Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Beginners start here...! => Topic started by: WelshBuilder on July 23, 2011, 11:57:29 pm
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Got a few Remote control cars hanging around still working great, on a budget for one of my builds and was wondering is it possible to strip one down and use the engine inside for my springer tug boat?
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by engne do you meen electric motor if so then yes you can :-))
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by engne do you meen electric motor if so then yes you can :-))
Yeah, never stripped a rc car before so do not know what can be used for a boat, what about the steering servo? Not sure what else it would have inside. this is my first rc boat build so totally out of my depths here! lol
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If possible could someone list the things i will need?
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You may be able to use the servo which steers the front wheels. The motor and the speed controller known
as an esc.(electornic speed controller). Also the receiver. These parts may not be ideal but will get you going.
The motor will be a high reving. The esc will likely have a brake function.Just try. Wishing you well. John.
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You may be able to use the servo which steers the front wheels. The motor and the speed controller known
as an esc.(electornic speed controller). Also the receiver. These parts may not be ideal but will get you going.
The motor will be a high reving. The esc will likely have a brake function.Just try. Wishing you well. John.
Thanks mate, just want something to get me started doesnt cost much if i mess up and gets me knowing whats what.
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ive built 5 or 6 boats from rc cars. they probably my most succesful ones :-))too
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Thanks Mike, just sent you a PM.
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messaged ya back
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put your posts on here rather than pm me because i can help you with this bit but other people can fill in the blanks
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put your posts on here rather than pm me because i can help you with this bit but other people can fill in the blanks
No pics of either, i havent taken the hoods off the cars or even put the hull together for the springer tug, compiling all the info i need for the build. Working out if it will be possible to make the rudder or just buy one for coppers really!
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well take the covers off all the cars so ya can get a good see inside. then measure the size of the motors in mm length and diameter. next measure the diameter of the prop. post all the data on here.
also what kind of steering do the cars have? is it the type where ya press left on the stick and it turns hard left or is it variable steering?
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You may be able to use the servo which steers the front wheels. The motor and the speed controller known
as an esc.(electornic speed controller). Also the receiver. These parts may not be ideal but will get you going.
The motor will be a high reving. The esc will likely have a brake function.Just try. Wishing you well. John.
quite often the "esc" in an R/C car was a mechanical speed controller working on a sliding reostat (similar to Tamiya mechanical controllers) ( but not electronic as such) but they can also be used
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so far ive gathered there bought from argos. But with no pictures available and no details on the specs no straight yes or no answer can be given. {:-{
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so far ive gathered there bought from argos. But with no pictures available and no details on the specs no straight yes or no answer can be given. {:-{
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I have a pic of one of the cars, no details because i know jack about specs etc on boats and rc cars.
I aint got much time to come on forum, busy with other hobbies and my family. sorry to ignore any posts
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put the makes and models of the cars on here. you need to open em up and tell me the motor sizes, well go from there :-))
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put the makes and models of the cars on here. you need to open em up and tell me the motor sizes, well go from there :-))
Ok buddy heres the make etc. Nissan GTR 1.24 SCALE CAR. This is the one i wanted to use. fast car and very good steering. dont know if that makes any difference?!
Ok when i get time ill open it up and see.
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Another one is subaru 1.32 scale
full function transmitter.
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is the nissan gtr white by any chance?
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is the steering on either these cars proportional as in the more you move the stick left the more it turns the wheels left?
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Yes the gtr is white.
Yes when you turn left the car turns left.
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obviously it turns left what i meant though is it proportional like can you inch it a little bit by bit or is like hard left hard right or middle
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obviously it turns left what i meant though is it proportional like can you inch it a little bit by bit or is like hard left hard right or middle
Well obviously slight nudges to the left will turn you gradually left but if you keep your hand on the left it spins left.
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when it comes to proper rc kits the steering and throttle is proportional. like the throttle on a real car the more the press the forward leaver the faster the car goes. the same is for the steering. On some models of rc system you can get a wheel which is mounted on the side of the transmitter:
(http://s1.postimage.org/rbjncbwk/fsgt3b24ghz01.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/rbjncbwk/)
others have two sticks.
Anyway with these rc systems the more you turn the wheel on the controller the more the wheels move like proper car steering. you can turn the steering wheel half way and the wheels with move half way.
on toy cars usually if ya press the steering leaver it jams the wheels either hard left or hard right. you cant hold it in exact positions.
the point is that if it can be moved precisely then the steering has a servo and usually with a servo you also get a controllable speed aswell. so you can drive slowly at crawling pace etc.
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when it comes to proper rc kits the steering and throttle is proportional. like the throttle on a real car the more the press the forward leaver the faster the car goes. the same is for the steering. On some models of rc system you can get a wheel which is mounted on the side of the transmitter:
(http://s1.postimage.org/rbjncbwk/fsgt3b24ghz01.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/rbjncbwk/)
others have two sticks.
Anyway with these rc systems the more you turn the wheel on the controller the more the wheels move like proper car steering. you can turn the steering wheel half way and the wheels with move half way.
on toy cars usually if ya press the steering leaver it jams the wheels either hard left or hard right. you cant hold it in exact positions.
the point is that if it can be moved precisely then the steering has a servo and usually with a servo you also get a controllable speed aswell. so you can drive slowly at crawling pace etc.
Right so thats a good thing if its gradual increase in speed and same with turning? Im busy tomorrow building the hull its a pusher tug im building so i dont want it super fast, so wont get round to stripping one down till tuesday and see whats what.
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yes its a good thing. if makes life a hole lot simpler because if it does then if has a servo:
(http://s2.postimage.org/14ex64rc4/Futaba_S3003_Servo.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/14ex64rc4/)
these servos are standard in all rc systems. brands, sizes and power vary but they all look the same pretty much. they are basically an electric motor with a gear box and a crank which turns about 90 degrees. To this you can attach a throttle for a petol engine or a rudder.
(http://s2.postimage.org/14gfqv7ms/PC090044.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/14gfqv7ms/)
this servo has a rudder connected to it. the rudder is under the hull which is connected to a axle and then its connected to the white disk. a pushrod moves the disk which is connected to the servo.
Now with a servo its very simple to install and set up. if ya cars dont have one of these types of servo in, then itll be a right s**t to use a car one unless you can actually make a servo yourself.
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Ill check when i open one up, hopefully it will for the steering of the car but if not im sure you can buy steering servos.
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servos are generally quite cheap 3-5 pound (as far as rc is concerned) but a servo wont work without the radio gear which is when the bill starts piling up. A basic radio kit on ebay can cost between 20 and 30 pound on ebay (not including postage). Now i have tried the budget route of buying in ebay auction a 99p futaba transmitter 2 channel with sticks. I managed by luck to match it with a hobao receiver. here is a picture of a servo connected to the receiver then it all powered by a battery pack:
(http://s2.postimage.org/14ra1p46c/Rc_receiver_servo_battery_b.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/14ra1p46c/)
doing it the way i have done has been long and a pain in the stern. in the end ive had so many problems doing it budget that ive spent 30 quid trying to rectify the problems. I should have just bought new in the first place.
im trying one of these next. ive heard good reports about these radio kits. there cheap for what they are and do the job:
(http://s2.postimage.org/14sqyw7z8/1275619030694_hz_fileserver1_1694067.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/14sqyw7z8/)
its called an fs gt2 they can be as little as 18 pound on ebay brand new.
i seriously doubt the cars you have judging by there size and price in argos that theyl have anything you can use. the motor will be lacking power, youl have a major engineering task to modify there steering mechanisms to work for your boat. it can be done but you have to build a gearbox for them with a self centring spring on it.
theres more to come
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even if you bought a servo it will not work with the car radio system unless it is digital proportional. you move the sticks on your transmitter remote, the receiver picks up the instructions and sends electricty to the servo to make it move. The servo has on it a sensor which tells the receiver its got to the position it was told to go to. Toy cars dont have this feedback technology in them and so the servo will just stay where it is and wont come back when you let go of the stick again.
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i use the gt2 verry good systems for the price and you can get sper ecevers for less then a tenner :-))
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If it cant be done or not worth doing i wont do it simply as that, but ill seriously rethink building rc model boats i dont have the money to throw around on things that i could make a mistake with and waste it. I may go back to building statics.
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if you can build statics then youl be able to build rc. im on a tight budgest myself and have 4 kids too so i know what its like to be allways poor. But when me and my kids go boating it makes a nice day out and worth the effort. You have to be patient though and gradually build up the parts that you need. You have to make sacrifices on other luxuries Ive stopped doing things like drinking and buying cds etc because id rather do this at the minute.
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if you send me a pm ime sure i have some bits and bobs lying about and could set you up with the things you will need for a springer
i should have
prop shaft and prop
motor and motor cupling
servo and meckanical speed controler i will set this up on a bourd for you so it wil work well
and i will have a root around see if i have a sper recever and controler ime sure i have one but i think the batery covers missing but i used a peace of card and tape to hold the bats in
i will be back home next week as ime away working but should sort the bits out for the price of postege ok2 :-))