hi guys

ive just purchased a bait boat hull.
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i have 2x 1100 gph bilge pumps (forward thrust) and 2x 800 gph (reverse)
4x mtroniks viper marine adjustable speed controllers
spektrum DX5 radio set.
rc lighting 4 motor mixer
The boat is wired as in diagram but i am having trouble getting the boat to be controlled how its supposed to.
Is there a way of having the control i would like as in diagram, (i.e forwards/reverse on left stick and left and right by right stick)
by using another mixer or V tail mixing.
Please help guys as im really stuck

Bilge pumps are probably not the way to go to control the movement of a boat.
They are good at moving water, but are very inefficient when used to control the movement of a boat compared to a propeller... plus the weigt of 4 pumps / motors is reducing your bait carrying ability.

As you have also found out.. compared with a 'standard' prop and rudder, trying to control a boat with 4 'motors' is over complicating what could be an easy set up.

Ditch the 4 bilge pumps, go with two motors / props and mix to get the steering...

The usual solution with a "standard" boat is two reversible motors, each with its own ESC, connected via a mixer. Two ESCs, plus one two channel mixer.
If the bilge pumps are non-reversible, pair up a forward and reverse, and feed each one via a rectifier diode. That way, the forward motors will respond to a forward signal via its diode, the reverse one to a reverse signal via the other diode. (Assuming brush type DC motors in the pumps).
I am not familiar with the mixer you mention, so I might well be making some incorrect assumptions, but the installation does seem to have become overly complex, and needs to be got back to something simpler.

hi
thanks for replys
the boat is pretty big so weight of the 4 pumps is not an issue.
i have already purchased the parts, im thinking of ditching the mixer though but istill want to use pumps
Were can i get a rectifier diode and how will the steering work?
please help guys!
any diagrams would be appriciated

Does the DX5 have the ability to mix channels?.. if so...

Do away with the mixer in the boat..

Plug all 4 ESC's in to the Rx (disable 3 out of the 4 BEC's from the ESC's)

You should be able to electronically 'mix' the operation of each motor at the Tx...

I would consider ganging pumps 1 and 2 on a single channel.
Make them on or off using micro switches.
Use them as bow thrusters. Pump 1 thrusts left, pump 2 thrusts right.
That will allow you to direct the bow.

Pump 3 and 4 can be used for foward thrust and help with steering.
If they are mounted with a slight thrust angle toward the center line,
then when either one is run by itself it will produce a steering thrust
vector along with its offset thrust.

Look at

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?menuno=12480
then go down the page to
UK59P
which should be capable of carrying the current.
They have a storefinder at the bottom of the Home page, so you should be able to determine your nearest store.
Various UK suppliers do 2 channel mixers to work with simple TXs.

Does the DX5 have the ability to mix channels?.. if so...

Do away with the mixer in the boat..

Plug all 4 ESC's in to the Rx (disable 3 out of the 4 BEC's from the ESC's)

You should be able to electronically 'mix' the operation of each motor at the Tx...



hi mate how do i do this???