R/C Naval Combat

Below is the drawing to use for the SS pieces, of which there are TWO (so far).  The 01 level is the whole thing.  The 02 level is the funky rounded part on the right that is forward of the vertical line with the two angled pieces by the stairs.  Link to the actual file:

www.rcnavalcombat.com/Portals/0/Use...g%2001.jpg

Don't click PRINT on the above drawing, go get the file that it's linked to, which is proper size (long skinny part is about 2.5" wide).  More in the AM.  I have a headache beating my head in.

Wasn't it Dirk Pitt that raised the Titanic?  That's how I remember it!  Then he floated it into NY harbor!

Hyjacking aside...

You're doing a great job of demo'ing how to make a ship.  It definatly got this beginner interested and started!  Keep up the good work! 

Zo, schtudenten!!!  I hope you are ready to VORK dis veekend, ja?  Der servoen needt your attention! Ja! Ser goot!!!

I will stick ina  few more pictures after I get back from backpacking with the Skout-liebchen this weeekend.  My camera (which has said pics) is in the scout bus.  Poor planning on my part.  Anyhow, on to the fun part!

This procedure is the result of several hours of both destructive and non-destructive testing.  This procedure is only guaranteed (YMMV, void where taxed, etc) to work on Hextronik HX5010 servos.  I'll test other servos later.  DO NOT attempt to remove the circuit board from these servos!!!  the rheostat is hard-mounted to both the circuit board AND the top of the servo... if you pry out the circuit board, you destroy the rheostat = servo no worky.  The extent of my testing included ensuring that soaking the bottom of the motor with epoxy wouldn't kill it.  Proof is below:

That pic above is the motor from one of my servos, desoldered and set in a cup of epoxy.  The motor rotated freely after the epoxy cured.  On that note: For Sale: 1 slightly-used servo motor, cheap!

I drew 4 servos from Statesboro Naval Shipyard stocks for this exercise; 1 for the rudder, 1 for the guns, and 2 spares.  If you are using regular brushed motors, you will need 2 more to handle operating the drive motor and the pump motor.  I will be going brushless myself, so I only need 4 at the moment.  [Do not fear, brushed motor people, I will show the full install with brushed motors, including the pump with a brushed motor, in the lesson covering those parts]

So, with 4 servos laid out on the table, I gathered: 

- drill with random drill bit from 1/8" to 3/16" (or you can spin a hobby knife in place to make a hole although this takes longer)

- waterproof epoxy (not water-resistant, altho that'll do for short dips if you can't get waterproof).

- wax paper -so you don't get epoxy all over the workbench that already has enough epoxy on it,

- a small disposable eyedropper

Now, one at a time, use the drill (I cheated and used a drill press), and CAREFULLY drill a hole into the sidewall of the servo about 3/8" up from the bottom and centered from front to back. You can see where I drilled mine as an example, below.  Go no further than you have to go to get thru the sidewall, some things inside will not like a drill bit coming in.  Mainly towards either end, which is why we are in the middle.  If your hole is a little higher, that's okay.  Don't go lower!

Now, the easy part.  Have the disposable eyedropper ready to go!  Lay all 4 servos in front of you on the wax paper, and mix a bunch of epoxy in a small cup.  You will be using the eyedropper to suck up epoxy!  Note: Dora and Diego cups help with the epoxy mixing, altho I could've sworn that I heard 'Va-te, Va-te, Choc-o-la-te' while it was mixed.

Now, hold the first servo upright in your hand (so that the hole we drilled is on the side facing you.  Stick the tip of the eyedropper into the hole, and squeeze epoxy goodness into the servo.  My servos all got 2 to 2.5 eyedroppers full of West System epoxy, which was thick enough that surface tension kept it from draining back out.  Sit the servo on the wax paper upright while the epoxy cures.  If you lay it on its side, Bad Things will happen.  Repeat this procedure for the other 3 servos before your epoxy starts to harden up The idea is to put enough in to cover the circuit board at the bottom of the servo.  It'll flow around the circuit board and fill underneath.  When the epoxy dries, it'll look like this pic below. 

It has the tiniest dribble of epoxy there, but it's all good.  If you are using a runnier epoxy than West System (for example, the Bondo brand car/boat epoxy that comes in a gallon can at NAPA for $35) you'll need to have some kind of tape (duct tape or electrical tape) to cover the hole while the epoxy cures. 

Before we get to the meat of the procedure, I tested these servos after the procedure was complete.   They all worked, and I selected one at random to drop into my pool, hooked up via 36" extension to my little chinese servo tester.  30 minutes later, it still worked as it had before I started.  I would've gone longer but it was getting dark then, and scary outside. 

Anywho, time for the already-tired Tugboat to go get in the car to go backpacking.  Pray that I don't break anything that would keep me from playing in the shop!

Unteel ze nexdt time, schtudenten!! Heil Fluegel!

 And questions I have!

I don't feel confident enough and do not have the right equipment to make a pump, is there a specific pump I should look up on strike models that would work?

Additionally, those brushless motors.  Should I order one or two anyways due to them being needed later on, or are they underpowered for other needs, say the drive shaft motor?

Zo Schtudentz!!  Unuzzer day iss upon us und YOU haff vork to do!!  What ship zailz upon ze waves wizzout a skin upon her hull??  Zo, to vork!

There have been few updates lately, and I apologize for that.  Part of it is my current medical issues, and part is the happier task of testing multiple paths to see which will go easier with the project before posting.  Today, we will start skinning the ship.  Skinning is where we apply a layer of thin (1/32") balsa or very thin (1/64") plywood to the lower part of the hull... the part that is legally impenetrable, 1 inch below the waterline.  Since we are building to a scale waterline, this is easy to find.  Look on the paper that should still be glued to the ribs, find the water line (darkest horizontal line on the drawing).  Measure 1 inch downwards from the waterline, and make a mark on your ribs, on both the port and stbd side.  Everything below this mark is allowed to be impenetrable to BBs.  So, we will skin the hull from the keel to that point.  But first, look at your cruiser's ribs near the bow and stern of the ship.  I show mine below, with a poop stick(tm) held against two ribs...

Hmm...  looks like there's a gap at one side of each rib.  This is because the rib ends are parallel to the keel, and as such do not conform to the curvature of the hull.  We will FIX this.

We fix it by using the Dremel tool and a sanding drum, as seen above.  In the ribs close to the bow, sand a little off the front side of the ribs, and at the stern, sand a little off the rear side of the ribs.  It should be a smooth angle pointing more or less at the rib in front (or behind) of it.  Below, you can see that the gap is much diminished after thorough treatment.

Please note that in this pic, only the two leftmost ribs have been sanded down.

Anyhow, tonite we sand, for tomorrow we may die!!  Heil Fluegel!!