Starting 1/8 scale T5 build, need critique of my proposed setup

[JimClark]

Nicholas I have a large aluminum servo mount I can not use give me your address and I can send it to you. Maybe you can use it. I have no idea as to what size you will need for a 1/8th scale

[nichismo]

Thanks Jim

[nichismo]

getting closer and closer to paint prep! this is so exciting guys! I can't wait to get her out on the water.

I'm nearly finished with the sub hatch cover and lip assembly and I also bonded the cockpit and cowling together and did a little bit of edging for precise fitment, as it changed slightly after curing. afterwards I removed most of the adjoining wall surface

I will post a more thorough update later tonight or tomorrow

[nichismo]

hey guys, thought id catch up one the build progress

I got the 5/16" tube mounted and cut. its nice and flush with the back end of the strut. I did a pretty good job I think of sanding down the inside, it took a bit of effort to get it all the way through so its pretty nice and snug. I still sort of feel like I want to use some heatshrink around the entry point of the strut though, thoughts? Also, I finished the tub enclosure, I havn't gotten the batteries yet but I did go to my local hobby shop with my boat and test fit several batteries that were near identical in dimensions to the batteries I want to order. It just sort of sucks because I really want to buy 2 pairs of batteries but they are so pricey and I still dont even necessarily know whats solid and what isn't, I know I should start with 8s but I have this temptation obviously to get 10s just because its not going to cost much more. Especially for this boat, I feel like its going to be darn heavy and im worried about potential lackluster performance. I made some small additions to the motor mount too, I reinforced it with a little wood, and I added a plastic clamp to support the back end of the motor. Another thing I got done was joining the cockpit and cowling together. Overall, it came out pretty good, I did have to do a bit of minor trimming and probably a tad bit more, but overall the alignment of it is close to perfect. However ive had to fiddle alot with the cutout of the windshield, as the respective outline I drew for it is slightly misaligned now and is sort of misguiding me.

I bought a soldering iron yesterday too, I watched plenty of videos of how to solder ESCs and motors, deans and bullet connectors, etc. and I realize now how easy and simple it is. Im going to remove the extra capacitors on the ESC, and then im going to also cut the wires on the other side that plug into the motor, cut them very short so that maybe a 1/4" inch of cable is left and then ill put the corresponding bullet connectors on so the motor can easily plug into the ESC while its above it with minimal protrusion. The ESC wires though are all red, how do I know which ones go to which? or is it okay to plug in different combinations to find out?

Im starting to feel pretty happy about the progress so far, hope I did things good!

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[nichismo]

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[nichismo]

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[nichismo]

Finally got the sub hatch cover trimmed and in place, the fitment could have been a little better but im going to leave it as is. With the battery accomodations almost finished as well, pretty safe to say the hull has been officially converted to electric :)

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[leonard feeback]

Hi Nic, in your post you asked about how to know about the three red wires on your esc. Usually one of the outside wires is the positive and the other outside wire is the negative wire. Should be marked on the esc also.

[Speed810]

Hey Nic....looks like your coming along really well! The boat looks awsome!!!
As for the ESC and motor wiring, mine are the same...all black on the motor and all blue in the ESC....LOL. General rule of thumb is that the two outside wires on both are the positive and negative. It really doesn't matter which one is hooked up to which side on the motor. The motor doesn't care which one is + or -. Other than it may run backwards...make sure and check that. I think I read where you shortened up your leads as I did. Well the motor was running backwards...... So all you do is switch the two outside wires to have it run the other direction. Or if your as lucky as I was....I found when programming the ESC that I could change the direction when programming the ESC.....:)

Keep us updated on how things are going!!

I'm waiting for replacement vertical fin graphics. Mike is going to see if he can get the color match a bit closer to the Orange on the boat.

Talk to Ya later

Mike

[nichismo]

hey thanks for the info, I just got a solder from Max amps and was going to install some new 6 mm bullet connectors for my Swordfish .

thread could actually use an update, I think as a matter of fact, your post is the first by anyone other than myself in almost a month.

I'm on my phone so I can't quite post the preferred pictures to illustrate the extent of my progress but ill be sure to upload them ASAP.

I recently ordered 4800mah lipos from revolectrix,*!**and I was able to score a Hyperion life battery from a local hobby store.*!** However I still need to order a charger and I could really use some insight on what to purchase, as I need a quality charger but I'm getting more and more limited on my funds as the build draws closer to completion. Also, I started crafting a battery tray from carbon fiber , I cut 2 slots on each side and epoxied some straps underneath it to run through the slots and around the batteries to secure them. I'm doing my best to mimic the ML boatworks hull lauouts as much as possible.

I also got majority of the flex shaft assembly done, most recently installed a shaft oiler boot from here off OSE, and I test fit the shaft with the drive dog, Octura x452 and bullet nut, along with the strut bushing so I could make an accurate cut. I'm going to solder the flex shaft next.

the sub hatch cover and tub lip were unsatisfactory to me, I had noticed a sagging portion of the lip on the left side that was really bugging me, so I just decided to redo the entire setup, and im much much happier now. I've got a little more surface to run tape on top now, it's more level and the shape of the hatch cover is far better. I was able to save some weight with the new one I made, and with better quality ply it's stronger too. I just need to cut out the inside opening so I can glue in the extension box.

Most of the running hardware is ready for the water,*!** as I recently recieved my Dick Tyndall turn fin bracket in the mail. it was a little difficult to position it due to the angle of the sponson transom, but I'm happy with the result. now I just need to polish and sharpen my turn fin.

going to upload much needed pictures ASAP,

thanks guys!!

[leonard feeback]

Hi Nic, 4800mah may be a little short on power, these big boats use a lot of mah's. I run 6000mah with a c rating 65-130. Just a little fun with this next statement. That 1/10th scale may be starting look pretty good. The build is looking good. You really jumped into electric scale with both feet, I wouldn't have taken on that big a project. Good job.
Leonard

[nichismo]

Oh man Leonard, I cant even begin to tell you how many times Ive said "I got in over my head with this" and even more times I reiterated the sentiment in my head. It was a little discouraging at first and from others I noticed in archived threads and the likes, I could tell many people before me in similar situations would give up or end up not trying. That, or they would have an old proboat hull that they assume they could convert to electric for really cheap, which is a completely different ballgame, or even LEAGUE rather than this. Just trying to convert a nitro hull to electric has been so very difficult (assuming it will perform correctly, otherwise we could all just go about our layouts without a care in the world)

ah well I was considering the 5500mah batteries, but I was already hesistant to purchase a 10s setup isntead of an 8s as I originally planned, I sort of wish I had the 910kv Leopard motor rather than the 835kv, but perhaps it wouldnt have made that big of a difference. But Im really maxing out what little space I have left for the battery area, because this setup is going to be a very tight squeeze according to my dimensions, but will fit nonetheless, however the next battery up wouldn't have been able to fit, the entire shape of the battery is changed pretty much.

I started making a battery tray out of carbon fiber, but after playing around with it inside the tub, I just decided I am going to make a couple grooves in the floor to the best of my ability and just epoxy the straps to the floor, along with some velcro or something similar, they wont go anywhere at that point.

I actually have alot more pictures to take and also ones that I would like to share, but Im sort of limited on time the past few weeks as I have family visting from out of town at the moment, so Ill let you guys know whats going on whenever I get the chance. But for these pictures, I actually took them earlier this week, ive already changed a good amount since then.

so heres the photos of the new sub hatch and lip, im much happier with this, as it obviously is much better. I already have the extension box made, I just need to cut out the inside of the hatch cover and glue it together. Also, I mounted the Virginia Craftsman T5 turn fin bracket, however I am using an Accu-tech fin so I still need to drill a few holes in order to be able to use them together. I also still need to sharpen it.

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[nichismo]

heres most of the flex shaft cable assembly, along with the OSE shaft oiler I just installed. I still need to sharpen and balance my prop, get a different nut as I dont like a bullet nut on a hydroplane, and solder the flex shaft, otherwise, its almost ready to go :)

Another thing im going to be doing soon is creating a dowel and magnet system of some sort to secure the cowl/cockpit to the hull. I ordered some 11lb neod magnets off RCR, the kind that have a countersunk hole in the middle so they can be bolted easily, 6 of them I think. Ill have two for the back and 2 for the front, 2 more for whereever I end up wanting them. Its going to be pretty simple overall, im just going to have a small piece of carbon fiber rod on the middle of the back bulkhead, and the flat part of the nose cockpit, Phil epoxied a couple pieces of thick plywood there, a square piece for both horizontal and vertical applications. Ill probably use two magnets up there and try to get them into the wood as flush as possible, flanking each side of the carbon dowel.

Ive got alot of hardware now just waiting to be installed, I dont need to buy anything more other than a lipo charger and my transmitter and reciever, which I have already picked out and put on layaway at my LHS. My servo is going to be mounted with a billet mount that are very common here on OSE, however upon attempting to test placement, i realized that I am having trouble placing the servo in a manner that would give me a straight rod to the rudder, which I would mainly prefer. My fav OSE member (you know who you are) was kind enough to send me the proper 4-40 rods, along with necessary bolts and screws, and a very nice and rigid carbon fiber tube to glue over the rudder linkage.

This awesome friend of mine also was kind enough to craft me aluminum tabs for my wings, I just cut out slots in the hull for them earlier today, and ill finish filing them open to fit the tabs when I get home from work. Im extremely excited to mount the wings, something I have been very eager for since the very beginning of this build :) On top of that, he sent me an abundance of pink foam for floatation and extra strength, this stuff is great! it feels very dense and robust for most foam ive seen, and it doesnt burn or fail under epoxy. Its little stuff such as this that have really helped me progress and understand how this whole part of the hobby works. I feel confident that despite having a somewhat unorthodox setup, the boat will run pretty good from the get-go ;-) Thanks again! You know who you are! and ill email you ASAP haha

Well, that most of what I can think of right now, however I do have an overwhelming amount of components and hardware, some still in their boxes/wraps that I need to use before I near primer and bodywork. But ill be back very soon im sure once I remember, or make more progress.

thanks everyone!

[nichismo]

man I wish I had been a little bit more educated when I first started buying some of the components. At this point, I dont really want to make any major hardware changes, but I have been researching other potential power options. I really wish I would have known more about outrunners at the time, and although the Scorpion/Hyperion 4035 motors with the 800kv spec are discontinued, I see them fairly often and they are usually 100$ or less.... Not to mention they sound awesome and are WAY smaller than my behemoth Leopard Im using now.....

But I have already gone through way too much trouble implementing this fairly permanent 56mm motor mount and did a small amount of mods to secure the motor even more, the amount of work it would take to remove it all and start fresh would be ridiculous. So I suppose if I really wanted to "upgrade," I would just have to choose from other 56mm motors. However, RCboatbitz, has this mount on their website:



This is the exact same mount that I am using now, however the bolt pattern is different. With this version, I could not only go from 2 screws to secure the motor to all 4, but I could also mount 58mm motors as well. I may purchase one of these, all I have to do is just swap the mounting plate, the legs are the exact same and mine are fiberglassed and reinforced into the hull floor. I suppose this would enable me to use a Castle 2028 motor? I was also thinking perhaps, a Leopard 56110 at 950kv on 8s?

Thoughts?

[leonard feeback]

Hi Nic, I did the same thing when I started getting/putting everything together for my 80 Pak. I bought a motor off ose that had the kv rating that would work. Then came the problem you had, TO BIG! Watching the rcu group's rules I went with the Chinese motor. 850kv 40mm diam. A little over $100.00. Sure it's not a neu motor but allowed me to build the 1/8th scale and save some money. My motor is in the hull below the deck line and is covered with lexan. Will try to get a pic and send it to you private e-mail. I found out when I tried to save a few buck's on lower kv batteries, in the long run I had wasted the money because these big boats need the mah's. Don't want to write a book here, just hope little comments will help in the right direction. At least I feel these will help in the right direction.