How to get more

[Andy HustlerParticipant @andyhustler32076]

Ok gentlemen and others !!!! heres the problem .Due to this bloody awful recesion lark my older brother like many of us is feeling the pinch. Bob,my brother,has built an OilRig Supply vessel from scratch and would like to get more out of the 2 channels he has on his r/c .He would like to incorerate a bow thruster,poss a water cannon(for fire fighting)Also lights ,radar and a full brass band playing rule britania,sorry that last bit was a joke !!!!!!!!! 
I seem to remember that some one had built some sort of Splitter Box/Extension to their controler .So there we have it now it’s in your hands so thans for reading this and sorry for the headaches.

Andy from Cardiff  

[Andy HustlerParticipant @andyhustler32076]

[Barry FooteParticipant @barryfoote68385]

Surely he can have lights and a working radar operating on another battery, with a seperate switch, so they are on all the time. No need for them to be radio controlled. As for the rest……..well……….now I have a headache!!

[Andy HustlerParticipant @andyhustler32076]

Sorry barry headache tabs on the way !!!!!

[Glynn GuestParticipant @glynnguest59245]

Andy,

         One of the problems with trying to squeeze more functions out of a two function RC outfit is that it can quickly become expensive, more expensive than buying a multi-function outfit!

However, a simple and cheap way to add bow thruster operation would be to place two microswitches such that full rudder movement would operate one or  other of the switches.  Wired up to give Forward/Stop/Reverse with the bow thruster motor and you have this function.  True, you cannot mix the drive motor(s), rudder and bow thruster actions like totally independant functions but if you want to rotate the model when stationary, it works OK.  By the way in my experience unless the bow thrusters are very powerful they have limited effect when the model is underway, thus general sailing is not greatly affected.  Like most things in life you can achieve 80-90% of perfection very cheaply!

If the motor control system has a sufficently large STOP band then it might be possible to use one position in this band to operate a switch (perhaps via another servo and “Y” lead to turn a water (fire) pump on?

As Barry Foote says, the other functions can just be manually turned On/Off as required.

GlynnGuest

[TelstarParticipant @telstar]

Andy

http://www.action-electronics.co.uk  Dave Milborn used to do a multiswitch unit,  “Y” lead to the rudder channel. A quick flik one way to switch on and the same the other way to switch off.  No mods to radio equipment required

Cheers Tom

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Thanks for the plug, Tom.

We still do this unit – it’s the P62 Quadswitch and can operate four separate functions as well as the rudder. You won’t get all of the functions you list from it, and the relays are only good for 1A each (although I can fit 3A ones if threatened with money….), but it goes a fair way towards the goal.

The MB website is playing daft beggars at present and won’t load the hyperlink, but here it is in text form:

http://www.action-electronics.co.uk/pdfs/P62.pdf

Dave M

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