I have no idea what i am doing.

sniposaurus

Junior Member
Hello!

I am in the progress of 3D modeling an RC Submarine, which i plan on 3D printing. I have been looking through hobbyking.com to try and find parts that will work for it. Hobbyking has a lot in relation to hellicopters, quadcopters, cars, and boats, but they don't have anything specifically related to submarines.

These are the components and quantities i am thinking of using.

2 HobbyKing™ HK15138 Standard Analog Servo 38g/4.3kg/0.17s
2 Turnigy 1015 Brushless Inrunner Motor 11500kv (these will be motors ran parallel, which control submerging)
2 HobbyKing XP 3A 1S 0.7g Brushless Speed Controller (these will be the speed controllers for the Turnigy 1015 motors)
1 XK2858-2900KV Brushless Inrunner (this will be the main thrust motor)
1 TURNIGY Plush 40amp Speed Controller (this will be the main motors speed controller)
2 Turnigy 2200mAh 3S 25C Lipo Pack (main battery pack for the submarine)
1 Hobbyking™ T682 AC 6s 10A 90W Eco Touch Balance Charger/Discharger
1 Turnigy TGY-i10 10ch 2.4GHz Digital Proportional RC System with Telemetry (Mode 2)
1 XT90 Battery Harness 10AWG for 2 Packs in Parallel (this is for running the 2 motors in parallel)
1 Turnigy nano-tech 750mAh 1S 35-70C Lipo Pack

I am uncertain if these components will work together (i am new to this hobby and clueless). My biggest concerns is, will i be able to program the radio is such a way that it will work with a submarine. I have not been able find a specific submarine controller so far, so if i could get this one to work with it i would save money buying one controller which can be used for future air borne projects.

Any help or input is welcome! Thanks!
 
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Snarls

Gravity Tester
Mentor
Hi sniposaurus welcome to the forum! I've never dabbled in RC submarines, nor have many others on this forum, but I'm sure the forum's RC knowledge as a whole can help you out. All I can contribute is that that 2.4GHz transmitter will not work underwater. People on other forums seem to recommend 75MHz instead. Perhaps its time for Flite Test to expand not only to Flote Test, but Sink Test :p
 

Rasterize

Maker of skins and decals for foam board RC planes
Moderator
Mentor
Hi Snip!
An RC Sub huh? Cool.:cool:
I'm not sure you will find to much here on subs but someone might be able to help. There are some pretty smart people on this forum. If you don't get any responses, I would suggest checking out RCGroups. The do have a thread on RC Subs here. They might have some info you would find useful.
It is a different community with a different kind of vibe than what you find here.
Good luck!
 

makattack

Winter is coming
Moderator
Mentor
Welcome sniposaurus,

Heh, there's a running joke about FliteTest turning to flotetest: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=870431493022759&fref=nf

This article should help: http://flitetest.com/articles/waterproofing-electronics

I think the biggest challenge to a submersible is if you need a pressure vessel. If you don't, and can just waterproof everything, it should be easier. Of course, you won't be able to use air/water ballast for depth control, but at the same time, you don't have to deal with pumps. Nevertheless, you will probably need an air bubble/pocket just for balance and in case your dive planes/motors/screws aren't enough to dive/surface.

Snarls is correct about 2.4GHz being absorbed by water (why else are microwave ovens so effective at warming food and liquids?) but as you saw in Peters video, he was still able to control a servo in a fishtank on 2.4
 

TEAJR66

Flite is good
Mentor
I would definitely find a way to incorporate some sort of return to home feature. In which case I might start with an APM on a car. Then move it to a boat. Then try the submersible thing.

It would be cool to fly a gopro around underwater.

Given where I live, I really should look more into float flying and the boat side of the hobby.
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