Revell Gato 1/72 - Newbie no more Part duex

[MFR1964]

Tom,

Those plugs?, are you intending to use them to charge the battery?, if so, don't forget to place a diode on the positive side, with the white horizontal line to the battery, just by doing this you will block the current that will occur when your plugs get wet into the water.

Greetings Manfred.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

... and never charge the batteries in a tightly caped cylinder, I don't care what chemistry is involved.

David

[trout]

Thank you David good advice both about my son and about charging.

Manfred, Thank you for the suggestion, No not intending to charge in the WTC just want to run the lights from the 9v battery in the WTC. I should not need a diode for that right?

[MFR1964]

Tom,

If you only want to use it for running the lights it's okay, use some vaseline to cover up the brass, there will be a slight current running between them, by using vaseline after you made the connection it will be better isolated.
The vaseline itself will still conduct the current, and protects your plugs against electric corrosion, and believe me it will happen, it even can eat away stainless steel.

Greetings Manfred.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

He's right, your postive plug will erode to nothing in only an hour or so of water immersion with a potential across it and its negative mate, unprotected.

David

[trout]

Crud....How does anyone get lights to work on their subs? do you protect every connection? I thought that fresh water is a terrible conductor because of the lack of electrolytes. Salt water on the other hand will elecktro-strip your metals and conduct electricity.

O.K. So use vaseline. Just there or at every solder junction?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Onto the positive side of each exposed circuit point in contact with water. No big deal. Stop whining!

Don't use RTV -- no matter what, water will get in there and do its evil work unobserved.

David

[trout]

LOL - Whining stopped.
Cut out a form from foam to hold the batteries in place. Then put the WTC together. Connected the light's connectors and proceeded to adjust the trim. Got it balanced out, but before pulling it out of the water, I had to turn on the lights. Sam and I were in awe of the beauty. He liked seeing the sub underwater with the lights on (I did too, but I know it is not realistic - it is cool).

[trout]

No lake, yet. Still hunting down the locking ballast servo. Will redo electrical connections and re-test. I do not like my fuse as well, what do ya'all use? There has got to be a smaller more compact way.
Ooooh, would this work??

http://www.newark.com/littelfuse/0154010-dr/fuse-block-w-10a-fuse-fast-acting/dp/49H7649?in_merch=Popular%20Fuse%20&%20Fuse%20Holder%20Combinations&MER=PPSO_N_P_FuseAndFuseHolderCombinations_None

You can see how clunky the fuse I have now is....

Anyways, The fun was how this sub handles! Normally the pool is barely able to handle the turn radius (bumping the wall every now and then if I can not put it in reverse quick enough or mis-judge distance), but I got it in a turn were the sub was leaning into the turn (How I do not know) and she was able to maintain a turn radius half of the normal radius. So I wanted to see how well the Gato maintained the depth. I think I might have less than one degree of lift (could also have been the positive buoyancy causing it), but it went around and around probably 15 times just under the surface before the periscope broached the surface. It was so fun to see the amount of control exhibited! Thank you Kevin for making a great auto-leveler!

My lights are having difficulties. Even coating them with Petroleum Jelly still messing up connection. Will nickel plating the contact ends help?

The other area that I thought I was so smart on, was the conning tower connections. The magnet that holds the conning tower pulls the two contact points, at each side of the conning tower together (pins inside CT and receiving socket in deck).However, the connection is failing. Need to think this better.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

The old style 'cylindrical' fuse is a bit smaller of profile. Try that.

Normally a ship or sub on the surface will lean (heel) outboard of the turn owing to the mass of the above waterline structure. But, our plastic model submarines have very little mass above the waterline. So, the very low rudder, acting like an aileron, will push the hull over into the turn. Very un-scale like.

Still messing up connection -- be more specific.

as to the contacts under the sail: hit them with a Scott-pad or #400 sandpaper, then coat them with grease, they should conduct fine after that treatment.

David

[trout]

Sorry about the vague messing up, it is still getting corroded and I just need to be heavy handed on the application of vaseline.

May not be scale, but it is fun!

Here are some shots of me cruising along (not doing the tight radius turn)




I like the glimpse of the sub between the waves.
The white periscope is styrene, it was to lower the weight above waterline and stop the listing as it was using SNORT.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Good shots. Isn't that a totally fun boat to drive!? Of all the ones I operate, the 1/72 Revell GATO is my favorite. The 1/72 SKIPJACK a close second.

David

[alad61]

Yep they are nice shots indeed!!

[trout]

Last night, I affixed the magnet that holds the conning tower to the deck. I used marine epoxy. let it set. tonight I went to remove the CT and it would not budge. The epoxy must have seeped under the magnet and was able to grab ahold of my greased tube. I could not budge it. I tried to tap the tube and break the grip. nope, I had bits flying off my conning tower. found most of them. Anyone not use their conning tower or this part? Yes I can try and build a replacement.

So, I thought I will cut out the deck that holds the magnet with the mini circular saw. Apparently it liked my thumb more. After Tina wrapped my thumb to hopefully stop the bleeding, I went back to working on the sub. The solution was to break the magnet so I could slip the conning tower off. Damage assessment, blood can be washed off, missing some parts (fortunately not body parts), need to fix how I am going to attach the conning tower (more magnets [said with an evil laugh]), broke other parts, but that can be fixed, I can redo the interior of the conning tower now and put the end of the CT barrel in a concave arrangement as it should be. And do all this so I can be sailing over the weekend. The bleeding mostly stopped. It has soaked through my bandage. Time to take a break. Looking at my thumb reminds me of a story David wrote about Ellie and getting her finger cut. I can't do the story justice, but David wanted her to continue cutting some parts, she showed him a different finger and called him callous. Back to work. Sam turns 8 tomorrow, think he will notice me not there? LOL

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Super-glue and baking soda is a great fix to digit laceration issues.

David