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[class37]

been thinking, as you do on nights, about ways to control the outer motors on my patrol boat, at present undergoing extended refurb, and came up with this..... but have I gone wrong somewhere ? [not unknown]

PB to have three motors / props with centre one thru esc for normal cruising / manouvering, but want to be able to put peddle to metal when needed [ to avoid swans etc] so idea is this..

outer motors switched ON by servo operated microswitch, which switches a relay putting full battery power direct to outer motors / props.

this would a. allow me to use the third channel on / on rocker switch on my salvaged C-130 tx / rx [see previous thread] and would also
allow me to recover boat if anything went t.ts up with esc or centre motor while out on the water, as circuits to outer motors should still work via relay.

seems, as Alexander would say, simples..........but nagging feeling I've made a mistake somewhere with the plan.

I'm sure someone out there will put me right, but SWMBO is already complaining about time/money being spent on railway layout, so would be unlikely to approve expenditure on purchase of new radio rig, so need to try to get the most out of what I have, hence idiot idea

cheers

alan

[boatmadman]

Alan,

Not an idiot idea, and very much do-able.

I have done the same on a 3 shaft mtb using a switcher unit from action.

Mine is set up to cruise on the two outer motors, then when the throttle stick hits full speed, the switcher kicks in the centre motor. I used a separate battery for the third motor. I set this up for ahead only - these boats don't plane well running astern.

Ian

[dodgy geezer]

Do you need a free-wheeling clutch on the undriven prop(s) to lower the drag when they are not being driven? I would guess that one centre undriven prop is a small drag - two outers would be greater....

[class37]

Alan,

Not an idiot idea, and very much do-able.

I have done the same on a 3 shaft mtb using a switcher unit from action.

Mine is set up to cruise on the two outer motors, then when the throttle stick hits full speed, the switcher kicks in the centre motor. I used a separate battery for the third motor. I set this up for ahead only - these boats don't plane well running astern.

Ian

Hi Boatmadman,

I am aiming to use a seperate battery for 'high speed' motors, and it seemed a good belt and braces idea for recovery by having it as a seperate drive train.

I had originally thought of two motors for normal us and then the centre one coming in for flank speed, but I'm running MFA/Como drills 457-RE380 motors, and have an Mtronics viper marine 15 ESC, so I wasn't sure if I would be overloading it with two motors.

I was checking the microswitch today and noted one feed in and two out, so overactive brain started thinking of one out to motor relay, and possibly the other to some sort of lights / load hailer etc.

I have looked at [drooled over] the Action stuff, and even started to make a list, but SWMBO found it, and I'd foolishly put the prices on as well !!

many mutterings about redecorating etc, so plan was dropped. still, maybe in time ......... perhaps I'll be one of the lucky ones that the tax man owes money to !

cheers

alan

[John W E]

Hi there - if you do a search on this Forum, you will find this topic has been covered a couple or more times - about switching centre motors off/on via radia control -

Personally, I have used radio control for switching centre motors on/off on several models - an MTB, the Whaleback (featured in the master class build).  The way I have achieved this is to switch the signal imput of the speed controller on/off - thus avoiding use of access of high amperage relays or heavy duty micro switches.  

The only problem nowadays is that a lot of speed controllers have auto-reset  built into them.  The consequence of this is that if your throttle stick is set at full power for say your outboard motors and you switch on your centre motor; it sets the neutral at full power on your stick.   Not a problem if one remembers to throttle back before one switches on   .    

For some of my models I used the 'old' Electronize speed controllers which dont mind being switched off and on.

aye
john e
bluebird