Skipjack.part 2

Thanks mate, much appreciated.

Done a little more to the Skipjack today, cut and fitted the Velcro fastenings for the cylinder, and fitted the battery pack's wtc. It's held in place by one of the saddles as supplied by David Merriman in his fittings kit (I didn't use them for the main cylinder, but it's proved to be ideal for holding the battery pack in place) There will be a Vecro strap over the battery wtc when it arrives, just to ensure that in the case of a head on collision, nothing will go shooting forward.





Now, you will have noticed that I'm using the cylinder and not the radio box as I was going to...I gave myself a good stern talking to, and decided to use the cylinder after all. It was designed and made for the boat by Nigel, it cost me a fair bit, it took a lot of Nigel's time to make it, it fits perfectly, so why change it? Although I don't know much about using cylinders, I figured it's maybe time I learnt, hence the change of mind. The radio box is going into another project I have in mind, but that's for later.



I do have to lengthen the rear equipment tray and shorten the front one a bit to bring the centre of the ballast tank into the centre of the boat, but that's only a five minute job, and it will give me a good start point when it comes to balancing and trimming the boat later on.

A couple of people, including our Esteemed Chairman, have asked about where to get the Velcro straps...this is where I get mine from.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Model-Accessories?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 . The guy posts very quickly, the stuff is of good quality, and at £1.50 plus free p&p, it can't be bad at that price!

Before I get kicked out of the bedroom/boat building room by my carer (it's change the bedsheets, hoover and tidy the work desk day), I modified another of David's saddles and installed it near the main cylinder to level things up, the battery wtc now sits in place much better. Just the Velcro strap to fit now, and that's that bit completed. Next up is to organise the wiring from the battery wtc (if I'm allowed back in the bedroom...carers can be very bossy!)

Right chaps, thinking caps on...here's a question for you.

The battery pack sits in it's own little wtc...one end is hard against the end cap of the main cylinder, so the power cables can only exit one end. Now, my question is : how to seal the cables at the exit point of the wtc?

I've tried running them through a rubber bellows and having a cable tie round the end of the bellows...ok, it works, but water does get in through the gaps between the cables. I'm thinking of drilling the end cap, fitting two brass bolts and nuts, attaching the cables to them inside the wtc, and then taking power to the cylinder via cables soldered to the outboard ends of the bolts using the same method on the main cylinder? What say you to that?




Any more ideas?



Richard

brass bolts and nuts.

David

That's what I was thinking of, David...it's worked for me before, plus a bolt doesn't leak!

Richard(Admin) wrote:That's what I was thinking of, David...it's worked for me before, plus a bolt doesn't leak!

Case in point:

Gene Berger -- the guy who taught me r/c submarining -- operates a ten-foot GATO. Initially, he ran the receiver antenna through a watertight gland and into the water. Within three years of operations, water had fought its way through the weave of the multi-stand antenna conductor within the outer insulation, and coated the receivers circuit board with old water!

Hence, the need to completely isolate your conductors through use of studs or a conduit.

David

Yes I really like brass nuts and bolts too. I put a little silicone rubber on to seal the threads. (The acetic acid from the cure of the silicone turns em a little green - but no matter!)

David

There does seem to be a very strong case for using brass nuts and bolts, I'm almost swayed to go that way now, green or no green...

Once again, courtesy of David's fittings he sent me (I can almost hear him sobbing from here...) I've made up a prop shaft support out of a couple of pieces I wasn't using. Just a drop of epoxy needed to finally secure it (it's just tacked in with thin cyano at the moment, in case I needed to move it) and that's another little job done.

Hey, whatever works!

David

Hands, I curse thee!

A five minute job to attach a piece of Velcro to the hull floor and a strap wrapped around the battery wtc took me nearly twenty minutes to do...ridiculous, isn't it? But, it's one more job to tick off the list.

(note the sexy red Velcro strap...)

Back working on the Skipjack now, after being told in no uncertain terms by my carer that bed's are for sleeping in and not for drilling and filing fibreglass on (she was not best pleased with me) so the X craft is now consigned out of her way under the bed for the time being...

The cylinder is progressing now...I've made the top trays for it, and installed the ballast pump and control board. Today I've installed the MicroGyros auto leveller, and this afternoon I want to install the esc and wire up the motor, if my fingers will cooperate. I'm beginning to understand why people use cylinders now, albeit slowly.

Another image, this time taken with my camera and not my iPad.

RICHARD ,

Do You have a link for that Main Motor of the propeller?.
Where did You bought it?.

You need to ask Nigel about that, Marius...he built the cylinder and installed the motor and gearbox for me.

OK,

THANKS

Hi, sorry for delay been tied up all day,the motor gearbox unit is a MFA /COMO DRILLS, 950D61
which is a 385 motor with a 6:1 gearbox.
http://www.mfacomodrills.com/

HELLO,

Is these one @nigele?:




THANK YOU.

profesorul wrote:HELLO,

Is these one @nigele?:




THANK YOU.

yes that them,they also do a 540 version.

Whilst waiting on some glue to arrive so as I can carry on with the Type XX111, I've practically completed the little wtc for the battery pack for the Skipjack, just the wires from the battery to the brass bolts to solder up and that's another little job done....that calls for steady and cooperating fingers, which mine aren't at the moment.



The cylinder is made to house either a 12v x 2000a/h AA sized NiMh pack (with the piece of white foam) or an 11.1v x 2250 LiPo battery (without the foam)


Richard

Richard(Admin) wrote:Whilst waiting on some glue to arrive so as I can carry on with the Type XX111, I've practically completed the little wtc for the battery pack for the Skipjack, just the wires from the battery to the brass bolts to solder up and that's another little job done....that calls for steady and cooperating fingers, which mine aren't at the moment.



The cylinder is made to house either a 12v x 2000a/h AA sized NiMh pack (with the piece of white foam) or an 11.1v x 2250 LiPo battery (without the foam)


Richard

I allways had in my mind that question:
- those 2 bolts (from what ever material are), when the battery terminals are in contact with water does not make short circuit ....... or it is not as if you feed a huge resistance-water, directly to the battery ?!?!?!

Sorry if it looks like a Dum Question .

MARIUS

No problems with the batteries like that, Marius...I used to run my battery packs in the flood area, never had a problem at all. Just a smear of Vaseline grease ovér the exposed terminals and that's it.


Richard

I suppose these wheel work ONLY with ALCALINE/NiCd/NiMh/ an Seal Lead-acid battery but NEVER for LIPOS !.