Using a servo to turn on and off a torpedo release servo

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  • Slats
    Vice Admiral
    • Aug 2008
    • 1776

    Using a servo to turn on and off a torpedo release servo

    Guy's I'm fitting out Conqueror with two mk8s. The torpedo release for both tubes is a simple servo pull connected to a steering arm. Either side of the steering arm activates the tubes via a 3 position switch on my radio.. i.e. centre - the steering arm is at rest, toggled one way I get steering arm releasing one tube, toggled the other way releases the other.

    On the odd occasion -I find turning on the Subdriver can cause servo jitters - and whilst if this does occur in my case this lasts less than a second, it is enough to potentially cook off a shot unintendedly. To counter this, I have a mechanical safety set up in the boat. Should the steering arm that activates the torpedos jitter as I turn the Subdriver on, the arm located below the pull mechanisms won'’t engage the release pull mechanisms until I insert a couple of drag pins held by gravity into the back of each servo release pull. With the pins inserted if the servo arm moves backwards the servo arm engages the pins and pulls the torpedo release. Suffice to say I always turn on the boat first before arming the release mechanisms.

    Whilst I have used that mechanical safety now for years, I’m wondering if I can add an electrical safety?

    My idea for this was using a channel spare whereby I could rig up a simple microswitch connected to a micro servo. The microswitch could either make the servo controlling the torpedo switch either active or inactive.

    Question is, is it enough to simply route the positive lead from the torpedo servo through the microswitch or do I need to do something with the signal and ground as well?

    Cheers

    John
    Last edited by Slats; 02-04-2019, 06:27 AM.
    John Slater

    Sydney Australia

    You would not steal a wallet so don't steal people's livelihood.
    Think of that before your buy "cheap" pirated goods or download others work protected by copyright. Theft is theft.



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  • RCSubGuy
    Welcome to my underwater realm!
    • Aug 2009
    • 1768

    #2
    Honestly, I'm a fan of your mechanical failsafe. The gas weapons are no joke and the hassle of putting the pin in pre-mission is a small price to pay for not having one cook off on the bench at your or a bystander. With the electronic switch, forgetting to flip it or having it bumped back into position for firing has a much higher probability.

    But to answer your question, I'd say the routing of the positive lead through the switch would be sufficient. No need to cut off all three wires.

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    • Slats
      Vice Admiral
      • Aug 2008
      • 1776

      #3
      Thanks Bob. Cheers J
      John Slater

      Sydney Australia

      You would not steal a wallet so don't steal people's livelihood.
      Think of that before your buy "cheap" pirated goods or download others work protected by copyright. Theft is theft.



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      • Bob Gato
        Captain
        • Feb 2019
        • 826

        #4
        Hey slats-If you were going with an electric arming system -have you considered using an R/C switch instead of the arming servo and the microswitch and its associated bracketry-it would be much smaller and lighter..And how about a piazo buzzer in the transmitter (use half of a double pole toggle instead of the single pole for the buzzer circuit) this way you would resafety the switch after use or suffer the noise.
        Attached Files
        Last edited by Bob Gato; 02-19-2019, 10:54 PM.

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        • QuarterMaster
          Rear Admiral
          • Sep 2015
          • 1194

          #5

          NERS - Nano Electronic Receiver Switch V2

          I buy 'em by the dozen.

          Onboard I use two on a "Y" connector for the ballast vent solenoid and LPB motor, the third stand alone in series with a Nautilus Drydocks BLM (Failsafe set) for my "EB" Cjppard Gas Solenoid.

          I plan to use them for Torp ejection on the 1:48 scale 591, 571 and 722, The VLS on 722 will incorporate them too.

          They work great and are not much larger than the female connector housing of a standard servo.

          At one time Caswell offered them.
          v/r "Sub" Ed

          Silent Service "Cold War" Veteran (The good years!)
          NEVER underestimate the power of a Sailor who served aboard a submarine.
          USS ULYSSES S GRANT-USS SHARK-USS NAUTILUS-USS KEY WEST-USS BLUEBACK-USS PATRICK HENRY-K432-U25-SSRN SEAVIEW-PROTEUS-NAUTILUS

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          • Slats
            Vice Admiral
            • Aug 2008
            • 1776

            #6
            Hi guys
            I'm keeping my mechanical safety as is. I like the servo setup v.much as it fires every single time, so what I'm wanting is to add a secondary safety to the servo set up. This means turning the servo that activates the shots on/off. Does the RC switch above do that? Thanks J
            John Slater

            Sydney Australia

            You would not steal a wallet so don't steal people's livelihood.
            Think of that before your buy "cheap" pirated goods or download others work protected by copyright. Theft is theft.



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            • Bob Gato
              Captain
              • Feb 2019
              • 826

              #7
              Sure, you could use it to turn on or off the power to your servo (usually the red wire) at the flick of a switch on your transmitter and as mentioned above it would also be a nice touch to have that transmitter switch produce an audio alarm when "hot"-an easy thing to do.

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              • Slats
                Vice Admiral
                • Aug 2008
                • 1776

                #8
                Originally posted by Bob Gato
                Sure, you could use it to turn on or off the power to your servo (usually the red wire) at the flick of a switch on your transmitter and as mentioned above it would also be a nice touch to have that transmitter switch produce an audio alarm when "hot"-an easy thing to do.
                Thanks - I'll give that a go. Cheers J
                John Slater

                Sydney Australia

                You would not steal a wallet so don't steal people's livelihood.
                Think of that before your buy "cheap" pirated goods or download others work protected by copyright. Theft is theft.



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