Russian Alfa Class

[SubDude]

I would thread them in without penetrating the endcap if they have some length to them.

[rwtdiver]

I have a question about mounting the brushless motor!?





Is it possible to use 4 stainless steel screws for mounting the motor plate and not penetrate the endcap? Or do I need to penetrate the end cap and install stainless steel nuts and bolts?

Thank you for your input!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[rwtdiver]

Looking great, Rob!

Thanks Bob!

It looks like the drive shaft and the brushless motor is going to be a straight on shot for line up!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[RCSubGuy]

Looking great, Rob!

[rwtdiver]

Making some headway on the stern section!



I have the bushings and the shafts on the rudders and the dive Plaines installed, as well as the control rod linkages tied into the control surfaces.



The drive shaft and the bushings (3/16") along with the support system is all installed!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[rwtdiver]

Today I cut the stern section!



I cut the stern section on my 1:96 Alfa scale exactly the same way. It will allow me to get better access to construct the yokes for the rudder and stern plane linkages. It is a tight fit and the control shafts are centered on one another making it even a little more challenging to get a perfect smooth operation off the control surfaces.

This did work very well on my 1:96 scale (which was tighter) so it will even be better on this 1"72 scale Alfa!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[rwtdiver]

Making a little more progress on the Alfa!



I have started to install the brass bushing for the rudders and the dive planes in the stern section.



I received the brushless motor and bi-directional ESC for the main drive shaft today, and it is ready for installation.



We are making some headway on the Alfa project! I really hope going to the wet with the brushless motor is going to work out!? Based on everything I have read on this forum, brushless motors could be the new wave of the future for the drive systems on our subs!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[rwtdiver]

Rob, what are your plans for the Type VII?

Hi Casey,



I set the Type VII as a static model only! It was a good build for me, but I made some mistakes on the 80mm WTC, and please understand, these mistakes where my fault NOT the product! The boat turned out to be a great build so I gave it a paint scheme of the early U-552 and added it to my static model collection.

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[Das Boot]

Rob, what are your plans for the Type VII?

[rwtdiver]

Today I removed the existing dual drive shaft bushings and seals from the stern WTC end cap.



I then sealed the holes in the end cap using a tip that I got from David Merriman. Thin CA and layers of baking soda. After it all cured, I sanded the excess flush to the end cap. The end cap is now ready for the installation of a single 750kw brushless motor to the wet side of the cap for the motor drive system on the Alfa!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[rwtdiver]

My plan is to turn my dual shafted 80mm WTC into a single shafted 80mm WTC!



I really have two ways to go. I can use the remaining brushed motor and ESC from the original 80mm WTC (I burned up the other motor and ESC) or I can go with a 750kw brushless motor with a bidirectional ESC for the drive system, both ideas are very possible. I will use the same design linkage set up for the rudders and dive planes that I used on my1:96 scale Alfa. I think this change over on the 80mm WTC will be a great fit for the 1:72 Alfa. And it will make good use of the existing 80mm WTC that I SREWED UP!

Final note about Nautilus Drydocks 80mm WTC: It came to me in GREAT working condition and with NO PROBLEMS at all until I got my grubby little mits on it, and then it was SOP as far as my work goes. If it can be screwed up, I am your man! In the right hands Bob Martin has a winner with the 80mm WTC.

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[neitosub]

No problem Rob! I've also been building a brushless WTC over the winter so we're in the same boat, I bought a brushless ESC that was meant for RC drones and had to manually program the reverse functionality into the circuit board. If I were to start over again, I would simply go with the bidrectional ESC I linked to save the time and effort. But it's all part of the learning process!

Regards,
Nate

[rwtdiver]

Hi Rob,

The brushless motor choice looks good but the ESC you’ve listed is not bidirectional, it’s most likely used for RC airplanes and drones where you only need it to run in the forward direction. I would go with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Readytosky-Bidirectional-Brushless-Pneumatic-Underwater/dp/B08HWQ58QX/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=1JTHR7VZK8YLK&keywords=bidirectional+esc+brushless&qid=1651549756&sprefix=bidirectional+esc%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-3

Nate

Nate,

Thank you again for all your help and suggestions. The brushless motor type systems for submarines is still really new to me!

I appreciate you taking the time to look up the web site and sharing it!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[neitosub]

Hi Rob,

The brushless motor choice looks good but the ESC you’ve listed is not bidirectional, it’s most likely used for RC airplanes and drones where you only need it to run in the forward direction. I would go with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Readytosky-Bidirectional-Brushless-Pneumatic-Underwater/dp/B08HWQ58QX/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=1JTHR7VZK8YLK&keywords=bidirectional+esc+brushless&qid=1651549756&sprefix=bidirectional+esc%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-3

Nate

[rwtdiver]

If I go with the brushless motor on my 80mm WTC these where going to be the motor and the ESC!

https://www.amazon.com/RC-Brushless-...6NZ9Q3JV4& pd_rd

https://www.amazon.com/FlashHobby-Brushless-Aircraft-Helicopter-Outrunner/dp/B084QCLTM1/ref=sr_1_17_sspa?keywords=brushless%2Bmotors&qid=1651514593&sr=8-17-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFYMUlTN0FOSDFBMDImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1MzA4MzMxVVEzSldOT1YzRVUmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDEwNDQxMzNRUjBJVUdKQ0s1UEgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1

Any input would be appreciated! Thank you!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"