Remote control of engine and steering

[DHutch]

Daniel, Have you got any pictures you would like to share showing your Heath Robinson device, please?

Theres nothing heathrobbinson about our amazing steering system!

- But yeah, theres some photos on our website! LINKY

 

The basic gist is that there a sproket on the back of the wheel, which a lenght of chain running over it.

- Then two lenghts of steel cable attached to the ends of the chain, which then run over a double pulley down the port-side. (see photos 2, 3 , 4, 14 ,and 15)

- Then the cables split (see 8), one to each side of the boat, and run round two pulley on the far front corner of the aft deck. (no photo)

- Then they run over another pair of pulleys (see photo #12) then around the large qudrent, which is formed from three halfround disks bolted together with large washers to create the channel for the cable to run in. - Then theres a Spring to take the slack in the system

 

The quadrent can then also be made to turn freely on the rudderpost, to which the tiller (uaslly kept under the deck) can be fitted in the even of a failuar.

- The only real problem is the two pulleys that feed the quadrent, and the pulley before these pulleys on the startboard side. All of which are like the one shown it photo 12, and have the major downfall that should the cable go slack, it falls off the pulleys, rather then remaining captive.

- This is basicaly the only way the system fails, if your a bit over vigous turning to port and hit the stops, you can strech the single tensioning spring (port) causing the starboard side to go slack, which then falls off. Its done this only twice to my knolage (ie, last 10 or so years) once we me at the helm, and once when my grandads freind reversed into mud bank. Which also bend the rudder!

- In future i plan to alter/replace the pulleys to make them captive, and then possably remove the spring, or replace it with two stiffer ones, one on each side.

 

Also, the photos where taken last year, when the cable acctaully broke where it passes though the end of the chain, which we bleave was becuase i was hitting a knarled bit os steel work (see photo4) every time it passed, and after 15years of this it had had enought. Put the whole repair job, took me under two hours on my own start to finsh. And was the first time ive had to do it.

 

 

Daniel

Edited May 4, 2006 by dhutch

[DHutch]

Fatal accidents have occured where someone has innocently fitted an aircraft Tx/Rx into a boat and then interfered with a nearby modle aircraft which lost control.

Ouch, really?

 

There are several sets of RC frequencys in operation, but im not sure you could ever 100% rely on one being free all the time.

 

I carry 4/5 diffrent (27mhz) tx/rx crystals when i race, the club requeireds you to have a minimum of three to ensure they can assign a diffrent one to everyone.

- There is now a large movment to the 40mhz frequancy range, whcih has far more diffrent frequancys avalable, but still its ussaly nessary to carry atlease two diffrent sets of cristals.

 

 

Daniel

[dor]

Ouch, really?

 

There was one a few years ago where a young lad was hit on the head by a R/C plane. Turned out someone on a nearby pond was playing with a R/C boat. He had used a Tx/Rx from an old plane he had and used standard aircraft crystals. There are specified ranges of frequencies for the differnt types of models. Boats and cars may be the same, but aircraft are certainly in a separate range.

[Wobbly Dick]

Hi Daniel and thanks for Pictures and explanation!

 

I think it's great!

 

Certainly give me some ideas......

 

did you build that cabin affair too? Like it, want to know more please...... did you build it yourself?

[Wobbly Dick]

Hi Daniel!

 

Been looking at your steering mechanism...... the semi circle plate attached to the rudder stem, did you make these yourself?

 

Does the cable from one side, go around the semi circle plate and attach to the far side of the plate and visa versa for the cable on the other side.... tthus giving greater leverage?

 

You say there is a possible problem with the cable jumping the pullies......there are pullies that have a guide that stop this happening... you probably have seen these already

[DHutch]

Did you build that cabin affair too? Like it, want to know more please...... did you build it yourself?

Not me personaly, it was built by my grandads carpinter freind (same one who installted the bow thruster)

- If you look on one of the other gallerys i remade the roof last year for my A-leval project. Also if you look at the july05 gallery, we knocked it down oa bridge last year, and the had to stick it together again too!!

 

 

Been looking at your steering mechanism...... the semi circle plate attached to the rudder stem, did you make these yourself?

Again, not me personaly. But yes, it was make for the boat.

- As i said, its three semi cicular disks bolted together with washers spacing the disks out.

- THe cable acraully runs on the washers, between the two disks, one cable in each slot, fixed along the front edge. See photo7, you can see the top cable comes rounf the front edge and into the clamp.

 

 

Does the cable from one side, go around the semi circle plate and attach to the far side of the plate and visa versa for the cable on the other side.... tthus giving greater leverage?

The cable feeds off two pulleyd eather side of the qudrent, you can see one of the in detail in foto12 with the cable in place, and also photo 6 shows both feed pulleys eatherside of the qudrent. Althought the cables not on at this point in time.

 

You say there is a possible problem with the cable jumping the pullies......there are pullies that have a guide that stop this happening... you probably have seen these already

Yeah, as i said, oneday i will get around to replacing the two feed pulleys, and the other single pulley with ones that make the cable captive. Like the two double pulleys are already.

 

 

Daniel

[Maffi]

Bicycle chain and sprockets, bowden cable, home made Heath Robinson steering contraptions, they were doing all this fifty years ago and gave up thirty years ago. If you must go down the route of wheel steering which is a backward step in itself. You can buy a hydraulic kit to do the job.

 

A bit like the steering mechanisms on cars and the landing gear on aircraft this is type of application requires 'total engineering', you won't get that by messing about bits of wire and bits of old bikes.

 

 

"Bicycle chain and sprockets, bowden cable," are still keeping a lot of aircraft flying today even some of the new ones.

 

Do you honestly belive that the control column of an aircraft sits atop a box of tricks that sends signal to the control surfaces. Fly-by-wire may be the way to go, but it is by no means the only way. It is a case of setting your engineering level against production and operating cost.

[NB Esk]

We use something in the breakdown/recovery buisiness, that could probably be adapted.......we call it a "clicker". Basically, it's a heavy duty hand held remote, used to operate the winches on recovery trucks.

It consists of a rugged, weatherproof handset and a reciever with a small antenna. I've never tried for it's maximum range but it certainly works at 15-20yds, with line of sight. I've not heard of one of these going wrong......we carry some very expensive cars......Maserati's, Porche's, Lamber...Lambor...Fiesta's... Good job then........