1956 Chris-Craft 54' Constellation by bcochran

[bcochran]

On a side note I found this lifeboat and deck chairs on EBay.  They are from one of the early MARX constellation kits.

 

I think the boat looks very realistic and I will add the chairs and the boat to my model.  I need to paint the chairs to match my other deck chairs or maybe not and add some more color to the boat.

[Ian_Grant]

Good to see you back, Bob.

 

Yes, NiMH cells in theory are 1.2V so your 6-packs should give you 7.2V.

 

However, they do charge up to a slightly higher voltage. When taken off the charger they're usually around 1.4V, or 8.4V for your six-packs, as you observed. Does it matter? It doesn't matter for the batteries; this is normal behaviour. They should drop slightly after a few hours off the charger. What about your ESC and motors? It probably doesn't matter (I think you have brushed motors?) although they will burn a little more power since more current flows with the higher voltage. I think you got your stuff from "Big Bob"? - if so he will have chosen compatible components, knowing the characteristics of NiMH.

 

In use the pack voltage should drop to 7.2V fairly quickly.

 

Looking forward to the maiden video from the pond! She's a beauty.

 

Regards,

Ian

Edited May 29 by Ian_Grant

[bcochran]

To get to the components you have to remove the decks. I built the boat to be able to do that and keep them in one solid piece.  The rear deck is held on with two screws and the cabin has tabs that stick into holes in the main deck.

 

With them off you can get to the components.

Edited May 29 by bcochran

[bcochran]

Ian I am glad you are back. I sure can use any advice you can give.

[bcochran]

I found these stool/chairs on eBay as I did the people.  They all are 1/20 scale.  I think the chairs look better than the platform the kit supplies.

 

I go to model boats and search for 1/20 scale and find these treasures.

[bcochran]

I also named this boat.  I'm thinking that the ladies on the deck like sun bathing in their bikinis and they like lounging on the boat, seeking the sunshine.

[bcochran]

I was getting ready to connect my batteries and found out that each of the battery connectors had either a male or female pin inside the connector lose.  I super glued them in place.  I am going to connect the batteries together and see if I can get 14.4 volts.

 

I got 16.11 volts so the connectors are OK.

 

I am writing this at 1:30 AM.  Two of my dogs want my complete attention.  They keep panting and want me to hold them. They were driving my wife nuts so she couldn't sleep and she has to get up at 5:00 AM to drive to work.  I am retired so I shut the bed room door and kept them out of the room where she is sleeping now they are keeping me up all night.  I don't know what is wrong with them.

 

I want to connect the batteries to the system and see if I can link the transmitter and receiver.  If I can do that I should be able to control the servo and turn the props with the controller.  I don't want to do that while I am half asleep so I will wait until later in the day

 

Then testing the boat in my hot tub.  I need to learn the controls. Then to the pond.  Maybe by this weekend.  My wife asked what do you do if the boat gets away from you and you can't wade out to get it,

[shipman]

Yo!

Long time, old friend.

Glad you're keeping the modelling bug alive.

 

Being a long time dog owner, the behaviour yours are displaying is an indication something is wrong in their environment.

They have much higher perceptions than we humans.

Has there been any changes which they are responding to?

Knowing where you live, has there been new earth tremors?

 

Take care and good luck with all you do.

[bcochran]

3 hours ago, shipman said:

Yo!

Long time, old friend.

Glad you're keeping the modelling bug alive.

 

Being a long time dog owner, the behaviour yours are displaying is an indication something is wrong in their environment.

They have much higher perceptions than we humans.

Has there been any changes which they are responding to?

Knowing where you live, has there been new earth tremors?

 

Take care and good luck with all you do.

Hi Shipman. Good to have you here. I did not feel any tremors.  I’ll have to check the news.  How is merry old England?  I have to go to the doctor because I have a low platelet count.  Cancer could be the cause but I don’t think so. I’ll find out tomorrow. 

[bcochran]

 

 I connected the batteries and I can turn on the fan on the electronic speed control.  I don't know if I need a fan that can only be turned on by taking off the deck.  Maybe I should get a switch that I can mount above the deck some where.  Is this fan needed?  Does the switch turn on more than the fan?  The kit has a switch control that fits through the non removable part of the deck.  Maybe I can use that.

 

Next step is to get the transmitter and receiver to link.

 

I don't know how to make the video smaller.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 30 by bcochran

[bcochran]

EVERYTHING WORKS! 

 

The transmitter and receiver are linked.  The servo moves.  The motors work.

 

The switch on the electronic speed control turns it on so I will have to find a way to turn it on and off without taking the decks off.  I guess I will splice more wire to it so it can sit next to the helmsman on the deck.

 

It looks like both screws are turning the same way.   Both are turning counter clockwise.  And the screw's blades are angled in opposite ways.  I can take the wires coming out of the ESC, on one of the motors, and  switch them around.  I will have to miss match the black and red colored wires going to the ESC,   I don't know which way the screws are supposed to turn. CW or CCW.

 

I need to adjust the trim on the controller and basically learn how to use it.

Edited May 30 by bcochran

[Ian_Grant]

Bob, the fan on the ESC is to move air over its cooling fins.

 

It would be a good idea to put the Rcvr in a plastic bag (some people even stretch a balloon around it) to keep water droplets away from it.

[bcochran]

I was lucky to be able to use the kit's slot in the deck for its on off switch control to mount my ESC on off switch.  I can now attach the decks and be able to turn the ESC on and off without needing to remove them,. I had to remount the ESC.

 

All that needs to be done is to deal with the correct shaft rotation and to adjust the throttle.

Edited May 30 by bcochran

[shipman]

6 hours ago, bcochran said:

Hi Shipman. Good to have you here. I did not feel any tremors.  I’ll have to check the news.  How is merry old England?  I have to go to the doctor because I have a low platelet count.  Cancer could be the cause but I don’t think so. I’ll find out tomorrow. 

I wouldn't be surprised to hear your dogs are picking up on your anxieties.

It's astonishing how they sense such things.

The may well be sharing their love.

[bcochran]

Should the screws turn in opposite directions?  I can reverse the wires on one of the motors.  The screws have apposing fins.

[Ian_Grant]

If the screws' blades are twisted in opposite directions, then they need to turn in opposite directions to propel the boat in the same direction ie forward or backward. Yes, just reverse the wires on one motor. Note - you may find on the water that when you push the throttle stick in what you conceive to be "forward" the boat goes backward. Unless your transmitter has servo-reversing you'll then need to reverse the wires on both motors.

[bcochran]

She is ready for a test in my hot tub.  I think everything that needed to be done is done.

 

If that goes OK then I can take her to the pond.

Edited May 31 by bcochran

[bcochran]

This is the  transmitter/controller that I bought with the rest of the parts from M.A.C.K.  Products. I think it is mostly used by R/C car owners.

 

You can make EPAs or end point adjustments.  I am not sure if I need to do this. In how-to videos they use a R/C car and turn the front wheels all the way right and set that end point then do the same all the way left.  For me I would have to turn the servo arm all the way in one direction because the rudders on my boat are more fragile then the front wheels of a car. I don't know yet if the rudders move enough or are OK the way they are.  I guess it depends on how tight a turn you want to make in the water.

Edited May 31 by bcochran

[bcochran]

Again here is the switch that turns on the electronic speed control ECS. 

 

I think this is one of the coolest things about this build in that the switch just fit where the kit switch would have gone.  There was very little engineering that I had to do to get it together.

 

There are quite a few flaws on this boat, but they are not very noticeable to most people.  I know where they all are and I am not telling.  I do have to accept them and move on.

Edited May 31 by bcochran

[bcochran]

 

Off to test my boat in my hot tub.  The boat is not working now.

 

The rudders move and the ESC is on.  The motors will not turn.

 

The charger says the batteries are 8.3 and 8.1. so it is not the batteries

 

Maybe a lose connection,  I had to super two of pins in the connectors.

Edited May 31 by bcochran
more new information

[Ian_Grant]

Is the ESC one of the type where one must power on with throttle at "stop", then move stick/wheel to full ahead then full reverse?

[bcochran]

4 hours ago, Ian_Grant said:

Is the ESC one of the type where one must power on with throttle at "stop", then move stick/wheel to full ahead then full reverse?

I do not know yet but I did not do that when I said everything works.

 

IT WORKS!   I had the ESC wire plunged into the wrong position on the receiver.

 

The rudder servo turn all they way to the right and very little to the left.

 

I found another screw that matches one of the one on the boat.   Is it good the screws  turn the same way with matching screws?

 

I was a radar repairman in Vietnam war.  We had servos that were used to turn the dish with controls from inside a building,.  They were connected by wire.  Whatever direction you turned the control the dish would turn in the same direction.  I think that training helps me with these boats.  I am a pretty good at converting G scale train engines to battery operation and remote control.

A few weeks ago I learned to operate HO scale model trains with your I Phone. It involves wifi.

 

The Army taught me the way to repair electronic items was to first understand how the electronics work. Then make a list of the symptoms you observe.  Since you understand the electronics you can make a list of things that could cause the symptom  Then you check those potential causes one by one until you find the  actual cause and repair it.

 

That how I solved the problem with my motors not turning.

Edited May 31 by bcochran

[bcochran]

Well,  I got EVERYTHING working right.   Both rudders turn each direction evenly and stop in the center.   That means the end point adjustment was successful. The screws turn in opposite directions.

So it's dark now, I have to wait until tomorrow to give her a try  in the hot tub and quite possibly on the pond.   i am a little afraid of the pond like the boat sinking in the middle. 

Edited June 1 by bcochran

[bcochran]

Looks like I spoke too fast. When I got the boat back together the screws stop and go, stop and go.  They were working beautifully.

 

I don't want to take it apart. 

 

Now both motor and rudders do not work.  This build really tests my willingness to get it on the water. So I have to take the decks off  and find out what the .... is the matter.  I have also broken two stanchions laying my arm on them while I work on the electronics. This is the point where I was last year when I lost all interest in this boat because I could not charge the batteries and I could not get the receiver and transmitter to bind.

[bcochran]

This is the last post for this build log.  All the electronics have gone hay wire. The servo does not act correctly nor do the motors and reliever.  I don't know how to fix this one without replacing components.  I am not going to do that.

 

Thank everyone for the help and interest.   

[thibaultron]

Before you give up, take the boat to a hobby shop and ask them for help. Most of them have at least one RC Airplane guy, that may be able to help you.

[schooner]

Agree with the hobby shop recommendation.

You might be having the same problem I had - everything worked great until I put the deck on and then things went bad. The problem was that the deck pushed on several wires causing them  to move slightly - enough so that the weak solder connections would cut out. Not being a good solder guy I just removed them and twisted the wires together.

Good luck - you are really close now.

[Ian_Grant]

Fully agree. It was all working, it's going to be something silly. After all your time and effort it's worth ten minutes in a hobby shop for diagnosis.

 

Edited June 3 by Ian_Grant

[bcochran]

Thanks very much for the encouragement.  I won't give up just yet.  I am pretty sure I have a wiring problem.

 

Here is my new dinghy and two more deck chairs.  I sent for two life rings and a radar head.

Edited June 3 by bcochran

[bcochran]

I gave her a water test in my hot tub. She sits nice in the water.  The batteries were not on board for this photo shoot in the sunshine but they do not displace much water and since one battery pack is in the bow and the other is in the stern she would still be level.

 

The physical building is complete and as soon as I get the electronics right I'll take it to the pond.  I really had planned to do that since I bought a carrier to carry it to the park.

 

I think it turned out OK. The water color sets it off nice.

Edited June 4 by bcochran