Best weight choice for radio battery (more pics added)
05-07-2010, 11:16 AM
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Best weight choice for radio battery (more pics added)
A very long time ago, I built a Dumas Lil Swamp Buggy airboat. A pic of one is below. After running it with no RC for a while, I managed to pick up a used single channel transmitter and receiver (see second pic). All this radio would do is activate a relay in the receiver when you held a button on the transmitter down, so I built a servo-looking mechanism by using a toy electric motor and brass Meccano worm and pinion gears. Basically, I could make the boat turn in one direction, and then go back to neutral, but if I wanted to repeat that same direction, I would have to cycle the rudder through the wrong direction before I could obtain the desired direction.
I havn't run the airboat for years, but thought I might upgrade it and use it agan. I have a spare receiver and a servo sitting aorund I could use, but would like to keep the weight down so it planes nicely. It didn't do very well with all the weight from the old system. In order to do this, I am considering using 4 AAA cells for the reciever. Any thoughts as to an even lighter battery choice?
I havn't run the airboat for years, but thought I might upgrade it and use it agan. I have a spare receiver and a servo sitting aorund I could use, but would like to keep the weight down so it planes nicely. It didn't do very well with all the weight from the old system. In order to do this, I am considering using 4 AAA cells for the reciever. Any thoughts as to an even lighter battery choice?
05-07-2010, 11:12 PM
#2
RE: Best weight choice for radio battery (more pics added)
That was probably what was known as an escapement radio system. You should be able to really keep the weight down with today's radio systems. A small servo like a Hitec HS-81 or 82 MG servo should do the job and a tiny receiver.
I just picked up 2 RX packs for my .12 outrigger hydros that are 4-cell AAA packs and have something like 1200 mah.
What's funny is that today's radio systems don't cost much more than what that one cost back in the day.
I just picked up 2 RX packs for my .12 outrigger hydros that are 4-cell AAA packs and have something like 1200 mah.
What's funny is that today's radio systems don't cost much more than what that one cost back in the day.
05-08-2010, 04:03 AM
#3
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RE: Best weight choice for radio battery (more pics added)
WHOW
That system was one of first rc systems used.
I built one in the 60''s. Used a rubber band wound excapment.
You had to pulse a sequence, rt - neutral- left - neutral.
No proportional , full on or full off.
Boy does than bring back some memorys.
I lost some good airplanes trying to control flight that way.
I rememeber the rx used a RK-61 gas tube
Having this much fun must be illegal
05-08-2010, 05:17 AM
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RE: Best weight choice for radio battery (more pics added)
Having this much fun must be illegal
With this radio, probably is illegal.
With modern gear, the all-up weight of the installation will probably be less than the mecanno parts. 4 of AAA will be more than adequate for the radio/servos. Lithium batteries, for a given capacity, are much lighter than NiMH batteries, but have the disadvantage that one cell is not quite enough to work the electronics, 2 is too much voltage for most without an additional voltage regulator. If the upgrade involved replacing the engine/throttle servo with a brushless motor/ESC then using LiPos would become a good idea - you would work both drive and radio from the one battery.
05-08-2010, 06:31 AM
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RE: Best weight choice for radio battery (more pics added)
Thanks guys....
I forgot to mention about lighter servos in my original post. The boat has a huge rudder, and the Cox 049 is actually quite powerful. I can try an 82MG and see if it can handle it.
Prices then and now: I remember a two channel radio complete with two servos was about $250 in the early 70's. Technology and mass production has certainly made the hobby more attainable for the average guy than it was back then.
I see their were escapements available, but I never had one. Elastic band power it seems....like this:
No tube in mine, but I think there were different versions over the time. For example, a Google Image search revealed a different case for the transmitter than the one I have.
I don't think it is illegal as both the FCC and Industry Canada don't regulate the 27 MHz band (which I think it is) other than to make sure the total power is less than 4 watts (which it is). I think I'll go with the 4 AAAs for now, maybe NiMH. Now that I think about it, I seem to remember running the old Rcvr on a single 9 volt battery, but the new reciever and servo will require 6 volts. I'm an internal combustion guy, so the Cox engine stays (I'm such a snob!...LOL).
ORIGINAL: Ron Olson
That was probably what was known as an escapement radio system. You should be able to really keep the weight down with today's radio systems. A small servo like a Hitec HS-81 or 82 MG servo should do the job and a tiny receiver.
I just picked up 2 RX packs for my .12 outrigger hydros that are 4-cell AAA packs and have something like 1200 mah.
What's funny is that today's radio systems don't cost much more than what that one cost back in the day.
That was probably what was known as an escapement radio system. You should be able to really keep the weight down with today's radio systems. A small servo like a Hitec HS-81 or 82 MG servo should do the job and a tiny receiver.
I just picked up 2 RX packs for my .12 outrigger hydros that are 4-cell AAA packs and have something like 1200 mah.
What's funny is that today's radio systems don't cost much more than what that one cost back in the day.
Prices then and now: I remember a two channel radio complete with two servos was about $250 in the early 70's. Technology and mass production has certainly made the hobby more attainable for the average guy than it was back then.
I see their were escapements available, but I never had one. Elastic band power it seems....like this:
ORIGINAL: boatnut
WHOW
That system was one of first rc systems used.
I built one in the 60''s. Used a rubber band wound excapment.
You had to pulse a sequence, rt - neutral- left - neutral.
No proportional , full on or full off.
Boy does than bring back some memorys.
I lost some good airplanes trying to control flight that way.
I rememeber the rx used a RK-61 gas tube
Having this much fun must be illegal
WHOW
That system was one of first rc systems used.
I built one in the 60''s. Used a rubber band wound excapment.
You had to pulse a sequence, rt - neutral- left - neutral.
No proportional , full on or full off.
Boy does than bring back some memorys.
I lost some good airplanes trying to control flight that way.
I rememeber the rx used a RK-61 gas tube
Having this much fun must be illegal
ORIGINAL: mfr02
With this radio, probably is illegal. With modern gear, the all-up weight of the installation will probably be less than the mecanno parts. 4 of AAA will be more than adequate for the radio/servos. Lithium batteries, for a given capacity, are much lighter than NiMH batteries, but have the disadvantage that one cell is not quite enough to work the electronics, 2 is too much voltage for most without an additional voltage regulator. If the upgrade involved replacing the engine/throttle servo with a brushless motor/ESC then using LiPos would become a good idea - you would work both drive and radio from the one battery.
Having this much fun must be illegal
I replaced the home-made meccano unit years ago with a factory servo that came with little round phenolic discs with contacts on it for setting the stop points. I must go have a look and see who made that one....I think it's even heavier than my homemade one,
I have two other Dumas boats I built. One is a tunnel hull (wood) and is run by an inboard OS 20 Marine engine and the other is a shallow V, SK'Daddle 40. I finished the hull (wood) on the The SK'Daddle years ago, but never got any further with it. I have an OS 40 schneurle for it and about a year ago managed to find the marine conversion kit as NOS on e-bay.
05-08-2010, 08:40 AM
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RE: Best weight choice for radio battery (more pics added)
Back again. It's Saturday morning, and it’s cold and damp out, so I thought I’d take some pics. Now please remember a couple of things. Many of these pics were from boats I built when I was 13 and 14, many of them are covered in dust, and as always, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure…or vice-versa…..hmmm….that was confusing….
So, this first pic is of my Lil Swamp Buggy with the Pixie radio:
This next pic shows my home-made Meccano gear actuator. Can’t believe I still have it. It was opened up for some reason so I caught an internal view showing the worm gear. From the rust, you can tell I operate on salt water.
The following pic shows the updated CitzenShip actuator. The red loop antenna wasn’t much good as it’s horizontally polarized and of course the transmitter antenna is vertically polarized. I see two 9 volt battery connections, so I must have used one for the receiver and one for the actuator.
I had referred to this pic of my Drag’nFly 20 as a tunnel hull, but it’s actually a hydro with some tunnel hull characteristics. Meant for an outboard, I chose the optional route of an in-board installation.
Here’s my unfinished Sk-daddle 40 with the marine hardware kit in the background. Unfortunately, there’s an oil stain on the wood and I was going to varnish it. Perhaps I still can if I use some stain first.
This last pic is of two boats. The boat on the left was an experiment to try a Cox 049 as an inboard installation. My design skills weren’t terribly good back then,….LOL. I never finished it as I wasn‘t happy with the results. The boat on the right is an air-hydro constructed by my son when he was about 12 from a sketch I drew. It was intended for an .049, but is too small. Maybe a .020, although I don’t have one. I used to make these for 049s out of old wall panelling, bits of pine, Styrofoam and electrical tape! No RC, … just let them go.
Just a bunch pics of odd, old boats. Thought maybe one or two of you might find them interesting.
So, this first pic is of my Lil Swamp Buggy with the Pixie radio:
This next pic shows my home-made Meccano gear actuator. Can’t believe I still have it. It was opened up for some reason so I caught an internal view showing the worm gear. From the rust, you can tell I operate on salt water.
The following pic shows the updated CitzenShip actuator. The red loop antenna wasn’t much good as it’s horizontally polarized and of course the transmitter antenna is vertically polarized. I see two 9 volt battery connections, so I must have used one for the receiver and one for the actuator.
I had referred to this pic of my Drag’nFly 20 as a tunnel hull, but it’s actually a hydro with some tunnel hull characteristics. Meant for an outboard, I chose the optional route of an in-board installation.
Here’s my unfinished Sk-daddle 40 with the marine hardware kit in the background. Unfortunately, there’s an oil stain on the wood and I was going to varnish it. Perhaps I still can if I use some stain first.
This last pic is of two boats. The boat on the left was an experiment to try a Cox 049 as an inboard installation. My design skills weren’t terribly good back then,….LOL. I never finished it as I wasn‘t happy with the results. The boat on the right is an air-hydro constructed by my son when he was about 12 from a sketch I drew. It was intended for an .049, but is too small. Maybe a .020, although I don’t have one. I used to make these for 049s out of old wall panelling, bits of pine, Styrofoam and electrical tape! No RC, … just let them go.
Just a bunch pics of odd, old boats. Thought maybe one or two of you might find them interesting.
