Albacore continued

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I agree with your observations; I too have had trouble routing wires through there.


forming a larger bore in the bulkheads is not too much of a problem -- it's simple a matter of the diameter I make the tools mandrel/core piece. So, I can make the change without investing too much time into the change.


What's the ideal conduit tube inner diameter (keeping in mind that size affects ballast tank volume) you suggest, John? And anyone else have thoughts on this matter?


I so appreciate it when you guys jump in with things like this -- group participation here accounted, to a high degree, to the successful design, manufacture and use of the now standard SAS ballast sub-system.

David

[Slats]

I was also thinking that two speed controls in the front compartment would be too much for the conduit to pass those 6 large wires back to the motors in addition to everything else going thru there. What If I put the speed controls in the back compartment with the motors and servos and put everything else up front? That would be better. Maybe this will be the next phase of modifications. Maybe.

Yes agree with that assessment re the conduit size.
Mike and David - could you please consider for your SDs a bigger diameter conduit. yes that would mean redoing the internal ballast tank bulkheads to accommodate a large diameter hole and seated o-ring for the conduit.

- For the 3.5" SDs I have - I am wasting battery compartment real estate as the limitation of fitting more gear in this end is 100% dictated by how few wires I can run through the conduit.
For the 3" and 3.5" SDs, doubling the conduit diameter would be fantastic. I have now snagged wires and stripped insulation on no less than 3 occasions just opening up the rear end cap and accessing the motor tray.

J

[greenman407]

I found out today that "Hobby Lobby" no longer carrys the Graupner line. How times do change. My new motors have to come from Graupner USA.

[greenman407]

Here is a useful link. It compares many of the commonly used brushed motors with many of the Stats. Print you out a copy of both the Mabuchi motors or the Graupner ones or save the link.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/edward.matthews/motors.htm

[greenman407]

From the research that I have done thusfar, there are brushless motors that will drop in. However, I need a speed control that will operate also in reverse. Most ESC for brushless wont. The ones that do are pricey. Castle Creations makes them but the smallest one still in production is the Hydra V60 amp at $249. I would need two of them. The motors from Hobby Lobby are $89.00 each. Hobby King might, maybe , possibly have something for less but my experience with their products is that the price is not the only thing thats less. So after some more reseach I found it. The Graupner Speed 480 Ball Bearing race motor. According to the specs its quite a jump in performance over the Speed 400. They are currently out of stock until mid January which probably means late March. So I will keep checking back and order me a set.

http://www.v-eastonline.com/products/SPEED-480-BB-RACE-7,2-V.html

[greenman407]

I was also thinking that two speed controls in the front compartment would be too much for the conduit to pass those 6 large wires back to the motors in addition to everything else going thru there. What If I put the speed controls in the back compartment with the motors and servos and put everything else up front? That would be better. Maybe this will be the next phase of modifications. Maybe.

[greenman407]

Check these out. Why couldnt I run two of these thru the existing gearboxes. There is a wide range of winds to chose from. If I read it right, they will bolt right up with t
he same screw bolt pattern as the Graupner speed 400.

http://search2.hobby-lobby.com/psearch/svc/search.php?uid=2&q=400+brushless+inrunner+motor

[greenman407]

So Dave, is it true that the 3" motor bulkheads that you are coming out with will have (2) 540 motors? If thats true, how did you squeeze them, in there?

[greenman407]

John, that red and white staff is my chicken stick. On the very top I drilled a hole in it to attach some fishing string and a bobber. That way if this thing were to get out of control in Inky Black water, i would know where it is. I wont be using it again as she is VERY stable and predictable. Im sorry that it got into the pictures. At all ahead flank it is the fastest submarine I have ever seen except for "Aquadeeps" Graupners tiny yellow sub with a brushless. I am completely satisfied with the subs extreme speed. Just for the sake of conversation and thinking about "What Ifs". If we want to take this sub to its potential, we would go Brushless.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

David,
what Andy said.

Also, I thought the plan for the 3" SD was to go ahead with the same 540 type basic motor used in the 3.5". Please DO NOT go brushless. I don't want to be having to buy new ESCs for brushless motors. There is nothing wrong with the geared grunt that you have in the 3.5" setup and the efficiency of that setup is great. Its not broke, it doesn't need fixing!

J

Not to worry, John. I only advocated the brushless is a specific situation. No plans to go brushless with the production stuff. Not at all. I'm with you, we have all the power we need with brushed motors. Secure from General Quarters.

David

[Slats]

Mark
quick question -I might have missed this...why the large red and white mast? Is it your aerial? Are you running in salty water?

Thanks
J

[Slats]

Mark
A superb build, I can't wait to get my hands on a phase 2. I love this little boat.

J

[Slats]

David,
what Andy said.

Also, I thought the plan for the 3" SD was to go ahead with the same 540 type basic motor used in the 3.5". Please DO NOT go brushless. I don't want to be having to buy new ESCs for brushless motors. There is nothing wrong with the geared grunt that you have in the 3.5" setup and the efficiency of that setup is great. Its not broke, it doesn't need fixing!

J

[Anuci]

Sweet ride, Mark. Nothing like the feeling of a finished project which ends up a success. Bravo Zulu!

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I think you'll get problems running it in the wet. Firstly the armature and magnets will rust like the blazes, the bearings won't like it either. Now I suppose at the end of each run you could flush the motor through with WD40, but it's a bit of a hassle. Secondly the motor will offer quite a bit of drag in the wet I would think, certainly more than you will get via a shaft seal.

I have seen brushless engines engineered to run in the drink, but they are a bit different to the type of thing you see commercially available.

Buzz-Killer!