The Robbe Type XXI Refitting With A New Casing

[AQUASUB]

As I mentioned before I will show details on the refitting of my Type XXI.
The earlier mods where good but with the advent of a much better casing and new techniques, I went ahead and dismantled her! Fun fun!

Here one can see the casing being propagated with the required equipment to make her do her stuff like hydraulic masts, retractable dive planes and an anchor that works by remote.

The drive is my usual 12 v can 550 motors coupled with 2 sealed ball bearing. 3.5 to one gear boxes that have grease permanently inside then the 2 stainless "U" joints for the slightly off set shafts that I made.

The main difference with this casing is that the "monoplate" structure (the gray 1/8 thick PVC plate), is no longer epoxied in place but bracketed in place with stainless nuts, bolts and brackets.

Bellow seals are supported with K and S brass tubing and stainless rods that fit tightly onto the brass clevis.
Micro servos are employed throughout.


The 2 drive motors are water cooled by coming into contact with the casing and they should be fine.

That is a lot of wireing and takes some patience, but its the nervous system of the sub and it has to be done in a way facilitate replacement of components so in layers the wiring is done and kept away from the receiver and other vital areas.


Servos and ESCs are high up as possible, in case there is a flood, and wires exiting will be sealed with GOOP on both sides in a special method.




A 6 gold plated pin cannon plug connector will make the connections from casing to hull so that in one twist the 6 wires are disconnected without any need to use sealers. It is completely watertight. I use GOOP to seal in the wires once soldered to each pin, this is a tedious prosses but it works so well that I have done it on all of my subs. They are inexpensive and are available up to some 2 to 65 pins!

A neoprene seat is embedded with male and female gold plated pins tot insure electrical conductivity.



The stuffing boxes are also my build made from center-less stainless steal precision 3/16 dia. shafts, and shoulder Oilite bushings packed with Graphite wheel bearing grease. They last for a very long time and so far I have never had to replace one or have one fail.



The small stainless cylinder is a 2 way 12 volt solenoid valve that is used in the medical field. It is very high quality and can be made to flow in forward or reverse normally closed or on positions,with threaded ports ,a very good vent valve that does not draw much power at all.


More details to come.


Dave

[AQUASUB]

A diagram shows the general layout of the casing,note the 2 ea. 12 volt 4.5 amphour gell cell batteries that are aft and forward of the central ballast tank.They are in the wet and inbedded into the casings since they would not have fitted in side of them but still clear the out side dimentions for insertion into the subs sleave holder for the casing.Latter on I might go with Lipos in the dry but at the price I got these batts it a go.
The center ballast tank is a 3 inch pvc with 2 lugged fittings glued on with blue PVC cement,this arangement was done to fascilitate the lenght adjustment of the entire casing along with the size required for the ballast tank ,it also will hold the ballast pump possibly and the masts system and pump.These fittings alow for any size of PVC to be installed with the clear casings ,a very nice feature!Also to economize with lenghts of PVC instead of 10 or 5 inch clear where needed is a big plus.Use clear in the engennering sections and PVC in the not so criticle areas ,completly acsseable with one turn.

In the forward section not shown another dry compartment is made with a PVC 1/8th inch thick disk glued in place at any depth one requires in this case 2 inches from the edge is all that is needed to house the dive planes servo and possibly the dive pump if I chose to use it there ,only if I can not make it water proof,why becuase I am going to use a paristolic pump instead of the Volvo washer one,I would prefer it was in the ballast tank wet and cooler ,it has not arrived yet but will see how it turns out.

The blue partitions are watertight bulkheads that seperste the casing and wires pass threw them to the rest of the casings funstions.

The pump will use a ESC as I do not know how much speed they can take,as will the dive plane retracts and masts systems.

I like to make the hydraulics fluid lines in a way that when the casing is removed the lines are not opened or disconnected so that there is no need to bleed them each time,something that is thaught of well in advance.

Dave Amur Sub Yard

[AQUASUB]

Hear you can see the updated diagram of the bow section that will house the anchor,dive plane retracts,2 hydraulic pumps and mechanisms and lines.

There is quite allot of space in the bow of this sub making it possible to this with the very handy access dood.

For the anchor and dive plane servo to operate without "hard connections" ones that require a tool to disengage ,I installed 2 kinds of disconnects .The planes use a magnetic disk, one per side about 3/4 of an inch each,they are strong enough to hold the mechanism connected and still disconnect when the casing is removed.

The other is a shaft coupler that has its center rubber part removed so that when the 2 shafts align once rotated the contact is made and the shafts rotate with torque.

The end cap has been fitted with 2 shelfs to hold the Pittman gear drive that turns about 100 to 1 slow enough for an anchor to retract and go down.

The shaft from the gear motor to the cap is sealed just like the stuffing boxes and uses 1/8 inch bushings and grease and 1/8 inch shaft coupler.

A spool and mounting plate is made from Lego's Mechanics and " U" joints that just so happen to fit a 1/8 inch shaft with a tight fit that also allows for "clutching" in case the stops are overrun no damage will occur.

The chain will be a brass to scale one with the anchor on the end,I still have to find a suitable anchor.

A simple servo reversing switch will activate the anchors motor by remote.

So with one movement the 2 mechanisms are engaged and disengaged easily with no tools in the bows of the hull each time the casing come s out or in,the hard part is setting it up and gluing the mechanisms in exactly at the right place.

So far the dive plane retract syringe has been replaced and readjusted due to the new fluid being used.It is very easy to set it up and use once done the movement is just like scale!

Dave

[AQUASUB]

The Legos "U" joint,it is an amazing little thing that is durrable and waterproof ,it can handle say a 1/2 inch prop at scale speds with no problems.

The range of Legos is out of this world check them out on the web and be amazed at what is built and what can be built with RC Subs.


Dave

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

The Legos accessories are indeed something to look at. Is there a catalog of these accessories for Mike and me to look through?

David,

[AQUASUB]

Yes there are many sites,but the best I think is Bricklink.com,the Technics gear section is very interesting.To view more parts see Technics sub sections like shafts.

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?v=2&pg=1&catString=136&catType=P

Be prepared to be amazed!
Dave

[AQUASUB]

Mini pneumatics/hydraulics,even reversing valves.

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=P&catString=159

[AQUASUB]

Hear is the forward dive planes mechanism made from Lego's,it was very easy to make and install .Completely adjustable in all pivots and virtually no friction.Once CA in place the Lego's stay together in the wet

The magnetic disk engages with the other one on the servo rods end when the casing is slid into place and locks into its index.

Lateral supports are glued in place onto the hull.The configuration of the arms and pivots is a "Z" Dave

[greenman407]

Dave, Where do you buy the gold plated connectors?

[AQUASUB]

Hi Mark
Military Cannon Plug Connectors have been around for decades and are the proven state of the art way to connect or disconnect many conductors at once. At the same time they provide for absolute polarity and non inter-transfer of electrical current to the other conductors while maintaining a water tight environment.They are easy to install as I will demonstrate in a new thread.
The ones that I use are an absolute steal and are very well made.

Once all of the pins are soldered Goop is used to seal the open pins on the back of each half . The connector then makes a water tight connect /disconnect that works every time.These are bulkhead mountable and a hole of about a quarter is made so that the plug will fit and be screwed in place with 2 or 4 stainless screws.

Get them on Ebay they will come in about 10 to 15 days free shipping! http://cgi.ebay.com/Military-Radio-5...item43a3896793

Dave

[AQUASUB]

The new pump


Description

Size

5.0 cm X 5.5 cm X 7.5 cm

Rated Voltage

12 Volts

Rated Current

0.41 Amps

Power

0.65 W

Rotate Speed

2700 RPM

Capacity

2 L/Min

Pump Head

1.5 M

Working Temperature

0 to 105°C

Motor

Mini DC motor RF-370C-12560

(Description of DC motor)

http://www.sgmada.com/wx/pdf/RF-370C.pdf

Rotate speed (No load)

3700 RPM

Current: ≤ 35 mA

At maximum efficiency2700 RPM

Current: ≤ 410 mA

Power: 0.65 W
Pump



Gear Pump

(external gear pump)

Working life

10000 hours up

I.D.

6 mm

O.D.

8 mm

[AQUASUB]

It has been a while since I updated what is going into my XXI now, a remote operated anchor and winch, 2 ea.
5700 mah Lipo packs in the forward compartment and the Eagle Tree Seagull Telemetry system will be set up to monitor the lipos voltage and amps as well as stop alarm.
The motors have temperature sensors and the prop shafts have Hall effect sensors for accurate prop RPMs.
Servo position sensors are built into the system so I use them to indicate and confirm that certain servo switches have engaged like the dive and surface switch and vent solenoid switch.
It is nice to know audibly that these very important items are working.
Also a water alarm to indicate any water intrusion into the aft section.This alarm is settable by the user as all the alarms are so that say a continues Beep is for the water alarm, another type of beeping for say the motor temp or depth that's right!
A new ballast pump has been employed that is far superior than the previous one. I will keep on with the older pump but for hydraulics only. The new pump is very high quality unit made to transfer liquids at a rate of 2L/minute! That's a nice amount for any sub. It is a gear pump also that has a serviceable gear head and large special plastic gears. O ring sealed housing with 4 screws, simple easy service. This pump at 12 volts runs very quite and smooth, but most of all it pumps water with a strong suction. The pumps specs says it will pull at 1.5 meter height. The flow is reduced by a gear drive of the motor, if not this pump would be extremely strong at 12 volts. I really like the quality of this pump and will be installing them in all my subs that have the older pump.
It can also be used in the wet with just some sealing with Goop, it just fits into my Aquacasing laterally or even horizontally so it will fit into most casings. Run it on 6 volts and still plenty of water is pumped.

It has 3/8 in barbed hose nipples so a reducer can be used.
I also redesigned the masts from the all up or down platform to the individual mast hydraulic system I used on the first XXI I built for a customer.
Also to charge the Lipos a dedicated charging circuit is on the outside of the casing in the rear section so that there is no need to remove the casing when charging.

When the casing is installed into the sub a window into the casings rear area above the 2 motors through the sleeve. I plan to install a voltage /amp digital indicator and LED 4 step power indicator, that way at a glance I know that the sub is on and ready for sea.

Also seen in the pictures is the forward end cap with the anchors gear drive motor and U joint /stufting box of 1/8 diameter shaft and bushings. The end has an engagement fitting that engages with the winches. Input shaft and winch made from Lego, works very smoothly and water will never harm it.

The servo moves the planes mechanism also made from Lego.The black disk is a magnet that engages another magnet on the mechanism. This way the entire casing is self contained there are no external servos to get wet and more items can be added like the anchor. Both the anchor and dive planes connect and disconnect by simply inserting the casing into its sleeve or inserting the casing and its sleeve all at once! Everything self aligns and ready to go, no need to open the front hatch at all.

Dave Amur Sub Yard Happy Navidad

[AQUASUB]

Here the stern is installed on the casing and sleeve, note the new water pump in the wet. It is secured to the last bulkhead so that the lines are fixed in place, the bottom black line is a fuel line 1/4 in dia.

The power line for the pump has an automotive 2 pin water tight connector with silicone grease. In this way the entire aft section installs and is removed easily. Shaft collars are used for all linkages and off on switch rod.

The red and black wires with the tube is for charging the lipos and is active when the off-on switch is in the off position. That way, easy access to the power source is available, but not when the sub is in the water or corrosion would occur.

The prop shaft are cut in half lengths than the original without changing the props shaft angle too severely.



So far I have submerged the sub in my tank 8 times with great results,just minor leaks to take care of. The new pump is by far the best ever, quiet and super efficient with plenty of volume in and out.
In this picture, a window lines up with the casings motor area when the casing is pushed into the sleeve. I will install a micro-digital volt meter and amp meter off of the port side esc. it will serve as the on indicator, very important not leave the sub on!


I made the tank extra large on this sub so that she will have much higher free board and she is almost perfectly balanced up and down.
Next comes the hydraulic masts, fun,fun!

Dave

[AQUASUB]

A video of the hydraulic retracting planes,notice there are 2 independent rams that work as one.A platform was added to support them and then the original push rods used and adjusted the throw.
They are operated by the same gear pump as in the hydraulics thread and is located in the bow along with a counter piston seen in the video.Only large silicone fuel line and the syringes and pump with water is used,very simple and works like a charm!

The sub has not been repainted but is to be today, it will take make her look young again!
Dave

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYVnnX1w-94&feature=player_detailpage

[AQUASUB]

A diagram of the dive plane retracting system