Help needed

[Maurice PeierParticipant @mauricepeier51427]

Dear sir

after more than 30 years, having build Boston Blenheim from Model Boat Magazine back in 1983/84 I am building model again. The technollogie has changed so much and I need some help and advice.

This time I am busy with the Tug Diligent from Mr James Pottinger Model Boat Mag 2014.

My questions are :what motors and what speed controllers do you recommend?

The model is 74 cm long and 18 cm wide with twin propellers 50mm Diameter 1 x left and 1 x right turning.

Also what kind of matching batteries are needed for a nice run on the pond +- 1 hour ?

thank You

Maurice Peier

[email protected]

[Maurice PeierParticipant @mauricepeier51427]

Tug Diligent

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Maurice,

There are a number of people here on the forum with more experience and better knowledge of the subject matter than I have, so I am sure other will provide further, and more expert, advice than I can.

That said, a low-rev, high-torque moter with which I have had good results is the Electronize 545-12 (**LINK**), which I bought from the Model Dockyard (**LINK** — and don't worry that they seem to call it the 543-12 ; it is the same motor). I use this motor in my 1:24 Clyde Puffer (single-screw, 85 cm long, weighs +/- 12 kg, 65 mm four-bladed propeller) on 6V, and get good scale speed at about two-thirds throttle.

As you can see from the diagrams linked to above, this motor is not very amp-hungry, so you should be able to get good run-times with either a SLA or one of the higher-Ah NiMh packs. Whether you should go for SLA or NiMh I would say depends to some extent on how useful the weight of an SLA would be for you. In my puffer just mentioned (see build thread here: **LINK**), I have measured peak current when sailing at 6.6A, and total consumption over about an hour's worth of sailing at +/- 2Ah. For a deplacement hull, slow-but-strong vessel like a tug, SLA would probably do the job quite nicely, and can be had with more Ah than you can shake a stick at; however, they tend to be bulky and heavy, and it might be worth looking into NiMh as well, and do the ballasting with just plain lead instead.

Now, for information on just about every relevant aspect of controlling twin motors, please read this excellent article by forum member Dave Milbourn: **LINK**.

In my single-screw puffer, I have used a 15A Mtroniks ESC, with a 10A fuse between battery and ESC. If I were to build something with twin screws, I would re-read Dave's article, decide on a solution and then go shopping for ACTion Electronics stuff from the Component Shop: **LINK**.

Hope this helps a little, and I'm sure others will come in with further tips and suggestions on possible motors and ESCs!

/Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 10/06/2016 08:39:40

Edited By Banjoman on 10/06/2016 08:41:02

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

I would recommend this set-up, using a 12v supply and two Mabuchi 555 motors.

**LINK**

Dave M

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Maurice,

Just to add that Dave M knows much more and much better than I about these things, so please also listen that much more to his advice than to mine!

/Mattias

[Maurice PeierParticipant @mauricepeier51427]

Thank you very much Banjoman and Dave for your help and reply.

Now I can start to work my way forward.

Things improved dramatically over the years just thinking of the speed controller I used back in the eighties on the Trawler Boston Blenheim just some metal glider moving over a kind of circuit board!! Now it is units with various voltage and wiring.

Thank you again

Maurice

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Maurice

You might find this piece interesting **LINK**

Dave M

[Author]

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