Topic: My 12 foot Gato class submarine! (Read 266420 times)

georgo · « **Reply #450 on:** February 21, 2014, 11:18:23 pm »

well documented & well built..

Quote

author=sub john link=topic=32161.msg317425#msg317425 date=1313922645]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmPEnRv5wWM please view this and put your thoughts back to me lol thanks people also part 2 is a link in the description part of the video

sub john · « **Reply #451 on:** February 23, 2014, 04:13:35 pm »

HI Georgo
Thanks for the comments nice to have feed back
All the best Sub John

Subculture · « **Reply #452 on:** February 23, 2014, 04:16:38 pm »

Any progress with the piston tank control board, John?

sub john · « **Reply #453 on:** February 23, 2014, 04:58:12 pm »

HI GUYS
Just a up date on sonar system, i twisted the Missus arm to buy me a RF15E Hummingbird wireless fish finder as this one seems to be the best one to go for the job i needed it to do, but 20 Min's after the postman had dropped it off at the door it was in bits being cut up to see what made it tick. The standard unit only did 60 meters in range which is no good to man or beast unit after it has been modded will do half a mile no messing but can do if need be 6 miles, but i will never need that sort of range. The unit will display depth up to 120FT deep it looks good to see the contour of the lake bottom on the screen on the bank side. The original sonar head is designed to sit on the back of the bate boat on the surface of the water looking down in to the lake, but i wonted to fit it so it was on the keel of the sub telling you the depth of the water from the keel to the bottom of the lake it will now work on the keel of the sub. I would like to say a big thank you to Tony Bollard for leanding me his big tug boat to fit all the gear in and take it for a spin around the lake to see if it works OK put the sonar unit on the bottom of his keel to see if it worked and it all seemed to work OK would all so like to thank Gazza for coming over from Leicester to take all the gear down to the lake to try it and all it did was rain but at least we got to see if it worked. Have just got to do radio link for low frequency so when sub dives will transmit data back to show on receiver screen on bank side. Have reworked receiver unit which is a lot more sensitive fitted preamp and interdigital band pass filter designed antenna for it and it seems to work quite well
Sub John

sub john · « **Reply #454 on:** February 23, 2014, 05:08:09 pm »

HI Subculture
Have been that busy with doing sonar for the sub, the piston tank control unit is finished on a PCB board works very well but have just left it. As i seem to be having a big problem trying to post up reply on youtube didn't won't to do video of it working if i can not post it up on youtube have got videos to do of other bits but seem to spend most of my time doing electronics and designing. Andy have you come up with any problems with youtube other people are having problems as well.
Sub John

Subculture · « **Reply #455 on:** February 23, 2014, 05:19:55 pm »

Haven't uploaded anything to Youtube for a while, bit it worked okay last time I tried. Always takes a while to upload content as I'm still on an ADSL line.

Perhaps you could post up some images on here, pictures are just as good as vids for the most part.

sub john · « **Reply #456 on:** February 26, 2014, 09:19:28 pm »

HI Subculture
You said about posting some pictures on here. I have just suddenly realized that i have a problem trying to put pictures up on here. i used to use my sons camera but he has now left home so can not use that any more, will have to find another way to be able to post some pictures up on here. will sort some thing out and will have to post some pictures of the sonar that i have been playing around with. I'm hoping to take the sub out a lot more this year after some body ran across the deck of the sub last year. I have been thinking about putting the torpedo's in it but have been told if i put them in i will be banned off the lake, but it might be worth it LOL
Sub John

Subculture · « **Reply #457 on:** February 27, 2014, 06:57:42 am »

Cameras are ten a penny these days. You don't need anything exoic for internet use, anything with 2 megapixel or higher is suitable. Cameras that were cutting edge ten years ago are regarded as landfill these days, but are still perfectly usable.

timgarrod · « **Reply #458 on:** March 07, 2014, 10:50:35 pm »

Thanks Sub John for letting see the sub in the flesh, the photos on here do not do it justice. was speekless and gobsmacked not just in it size but in how clever it is, its a work of art.
if any one wonders its heavy, made the mistake of trying to lift it(my back still hurts

).

can't wait to see it in the water soon hopefully

sub john · « **Reply #459 on:** March 08, 2014, 06:05:36 pm »

HI TIM
Nice to meet you when you came over this week, i did say to you that when you see it in the flesh it is bigger than you think and yes it is a heavy best. Any way glad you was impressed with it, just been putting the screen cables in for the sonar head unit under the sub all so put the cable in for RF antenna to send back sonar info to the receiver on the bank side i ended up taking some of the sub to bits to get cables through to where they need to go to link up to the rest of the electronics
All the best John

timgarrod · « **Reply #460 on:** March 27, 2014, 10:53:08 pm »

Evening All,

done a quick edit of John's Videos in to one Video, hope you enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPy8F2Vf9LA

Hoping to make a all new video footage in the coming month's

sub john · « **Reply #461 on:** March 28, 2014, 06:16:07 pm »

HI Tim
I must say i think you made a good job in putting all the video bits together in to one film, when some of these video bits was being took the sub was still being trimmed up and was going round with 3pounds of lead on top of the deck on the front of the sub which was making it unstable when turning, but at least i got to have a spin round the lake and try it. I didn't won't to take it any lower in the water than it was because of all them boats going round on the surface as they would not have seen the sub if i went any deeper. But like you said we will have to do some more videoing of it now the weather is picking up, but thinking about it because of all the sonar and bits and bobs that have been put in over the winter it's got to be trimmed up again, but i don't think it will be that far out. I have been making a board for your sub so you don't have to use a servo and micro switches to work your ballast pump will give you a ring later
PS have got to get the sub trimmed up before the show in May John

timgarrod · « **Reply #462 on:** March 29, 2014, 12:55:15 am »

Hi John,
can't wait to get soon video of it launching the torpedoes and sinking something. Will having to build a mock boat to sink

sub john · « **Reply #463 on:** March 30, 2014, 11:06:16 pm »

HI Tim
You don't have to build a mock boat we can use yours instead but if we do this on your lake i won't get band will i as i don't think the club will like it much LOL. Was going to come over today to your club but with it being mothers day my son turned up and it got to later to come over as you was all leaving i went flying instead.
All the best John

sub john · « **Reply #464 on:** April 30, 2014, 10:32:00 pm »

HI Guys
Alvaston Pirates Model Boat Club are having a Grand Opening Day on the 11TH May at Derby and I will be taking my Gato to the show and hopefully get it on the water as there is not a slip way and the guys have got to man handle it in to the water. All i can say is i hope they have had there Weetabix as they will sure need it to pick this up and get it in the water. Should be good for a laugh to see a few red faces struggling to pick it up, just hope the weather stays good on the day.

Went over to see the guys at there club lake a few weeks ago and they all seem to be friendly bunch of guys
All the best Sub John

sub john · « **Reply #465 on:** May 10, 2014, 06:29:31 pm »

HI Guys
Was told last night that i would not be able to take the sub to the show at Derby on the 11th of May as they can not get the drop down Ballard's to go down in to the ground so i can get the sub through the main gates in the trailer. Sorry to any one that was going to the show to see it there but there is not much i can do about it.

Sub John

timgarrod · « **Reply #466 on:** May 10, 2014, 07:23:40 pm »

I wish to pass on a apologies from the Club, The coucil spent a few hours trying to free up the metal bollard but to no use.

Subculture · « **Reply #467 on:** May 11, 2014, 11:06:59 am »

Has there been any update on the piston tank control board, John?

Davy1 · « **Reply #468 on:** May 11, 2014, 03:32:04 pm »

Shame about the bollard, John.

How about bringing the sub to Norwich? At the very least you could display it on the trailer.

David

sub john · « **Reply #469 on:** May 11, 2014, 06:14:40 pm »

HI Subculture
The piston tank that i was using as the test jig the person won't ed it back so at the moment i have no piston tank to connect it up to so its on the back burner until i get some thing sorted which is a shame as it worked well. Like i said it is all made on a PCB board now all done with surface mounted components uses moss fets as a full bridge so has no relays i have tried very hard to blow it up just to see how much hammer it would take but it still works. The way the circuit works you could use it for making a proportional water pump to fill a ballast tank and empty.

Me and my friend have just finished a new lipo monitor just got to fit the wires on to the board and try it hopefully its finished and ready for the market, had quite a few people asking when it will be finished will work with any speed controller and will work from 2 to 12 lipos and will auto detect cells that have been plugged in
Sub John

sub john · « **Reply #470 on:** May 11, 2014, 06:26:48 pm »

HI David
Its a long way from where we are to come to Norwich it will take 2.5 to 3 hours to get there just to use the sub as a static model. The local model boat club that i am in is just sorting things out to take it to the show at Warwick which i think is in November, so hopefully i will be taking it there. It was a shame that the drop bollard at the main gates would not drop down in to the ground at Derby show which was on today

Sub John

Subculture · « **Reply #471 on:** May 11, 2014, 09:41:42 pm »

What kind of size tank would you want to experiment with? Also what sort of speed. Faster tanks would be more taxing to control for accurate positioning I guess.

sub john · « **Reply #472 on:** May 12, 2014, 06:07:28 pm »

HI Subculture
Thanks for taking interest in piston tank control board, yes you are right the faster the piston moves in the tank the more demanding it is for control board to keep control of positioning of the piston in the tank. The size of the tank would need to hold about 1 to 1.5 pints of water, the ideal tank to use would be a Engal tank trouble is Andy it would be nice to test every board on test jig before it went out the door just to make sure every one works as it should. Thought of having a look to see if i could find any one that was selling a piston tank the guy that i could of asked to make me a piston tank has sadly passed away, he used to run his own engineering company many years ago hear in Loughborough he did a lot of machining bits on the gato he did all the bits for the front hydroplanes and i remember him saying it will never work but he was wrong.
Sub John

Subculture · « **Reply #473 on:** May 12, 2014, 06:55:55 pm »

A few things you can consider.

If you want an engel tank, Ron Perrott has a pair of 6 volt 750ml tanks new in packet he's been looking to move on for a while. He also had a pair of 500ml tanks, but they've just been sold. He wanted about £150 for a pair, which is around half the new price from Engel. He didn't want to split though, so you'd have to find a buyer for the other tank if you only wanted one.

Second option- Ron maybe willing to make you one of his design tanks.

Failing that, the third option I can have a go for you. I don't have any geared motors in my spares box for that size of tank, but they're readily available from ebay. My tank would use o-ring or Airzet seals rather than the cup seal used by Engel.

sub john · « **Reply #474 on:** May 12, 2014, 09:21:58 pm »

HI Subculture
Thanks for the offer of you trying to make a piston tank but it would not be fair on you to spend your time making me a tank, have got loads of ideas for this control board will just have to leave it on the back burner for now. I won't to finish the new sonic link for controlling the sub for under water as this will work in salt water it will be interesting.
All the best Sub John

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Author Topic: My 12 foot Gato class submarine! (Read 266420 times)