The Ship Model Forum

Update.
I have now managed to fine tune the throttle controls for both the bow thruster and the main engines.
As I use 2 servos with each having it's own control it appears to be close to impossible to fine tune the servo control such that the thrusters will be positioned at the exact same angle as the other one does.
Therefore I decided to add an servo control which will be linked by pressing a button so I steer both thrusters with 1 drag of the mouse or by pressing 1 key.
When that button is turned off I can steer each thruster differently which gives more possibilities when manoeuvring.
It should also make it possible to sail sideways without using the bow thruster.

This gives me a thought for the Seven Atlantic, I'll need to give her 3 rudder controls which should be able to be linked to control all with 1 command but I'll also need to be able to control them independently but in such a manor that I might be able to disable the middle thruster so I can keep track and steer all working thrusters.
Simply cutting the power to the middle main engine should do the job there.

Greetings Josse

Update:

Added another support, this time to indicate how wide the superstructure will be (the left-over was the exact size I needed).
Due to the misplacement of the superstructure I'll need to make a new piece of deck onto the deck as I have it now to give the side wall something to get a hold on.
This way I'll have a superstructure that is 1m to wide when scaled back to original size...
Still I think that looks much more realistic then misaligning the walls.

WHAT THE HECK.....
Scared the crap out of myself when I gapped the drill to drill the holes for these portholes.
I drilled them through the hull as I will fit lights behind the glass.
The reason for this is that I can't think of an unlit mess room whilst the lights in the cabins in the superstructure go on and off randomly.
That makes for 6 portholes, equally spread between PS and SB.
Then the kitchen would also be lit all the time so that makes for another 2 portholes but only on this side.
If I've made those portholes it's only a small step to making the remaining 4 portholes ending inside cabins as well, and while we're on it, why not give them random lights as well?
Now I first need to remove all the paint so I can apply the still to be etched markings on the hull, then repaint the hull and then the glass can be placed and last but not least I can add the lighting itself.

More portholes.

Added another support which will later be used to fit a superstructure wall.

Dry fit of the rear wall to show what it will look like.
The exhaust pipe has now been glued in place.

Dreaming of the future...

Greetings Josse

Update:

First vent as under construction.

Added the supports that hold the exhaust pipe on the real ship.
The supports I made earlier will stay in place to actually hold the pipe having the new supports serve as dummies.
This reminds me of the need to check the drawings and photos much more closely though it might not have made a difference in this case.

After seeing this photo on my PC I decided to take a close look and when I looked really very close I noticed a tiny misalignment, but no big deal.
Still might be useful to make myself a mould for this kind of work.



Now on to building some side walls then it starts to like like a superstructure again.
The biggest disadvantage of my new building method is that it takes much longer before progress on the boat itself can be seen as the parts that are permanently placed are fully detailed.
The advantage of this disadvantage is that when a part is added the looks will improve more then when adding a non detailed part.

Greetings Josse

Update:

Platform has been cut in 2 again due to some other progress that will be mentioned further in this post.

Added a new piece of deck that will end in line with the outer wall of the superstructure.

What is this?
Well, today I made my decision regarding to which time I will build her.
My decision gives me quite a challenge as this goes way beyond the drawings I have and I only have a few photos showing the modifications from low outside the ship, what has happened on the deck itself do I not know.
That gives me the opportunity to add some details that I think might have been used on the real ship.
I'm thinking about contacting the owner of the vessel to ask for detailed photos on this matter.
1 of the better shown details is an enlarged platform now stretching to the stern for which I'm building the first plate here.
As a part of the deck below the still to be added deck is removable I'll need to build the deck in 4 pieces: 1 large piece going around the removable hatch with 2 smaller removable pieces in it so I can still access the bollards and the last piece needs to be attached to the removable deck in such a way that I won't damage the lot, which will probably mean I'll need to cut another piece of that deck loose so I can lift that part up straight.

As everything needs to be stiffened (only a fool uses plates that are strong enough by themselves to carry all the forces...) I started making brackets to the new plate.
As this is a modification I would think they simply added plates on top of the existing bulwark.
My thought is being backed up by the difference in photos from during the modification.

Also made and placed the first pillar that will carry the construction under the deck.

Greetings Josse

Update:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXBl5U6F ... e=youtu.be
SUCCESS!!!!! part 2.
Yesterday I tried to add an additional steering control in the software and then I decided that I should rename the first steering control but that caused the software to crash when trying to sent commands to the steering.
When I had that fixed the throttle controls started to cause crashes.
Today my father helped me with fixing that problem and now the software is up and running again with the extra steering control.
But it doesn't stop there, I also managed to fine tune the steering control so I now have the desired reach of the thrusters, being 180 degrees from full PS to full SB.
Now that this has been done I'll need to adjust the programmes for the stepper motors when those are build in.
When that is working properly I can start controlling the propulsion with the USB cable attached to the communication Arduino and when that is working I can start testing the 2,4GHz system!!!!



Started making the first deck support though the difficulty with measuring these kind of things has resulted in a too wide deck support...

Fortunately this will be hidden from sight as this doesn't quite look neat at all...
I still need to find a way to keep those thin sheets of plastic straight.

Starts to look like the rear deck of a work ship!

Greetings Josse

Update:

In the current setting I could only destroy the deck for which I'm already making supports so I decided to cut the deck into smaller pieces right away.

Today I received some 102 LED's which turn out to be mainly used for lighting the accommodation, galley and mess room.
That means that 7 of these LED's will be placed behind the port holes, though the mess room will have only 2 LED's, 1 on each side.

Progress on the vent is going slowly but steadily.

Placed the last pillar and readied some wiring to attach the 6 5mm LED's which I have prepared for this.
As these LED's will be covered by deck beams I don't like to fancy using the way too small SMD's when I could use these 5mm LED's as well without having the looks get worse.

This is the light of 1 single LED light...
Might be a good thing that I now first will try to use only 34 LED's to lighten my room with the star sky...

Last but not least an overall view.

Greetings Josse

Update:

Started working on the mechanics that will move the crane up and down.

Strengthened the crane arm.

Made a new plate in which the servo will be placed.

Unfortunately the construction is too high causing the crane arm to get quite a lot off stress on it...

Removed the bottom part of the servo to loose some height nut that caused a wire to break off so I re-attached the wire.

After some modifications I managed to get the crane low enough.

Then I started testing to see if the crane would move up which it did though far from smooth and slower then the slowest animal on the planet...
As the servo now has pretty much no room at all for turning to get the same angle as the cylinder it�s driving it's top plate gets scraped off and there is a chance on loosing the connection...
All this is far from the way I want it to be so much more modifications will be needed.

Greetings Josse

This week I've spent some time thinking about how to make the fire monitors move in 2 directions without needing to skip parts of the interior in the wheelhouse directly below.
The only solution in terms of room is both the funnels (each serving 1 fire monitor).
It would off course be needed to have some sort of belt or chain just underneath the ceiling and probably a Bowden cable would be the best way to move them up and down (especially seeing the fact that there is just enough room for 2 micro servos in there, so it will probably need to be placed below the turning micro servo).
The mechanism would be placed in a frame that would fit precisely inside the funnel.
As there will be no room left for another set of computer pins I'll need to pass the power for the lights in the wheelhouse through by means of metal bars in the sides, touching each other when the deck is in place.

What do you guys think of this idea?
Any other suggestions?

BTW, I'd best check this solution out using my CAD software.

Greetings Josse

Update:

Added another deck beam.

Stepper motors near the top end of the azimuths to show where they might be placed.
I checked this morning if the steppers fit there and they do, just.

2 Arduino Mega's ready for placing, 9 relays and 4 water pumps.

The shop where I bought the water hoses and gearwheels had some 12V 7AH batteries for sale so I bought 1 of those as well, would have needed to buy 1 sometime soon anyways due to the expected raise in power consumption...

Stepper motors with drive electronics.

Placed a relay to turn a lighting group on and off.
I use relays for this as the Arduino pins can handle only 20mA which is just enough for 1 LED light...

Placed 7 relays on this breadboard to control several function which require more then the maximum 20mA each Arduino pin can handle.

Placed the last Arduino and also attached the first wires.
Now I need to get the programming done and then attach the functions and then this boat will be pretty near to completion!



Possible place for the water pumps rather then attached to the pipe I bought earlier.
I might need water cooling as the engine became hot within a minute of use...

The superstructure Arduino is now mounted and now also has a breadboard with a relay nearby.

Greetings Josse

Hi Josse,

I am really impressed with your electronics and all the plumbing, it looks really complex. I hope you have all of it well documented, just in case....


Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Right now there is not much documentation but I will sure need to make that documentation as I want to be able to keep everything working properly.
In order to do that I'd need to be able to replace broken parts.

The plumbing will not be that much, just 3 hoses for the cooling water outlets, 2 hoses for the fire monitors, 1 for the fire extinguishers on the helo deck, 2 for flushing the anchors.
Oh wait, I'd need valves to control the water flow...

Greetings Josse

VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to a friends newest codes I finally managed to make Well Enhancer respond to wireless commands from my laptop!!!!
It didn't work earlier because I had attached wires to pins A8 and A9 which were supposed to be connected the pins 8 and 9, output pins rather then inputs which I used at first...
Now all I need to do is find the correct pin numbers for the used functions then I'll have full control over Well Enhancer from the laptop!!!

Greetings Josse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt_PJ8Ln ... e=youtu.be
IT'S WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now on to the real deal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-9jHcHq ... e=youtu.be
There is still a lot to improve but I'll still call this a partial success!
The partial is because of my own mistake of pressing a button to fast causing the buffer to overload which in turn made the boat uncontrollable leaving her sailing in circles...
I'll try to add some more delays to see if I can fix this problem with the delay so I can respond faster and more aggressive to possible collsions.

Now on to some photo's:

As pretty much all the wires started to break loose from the NRF module I replaced the soldered wires by female wires.

Made a hole in the deck under the dive area to stick the antenna through.


Ready for the test trial!

Just before leaving the shore.

Greetings Josse

Update:

My father also made a photo of the test trial off last Monday which came in too late for the update on the test trial..

Widened the lower part of the rear wall to make it fit with the extra width that I had to add in order to make things look as good as I could get it.
The newly added parts have also been filled and sanded.

And suddenly there's a new side wall emerging!
As I cut the bulkhead out in a rectangular shape I was able to make the side wall of the wider section as well as that has the exact shape off the part that was taken away.

The new bulkheads give the superstructure quite some more shape.

Cut out a piece of the top forward corner as there is an outer deck there below the bridge deck level.

Drawn some lines for where the windows will come.

Captain looks satisfied at the new build side wall.
Next step will be cutting out all windows and making some cuts for the platforms to slide in to make a stronger bond.
When the detailing is done I'll first need to paint the outside and inside separately before I can join the 2 parts as the interior needs a different colour then the outside.
I'm also thinking about making a large hole in the underside off the superstructure so I can get to the lights and electronics through there.

Drilled holes for the first windows and also cut out the first window which has also received it's final shape thanks to the tools in the background.

With the new side wall in place the bridge deck can be placed again as well though it won't lay there long...

Greetings Josse

Update:

It's not much but it's a heavy girder.

Photo of the ship in dock.

Crew keeping a good eye on the new superstructure...

I certainly wouldn't make for open sea with this superstructure, way too open...

Second vent under construction.

A small impression of what this will look like.

That's it for today.

Greetings Josse

Update:

All windows have been cut out and about half the windows have been finished.

On the real ship the vents are placed such that they don't extent atop the bulkhead so I cut the first went loose as neat as I could given the surrounding parts and placed the vent where it should be.
This will require some sanding and filling but it yet looks more like the original then it did before.

Greetings Josse

Update:

Last windows have got their final shape and after taking this picture I also filled and sanded the entire bulkhead.

The idea of making a cut in the bulkhead in which the platform should fit failed because it's not doable or very hard to make the cut just wide enough.
Now I've jumped to plan B, insert a brass rod in the platform and stick that through a hole in the bulkhead.
Although the 2 rods will make a much stronger bond then I had before I will still also add rods to the lower side of the edge that will be placed at the underside of the platform.

Add a little bit milliput under the platform to make a strong bond whilst not ruining the looks of the visible parts.
I will sand this a little but as this will only be visible from hard to reach angles I will not go the extra mile with this.

Greetings Josse

Update:

Due to poor measuring causing the windows to not align properly I decided to take the top layer off and move that piece forward a little to make the windows align.

To ensure a good bond I decided to glue a 0,5mm thick sheet off styrene at the back off the panel.



Cut out the newest vent so it can first be made separate from the bulkhead and then be placed flush with the outside of the bulkhead.

This is what she looks like now.

Greetings Josse

Hello Josse,

I'm not really into electronics so can't give much advice there, but for the structural stuff perhaps I do have a few tips.

For the brass tubing you are using for the exhaust pipe, there is something called a tube bender or pipe bender. I recently bought one specifically for 3mm size tubes, but you can buy them for pretty much any diameter. They give a really nice turn to the pipe, certainly for straight angles and they don't flatten the corner (which happens when you try to bend hollow styrene tubing). Really worth a try I believe. Doesn't cost so much, I bought mine at around 7 euro. You have one specifically from Robbe, which looks very fancy, but it costs an arm and a leg, if I remember correctly it was around 48 euro or so, it can however be adapted to other diameters, but then you have to buy extra sheaves for another 36 euro or so. I think you're better off with a cheaper version for a couple of diameters which you intend to use. I'm also using it for styrene tubing, but I'm still experimenting. If it doesn't come out too well, I think I'll make a straight angle in a brass tube, cut it and then try to use it as a master for a mold.

For your superstructure, be carefull to put enough strengthening. I made that mistake with the deckhouse on Chaconia and it ends up very weak when you don't use any full frames. Just some angles in each corner is not enough, better to use some fully straight level/floor/deck.
Be careful with wood and styrene combinations. When glued together it can start cracking or getting loose. I'm trying to avoid that combination, wood will expand when wet and has a different expansion coefficient in different temperatures than styrene.

That said, I like your perseverence in this project, it's been running for quite a while and it's probably the most complex on this board!

Hi Neptune,

Thanks for the kind words and the advice.

When my finances allow for some expenses I'll certainly buy some tube benders, I could certainly use it.

The superstructure will be fitted with walls for each cabin so the lights in each cabin can go on and off randomly.
That will be quite some reinforcement but I also could attach the transverse walls and decks while building the outside, might also prevent from having the bulkhead bend when it's being painted.

Greetings Josse