Components Help

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Evening chaps

I’ve been asked to help someone with their first build (via email!).

Most I can deal with, but have a couple of questions. What was that good but cheap Tx that has been suggested before?

And it’s been recommended that it’s fitted with a 1500kV brushless motor. Now, it goes against the grain for a hardened brushless user like myself but I’ve suggested that a brushed motor may be a better choice for a small and what looks like a fairly slow model. Knowing virtually nothing about them what would do the job? And a supplier like the Component Shop. Battery not mentioned yet but I’m thinking a 7.2v NiMh pack?

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

The 400 brushed motor is amazingly powerful it would get up and plane with no problem on 7.2volts 🙂

25mm prop does the job, all the cheap 2 function sets by Howes are fit for the task imho say £30

Regards Ray

PS have you looked at your WhatApp lately ?

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Thanks Ray.

Something like this?

Chris

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

Yes that’s just the job 🙂

The standard Sub C Nimh 7.2volt Buggy pack may be a bit too bulky maybe AA size cells would be a better size for an 18″ boat which is pretty small.

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Cheers Ray.

[Paul WhiteParticipant @paulwhite63149]

Hi Chris,

I saw this thread and thought I would weigh in radio gear, might be a bit late now.

The Cheap

As Ray said you can get really cheap 4 channel sets from Howes and other for £40 up that are not branded and will do the job, the downside is that they are cheap in construction so don’t give the best feel in use, and in future you may struggle to buy extra receivers for other boats later if the supply dries up. Cheap and cheerful good starter option.

The Branded Cheap
If you go to a FlySky or Radiolink you might spend £60-70 but your getting a better build quality and a lot more sources of supply if you want more receivers later. Receivers are very cheap direct from China and the FlySky seems very popular with people only needing 4-6 channels like boaters and leaner pilots.

The More Flexible Option

Radio’s with a “multi-module” have been around for a while now, radiomaster and Jumper are two well known brands, multi-module is open source and uses a generic chip to talk a larger number of receivers (including FlySky and radio link) https://www.multi-module.org

These are usually in edgeTX radios though, which brings a level of complexity that would certainly be unwelcome for a beginner and probably bamboozling for the experienced modeller that just wants to plug in and go. The advantages are though they are hugely customisable, you can setup the model on the PC with the free companion software and backup all your model configs, clone them to new models etc. The channels can be easily mixed (differential throttle on multi-prop boats to mix in rudder input, so you slow the motor/prop on the inside of the turn), you can easily limit output as well to control rudder throw, set curves (less rudder movement in middle of stick and more extreme at the end of movement when slow speed manoeuvring). Lots power, at the cost of complexity.

Unusually though not at the cost of cost, the LCD screen models like the Radiomaster Pocket start about £60 and the colour screen models can be had for about £130 up depending which model and where.

The Bleeding Edge

Coming out of Drones is a newer protocol called ELRS, this uses a Lora based packet system to get long range, but for our purposes its open source and the receivers are cheap (<£30 for 8 channel, £15 for 4 channel) as well as available in number of shapes and sizes. Many edgeTx radios now come with this protocol built in, the radiomaster pocket at £60-70 is the cheapest.

The receivers have WiFi, so you can just connect to them from a PC or phone to set the channel limits, the failsafe etc, you don’t need the long range for boating but the telemetry is useful, most of the radiomaster receivers have battery voltage built in (for £15 you get WiFi setup and battery voltage monitoring!). You can get a BetaFPV receiver with 12 channels for <£30.

So after all that – I would suggest the leaner go with a FlySky because its cheap, but not toy level cheap and should be robust, nice to use and last them a long time time.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Paul,

In my experience the cheap and not so cheap all work equally well 🙂

I have just a few, I started with single channel in 1970 flying models

This doesn’t include my aeroplane sets.

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Thanks Paul, I did recommend the FlySky sets amongst others to him so will see what he decides on.

Blimey Ray, you have some collection of Tx there!

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

That’s the problem when you have 40  boats (approx ) ?

I use FlySky for my racing yachts useful battery state telemetry

I keep building the damn things !! 🙂

Regards Ray

[Paul WhiteParticipant @paulwhite63149]

You certainly get a lot more for your money these days!

That’s the advantage of going for a more complex model, lots of memory for many models.

I’m currently squeezing a dual channel ESC and small receiver into one of those 686 tugboats.

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Personally, and I think several of our boating group that meet twice weekly, prefer the “cheap” or “branded cheap” options as certainly in my case, a great deal of the technology involved in “the more flexible” or “the bleeding edge” goes right over our heads.  KISS is a good way to go, I’d rather play with boats than technology, each to their own.

Stephen.

 

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I’ve not had any problems with the ‘cheapie’ 2.4 sets which I have used on my kit review models. As said above, they are maybe not the best option if you want to purchase extra receivers in the future. Fine as a ‘one off’ though.

My more upmarket sets are Futaba and  Spektrum and more recently Radiolink.

I think all of them are pretty reliable really. I have one boat which is now over 45 years old and still functions perfectly well on an ancient Futaba M Series TX ad RX with the former having a replacement steerwheel from an equally ancient Monza set when the Futaba steerwheel gave up the ghost!

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Back in the day as they say dry cell transmitters were very much looked down on 🙁  but I have Duracell’s in all of mine which regularly last 18 month’s granted with a huge variety of boats they don’t get used that often, I do always charge the receiver batteries all night before a boating session 🙂

Regards Ray

[Stephen Garrad]

On Stephen Garrad Said:

Personally, and I think several of our boating group that meet twice weekly, prefer the “cheap” or “branded cheap” options as certainly in my case, a great deal of the technology involved in “the more flexible” or “the bleeding edge” goes right over our heads.  KISS is a good way to go, I’d rather play with boats than technology, each to their own.

Stephen.

 

I agree though I do have a more complicated computerized Tx with the Hitec Flash 8. I bought that as I wanted to add multiple models to one Tx and that will take I think up to 20 models from memory. Obviously designed for aircraft use and can be very complicated but I have found some of the more basic settings useful for my model boats.

I also have a more basic Hitec Tx which I bought for using with a Huntress but now use it for one of my DF65 yachts. And a Radiomaster wheel Tx I use for my RTR raceboats whioch also has multiple model memory.

These are my “proper” Tx but I also have three of the more noddy wheel Tx that come with some of the RTR boats – they do the job though.

Nearly forgot I’ve also got another Hitec Tx, an old but well built Optic 6 which I bought with another model and have yet to try out.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

More than half my models are still on 2 channel 27M sets!

I’ve got them…they work…nobody is on 27m now so no issue with frequency clashes….

Ashley

[Tim CooperParticipant @timcooper90034]

Colin

A model 45 years old!

My Veron Trident is 63. Although it has been repainted twice with resealing some of the hull joins , had the motor changed, radio set changed.

Still working in the dogs paddling pool last year after changing the rudder gear.

Sounds a bit like “Triggers” broom in “Only Fools and Horses”

Tim

[Ray Wood 3]

On Ray Wood 3 Said:

Hi Paul,

In my experience the cheap and not so cheap all work equally well 🙂

I have just a few, I started with single channel in 1970 flying models

This doesn’t include my aeroplane sets.

Regards Ray

 

This was precisely why I went down the Spektrum route.  Not everyone’s cup of tea I know but, whenever I finish a new model all I need to buy is a receiver.  My Transmitter is a DX6e, as I’ve never had the need for more channels and I use the same handset to control all my boat models, as well as the SAS jeep, an airplane and the steam lorry.  I believe the transmitter can handle up to 200 different models although finding one in a list that long might be a bit of a challenge.

I have also on a few occasions had more than one boat on the water at a time and I simply change from one model to the other in the transmitter to control them both.

I still have a couple of tanks on old sets because the receiver is built into the control unit and I have a trawler that uses a Robbe Futaba Navy radio as it has six lighting channels but everything else is on the Spektrum.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Richard,

Yes I agree, but when you have the boat and radio as an item all be it a cheap set it’s much easier to sell £££

Having worked on a computer keyboard for 30 years the last I’m going to do is read the manual every time I set up a model 🙂

Keep life simple

Regards Ray

PS anybody wanting a boat & radio drop me a line 🙂

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

What boat and radio?

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Sea Queen, Tiny Mite thames barge yacht, Sea Urchin, Osprey, Wild Duck, Eventide, Norfolk Wherry, Veronica tsb

I must have a clear out 🙂

Regards Ray

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