RE: NQD Hydro
 

Hii Everyone...

I 'm still new here..so need advise from the experts here...
I juz boat a NQD boat recently but the performance was not good..so intend to modify it to make it more faster.
My question is did anyone here modified the existing stock ESC on the boat (the black box)?
If yes, what has been done to the stock ESC?
Can anybody send me the diagram on how to modify the stock ESC..u can email it to [email protected]

Thanks

RE: NQD Hydro
 

You would benefit much more if you were to buy an ESC. Stock ESC's usually have high resistance compared with a well known brand, as well as a limited amount of current that can be drawn from the ESC. Modifiying it will not be worth the effort or even the small price of electronics.

More importantly, what ideas do you have to modify your NQD?

Ryan

RE: NQD Hydro
 

I know nothing about modifications but I think I've read somewhere for the NQD to drop the dual props and lame motors and go with a single brushless and prop. Does anyone have any specific info on what exact type of motor/prop/guts to replace the stock stuff with?

I don't want to throw this thing in the closet. It's a nice looking hull that with the right knowledge and mods can go as fast as it looks like it should.

PLEASE SEND HELP! :)

RE: NQD Hydro
 

If you read the first couple of pages, you will see a cheap way to gain some speed out of this boat.

Ryan

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Okay, I took the comments that I felt were most relevant and helpful in modifications for the NQD from the first two pages of this thread. There are listed below. All credit to Sonnich and novacat who these comments are from...

NQD upgrades comments: (Sonnich and novacat)

Now it planes on the water. I’m satisfied with it now. The speed 700 loves 12 cells, and the boat scoots on nicely. I also tried it on 8 cells, and it is only a tad slower than with 12 cells. I think it’s because weight goes down with the 8 cells, it’s easier for it to perform better. But definitely faster on 12

There is some water entering the hull, so now Ill patch it up, and re-paint it. I used silicone RTV in the seal when I re-joined the hull, so I think most of it is entering through the hatch and intake and prop shaft.

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new batteries will help, so will moving any other weight you can forward will help, are you running the cells in series or parrallel ? series obviously will yield more power.

your prop angle might also be a tad steep and the prop too deep and could be robbing you of speed, metal props dont flex so you will gain a bit of power there, id go for about a 40 - 42mm prop, something like a prather 215 or 220 or x440 should be a good starting point

Also was just looking at your prop depth, it shouldn't be that far below the ride shoes, the center of the prop should be nearly level with the bottom of the ride shoes

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generally with a hydro, the prop will cavitate at first quite a bit before biting and jumping up out of the water

http://www.drcwebservices.com/ffe/hardware.htm

have a look at the hydro hardware here, will give you an idea of what the strut angle is and you can move the prop out from the back of the boat so it wont touch on the transom, also have a bit of a read on Surface Drives.... it will help you understand how they work which also helps in the setup, the basic principle is only one blade of the prop is in the water at once, which allows for a much larger, higher RPM prop, with reduced drag because none of the hardware hangs down below the boat causing drag

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Video of the boat with mods: http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=NQD2

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Its a graupner speed 700 Neodym 9,6V 12 cells 40mm prop included in the graupner Hydro drive set in the previous pictures…(Someone mentions it can handle a 42mm prop for more speed)…

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Are you going to try it? I use a 42mm for my 700 series motor.

Ryan

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Yep. Sounds like that's the winner. Based off that video, that's just the kind of speed I want for it. Cool. Now I can take this list to my hobby guy who knows what he's doing. Thanks for all the help.

RE: NQD Hydro
 

I'm still not convinced that a 700 motor and 12 cell is the most practical approach. Lots of modification to the boat plus you have to replace the controller. But no argument on the outcome..
I've got the second 6mm prop shaft to complete the upgrade. I'll take more pictures this time around. But here is what I have.
1) Replaced the 380 with race 480 motors. They basically fit in the same mount. Simple
2) Install a 3.2mm to 4mm univerisay shaft to adapt the new 4mm prop shaft.
3) Replace the prop shafts with 4mm dia. These have a standard 4mm thread that you can change the props on to include different size and pitch. I even have a three blade prop (right/left) to try out.
4) I'm keeping the battery pack at 6 cells to start then up-to 7 cells..

I'm sure I will not be able to achieve the same performance but a goal of around 60-75% of that would be a real winner considering the cost and time to modify the boat, Stay tuned.

The NQD is a "fun to mess with" boat.

RE: NQD Hydro
 

What if I want to go Dual Motor, Directional Thrust but More Speed??

I already Have Spare Props So I dont want to go a Prop Upgrade but a Motor Upgrade, a Bit More Oomph..

What would be the Maximum Motor Upgrade thats Possible with the Stock Electronics?//

Would it take a Rs540 19Turn Motor Upgrade??

RE: NQD Hydro
 

I would steer clear of direction thrust. When you turn hard 50% of your power is lost.

Ryan

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Aaaaack! Just when I think I have the info I need!

Well I didn't realize you have to change the controller so I'm going to nix that route. So Moppie with your mod method how much faster is that then stock? They "claim" up to 15mph out of the box but we all know that's BS (more like 5mph), so would your method get me around the 15-20mph range?

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Getting a hobby grade ESC/Receiver is the best thing you can do to that boat. The stock one has extremely high resistance and can not handle a lot of current.

Aros

You were thinking of a brushless setup earlier, I tried to point out a cheaper route with excellent results. I don't get it.

Ryan

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Oh sorry, no slight intended. It's just that I am overwhelmed with all the different mod ideas I don't know where to begin. Just when I think I know what I want to do I hear someone say "This method works good"...Let me go back and see what you wrote...(Head spinning)

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Hiii..i think all ideas are great..but i'm thinking on how to modify the boat to make it more faster without doing extreme modification to the boat such as changing to ESC, SERVO or RECEIVER. What i'm thinking is that how to modify the circuit board of the boat and the controller. Either to add more relays, batteries or what ever...
Need ideas from anyone who have done this before..

Thanks

RE: NQD Hydro
 

I have tried soldering in stacked FETs on a different board. The end result is not worth the time or cheap cost of the FETs. Your best bet is to use Hobby Grade Radio equipment that can be swapped from boat to boat.

Ryan

RE: NQD Hydro
 

One of my friend did a modification on the circuit board and the controller for NQD Car to make it faster..and he was successful..
He added few relays on the circuit board and a switch on the controller..so the car have 2 speed..when he press the switch on the controller, the car move quite fast (double speed)...
Maybe i wanna try this modification on the boat circuit boat and controller too..so that the boat can have 2 speed..

Anyway, can 8.4V 1800mah battery pack be use into this boat...normally the battery pack provided only 7.2V 1800mah..
Will it damage the circuit board? Need advise on this..TQ

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Ok 50% of the power may be Lost during Steering but if I can Increase Striaght line Performance I would be Happy??

Any Idea's??

Or Should I just go and By another one and Mess Around with it til something Gives ??

I mean I just want to know what " Simple" Mods can be Done.. are Type 540's Ok to use??

OK ..

1 Battery relocation smoothes out the ride.. Checked and Proven..

2. Larger mah battery extends Play time.. minimum of a 2500nimh or Nicd... Checked and Proven


So what are the Other Simple Mods EG. Using Stock ESC and Reciever. Can be done.
( Throwing the NQD and getting a Traxxas is not a option if you already have the NQD's)

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Here are a few pictures of the prop and motors;)
If the weather holds this weekend I give it a run.

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Cant wait to see a Vid of it !

RE: NQD Hydro
 

I bought the nqd about 6 weeks ago, of course, without first doing any sort of research. After the dissappointment, I started to look for answers.

I've since upgraded the motors to Johnson 550 12v motors from allelectronics.com, each for $4.00. I highly recommend these motors. I put one in my Traxxas rustler, and it is insane. I put in 15v (7.2+8.4) and it is hardly controllable. I just finished frying the mechanical speed controller.

Anyways, back to the nqd. I upgraded the props to what looks like 45mm from traxxas, probably from the villain. The thing leaks like a cheap diaper. I need to go back with silicone clue and seal it all around. Twice I tried to run it with 14.4v and have been unsuccessful. The first time, I blew one of the rubber boots right off the motor. Then I got some mechanical universal joint linkeages from traxxas and got it going again. Just tried it, and it only lasted 1 minute. I fried one relay, then the other. I think it got so hot in the relay case that the contact welded itself closed. Now it won't do a thing. I need to open them up and see. If the board is still OK, I might try 30A automotive relays next.

Here's the thing though, I don't think any of this will ever work anyways, at least with two 550s and 2 batteries. It's too damn heavy. IT's so heavy that is sits half submerged. The plastic is too heavy, and the 2 heavy duty motors and 2 batteries weigh a ton. I'm using two 3300NiMH from radio shack. The motors are like those used on cordless drills (internal fan cooling, extra long shaft, nice!). I can't imagine how much it will weigh if I add a rudder, servo, esc, and receiver. It will for sure sink! Maybe the single 700 is a better idea. allelectronics.com also has one of those for about $4.00. Btw, I'm using traxxas parts where possible because 1) they are cheap, 2) they are available at any rc store, 3) traxxas has proven to be durable.

Some other mods I did. because of the weight, the props were fully submerged under water. To get them to pop up out thru the suface, I moved the shafts up about 1/4 inch. I also shaved off the two humps that stick out on the bottom and those fins. Then, I glued a flat piece of plastic to the bottom, to cover the holes left by the missing humps and to make it smoother. The prop diameter is somewhat larger than the stock, so one time one of the props hit the side of the boat and broke. Therefore, I shaved off the inside corners of the hull. Now there's plenty of clearance. Taking apart the hull each time is a royal pain, so I made the center cutout bigger. I hot glued the rim of a tupper ware container, and used the lid as the cover. Now I have a 7 inch by 10 inch opening where I can get to the receiver, motors and shaft, batteries, and if needbe esc and servo.

So, I was hoping someone with a real hydro (miss budweiser) and an nqd can list each of their weights. If we can't keep these things above water, the esc, motor, prop wont make a damn difference. We'll have to switch to a traditional hull like the villain.

RE: NQD Hydro
 

I've been researching esc from novak. The one used on the villain, which commands 2 motors with 2 batteries, that goes for about $75 on ebay. The novak super duty xr, goes for a little more, and it can handle over 16v. This is the way to go if we use two 550s. But, consider the cost. By the time you add a radio and steering, it's up towards $150-200. Plus the cost of the nqd. Btw, I only paid $22 for the nqd at geeks.com. Shipping was $8. It was on sale, normally $40. I can't believe some folks are paying $99 for such junk. And I recently saw it going for $199 online, what a joke!!!!

If you only want to use 1 motor, then the traxxas xl-10 I think sells for about $40, and should do fine. It will handle dual stinger motors (20-turn) on 7.2 volts, so you should be able to run it on 8.4v easy.

Check out these links for cheap parts off the traxxas models.

http://www.traxxas.com/products/mari...lain_Parts.pdf
http://www.traxxas.com/products/mari...llain-hull.pdf
http://www.traxxas.com/products/mari...-driveline.pdf
http://www.traxxas.com/products/mari...last_parts.pdf
http://www.traxxas.com/products/mari...drive_assy.pdf

RE: NQD Hydro
 

Just killed the controller during a run-in last before taking it to the lake[&o].
Looks like I'll have to go with the esc and steerable rudder. I'll take some more pictures during the install.

RE: NQD Hydro
 

I tried to talk you guys in to getting a hobby grade radio system before it ruined your outing. ;)

Why are you worried about how deep it sits in the water? As long as it gets up on plane, there should be no problem.

Ryan

RE: NQD Hydro
 

I think I would have been ok with the stock controller had I not stalled one of the engines to check the torque. Curiosity got the best of me :eek:

Ran the other stock boat today with a new 6 CELL 3000MAH[b] NIMH PACK.. I got about 8-12 min. of good run time and the controller was fine. When I use my 8.4 volt battery (7 CELL CP2400SCR FLAT PACK) the controller starts to smoke but has yet to fail.. But it sure runs. I'll try to get a VID the next time of the two battery packs.

Here is the rudder installation.. I think I'll keep the Servo and other equipment toward the Ft of the boat for safety reasons.

RE: NQD Hydro
 

To get up on plane, it takes a combination of surface area, pressure differential, and weight. With the added weight of the bigger motors and dual batteries, it takes much more surface area to generate higher air pressure differential to ride on air. The same principle applies to airplanes. To gain more air pressure under the boat, we need either more speed or larger surface area. What I might try next is to extend the flat area in the rear further towards the front of the boat, using some thin plastic sheets, that might help get it up at slower speeds and keep it barely on the water at higher speeds. I've read hydros are by far the most complicated to set up.