GATO! (It has begun)

[trout]

Happy Easter!

1). I have never gotten the sub to return to me after full sinking and engaging the pump (hence why im affraid to add anymore weight to it). And if im honest, i am a little affraid that ill burn out the pump trying (but maybe im just being chicken). How long should i engage the pump for becore giving up all hope that the sub is going to return to me? If the sub doesnt fully sink and i engage the pump it does come back to the surface ( i should have specified that point) now i dont hear a sluurrrp but im usually still using the pump probably by the time the sail has reached the level to make that sound (is it a bad thing to use the pump while the sub is surfaced (but not full surfaced) to bring it up another inch or two?

That is concerning. My Gato was at the bottom of the pool a couple of times. Did not rise, mine was lack of propel (Pre-SAS). As far as how long to run the pump? (assuming it is in a pool) until there are are bubble coming out of the ballast tank - that would mean it is emptied. If it does not rise then you might have an issue I had with mine. Air trapped between foam and hull. My Skipjack, when I ran it at the Lake and things went wrong, it took a while to surface.

2). I might be ok with this. Ill see what happens after these weights and foam are dried with RTV. But i know one thing i only ended up using half the weights that came in the kit and all of the foam. Most of the foam is in the back while most of the weight is towrds the front (well the weight is still on the very bottom of the sub but closer forward than aft). Id love to get it trimmed so that fully submerged only a few inches of the tower are showning but i still have that "sinking sub that never returns problem." But it sounds like i just need to keep playing with it. I also noticed in the weight and foam kit there is a strip of lead?? Im guessing i can kut that up as needed for placement. Isnt that bad to have open lead like that in water? Do i need to cover it before using it?

I am thinking you need more lead and foam in it. That will reduce the tip you see, look at this video

of the Gato on the rise at about 1:53 you will see a slight tip to port. It used to be a lot more pronounced, but adding more weight and foam reduced it.
Here is the inside of the Gato this is before foam, you can see there is a lot of weight.

With most of the foam in.

6). I was affraid of that. But to be honest it isnt anymore corrosion than what im seeing on the magnets that dont have a current going through them (but perhaps thats because im in a pool and not a lake at the moment). Do you have a suggestion on a better lighting approach? Im using the magnets that attach the tower to the upper hull as a conductor as well to the lights on the sail (those are holding up nicely it seems)

My magnets have rust on them, you can paint them to seal them if you want. I need to replace my connector because of corrosion. The pool magnifies the corrosive effect of electrolysis.
Lead does not need to be painted, but if you want spray paint them.

[matthewnimmo]

Trout, i do appreciate the advice. Maybe i need to not be a chicken with the new pump (keep thinking that ill burn it out). So, it should take longer than 10-15 seconds to completely fill the ballast tank with air again to make it rise?

[trout]

Take your sub-driver out. Stick it in the tub, fill the ballast tank, hold it under, and time it to see how long it takes to empty. If you are running 7v verify the resistor is gone.
In my etc, I use two pumps. With that dual pump it takes more than 15 seconds. So timing it in the tub will give you an idea when it is time to panic :-)

Peace,
Tom

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Trout, i do appreciate the advice. Maybe i need to not be a chicken with the new pump (keep thinking that ill burn it out). So, it should take longer than 10-15 seconds to completely fill the ballast tank with air again to make it rise?

Oh, hell!! .... that's your problem, Matt. It takes about 90 seconds to empty the tank. Don't be shy running the LPB.

M

[matthewnimmo]

So i tried using the bah tub for more testing but 52" sub doesnt want to fit so well. Itll sink to the point of half sail before hitting the sides of the tub. So. Added more weights to test the reduction of the listing and to test the pump to blow the tank. It was hard to tell if the sub was going to come back on its own in the tub due to hitting the walls; but i definetly could feel more buoyancy than before. It never quite got to the same freeboard as it did when i first put her in the tub

also, still noticed water in the battery component (but that maybe because i never quite got the snort valve above the water line to depressure rise the rest of the SD (just a guess). So i tested "just" the wtc in the water and didnt see water get into any chamber. I also noticed that the pump quickly gets the water out, so i have no idea on why it takes so long to resurface the sub

[matthewnimmo]

Also, i plan on making my millionth trip to the hobby store it seems to pick up some new connectors and a micro servo for another project. The connectors im thinking of using are bullet connectors that will replace my failing magnet connectors for my lights. Essentially the two wire leads that connect to the forward bulkhead that supply current to all my leds seem to be failing ( the magnets that carry current and help fasten the sail to upper hull are just fine). Just seems to be those two connection points were my problems are. So, are bullet connections going to do the trick or should i think of something else?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Get some silicon 'ignition lub' grease from an auto store. Smear that on the bare connectors exposed to water and the green-crud will all but go away.

M

[trout]

And a kiddie pool. For $25 at Walmart you can get this:

I needed to replace mine because the prop of the mean Skipjack tore a hole in it.
So I got this one for $58

and am now a hero to my son.

[matthewnimmo]

So, keep my magnets but just grease the crap out of them or grease the crap out of whatever new connection type i chose?

[crazygary]

Sam sure looks like a happy camper there, Tom!!

Way to go, Dad!! Hah!

CG

[matthewnimmo]

... So im about ready to RTV my entire freaking rig including my remote just to be safe ... New development as im trying to trim the sub is now my aft compartment is getting water in it. Ive oiled all the rings etc not sure how water is getting in now both components. Im going to isolate just the WTC again and see if i can find my answer there

i did get a cheap $9 kiddie pool and that seems to work for my testing

[Subculture]

Fill up your bathtub with piping hot water. Submerge the WTC in the water, wear gloves or push it down with a stick to avoid discomfort from the hot water. After a short period, the hot water will heat the air inside the WTC, causing it to expand, and any leaks should soon reveal themselves as a stream of bubbles.

You can also blow into the cylinder with a pipe to get the same result. An old gas fitters trick is to use some soapy water around joints which saves having to fill the tub. Leaks show up as blowing bubbles.

[trout]

Matthew,
just as a thought, how does your o rings look on your bulkheads on either side of your ballast tank? Is there good contact or squish there? also the pipe that carries the power through the ballast tank, I ended up putting a small bead of RTV around it. On my Gato one of the bulkheads was not getting good contact and adjusting the screw tightness helped, but ultimately I needed to take it out and wrap Teflon tape around the channel the o-ring sits in.
i used blowing into the sub-driver to find bubbles. Hold the end caps on! Have you read how to do that?

[matthewnimmo]

Im not familiar with blowing into the wtc method. Hows that done?

[trout]

Look here:

http://forum.sub-driver.com/showthread.php?2420-Moebius-(Revell)-Skipjack-Build/page24