I feel that I have my work cut out for me with this project I am planning. With that being said I am wanting to experiment converting a static model to RC on my 1/125 Lindberg Minesweeper. I have heard a lot of negative news about the quality and accuracy of Lindberg models however, I don’t think I will feel to bad if I screw the pooch on a $20 model. I have a basic understanding of electrical components and learned a lot today about Futaba transmitters and receivers however, I am having a hard time putting it all together in my mind. After nearly going blind searching for model ship wiring schematics I am hoping a kind and more experienced modeler can point me in the right direction.
My understanding of this is as follows. The receiver is the brain of the model and tells the other components what to do. The battery provides the juice to make it work with servos and motors to do the moving. (Does all components receive power that is distributed from the receiver?) Thankfully I think I have found some products from Futaba that answers some of these questions (components listed below for sanity check). What is getting me hung up is the motor and how it connects to the receiver. Since this Lindberg is fairly small I will not require a Hemi to get it moving and think that the Dumas 4.8 Volt motor will work however, I don’t know how it will tie into the receiver. The Futaba equipment uses what I believe are called “J” connectors for most of their products that uses three wires (positive, negative, common?). While the Dumas motor has only two wires that lead from it. Will this work or will some tweaking be in order? My plan was to cut a “J” connector and splice it to the motor’s wires but only 2 wires not the standard 3 are present. Does anyone know how to wire it up or if this is not possible offer an alternate suitable motor?
Phil, Hooking up an R/C sytem for a boat is the easiest thing. Just get a 2 channel system for boats. One channel will control the rudder and the other the throttle. For the size model you are talking about a micro servo will do the job. As for the throttle get an ESC (Electronic Speed controller) the right size for the motor you are contrlling.This plugs right into your reciever and there is no modification needed. Futaba should have a complete system available for small boats. You don’t need near the power for boats as you do for planes. Have fun. If nothing else get a cheap R/C car kit from Wal-Mart and strip the sytem out of it and put it in your boat. BILL
I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I got into RC aircraft back in the 80’s. I have played with a couple of RC boats but it is really simple once you get your feet wet [prte].
Reklein gave you very good advise but i will throw in an additional idea. Before you get involed spending money on equiptment that may not work, I strongly suggest you contact Tower Hbbies for a free catalogue. Inside you will find a wealth of information including a very detailed description of how the rc system works in aircraft, boats and cars. I strongly suggest that all electrical components be encased in a radio box that will protect your electronincs from shorting out in case of a leak. Its just a simple plastic or wood waterproof box. Get that catalogue first and look it over. Just holler if you need help.
Thanks for the link Thunder!. Even though it did not directly address the RC aspect it provided a step by step guide for prepping a hull for RC in terms of beams and screw shafts. I made sure to save the page to my favorites folder for I am certain it will come in handy latter on down the line. Thanks again!
Hi there Reklein and thanks for the info about ESC’s. I have come to realize that they are a pretty important component in the RC system. Futaba offers a few that I think will meet / exceed my requirements. After looking at one of the ESC manuals I immediately was able to understand how it all comes together in relation to motor, esc, and receiver. After looking at the “bullet” style connector plugs offered by the Dumas motor kit, feel that it should fit rather nicely with the ESC. I may look about some more for a more suitable sized motor however, my understanding of the basics have greatly improved. Thanks a bunch!
On the rc equipment list: You’ll need to change the J style plug on the battery to a white Tamiya connector, so it will plug into the esc. The J style plug on the battery is designed to plug into a Futaba switch or directly into the rx.
Great source! I alway enjoy photos showing the guts of RC ships because it offers possible avenues for others to refer to. I can honestly say I have learned more in 2 days of research about RC conversions than I have learned about static modeling in the past 10 years. Thanks every one for the tips. I hope in the future I can return the favor to someone else.
Battery: After reading a good discussion about a U.S.S. Whitehall build (Thanks CG Bob) I think this 4.8V battery will work nicely both for its smaller size compared to some 7 or 9V and may present a more to scale speed when used with the Dumas 4.8V motor. It drives me nuts to see a beautiful model scream across a pond at 500 knots scale speed. Futaba NR4M 4-Cell 4.8V 500mAh NiCd Flat Receiver G
Transmitter / Receiver: I think I am going to end up getting the 3 channel transmitter / receiver so in the future when I get brave enough I can incorporate traversing turrets or some other animation on the extra channel. After reading about Futaba’s FASST system I partially like not having to worry about crystals and conflicting frequencies. Futaba 3GR-FS 3-Channel 2.4GHz Transmitter/Receiver
If any one spots anything that looks a little fishy as far as compatibility please let me know. I am going to hold off ordering this stuff until after we more back to the states. After 3 years in Okinawa Japan we are going home for good and we cant wait. Thanks a bunch for all the help in not even two days of posting!
That battery will work, but the NR4J is better, you just need a simple adapter wire to connect it to the ESC. That will save you from cutting off the G connector and soldering on a Tamiya plug. Most esc’s will have a Tamiya plug to connect to the hobby standard 7.2V 2000MAh NiCd or NiMh battery.
Here’s a G connector extension cord - not exactly a universal plug anymore.