Help my neptune has radio glitch problems

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  • deepseadiver
    Commander
    • Aug 2008
    • 296

    Help my neptune has radio glitch problems

    Hi can some one help me out please . If i turn everything on and don't touch the controls it seems to sit idol with nothing happening it's when i power up the motor a little i will see the gliches more then ever.

    I was also told there’s a adjustment on the CPU or something like this that controls when the fail safe kicks in and it may be dialed in to high of voltage level . When i put on the prop motor, the power is being drained below a voltage, level causing the Ballast pump, to glitch kicking in the fail safe, to go off and on.

    when i turned on the sub and took the radio away from the sub from a distance there were no gliches, much better . But when i power up the prop motor i do get some small glitches, with the ballast pump it clicks .
    .
    Jim A
    Last edited by deepseadiver; 12-20-2011, 05:35 PM.
    Put your mind to it. If there's a will there's a way!
  • deepseadiver
    Commander
    • Aug 2008
    • 296

    #2
    More information. When I power up the motor, i noticed the motor besides the Ballast pump clicking and the motor has a hesitation in it's sound like the sound is not smooth - it's got a small stutter.
    Jim
    Last edited by Kazzer; 12-20-2011, 05:14 PM.
    Put your mind to it. If there's a will there's a way!

    Comment

    • deepseadiver
      Commander
      • Aug 2008
      • 296

      #3
      for some reason i have left the battery on the charger off and on for about three days and most of the probelms are going away does anyone want to comment why

      Jim
      Put your mind to it. If there's a will there's a way!

      Comment

      • He Who Shall Not Be Named
        Moderator
        • Aug 2008
        • 12256

        #4
        Like Andy told you at another site: Bad battery.

        David
        Who is John Galt?

        Comment

        • Subculture
          Admiral
          • Feb 2009
          • 2119

          #5
          If you lack substitute components and basic test tools like a multimeter, then you really are going to have a tough time nailing down this fault.

          A chap here in the UK bought an early kit version of the Neptune (not available in the U.S) when they first came out. He had problems with the ballast pump keep cutting out. He got wound up about it and sold it on for a third of what he paid for it. The new owner gave it the once over, and found a couple of dry joints on the pump controller board. He reflowed the joints, and apparently it's been running like clockwork ever since.

          Comment

          • deepseadiver
            Commander
            • Aug 2008
            • 296

            #6
            yes i will and have purchased a new battery already waiting for it to arrive, plus if that does not get rid of all the probelms i will check the solder joints as well.
            HI David thats a shame brand new sub and a bad battery yes i think thats the problem i just wanted all other ideas what it could be before i start to attacking the sub's componets .
            thank you the both of you for your tips

            Jim
            Last edited by deepseadiver; 12-23-2011, 12:09 PM.
            Put your mind to it. If there's a will there's a way!

            Comment

            • Subculture
              Admiral
              • Feb 2009
              • 2119

              #7
              One chap got rid of the standard lead acid battery and replaced it with NiMh packs. This gives more capacity and longer running times. It does mean buying a new charger too unfortunately.

              Comment

              • deepseadiver
                Commander
                • Aug 2008
                • 296

                #8
                Originally posted by Subculture
                One chap got rid of the standard lead acid battery and replaced it with NiMh packs. This gives more capacity and longer running times. It does mean buying a new charger too unfortunately.

                that might be another way to go no problem in having to buy another type of charger espically if you have longer running time ! Thanks for the tip once i get this new battery i will see how well it holds up if not i will try the NiMh packs instead very good advice

                Jim :)
                Last edited by deepseadiver; 01-04-2012, 01:58 AM.
                Put your mind to it. If there's a will there's a way!

                Comment

                • deepseadiver
                  Commander
                  • Aug 2008
                  • 296

                  #9
                  Hi everyone well i purchased the new battery, and yes the new battery, it came with was no good thanks subculture, and Merriman, and Andy from another forum it was the problem hip hip hurray the boat runs great ! I am building a new conning tower i think it will make the sub look much better i like the whole subs apperance but that clear plastic dome has to go i think it looks cheesy. They could have design something better then that well i will be showing my own personnal improvements.
                  Jim
                  Put your mind to it. If there's a will there's a way!

                  Comment

                  • H2Ohaze
                    Lieutenant Commander
                    • Jul 2011
                    • 117

                    #10
                    I found the Neptune to be a tank of a sub. It is extremely reliable. I've had mine a year. I use an MRC brand Super Brain 977 charger on the lead acid battery and it works great, tells me the voltage during charging, the amount of miliamps it stuffed into it (a measure of how depleted battery was) and I can vary how quick it charges by charge rate.

                    Interestingly, the failsafe voltage seems to be about 12.0 volts. A freshly charged battery ready to splash is about 12.7- 13.2 volts roughly. It doesn't sound like much more, but it runs it for 20-40 minutes.

                    I discovered that the stock canopy and tower top are ready made perfect aids to level the SB-1 in a test tank of water. What I do is to send it to the bottom, then empty the ballast in short bits until it is at just above neutral bouyancy by a few grams, which should leave the top yellow ring barely breaking the surface. Then I put a lightweight circular bubble level 1 inch diameter on it, which tells me not only how level bow to stern it is, but side to side. The bubbles extra weight drives the thing under so I only have a few seconds to observe it.

                    BUT, the clear canopy is it's own "visual bubble level" for weight adjustment fore-aft. Just bring the sub up from neutral just a tiny bit more, then see where the air pocket in the canopy is both fore and aft. If the water in the canopy in the front is closer to the center tower, than sub is trimmed bow down for example. When the canopy is peeking out of the water the same amount both fore and aft, the Neptune is balanced.

                    The canopy and top ring is so ideally shaped for this, I would guess Thunder Tiger made it look like this on purpose.

                    I do like your custom conning tower and you should keep it. I just wanted to point out some advantages (that personally I found, YMMV) of the stock that may not be obvious.

                    The most unreliable thing about the Neptune I found is the little black arms that are used all over the sub, for pushing the rudder/planes on the outside, and the two front switches on inside, etc. I have had about 7 or so of these split open, and if I hadn't been looking for the problem with an inspection, I would have lost control of my sub. Fortunately, you can replace these cheaply.

                    Comment

                    • He Who Shall Not Be Named
                      Moderator
                      • Aug 2008
                      • 12256

                      #11
                      Good product report, H2Ohaze. Informative and should help those who have this little yellow beastoid in their fleet. Thanks.

                      David
                      Who is John Galt?

                      Comment

                      • H2Ohaze
                        Lieutenant Commander
                        • Jul 2011
                        • 117

                        #12
                        Thank you.

                        To go further with the video stuff, my own one or two time experience with connecting the TT optional coax cable is...doesn't work so well. Snags on rocks, weed, you name it. The putting fisherman's bobbers round floats every three feet or so didn't really work either. It's just too bulky and still snags on stuff. If it was a buoy on just ten feet or less, I don't know. I instead ran the sub many times with a video cam that you replay the SD card on your computer after the sail. Unless it is a very very clear lake all you get is a blank, murky screen. Visual underwater vs through air is a drastic difference. There are two lakes where I was getting 5 minutes of fish and bottom rocks/weed for 40 minutes of runtime. Lights didn't help the issue, although I never ran it at night.

                        I had to mount my Hero camera outside the front nose cone. Mounted inside nose but outside the WTC, nose cone fogs up within a few minutes and you see nothing. On top of the top tower or outside front cone and forward of it worked best.

                        If I was doing it this year I would get the smallest and lightest cam which was a simple, watch it off the card post-sail type, not live view. I'd get a 90 degree angle of view not the 170 degree wider view of many cams. Since it brings farther away things closer, you can cut through some of the murk better at the expense of seeing a more panoramic view.

                        Again, YMMV.

                        Comment

                        • deepseadiver
                          Commander
                          • Aug 2008
                          • 296

                          #13
                          . thanks for the information about why neptune uses the clear dome . I wanted more drag is why i got away from using it. Does not look bad just does not do the effect i want, more like the real thing. About the weigths i just moved them back and fourth and took some weight out and i have the sub perfectly balance in the water easy thing to do. Im not going to bother with the cable after everything you mention i will stay with a video camera attached to the sub to get what i need as video footage. you have given great tips

                          Jim
                          Last edited by deepseadiver; 01-19-2012, 10:49 PM.
                          Put your mind to it. If there's a will there's a way!

                          Comment

                          • deepseadiver
                            Commander
                            • Aug 2008
                            • 296

                            #14
                            since you use this charger i see how nice it is indeed! MRC Super Brain 977 charger i just bought one after looking at it's reviews excellent plus two other people recommend it also . So i purchased one got it for 60 bucks good price for something that works very well. thanks for the suggestion H20haze

                            Jim
                            Last edited by deepseadiver; 01-19-2012, 10:56 PM.
                            Put your mind to it. If there's a will there's a way!

                            Comment

                            • H2Ohaze
                              Lieutenant Commander
                              • Jul 2011
                              • 117

                              #15
                              Glad I could help some. I'm not even sure That TT designed the canopy/tower like that for that purpose, it just works, IMHO.

                              Frankly when I first changed stuff, I didn't use that method to balance sub either, just did like you. It was only when I was fitting that heavy Hero camera in different places and playing with Styrofoam that I started using the tower w/bubble and watching canopy fore-aft. I was surprised to find that I needed to add about 10 grams (Zip tied a washer) on one side to get the thing level port to starboard.

                              It might be exciting to rig up a live, wireless feed with a buoy, and I have a Ham license, so I'd be legal too. I still think the cable tangle might be an issue with buoy feed...but might even bump into the forward dive planes if you don't watch out. I don't want to go there.

                              Step #1 is: find a clear lake.

                              Glad you like the Super Brain. I think for lead acid they don't say in instructions but set the peak delta to the minimum= 5 milivolts. For the TT 12V battery #cells is 6. I think I use charge rates around 0.2 to 0.4 amps. And leave the time set to zero. And leave capacity set at zero. You will see the Neptune battery climb to about 13.2 volts, then it drops down to about 12.8 or so just before charger stops.

                              If in doubt, call MRC. They are very helpful.

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