32nd Parallel's Type XXIII

[trout]

This is not a build, but a minor tweak to a wonderful sub. (So please move this if it does not belong here).
A dear friend, Mike Dory, surprised my son and I with a gift.

This sub is special (and I won't go into why) to Sam and I.
The WTC is a modified Small World Models. It is 3.25" OD and 3" ID. It was silicon shut and I needed to get in there.

Cleaned up one end (electronics end) and installed an o-ring. Changed RX to 75MHz (wFly) and emergency blow for ballast tank. Tested for leaks and there were none. There are two servos wired together in the bow for torpedoes - might need to get that to work (my son says definitely need to get that to work).


Time to get wet. I was behind the camera, so this is my son commanding the sub.




Sam at the controls.

Here he is getting the sub to run at periscope depth. Show off.

We did discover that if this sub goes below a foot or two, it will lose signal and blow its tank. That is a good thing that the safety works, but not the depth. The antenna that is on there is longer than the wFly's (which is 33" I think). This antenna is 49" long and very thin (not sure if that matters or not). So I will do some replacing in that. Future changes will be to replace all the silicon sealing with proper 0-rings and some adjustment on rear linkages.

[Warpatroller]

I remember Mike Dory telling me about this particular model of his, on the Subcommittee forum, over 4 years ago. I had just acquired mine and was asking him about possible substitutes for the stock pressure box. He mentioned that he had a Small World Models WTC in it. He also said at 3.25" it was kind of a tight fit in that hull and that a 3" would fit better.

I never saw any photos of it, so it is nice to finally see what it looks like. Dark grey hull and a white tower.. I think Mike must have had two 32P XXIII models.. I remember seeing another one, several years ago, painted differently with the yellow training stripes, which was photographed along side of a scratch built XXIII by Darrin Hataway.

[trout]

I believe you are correct this one is more recent. Mike added about 2.5" to it to model the extension done on the 1957 Hecht.

[trout]

Did a little spring cleaning. I like silicon, but I have resistance to it as well. It goes back to a time in the late 70's early 80's when I sold, installed, and repaired alarm systems. There were some installers that would slap a contact up (and not use the screws) with silicon. Always looked sloppy and unprofessional to me. So that little pet peeve still haunts me today. I will put it out there it is just me and no reflection on those that use silicon to install things. I needed to install a new antenna wire to see if I could improve reception.
The original antenna was 40+" long because the original frequency was different than the one I installed. So to better match the wFly receiver, I put in the wFly's shorter antenna.

As i did this, this section

was just begging to be worked on, plus I needed to realign the shelf the on/off switch was on. The tray had slid to a point I could not easily get to the switch. So off came the old silicon.
Here is the bulkhead that held the two pieces together.

It took a chunk of time to clean it up.

There were pins installed to keep the cylinders from separating while charging with propellent. The downward pushing could cause the areas to shift apart. Those were hidden under the band of silicon, not like this one on the other end.

Test fitted the end and the new o-ring would not make contact all the way around. Hence, why silicon was probably used.

Wrapping two complete wraps of teflon tape around the channel and putting the o-ring back on made the o-ring have enough contact to form a seal.

Trimmed the tape and installed the pins.

Sometimes silicon is necessary, like sealing the pins in.
Now I think I will do the engine end cap.

Overall, it was a fun time prepping the subs.

Interestingly, the wFly RX when it was installed, the SubTech subsafe (signal loss safety device) stopped working. On another post there is a discussion of getting the wFly encoded to work with Kevin's ADF2....I wonder if that is why this stopped working? The wFly can be programmed if it losses signal, but it only knows instantaneous safety measures there cannot be a delay programmed in.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

The WFly receiver has a built-in fail-safe of its own. When it looses the transmitted signal, the receiver generates it's own 1.5ms pulse that it sends to all servos and devices made up to its output ports -- effectively placing all servos and devices to 'neutral' on loss of the transmitted signal. Fine for airplanes, helicopters and boats. Not so for model submarines that employ fail-safes that must see a zero pulse-train if they are to work.

We're working with the good WFly people to re-write the receivers micro-processor code to disable the receivers fail-safe feature.

David

[trout]

You can program where you want your servos to go upon signal loss.

[trout]

I found the instructions on how to do it.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Tom! I love you ... have my baby!!!!

E-mail me when you can, pal.

David

[Scott T]

Tom,
How are the servo shafts sealed against water in this type of water tight compartment?
O-ring inside, o-ring outside or both, and how they secured them?


Scott T

[trout]

um, awkward. You have been in your cave a little too long. Go on a date night with Ellie. LOL email sent.

[MFR1964]

Hmmmmm, you're in trouble Tom, nothing is worse when David wants to hug and starts saying sweet words.


Manfred.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

um, awkward. You have been in your cave a little too long. Go on a date night with Ellie. LOL email sent.

Perhaps I should have phrased that a bit better....

[trout]

How are the servo shafts sealed against water in this type of water tight compartment?
O-ring inside, o-ring outside or both, and how they secured them?

Scott,
The seal is an o-ring.
Here it is:

The o-ring is in its own channel and the arm is tightened down to hold it all together.
The other cool part is how the servos are installed transitions from the outside motion to the servo.
The servo has a square mounted on the top.

It slides into the end cap.

[Scott T]

Thanks Tom. I always thought it looked like a cool way to do the servos but never knew
how they set it up. That is some neat designing. Thanks for the pictures.

Scott T

[trout]

Hmmmmm, you're in trouble Tom, nothing is worse when David wants to hug and starts saying sweet words.


Manfred.

I am not too worried, I figure it was the fumes he has been sniffing. Makes one delirious (at least that is what I am telling myself) ;-)