RC boats

[The Boston Dangler]

So I got the atomik barbwire XL, but haven't tried it yet. I bought a hubsan x4 drone and have been flying that a bit. I just ordered a DJI Phantom 3! I can't wait to see the quality of the video, from the samples I've seen on youtube it looks fantastic.

:thumbsup: for putting your money where your mouth is! enjoy!

 

[007ELmO]

Thanks! So I've taken the Atomik Barbwire XL out a couple times so far. My findings are this - it's a lot of fun, it takes almost 4 hours to charge the 3S battery, and it runs for about 5 minutes. Is this runtime to be expected? Is there a better charger out there?

I also purchased a Ms Geico 29 V3 that just came out. It runs up to 50MPH. I'll take it out on the 4th. I'm trying to get a Xiamo Yi (gopro knockoff) camera to mount to it. The Barbwire is a good starter boat because it has an auto correcting hull (meaning it can flip itself upright if it ends up flipping).

ELmO

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Thanks! So I've taken the Atomik Barbwire XL out a couple times so far. My findings are this - it's a lot of fun, it takes almost 4 hours to charge the 3S battery, and it runs for about 5 minutes. Is this runtime to be expected? Is there a better charger out there?

I also purchased a Ms Geico 29 V3 that just came out. It runs up to 50MPH. I'll take it out on the 4th. I'm trying to get a Xiamo Yi (gopro knockoff) camera to mount to it. The Barbwire is a good starter boat because it has an auto correcting hull (meaning it can flip itself upright if it ends up flipping).

ELmO

http://www.atomikrc.com/products/atomik-barbwire-xl-rtr-brushless-rc-boat

Battery Type: Lithium Polymer (LiPO Battery)
Volts: 11.1
Plug Type: EC3
Watt Hours: 24.42
Motor Type: Water Cooled Brushless Outrunner
Turns: 6 Pole
RPM / V (KV): 2800KV
ESC: Water Cooled Brushless 30A
Charger: Included: 2-3 Cell Balance Charger
Radio: Included: 2.4Ghz 2 Channel
Length: 24 in (620mm)
Width/Diameter: 6 in (152mm)

11.1 volts x 30 amps = 333 watts

2200 milliamp hours printed on the battery (ignore the above 24.42 watt hours) / 333 watts = 6.6 minutes

that 6 pole motor is a beast! however, the included battery and charger are about as gimpy as it gets - you can get way more than 2200 mah (i don't know what size/form factor it is) and the charger's .8 amps is painful.

 

[007ELmO]

So what you're saying is I should be able to get another LIPO in there instead of the one I'm running. At the end of the 5 minutes or so the battery was pretty hot, not too hot to hold though. I should start researching the proboat forums. I'm very curious as to how Ms Geico stock turns out. I have a very long/calm river near the grocery store over here. It has a couple bridges to go under too. That camera will make a very cool video.

 

[007ELmO]

Sorry for the sort of lame video, I blame it on my sister's recording ability combined with my first ride with the boat. She should have started before I even put it in the water lol.

Atomik Barbwire 24 XL (25 mph) - click to watch:


The Ms. Geico 29 doesn't come with batteries or a charger, it needs 2 x 3S batteries. Once I get those we'll see what that puppy can do. Didn't have time to figure out the Yi camera but I'll try to get it on the barbwire soon.

 

[balloonshark]

Normal hobby chargers can charge a lipo in one hour or less depending on the battery specs. You can also parallel charge more than one at a time. You'll need to set a budget though as you can sink a ton of money into a nice charger and power supply. You can also convert cheap used server power supplies to use with your charger. RCGroups battery and charger forum is a good place to start. http://www.rcgroups.com/batteries-and-chargers-129/?

 

[007ELmO]

I'll check out a hobby store today or tomorrow, thanks! I know this charger doesn't turn off when the battery is fully charged and it says I must monitor it - I'd prefer to not have to do that. Plus that 4 hour charge time is killer. I'll see if I can get a better battery and charger for it when I try to get batteries for ms. Geico.

 

[balloonshark]

If you plan on staying in the hobby and getting multiple or larger models or charging multiple batteries at once buy a charger with as many watts and amps as you can afford. FMA, icharger and Hyperion are excellent brands. Hobbyking even sells icharger knockoffs under the Turnigy Reaktor name. Larger chargers will require a separate power supply.

Lots of good lipo info on this site. http://www.tjinguytech.com/charging-how-tos
Info on chargers here. http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-battery-chargers.html

 

[mmntech]

Hobby King's stuff is pretty decent for the price you pay. Which just goes to show how much markup there is. Especially on the batteries. Just bare in mind a lot of their stuff uses the XT-60 power connector, so you may need an adapter or to solder new connectors.

Here's my boat. Posted some pics awhile back but she's finished now. Sorry for the potato quality.

Steam powered

With electric power module. Runs off a 2S 2200mAh battery.

EP module is a repurposed brushless airplane motor and speed controller. Going to upgrade it with a car speed controller eventually so it has a reverse gear.

 

[007ELmO]

I will definitely be in this hobby after seeing what that barbwire could do. I will invest in a charger with many watts and amps. Thank you for the information!

I need some sort of large curios cabinet to store my boats/RC stuff, any suggestions?! Maybe just wall mounts?

 

[jdobratz]

FWIW, I found that I liked to have a few more moderate chargers than to have 1 super capacity charger. I like being able to charge multiple batteries at once without having to worry about using a parallel board. I second the hobby king suggestion, they have some decent chargers at a good price, hobby stores really charge a premium for chargers and batteries, I would suggest staying away from local stores for those items.

And just out of caution, I would recommend against leaving your charging batteries unattended. It's quite easy to forget/underestimate just how much power is stored in lipo batteries. I accidentally shorted the two leads of a 6s battery while soldering on a new connector and that instantaneous contact was enough to completely melt the 6mm bullet connectors on the battery. You will probably never have a fire or any issue with your batteries, but when you read up on the topic and understand how they work, you gain more respect for the power they contain. Anyway, once you get a decent charging setup, you should have no trouble getting them fully charged in 40 minutes or so (and that's with conservative charge settings), no more of that 4 hour crap.

 

[007ELmO]

Installed a Xiaomi Yi camera on the Barbwire XL. You can see the weight was a little offset although I installed it right down the middle, the boat flipped initially. Good way to test out the water proofing case, haha!

Click for youtube video:

 

[The Boston Dangler]

:thumbsup: it kicks up a pretty sweet rooster tail too

 

[007ELmO]

It definitely can't handle the weight of the Xiaomi Yi camera, it flipped immediately the first time and although it's relatively centered on the boat, it tilts it.

I bought a nice charger. It's taking about 15 minutes to charge the 2200mh 40c, and about 38 minutes for the 5000mh 50c batteries. Way, way better than 4 hours!

I'm buying EC5 device to EC3 battery adapter since I accidentally bought 3S batteries with EC3 connectors but the boat needs EC5 (both 12AWG and the batteries I have should support EC5 amperage OK).

 

[007ELmO]

I purchased my first plane: an Apprentice S 15E with AS3X stabilization and SAFE technology for beginners from Horizon Hobby. I can add floats to make it a seaplane later.

 

[007ELmO]

My first quick flight with the DJI Phantom Pro 3. Will get out of beginner mode tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/v/0KIO0fJ3C2Q?version=3&vq=hd1080

 

[skyking]

combine both in one hydroplane. First time I saw this I was sold.
http://www.flyingpowerboat.com/

 

[balloonshark]

I bought a nice charger. It's taking about 15 minutes to charge the 2200mh 40c, and about 38 minutes for the 5000mh 50c batteries. Way, way better than 4 hours!

What is the max charge rate for your batteries? I'm just trying to make sure your charging at a safe rate.

 

[007ELmO]

What is the max charge rate for your batteries? I'm just trying to make sure your charging at a safe rate.

I believe the batteries I was charging before already had some charge in them. I charge at 1C on each, and they take about 60 minutes each now to fully charge.

 

[007ELmO]

combine both in one hydroplane. First time I saw this I was sold.
http://www.flyingpowerboat.com/

I purchased an Apprentice S 15E (beginner plane). It can have floats put on it. When I'm skilled enough I'll try to take off and land in water! My RC collection has grown fairly quickly since starting this thread, lol.

 

[balloonshark]

I believe the batteries I was charging before already had some charge in them. I charge at 1C on each, and they take about 60 minutes each now to fully charge.

:thumbsup: Ok, that makes sense. When you said 15 minutes I thought you were charging at 4C.

That plane looks like a great beginner plane. If I ever got into planes the SAFE technology would get a workout :biggrin:

 

[007ELmO]

I took the Ms. geico 29 V3 out for it's first ride a couple days ago, and flipped it within 5 seconds - haha! It doesn't corner as well as the v-hull barbwire. In fact the barbwire feels more like a toy and the catamaran feels intermediate level. It goes very fast in straightaways (but the water better be like glass).

It uses 2x3S LIPOs, I had the batteries in the back, I'll try them up in the front next time. I had a spectacular crash at 45mph or so that it survived with a few scuffs. I got decent time out of the run, felt closer to 8-10 minutes.

I did have to get EC3 to EC5 connectors, because the boat wants EC5 batteries and those seem to be out of stock everywhere.

 

[007ELmO]

Here's my first flight with the DJI Phantom 3 with beginner's mode off:
https://www.youtube.com/v/CWkwBhTSJ60?version=3&vq=hd1080