R/C Boat Brushed: Camarad

I made this R/C Boat for a good friend.
He's passionate about fishing and he wanted a remote controlled boat for fish feeding and line driving.

We improvised a lot because we wanted something sturdy and waterproof.

The parts we used in this build:

• Sealed Lead-Acid Rechargeable Battery 12V 7Ah
• Power Motor brushed 755/40
• RC Boat hull
• Rudder c/w Post and Fittings
• 45mm 2 Blade Boat Propeller (right hand rotation)
• Stainless Steel Marine Prop 4mm Shaft
• 4mm to 5mm Joint Helical Coupler (you can use u-joint also)
• 3x HK15288A BB/MG servo
• All-in-one ESC (Electronic speed control), BEC (Battery eliminator circuit), Regulator, Microcontroller, Leds, led holders, switch, connector
• TGY-i6 Transmitter and 6Channel Receiver ia6 *modded*
• Aluminum 8mm pipe for the bait trays
• A lot of screws, washers and nuts
• Connecting linkage rod D1.5 x 1000 mm
• Linkage Stoppers D2
• 16AWG red and black silicon cable, deans connectors
• Motor mountings L-type
• 3w led lantern, voltage meter
• Special Oil for Metal on Metal
• Automatic Charger 2/6/12 Pb

The tools we needed:

• Rotary tool / saw
• Needle nose pliers
• Cutter
• Good set of Screwdrivers
• Hot glue gun
• Calipers / ruler
• Electric screwdriver / drilling machine
• Drill bits
• Soldering gun or iron and soldering paste
• Needle Files
• Two Part Epoxy Adhesive
• Acrylic Sheet
• Cable ties, Screw Fixing Cable Tie Mounts
• Black marker, Silicone sealant

We began drilling and cutting, measuring three times before.

We started with a wood bracing but we didn't like the look and feel, you will see at the end we decided to replace everything with acrylic sheet.

The access hatch is held in place with Tee Stainless Nuts cut. The teeth and thread will be cut with a rotary tool and with a soldering iron pushed into the plastic. Finished with two-part epoxy. Done.

The Voltage meter hole is cut a little less then the actual dimensions and the filed for an exact fit.

We decided to use acrylic sheet everywhere as it looked way better than wood.

Everything is cut with a rotary tool, and made to measure. Be advised: safety glasses should be used at all times!

All is glued with Two Part Epoxy Adhesive. We initially had an issue mixing the two-parts and the glue didn't work!

We realized the mixing was wrong, it has to be mixed very thoroughly or else it wouldn't work.

The rudder servo connecting linkage is "V" bend after reading:

http://www.building-model-boats.com/rc-boat-rudder...

Some reading material before connecting the servo linkage:

http://www.modelairplanenews.com/blog/2012/02/09/t...

http://www.stirling.saradioyachting.org.au/Sailing...

Next on the list is the motor, motor mounting, the prop shaft. Measure 3 times, drill only once!

Everything is removable so everything is serviceable. That was one of the design goals.

First cut acrylic sheet mount the servos. We initially wanted to mount the servos directly on the bucket shafts but we didn't like the solution as it wasn't serviceable. Remember one of the goals?

Let's cut acrylic! Much better :)

We saved a lot of time by having a integrated electronics solution. (Kind of expensive but in the end worth it)

We modded the ia6 receiver so that it would bring back through telemetry the actual battery voltage. (Not the regulated 5v voltage)

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2...

Next we connected the servos with the famous "V" bend described earlier. A good thing about this solution is that it takes the shocks at the end of the runs and provides smooth movement.

The actual 'star' arm is threaded directly into the aluminum pipe using a BIG Screw and a washer with oil between the washer and the plastic bushing.

For joining the two parts we used Silicone sealant, because it can be removed if needed with a bit of force.

Finally, we have a working stage.

Next step (step 6) will be the performance testing on the lake :D

Aah almost forgot: Everything took less than two weeks, working about 2 hours per day.

After using it the first time, it became clear that we needed to upgrade the antennas.

The antenna design is taken from here

Now we can push it to 300m with no signal loss :)

Note to self: I have to find a way to adjust the rudder on site.