pig

OK Tony, here are the voltages as requested, but first let me describe my setup; it's a simple single alternator feeding a single starter battery and 4 leisure batteries. The Albright contractor joins the two banks together when the engine runs, and drops out when it stops. There is no voltage sensing gubbins apart from built in to the alternator, no Adverc, nothing. I have a 500w solar setup (2x250w) feeding the leisure batteries via a 40A Tracer MPPT controller. The voltages are: 1 13.8v at starter battery, 13.3v at leisure bank. (These agree with the Smartguage readings) 2 13.9v at B+ 3 18.1v at D+ 4 4v between B+ and D+ 5 0.06v between B+ and batt +ve 6 0.05v between alt - and batt - These were read soon after starting the engine, now it's been going for about 25 mins, the battery voltages have gone up to 13.9 and 13.6 (starter/leisure), and the smartgauge has gone from 64% to 67% charged. The lack of sunshine makes me believe it's the alternator doing the charging! Thanks again Neil

Thanks again Tony, I am able to measure the voltages at the leisure bank and starter battery via the Smartgauge. With the engine running, the voltages are pretty much the same, about 13.6v. This makes me think the alternator output is down, normally I'd see about 14.4v or slightly above. I am thinking that if I don't get a repair done, the batteries are not in danger of overcharging, so I will rely on my solar setup to keep the leisure batteries charged, and hope the starter battery gets sufficient charge from the compromised alternator. Nevertheless I will have a mooch round S on A and see if there's a supplier. thanks Neil

Thanks for the replies. I'm in Stratford on Avon now, and heading back to Foxton. What will happen if I can't get a repair done? I'm not too concerned if I need a new alternator, but I don't want to bugger up the battery bank!

When I start the engine, the oil pressure warning light and the charging light normally go out. Yesterday the charging light dimmed, but stayed on, and glowed more brightly as engine revs increased. I have a Smartgauge and the starter and leisure batteries seem to be charging ok. i checked the wiring as best I could, and then measured some voltages- one side of the charging bulb is at 12v from the +supply, the other side of the bulb is fed from one terminal on the alternator, presumably as the alternator turns, the voltage rises and the lamp goes out. This terminal also supplies the split charge Albright relay- this works as normal. However the voltage at this side of the bulb raises to 18v as the revs increase, thus the bulb glows. is my alternator (a Lucas A127) knackered? thanks for any help Neil

Watch out Mike the drone police are quite active here ! Excellent photography.

Where was the boat?

I don't believe it!

Get a 6volt horn.

Here's me being helpful My boat is used for trips between April and September, for 4 to 12 weeks at a time. Before solar, I drove down to the moorings every week or so to run the engine. I decided to move the boat to a different area on the system, about 100 miles drive from home. Even though the new mooring had hookup, decided to install solar. Bought 2 x 250w panels and a 40A Tracer MPPT Controller from Bimble. Easy to install. Flat mounted on roof, no tilting brackets. Before this setup, I was changing one of the batteries in a 4 x 110Ah bank every 9 months on average. Since installing the panels, 18 months ago, I've not needed to replace a battery. The batteries seem to have a new lease of life, presumably because they are getting a decent charge. The main draw is a 240v fridge running from a 1800w inverter - pre solar the Smartgauge would drop very close to 50% overnight; now it's reading 75 to 85% in the morning. There's no battery drain when I'm away from the boat (everything switched off), and in the depths of winter it's great to arrive at the boat, press the Smartgauge button, and be greeted with the 100% reading. My advice would be to get as much power as you can afford/fit on the boat. It's the best thing since sliced bread IMHO. Cheers

He's been polishing his chopper. Fnarr fnarr

I've seen more dogs off lead on the towpath than drones flying illegally.

Well some people don't like dogs.....

Smartgauge should be connected to battery 4. Or not. Look, it's electrickery who knows...

Commercial operators have strict guidelines, and need permissions to fly, and a license. That's not the case for non-commercial flyers - their guidance is in the Drone Code: http://dronesafe.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Dronecode.pdf I certainly did not imply that hobby flyers should flout the rules that commercial operators obey. Sorry for the cringe.

Thanks paulmeds. Yes I have a Mavic Pro - it's video quality is not as good as the Phantom series, but it's portability more than makes up for that - you can be up in the air and deliver your drugs to the prison via the airport and be away in no time. I'M JOKING nicknorman

"What is a congested area? The Air Navigation Order defines a congested area as being 'any area of a city, town or settlement which is substantially used for residential, industrial, commercial or recreational purposes'." Is Foxton Locks a city, town, or settlement?

Wow. There are rules for commercial drone operation. I'm not a commercial operator, it's a hobby, like boating. There is guidance for hobby fliers. http://dronesafe.uk/drone-code/ Nobody was flown over, the only person around wanted a look at the live feed from my quad. Geez.

Drone haters look away!

Nicely done, thanks! Filmed on a DSLR?

I'm afraid it looks like your MotoG is unable to output a TV signal, and therefore the cables above will not work. A Chromecast (Google it) may be the way to go. Other question - yes Amazon films can be downloaded to watch later.

It is difficult obeying the rules at all times. I think the rules are there to be invoked if something goes wrong. If you use common sense, problems shouldn't arise. For instance I forewarned the people on the other boat in the video clip I posted and they were more than happy to be filmed. Without the warning, they could have objected. For me the attraction is boating, flying, photography, and using a computer all rolled into one. Here's another one:

The Phantom3 standard are more like £350 2nd hand, and will come down as the Mavic release date nears. Easy to store in a boat if you have the room! All the gear goes in a bag less than the size of a carry-on flight bag. The aircraft itself is about 2 feet across with the props on, about 15" diagonal without the props. The novelty hasn't worn off for me, but I can see a casual buyer will either lose interest or crash it!

Yes they are ridiculously easy to fly - take your hands off the controls and it just sits there using it's GPS and altimeter to hold station. If it loses signal from the remote, it returns automatically to the GPS location stored at takeoff. They are (at least the Phantom range) more aerial photography platforms than flying machines. If you were to buy one, now is a good time as many people are upgrading to the new DJI Mavic and offloading Phantom3s on eBay.

Oops! I knew I should have edited it before uploading! In my defence, m'lud, I was concentrating on the aircraft as it descended - as soon as I was aware of the runner, I stopped descending until he had passed. After it had landed, I chatted to the runner for about 20 minutes, gave him a demo, and he was converted, (not that he was concerned in the first place). It is sometimes almost impossible to obey all the flying rules that the CAA advise- just look at the manufacturers promo videos - they invariably fly over groups of people at low heights, over cities etc. They also advise the use of a spotter to keep sight of the aircraft - not much use if he's 50 metres away. I was asked by a friend if I could take some aerial wedding photos recently. Apart from the different rules involved in commercial aerial photography, this seemed like a recipe for disaster- flying over a group of people including children and drinkers. I thought of an excuse and politely declined. I've checked the date stamp on the original video clip, and with the log of that trip I can reveal the location as locks 21/22 on the GU below Radford Semele, so well spotted! Checking the flight log, the height averaged about 65 metres, and yes, inaudible from the ground.

Well well what an interesting topic! Hadn't realised there was such anti-drone sentiment! I've been flying a drone for a while now, and it combines my favourite hobbies; flying remote controlled aircraft, boating, video editing. I completely agree that low flying near people is a no-no, but once these things are at a reasonable height they are inaudible. The quality of the video and stability is impressive. Here's a (unedited) sample: It was taken using a DJI Phantom3 Standard earlier this year. I've forgotten where!, perhaps someone recognises it?