Helpp vintage rc controller

[David osborne 5Participant @davidosborne5]

Just got a very old large rc boat, with a vintage controller with no charger.ive looked everywhere for another charger that will work but no luck.please help me lovely people

[David osborne 5Participant @davidosborne5]

Rc controller

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello David

We will need a little more information about the controller before we can help.

Paul

[David osborne 5Participant @davidosborne5]

Please check my album for the pictures of the socket and controller thanks

[David osborne 5Participant @davidosborne5]

It’s a graupner varioprop 14s expert 27.its German I think.

Thanks Paul

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

David

If the transmitter has been lying unused for as long as it appears to have done then the batteries will be useless anyway. That set was last made in the 70's (I think…) and will almost certainly have NiCAD batteries. If you can take the transmitter apart enough to remove the battery pack then take some photographs and measurements of that we might be able to recommend suitable replacements, along with a charger. I doubt you will obtain a suitable lead for that socket but that's incidental; you can easily wire the new pack to a standard 2.5mm DC socket and fit that into the side or rear of the case.

Addendum

I've just found this photograph on a French website:

If you look at the second one down you'll see the inside of the Tx, shown upside down. There's what looks like a shiny corrugated tube along the bottom (at the top…) which is split into 10 segments.The batteries in that pack are DEAC cells which were around when I first started RC modelling in the 60's! You will definitely not be able to buy direct replacements for those! The Tx appears to run on 12v which is equal to ten "modern" NiMH cells. If you're confident then you could obtain a suitable pack and connectors from Component-Shop and fit them yourself. If not then you might be best advised to remove all the Graupner radio and fit a new 2.4GHz set instead. There's no guarantee that even with a new Tx battery pack the radio will work, and spares are without doubt unobtainable. A collector might buy the set from you.

Dave M

Edited By Dave Milbourn on 06/05/2017 15:32:07

Edited By Dave Milbourn on 06/05/2017 15:35:20

[David osborne 5Participant @davidosborne5]

Thanks Dave for your reply and now I think I will just replace the grundig parts and sell them.any recommendations for this,I’m in no rush but tomorrow I will post more pictures
The boat is 7ft cruise ship ss Acadia
.thanks a lot guys

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

David

If the model has more than just motor speed/direction and steering then you'll need more than just a standard 2-channel set-up. There are many different wiring diagrams on this website and each would suit different variations e.g. twin motors + bow thruster + three lighting circuits. Have a good look through them and see which comes nearest to the Arcadia in terms of operating functions. **LINK**

DM

[Malcolm FraryParticipant @malcolmfrary95515]

The radio bits were OK back in the day, but the rules changed somewhat in the '90's, if they could be got to work, and if anybody else was using 27MHz nearby, one of you would likely interfere with the other. Modern basic radios are so cheap that for making a working model, it just doesn't make sense unless there is a real need for running what is now an antique.

Same with servos and speed control. The standards for radio plugs only stared being properly universal about the turn of the century, so the old gear will probably not plug into the new. The upside is that the new replacements are incredibly cheap by comparison, and infinitely mor reliable.

[David osborne 5Participant @davidosborne5]

hi guys,sorry for the late reply been abit busy.please check out my new album with more pictures of the boat and its inside.thanks alots guys for all your info, i have realised i need to update the boats electrics.i was thinking a frsky controller i know its more than i need but i do want a nice one.can i use it ? everything on this boat is old and needs to be replaced.where should i start ? i just need a list or links of the basic parts i will need to get this lovely handmade boat back in the water where it belongs.

thanks again guys for all the help

[Dodgy Geezer 1Participant @dodgygeezer1]

Note that vintage radio control equipment is not worthless – there are collectors for these items, so it's worth considering selling it rather than throwing it away (if that's what you were thinking of doing…)…

[David osborne 5Participant @davidosborne5]

Hi DG
Thanks for the reply,
I’ve just added the picture of the inside of the controller,maybe I could upgrade replace the battery?

Thanks dg

[Dodgy Geezer 1Participant @dodgygeezer1]

The radio and rest of the kit looks to be in good condition. Though no one can check the electronics comprehensively based on a photo, I think there is a good chance that the system will work if the Transmitter is given 12v and the receiver 4.8v (4 Nimh cells at 1.2v each). That would be quite a cheap test – be sure to get the polarity right.

Having tested it, you then need to decide if you are going to use it for real! If you can't make it work, then your decision is easy (though note that the vintage parts still have value to a collector). If it does work, then you have the equivalent of a vintage car, and the question is, "Do you want to use this for your regular transport?". Some people do. They are usually knowledgeable about vintage cars, the specialist care and maintenance they need, and their limitations in modern driving. What we are saying is that you may find it easier to buy a cheap modern runabout for everyday use!

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

David

What a travesty to fit out a beautiful model in that way. I'm sorry to have to say it but that is one of the worst rat's nests I've ever seen in a model boat. It breaks every rule I can think of and introduces a few new ones. If you can wade your way through incorrect cable sizes, no fuses, unsupported wiring, 8 microswitches, badly-soldered joints, choc-blocks, PVC insulation tape and motors partly held in with what looks like lashings of snot then you might stand a chance of getting at the radio to see if it works. As I said earlier you will not be able to replace the DEAC cells like-for-like; the best you'll get is something along these lines **LINK** but with ten cells instead of eight. Whether you can get such a pack to fit inside the Tx is another imponderable, but it's going to cost you at least £20 to find out. A 3S LiPo (11.4v nominal) might be another option, but more expensive. A 4-cell Rx pack is another £7 plus three quid for a switch harness – unless the Rx system is centre-tapped…

If the object of the exercise is to get that lovely model back on the water under proper control then frankly you are wasting your time with the existing installation unless you are completely clued up on vintage/obsolete 27MHz radios. If the drive motors still work then I'd advise starting again with just those – strip everything else out and put the radio on E-Bay for a collector or spares. The FRSky is a very fancy set but complicated by computerised functions for aircraft and helicopters – totally unnecessary for model boats. A 2G4 full-range, non-computer set such as the Hitec Optic 5 or Futaba 4YF would be a better buy IMHO.

Dave M

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