to all, Lee
Posted on: 1/10/2006 2:40 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3756980

RE: Walmart Submarine = Cool !
Well I gave it a go this aternoon under excellent conditions and its a big step in the right direction Maintaining depth was greatly improved, although more tweaking is needed to make it reach full potential. When the sub was accidently slipping out of my hand, I caught it and bent the left forward dive plane so the leading edge pointed down ... I decided to run it to see if it would reduce the torque roll tendency and it was another step forward. Its performing quite well now and for $20 and a little time in fooling around with mods, its been a lot of fun and taught me a few things about subs in general. When you get the boyancy and balance set up even close to properly, there is a big increase in performance so spend some time getting it right. Mine is et to rise from 6 ft to the surface in about 20 seconds and sits with the sail planes just about an 1/8" below water. Will take the camera with me the next time I go out and post a couple. Lee
Posted on: 9/5/2005 9:22 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3332165

RE: Walmart Submarine = Cool !
Thanks 37 ... I'll give that a try later today and hopefully make a report on the results. Lee
Posted on: 9/4/2005 10:38 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3327616

RE: Walmart Submarine = Cool !
Hi Folks: I've stolen these shots from someone on about post # 88 to use as an example of a question I have. I've made the voltage boost mod, prop to rear, rechargeable batts, tx power increase, longer rx antenna, sealed it for leaks, etc. Overall, I'm really impressed with how much fun I've been having for $20 and a little bit of time to tune it up. Dives to about 8 ft have it on the bottom of my pond so there's no need to go deeper ... LOL. Surface range is to the limit of my vision at around 300 ft. What I'm finding is with the stabilizers on the "new" sub having a lot of built in "up elevator" compared to the earlier version. The pics show the difference. It runs really well underwater at a good clip and would go much faster if it weren't for a problem. It accellerates quickly is fine until it reaches a certain speed where the plane takes over and causes it to pitch up and breach. Pulsing the trottle a little and running the "down" motor helps but I can see there is a lot of speed and control locked up in this little beastie that isn't able to come out yet. I's like to cut the plan and Goo the thing straight like it was on the original to avoid the breaching. Anyone have any thoughts on this being a good or bad idea? Anither aspect. With the 6 volts to the motors mod, the forward speed is too high and the torque roll/list is irritating. Any way to keep volts on all motors but the main drive unit? Regards, Lee[image][/image]
Posted on: 9/1/2005 10:10 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3321599

RE: Radio Shack MAKO Mini-Sub
Jay: I had a similar experience and took it apart and resealed it with silicone grease available at any hardware store. The grease used at the factory is OK, but there just isn't enough of it and it doesn't take long for the water to knock out the receiver. You are able to get at the front seam by removing the screw and then carefully teasing the front off it. Take the radio out of the case as far as you can stretch it without yanking the wires silly and let it dry out very throughly. You may find some corrosion on the circuit board too ... due to the combination of electricity and water. Clean it it off if you are capable. Clean off the old grease and then use the silicone grease in vast quantities. On my first one, the battery compartment had a broken lower tab ... so clean I never knew one was supposed to be there. I sealed it too. The best mod I did was to extend the antenna with about 12!QUOT! of small diameter wire inside a super-thin plastic tube. The range and reliability underwater increased greatly. I also run 2100 Ma batteries in mine and added some foam under the rear fin to compensate for the extra weight of the batteries. Now I'm having fun with it, and it turns a million times better than my Wal Mart sub. Hope this was helpful. Lee
Posted on: 6/20/2005 6:15 PM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3092332

RE: Walmart Submarine = Cool !
[image][/image] Here is a quick & dirty picture of the Mako after being changed
Posted on: 3/20/2005 10:11 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=2784807

RE: Walmart Submarine = Cool !
Hi Jungle: I just got another Mako in exchange at Rat Shack because the first was next to useless. Range was very poor ... maybe 20 ft on the surface and anything below 2 ft underwater resulted in loss of signal. There was no external evidence of an antenna on the first one. Also, leaks were a big problem. The new yellow one on 49 Mhz is a far better animal. After looking very closely at the pictures early in this thread, I noticed there was a antenna about maybe 2 inches long on the conning tower. I took it apart an added about 12 inches of fine guage magnet wire inside a thin plastic tube. Before the mod I could get about 50 ft in the house before loss of signal. Now I can go anywhere in the house and control is solid everywhere. The increase in radio range is substantial. I expect this will also be the case under water. Another change I made was to use 2100 Ma NiMh cells. The Mako is already quite "tail heavy" with alkalines. To counter this, I cut a small hunk of pink styrofoam and placed it under the rear fins and kept trimming off foam until it sat about right and then started to use the weights supplied with the model to do the fine tuning. There is a big difference in the performance when it is tuned properly. Maybe I took about 15 minutes to try various combinations. Will post a picture soon. Regards, Lee Smith
Posted on: 3/20/2005 9:56 AM by Author "Waterbomber" in the forum "RC Submarines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=2784764