The Ship Model Forum

Hi Chris,

Tweety died some 4 years ago, her cage is being occupied by a new parakeet for 2 years now, the new parakeet is called Coco. Since my hobby has moved out of the house and into the shed I don't think there'll be much pictures of Coco on the boat quite as often.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hello guys,


It's been a while, been mostly busy with the little one in past months. I have been filling and sanding every now and then though. But this week I felt it was time for something bigger, something with the propulsion. See the result below.
I've drilled the holes for the schottels after having decided to use the old schottels from the first attempt after all. I also modified the gearwheels to fit the schottels. The gearwheels and all components fit quite well though a few minor modifications will make things better still.
I also started adjusting the keel and frames so the battery will fit a bit lower in the hull. I will make a nice box to fit the battery so it can't move about and also to reinforce the hull since cutting in the keel and frames will somewhat weaken the hull.
I also received the new Raboesch Bowthrusters which I will fit inside the existing tubes in the near future, if weather permits it.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

HI Josse well you are certainly stickin to makin this ship as i read all your other
attemps
hope this time it turns out ok as i enjoyed reading your other attemps well done for
stickin at it an sorry to hear twetty has passed
chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the kind words.

My first attempt at this project has been a huge learning curve for me. The lessons learned have made me think things a lot more through making it much easier to get things right this time. So far things are stil going well, even though my build speed is so much lower but that is not important.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

HI Tweety is there any progress on this build ?
chris

Hi Chris,

As a matter of fact there is!
It's not much visible at the moment, apart from the walls of an entire superstructure. I've mostly been focussing on getting the programming to work with a major succes now! I finally got my PWM modules to work!!! That means a great step towards controlling the engines and bow thrusters and later on cranes, cooling water pumps (simulating only harbour generator running, 1 or 2 main generators running) fire pump (first one got in during the holidays) and the ROV.

I also made a document which shows all the functions listed in 2 categories (PWM and on/off) in which I also fixed the communication adresses for the device which will activate the function (I'll use both PWM modules and 16 channel port expanders) and dedicating a command for them. Furthermore I made a wiring diagram using Fritzing for the entire boat to give myself some idea as to what goes where. Add to the wiring a battery status indicator (which is quite bright for my purpose) and a volt/ amp meter (I'll use 2 since the amp meter can't handle more then 10A which is reasonable to to be exceeded under heavy working conditions. Therefore I will use 1 for measuring the power towards the propulsion systems (engines and stepper motors) and 1 for all other functions.


First I got myself some nice additions to my new hobby room.


This is the dive-area which will house the Raspberry Pi and the main fuses.


Dive-area with a test lay-out for the electronics.


I also got myself some nice engine mounts, which turn out not to be all too well suited for vertical mounting but I'll find myself a way to this to work.

That's it for now.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hey guys,

I got some work done in the engine room now that my new hobbyroom is finished.

I put the engines in the right position to have the V-belts under proper tightness, I only need to properly attach the gearwheels on the engine shafts. I also attached the gearwheels to the stepper motors and placed the stepper motors. The holes for the gearwheels are large enough to fit the gearwheel through so I don't need to remove the entire plate. Fitting the gears proved a little difficult since the plastic gearwheel is too weak for M2 threading so I had to make a hole in the stepper motor shaft. I only need to make a proper place for the stepper motor controller.



This is where the boat is placed now, a much better place then the shed where she was before.

This is the working room, though I will still be adding more Hobbyzone stuff for storage and for my tools.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hey guys,

It's been a while, been very busy, partly in and around the house. I've added a 3D printer to my list of tools now so I can make some more difficult shaped parts more accurately. It's been used quite a bit now and it works very nicely. It's a great addition to my toolbox!


First of all I continued to upgrade my hobby space, though there is more to come in the future.

I made the plates for the new transmitter, so it was time to see how the 12 joysticks will look, though 2 are missing here being used in a test set-up.

There will be at least 4 of these 3D printed sticks on the transmitter, 2 solely throttle sticks, the other 2 mounted atop the disks for combined throttle and steering control. I might add a 3rd of these for future projects. The transmitter will be dominated by the newly arrived 10,1" touchscreen for which the new transmitter had to be widened by 10cm so the wiring has the room it needs.

Electronics in the bow are starting to be arranged bit by bit. The small boards house 1 port expander (16 I/O functions) and the others a total of 5 relais needed for the somewhat (above say 10mA) more powerful functions here.

Quite chaotich wiring and hosing right now, once all the parts are in I will clean this mess up to make things reconicable.

I've been modifying the gears for steerings the azimuths a lot due to my 3D printer printing a little bit smaller then the actual model is. This is somewhat frustrating when all the measurements where taken with a digital calliper.

Lot's of electronics, there's no other way to achieve my goal. The small blue PCB will control 16 servo's and motors, the larger 1 will control the rotation of the main crane and the small crane on the rear deck by means of stepper motor.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hello guys,


The new transmitter right next to the prototype, quite a difference in size though I'm quite happy about that.

The new transmitter is really starting to take shape now, I only need to increase the holes for the joysticks. These will be covered by 3D printed plates which will also make the holes watertight.

While I'm working on figuring out all the details of the transmitter it came to mind that I had a universal transmitter, which is quite difficult with the propulsion controls dedicated for Well Enhancer whilst I have a Smit Rotterdam moored alongside in drydock. So I decided I could best solve this by not putting the main propulsion controls on the transmitter itself but rather on a new build add-on which I will 3D print, though it will be in 2 pieces because of the size.

This is the first part of the design for the add-on of the transmitter, the second half will be the mirror image, including the insert which will house the electrical connections. In each add-on I will place 1 port expander (this makes it possible to keep using the same program) and 2 analogue-digital converters. This also gives me room for plenty of extra's if I ever need to go even more extreme then Well Enhancer, if that is even possible.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hey guys,

I've been spending quite some time on further developing different areas and building mainly the transmitter.

I'm busy trying to find a good lay-out for the electronics in the bow where I also keep forgetting that part of this plate is not quite reachable anymore when the deck is finally in place, and there also needs to be room for the winches for the lifeboats above.

I'm still working on further developing the power distribution part. I'm trying to find a way to put the Pi and other electronics below the power distribution, though I need to reserve some space in the portside corner for the crane on top.

Transmitter is getting ever closer to finishing. Below the transmitter are a multimeter (the blue PCB) and a timing relais. The multimeter will be used to estimate the battery capacity by keeping track of the amount of Amps consumed, so it's some kind of educated guess since powerbanks unfortunately do not transmit this kind of information. The timing relais will be placed between the Pi's pin that I'll use in the shut-down script and the Unset pin on the latching relais so the power goes down after the Pi has been properly shut down There will also be a red push button directly attached to the Unset pin on the latching relais to directly power everything down in case of emergency or frozen Pi or screen.

I Started filling the gaps in the transmitter.

This main part now looks quite empty for the powerhouse it actually is since the main propulsion controls are moved to the add-on. Unfortunately even 3 attempts at on printing the first half of the add-on have not delivered result due to some strange problems with the black material. First the layers where more like a string of wires rather then a closed plate it was supposed to be. 20% more material solved that problem. The second attempt therefore started better until the bed got launched off of the printer. The third attempt I watched more closely and probably went about the same way. After the first 2-3 layers in some places the material started to come loose from the bed (as in clearly up from the bed, wrapped and all), and at some point the printhead got stuck behind such a piece and eventually pulled the entire plate in a Z-shape forcing me to power down the printer in order to stop making things even worse.

For connecting the 2 elements I will use VGA connectors, nicely simple to use since I only need to solder the wires to the connectors.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hey guys,

It's been quite a half year but I finally got around building again. First of all I finally fixed my 3D printer, though clogging remains an big issue so I will upgrade it to a direct drive extruder in the near future. I also added a second 3D printer, this 1 resin based, so I can make detail items more accurately. For the moment I set myself a very clear goal: get the boat painted and into the water so all my efforts are directed at that goal for now.


I designed a PCB myself and ordered it, turned out very nice! 1 of these will be mounted in the transmitter to regulate all I2C communications and input all the select pins. It also provides power for the new I2C analogue to digital converters, which are connected to an I2C multiplexer because I have more of these devices then there are adresses.

Designed and printed these cooling water outlets with 3mm hose connection (the round part). Notice the tiny gap that will release the cooling water. A bit of testing might be very useful to see if this gives the desired result.

SHE FLOATS!!! This was not the achievement of the goal I mentioned above, I couldn't wait any longer to get her wet. She remained suprisingly dry considering the through hull connections for the pumps haven't been glued in place at all. However, when testing what would happen at the waterline a little bit of water did get in, but I totally expected that.




Greetings, Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hello guys,

Since my last update I have been filling and sanding like it was going out of fashion. The result is there now!

This was after the 3rd time applying primer since the first 2 times only revealed yet more bumps and dents.

Now the first side of the hull has been fully painted, though I do need to straighten the waterline since some paint got under the tape.



The section of hull above the maindeck besides the dive-area will be cut off and replaced by a 3D printed part which will be designed with both the hull and deck and all the detailing and placed afterwards. I made this decision because this section is not strong enough without the deck to be above in place to be properly filled and sanded.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hey guys,

I set out trying to get the boat painted before I need to empty the pool for the winter. Still had to fix the leaking bilges though but since that was a simple matter of applying epoxy I didn't think I could ruin it. Boy was I wrong... Off course I made to much which I decided to put to good use and since turning the boat upright with the bilges in a fresh layer of epoxy was out of the question I decided that the entire hull would get a new layer for good measure. When the epoxy had dried I saw in dismay how the epoxy had created a very unsmooth result. Some sanding later I managed to sand through the entire layer of epoxy in a few places and decided that I needed a good epoxy basis so I had no other choice then to apply an all new layer of epoxy with glass fibre to make sure the whole boat would be watertight. Then my wife got involved in a road accident while waiting in her car for the car before her to turn off of the road she was on. Someone 2 cars behind didn't pay attention and in his negligence ended the life of the driver of the car behind my wifes car. With this accident om my mind I didn't get to modelling at all but now I'm starting to pick things up again.


After having applied the epoxy and glass I started filling and tried to improve on that as well. Unfortunately I made too much and realized a little too late that it was already hardening to be able to create a smooth result like I tried to achieve.

What is that black stuff I hear you asking, well that is another learning moment. After having applied the epoxy and glass I decided that an additional layer of epoxy would be a good idea but I wanted to focus 1 side of the hull over the other since that side hade been a bit out of reach in the earlier stages. So I flipped her on 1 side laying straight on the newspapers I put there to protect the table. The idea wasn't really bad but I did not think about the epoxy would want to lay flat like water. So all exces epoxy moved over the bottom to where the boat touched the newspapers and thereby glued the newspapers to the hull. Won't be doing that anymore...

After a good while sanding she starts to look a lot better. Still, I only got as far as just past de bow.

I haven't yet gotten around sanding here.

Thought it would be a good idea to check if the boat is watertight now and the verdict is that she now is watertight!!.

This side clearly needs a lot more attention, work in progress.

Looks huge from this angle! I'd better start rowing out of here!!

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

....what a sad tale about your wife's unintentional involvement in the accident....

I can understand that the will to partake in your Hobby would have taken a pause....

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but meanwhile-- --still a Herculean task... but solid progress-- the ship IS loking prmising!

Best wishes to you both

Jim Baumann

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....I buy them at three times the speed I build 'em.... will I live long enough to empty my stash...?
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

IPMS UK SIG (special interest group) www.finewaterline.com

Hello Jim,

Thanks for the kind words.

Fortunately the accident is now well behind us and I'm starting to continue the work again. I'll post a photo update soon, most likely with an at least partly painted hull. Right now the hull is smooth again and yesterday I started detailing the hull again in record heat for the time of the year. Next tuesday I should receive the material for the new rear bulwarks since I cut them off since they were nowhere near straight. The new bulwarks (all 1,2m off them) will be made out of styrene sheet. Unfortunately the temperatures are indicated to drop starting tuesday so I'm really hoping that I can paint the entire hull but I should be able to paint most of the hull in advance so I only need to finish the last bit if the weather finally turns against me.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hey guys,

I DID IT!! Well, almost that is. After removing the masking tape from the regions where the new bulwark will be placed I found some crumbling filler at deck level. That will need to be fixed before I can install the new bulwark. Since I need new supplies for that and the temperatures are finally dropping towards normal I decided to call it a day and first attend what needs to be fixed and continue in the spring next year. Since I had so much bad luck the last 6 months the result still feels like a great victory to me!

Tried my new airbrush which has immidiately proven itself to be a worthy addition to my toolbox. I did need to buy an extra airbrush gun though since I broke a nozzle on the first 1. The new gun proved much more capable for the large surface that is the hull without having tried the largest needle yet so a very worthy addition as well, even though I managed to save the first gun with help from the manufacturer.

Took the crew out as well for the occasion.




Now that the hull is painted I will shift focus to the transmitter and the programming. The main superstructure and the main crane will most likely start to take shape behind the scenes as well.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

HI Josse well ive been lookin through your build again an i am amazed at the different
ideas you have had on this build an all your eletronics i just wish i understood it all as
you seemed to have changed your ideas quite a lot an did the homemade trasmitter
work out ok with the touch screens ?
chrisb

Hi Chris,

With regards to the electronics you clearly noticed my learning curve. Since I'm not quite firmiliar with electronics and programming I keep discovering new electronics and new ways to achieve the same goal. The principal behind it all is still the same and is not going to change at all. This being a "dumb" transmitter spitting out code, only making sense off the few inputs that are send back (engine RPM's, azimuth angles and position and movement information). The boat having as much functions as the real ship actually has. How I achieve that goal remains open for debate until the part in question has been finished and is working properly.

In this learning curve, it doesn't help that the programming and electronics influence each other in the queste for efficiënt working parts. This has caused me to change things on several occasions, along with me discovering electronics that are better suited for the job at hand since apparently there are about a million different electronics for the same function, each being just that bit more tailored for a slightly different specific situation.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Happy new year!!!

Unfortunately sickness appeared to find me way to well last couple of months, keeping me from modelling for far too long a time.


The transmitter extension is now fully wired. This was not all to easy because I insist that the wiring and electronics inside the extension make sure things work as intended instead of controlling this using the Pi in the transmitter.


The last 2 types of PCB I designed arrived. I placed the stern PCB more forward then I originally intended due to the room in the stern needed for other components.


The stern will be quite cramped with the propulsion and crane components. Since especially the bowthruster engines give no room whatsoever to connect any means for registring the revs I decided to try Hall effect sensors to the side of the engine housing, hoping that will enable me to register the revs of the engine.


Because of the room needed for the pumps and interior in the bow I decided to place the bow electronics right next to the centre electronics.


This also fits a lot better.


The PCB's for the superstructure have also arrived though I need to order modified versions of these since there is not enough room to safely mount the LED's here, let alone the shortage of room for connecting the glass fibres for distributing the light.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.

Hey guys,

Recently I discovered that my newest PCB's have some design faults. First of all, both have the chip connected to the ground through 2 ways, one of those ways should have been connected to the + so now the chips wil not work. To make things work, I apparantly found the correct + on the chip when I worked on the superstructure PCB design and thus connected a 3,3V voltage regulator to the + of the chip and therefor also to the ground on the I2C. The result when powering up was some smoke and a tiny flame from the voltage regulator. The design has been modified to correct the mistake.
While connecting more and more I2C devices (everything is connected now) I found that the power this draws from the Pi makes the voltage drop too low so the Pi won't start. This still applies when powering the Pi from a USB power socket from the wall. This issue has now been resolved by using the 3,3V regulator on the hull PCB's.


Since the superstructure PCB's all have there own onboard 3,3V regulator I don't need a + cable attached for the I2C. However, the voltage must be within a range of 0,7V difference for this to work, so if the lowest voltage is 3V, the highest cannot exceed 3,7V.



Next wednesday I plan on testing the main engines controlled by an Adafruit motorhat. Is that test fails, I need 2 new ESC's. The first 9-DOF sensor has been placed all the way back, hoping to have as little interference as possible.

I might make a nicely 3D printed support here but this is way better already.

This PCB as intended to be placed further back, but there was no room there. This is the next best thing.

The final version of the transmitter is starting to take shape as well. Unfortunately I run out of black PLA filament, but since there were quite some bumps which need to be filled and sanded I also need to paint the entire transmitter anyways, so it doesn't matter anymore what colour PLA I use.

Greetings Josse

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Making a complete new Well Enhancer, again scale 1:75.