At one point I did actually have bi-directional control working on my original two ESCs, but I was stymied by yet another BLHeli issue I forgot to mention: th-cam.com/video/4ZIC2jtAEHk/w-d-xo.html
Glad to see you start using ardupilot been watching for a while and your early gps builds where highly technical I’ve been building with ardupilot for 5 Years and I see once you got the hang of it you can’t stop lol
It's been made with fibreglass CSM (chopped stranded mat) which does tend to be heavier but cheaper than cloth. If you don't get enough turning effect from the differential thrust alone then you might want to angle the engines so that the thrust vector for each engine also contributes to the turn -- ie: point the motors so that the thrust-lines intersect behind the boat. It will be interesting to see whether the very high thrust-line will cause the boat to roll the wrong way when turning.
I always enjoy your video. Now I am building a boat like same one. When I use differential thrust, it seemed that I can’t RUDD_DT_GAIN parameter in the case of arduboat. Can’t I change a rudder gain?
10:31... You will need to seal the top cover to the top of the hull against water infiltration or water will get into the hull while running the boat. That is of course if you are not running at extremely low speed. 10:52...If the grey coating on the boat is paint... you will need to get down to the fiberglass resin for the epoxy ti stick properly.
I know you got that i6 radio and probably a lot of receivers but I found the taranis to be really good with ardupilot added a 6 position encoder for flight modes so nice and still have all other switches and side pots
Interesting video! I am planning to add ardupilot to a rc boat as well. Is it possible to define new engine layouts? My boat will be a scale model of an offshore supply vessel (Seabex one) that has four propellers in gondolas that can be turned (in German there are called "Schottelpropeller")...
Hi I am completely new to this hobby and I'm currently trying to make something similar - an airboat with skid steering. But got confused on how to set up the motors. In servo output I set servo 1 to throttle left, servo 2 to throttle, and servo 3 to throttle right, but that doesn't even to drive the motors at all. How did you set up your servo output? Much thanks
I built my own Ardupilot with changed source code as I explained at 14:50 If you have ESCs that can reverse the thrust you will not need to do that, but I've never set it up that way so I couldn't really help.
re: the hole in the hatch- when you took the hatch out, your hand fit into it so perfectly that I assumed it was just a grab hole for removing the hatch :P
note to self- if i ever build a boat hull, build an aluminum block into the bottom of the hull to use as an ESC heatsink. (i wonder if just totally flat would be fine, or maybe some short grooves/stubby fins. Water is so massive, I can't imagine an open loop water cooling needing much to do a lot of cooling, but never tried it myself so eh) Is there any good reason NOT to use a heatsink that goes through the hull for esc cooling? Seems like it would be stupidly effective. Just blast it with epoxy or even silicone to seal it.
Hello I'm building an arduboat project. I have 2 esc's 2 motors (right and left propellers and they suppose to run in different directions). Since the esc's are new i didn't set them up. Should i first program the r 9x transmitter. Or should I just plug them into pix hawk and do everything on the pc software? In order to have reverse direction, should i just wire 1 motor in reverse polarity? I don't want to fry my esc's they were pricey lol
I have no idea, you'll have to set the ESCs up properly. If they are boat or car ESCs they will probably already be set up to go both ways. In any case if they are pricey you should be reading their instructions instead of asking some guy on the internet :)
@@iforce2d thanks! Unfortunately they don't have any manuals or documents. But they work fine. Doing a radio calibration was enough for me. I'll try to set the pid settings in the morning and God permitting the auto mode. Never had any rc experience. I could not guess it was so challenging. There were many hardware issues (leak, bad props shafts etc) now the gps drift. I did lots of ekf tuning. Even tho the device is stable on my balcony there is a little drift. How did you solve the issue?
a boat motor will work way better.. for just messing around this is ok. but the water splashing on the props will slow down your boat to a point that you stop. also those props are some finger chopping action you need to contend with, when launching the boat in the water
Couple of days ago, have yet to thrust/current test them, and the ESCs are now on the boat for a while. I will be changing a few things too, going for pull/pull on both tail surfaces and some other small rearrangements, now waiting on other parts. Weather has been god-awful anyway, too windy to even try this boat in fact. Hoping early tomorrow morning will be ok.
Turning may become an issue, all my rc boat “rail” as they turn and ones that I’ve seen that don’t “list” in the opposite direction, even a slow moving boat will list as it turns unless it has a flat bottom like air boats generally do.
That's heavy! But it will take a hit well. It may well struggle as an airboat though. But whatever you do has to be better than the original prop/rudder configuration Boat propellers go FORWARD of the rudder otherwise they don't steer well (no propwash hitting the rudder) _Looks at new motor mounts and smiles_ You do like a challenge don't you........ especially if you expect "waves" ;) The fore and aft centre of gravity shouldn't be too critical on that hull shape The lateral trim may well be another matter. There should be enough stability with those chines when travelling forwards but turning may show a need for ballast adjustments
You could make your observations a little more specific... the ESCs are about 15cm above the water line, if that's what you're worrying about. Where should ballast go for better turning?
Sorry. I expect the moments of force from those motors when in action will cause a heeling effect in turns. How extensive that will be will be down to testing. But with a semi hard-chine like that hull shape you will need to ensure you have enough central (laterally) ballast to ensure that the heeling effect isn't too steep to affect your steering (If the edge of the chine digs in it will act much like a keel and so require more steering input) Even with small cross waves that can be a problem. With the big batteries you are using, keeping them as low in the hull and as central as possible should negate most problems though.
i powered my fsi6 with 4s and it worked for 5 seconds. you can imagine what happened next, as the pmic is only rated for 6V. i recently replaced the burned ic and did the 10ch mod, but it doesn't bind to recievers anymore. didn't do it before i updated the firmware as well. what do i do now? replace the rf module?
At the price they cost I would probably just buy another :) Hobby King just sent me more spam today, they currently have the Turnigy TGY-i6s (looks like a FS-i6s) for $39
@@iforce2d ok, but i think i'd rather go with a nv14/dark knight/nirvana instead, if i'm already buying a new one, thanks anyways :) (but first i have to test the new rx i got, to see if it could've been the rx's fault)
True, but I think the thrust line would push the nose down more too, possibly not what I want. I pushed on the motors a little when it was in the bathtub and it turns fairly well with just a surprisingly light touch.
So I guess 5-6kg empty is pretty normal for an 1100mm hull? I have never had a boat before to know much about this stuff. Just from the quick test in the bathtub, I wouldn't be surprised if it could carry another 5kg in addition to the gear and batteries I have on it, without too much trouble.
Well, rather buying a new (expensive!) boat motor, I'm thinking more of sticking a pair of 70mm EDF so it will looks like James Bond villain's jet speed boat :p
I’m seeing a huge shift in this hobby lately towards boats and ardurover type land vehicles. The new regs coming into play have people shifting away from flying drones at least the hobby side of flying.
@2;15+ Need strong symmetrical rudder, see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudder -- working in flow from the screw. Goog luck P.S. Sure, just for airbot it's needn't... :-)
I've derstroyed so many ESCs over the last few years, it's not even funny... They seem to be the most fragile electrical component in the hobby. Anything goes wrong -> Magic smoke!
muh1h1 really depends on what u do/buy and if u choose the right one for the job...didnt kill one for 1.5years amd i fly my 4quads every week and also a plane/car.... Which esc are u using for what job?
I've probably destroyed ESCs in all price ranges. Last ESC i destroyed was when i lost my Racequad because the FC died for some reason mid flight. Couldn't find the quad until the next day, with heavy, heavy rain over night. When i found it the next day covered in water with the battery still connected one ESC was dead. Blame is on me with that one of course. I also had one (not sure of make and model anymore) that cought on flire taking the motor with it upon connecting it to the Lipo after updating BLHeli to the newest version. Another set of 6 ESCs died on me when i tried to build a hexacopter using super sketchy generic ebay BLDCs (back when they were still kind of expensive). The motors where probably mismarked and actually made for 2S or somthing. Another ESC of mine cought on fire after probably taking a hit from a prop during a crash into a gate. Some also just died randomly, but that is gettting really rare nowadays, because ESCs got much better and more robust lately.
At one point I did actually have bi-directional control working on my original two ESCs, but I was stymied by yet another BLHeli issue I forgot to mention: th-cam.com/video/4ZIC2jtAEHk/w-d-xo.html
I like the thought of someone wandering past and seeing you trying to drive a boat on the grass
Glad to see you start using ardupilot been watching for a while and your early gps builds where highly technical I’ve been building with ardupilot for 5 Years and I see once you got the hang of it you can’t stop lol
It's been made with fibreglass CSM (chopped stranded mat) which does tend to be heavier but cheaper than cloth. If you don't get enough turning effect from the differential thrust alone then you might want to angle the engines so that the thrust vector for each engine also contributes to the turn -- ie: point the motors so that the thrust-lines intersect behind the boat. It will be interesting to see whether the very high thrust-line will cause the boat to roll the wrong way when turning.
I always enjoy your video. Now I am building a boat like same one. When I use differential thrust, it seemed that I can’t RUDD_DT_GAIN parameter in the case of arduboat. Can’t I change a rudder gain?
Chop strand mat fiberglass! That definitely looks like a full scale boat build!
10:31... You will need to seal the top cover to the top of the hull against water infiltration or water will get into the hull while running the boat. That is of course if you are not running at extremely low speed.
10:52...If the grey coating on the boat is paint... you will need to get down to the fiberglass resin for the epoxy ti stick properly.
If you have an old skateboard and bungee cords, could make for a land test.
You could build a watercooled esc yourself. Just remake the heatsink with your cnc. That would be an awesome video! Greetings from Germany
I know you got that i6 radio and probably a lot of receivers but I found the taranis to be really good with ardupilot added a 6 position encoder for flight modes so nice and still have all other switches and side pots
Interesting video! I am planning to add ardupilot to a rc boat as well. Is it possible to define new engine layouts? My boat will be a scale model of an offshore supply vessel (Seabex one) that has four propellers in gondolas that can be turned (in German there are called "Schottelpropeller")...
unlikely to be an issue here but for future reference epoxy is a poor adhesive on polyester resin.
Epoxy is fine on polyester or vinylester....its the other way round....nothing goes on eoxy well because of the amine blush.
Hi I am completely new to this hobby and I'm currently trying to make something similar - an airboat with skid steering. But got confused on how to set up the motors. In servo output I set servo 1 to throttle left, servo 2 to throttle, and servo 3 to throttle right, but that doesn't even to drive the motors at all. How did you set up your servo output? Much thanks
I built my own Ardupilot with changed source code as I explained at 14:50
If you have ESCs that can reverse the thrust you will not need to do that, but I've never set it up that way so I couldn't really help.
With the props so high you'll have clearance from spray but i think it will want to push the nose into the watter
Hey! :) It's very nice to see such commitment. Thx.
re: the hole in the hatch- when you took the hatch out, your hand fit into it so perfectly that I assumed it was just a grab hole for removing the hatch :P
It certainly does work very well for that :)
note to self- if i ever build a boat hull, build an aluminum block into the bottom of the hull to use as an ESC heatsink. (i wonder if just totally flat would be fine, or maybe some short grooves/stubby fins. Water is so massive, I can't imagine an open loop water cooling needing much to do a lot of cooling, but never tried it myself so eh)
Is there any good reason NOT to use a heatsink that goes through the hull for esc cooling? Seems like it would be stupidly effective. Just blast it with epoxy or even silicone to seal it.
Complexity of construction, leak risk... I suppose. It would work well for sure.
Sir i want to build rc boat using ardupilot but i dont know how to connect properly the fc connection. Any manual or advice?
might be a idea for the heaps of DT 750 motors i have from years ago.
Hello I'm building an arduboat project. I have 2 esc's 2 motors (right and left propellers and they suppose to run in different directions). Since the esc's are new i didn't set them up. Should i first program the r 9x transmitter. Or should I just plug them into pix hawk and do everything on the pc software? In order to have reverse direction, should i just wire 1 motor in reverse polarity? I don't want to fry my esc's they were pricey lol
I have no idea, you'll have to set the ESCs up properly. If they are boat or car ESCs they will probably already be set up to go both ways. In any case if they are pricey you should be reading their instructions instead of asking some guy on the internet :)
@@iforce2d thanks! Unfortunately they don't have any manuals or documents. But they work fine. Doing a radio calibration was enough for me. I'll try to set the pid settings in the morning and God permitting the auto mode.
Never had any rc experience. I could not guess it was so challenging. There were many hardware issues (leak, bad props shafts etc) now the gps drift. I did lots of ekf tuning. Even tho the device is stable on my balcony there is a little drift. How did you solve the issue?
Cool! Yeah, looks like it was laid up with a chopper gun, just like full size boat. Should be tough!
Could you please let me know where you got this hull?
I found it on a local online auction site, it's a one-off home build I think.
@@iforce2d ahh, okay thanks
How to make build rc boat?
a boat motor will work way better.. for just messing around this is ok. but the water splashing on the props will slow down your boat to a point that you stop. also those props are some finger chopping action you need to contend with, when launching the boat in the water
Oh, you tease, when do the motors for the plane arrive!
Couple of days ago, have yet to thrust/current test them, and the ESCs are now on the boat for a while. I will be changing a few things too, going for pull/pull on both tail surfaces and some other small rearrangements, now waiting on other parts. Weather has been god-awful anyway, too windy to even try this boat in fact. Hoping early tomorrow morning will be ok.
@@iforce2d I look forward to the flights! (Look see more than one, I have faith)
what boat hull is that?
I bought it from an online auction, I think it's just a homemade one somebody did.
ahhh, i liked the look lol. thank you.
O man that looks very nice idea!!!!i think that will be very nice boat to drive!!!i think that nitro engine would be also great in there ;))
Turning may become an issue, all my rc boat “rail” as they turn and ones that I’ve seen that don’t “list” in the opposite direction, even a slow moving boat will list as it turns unless it has a flat bottom like air boats generally do.
Yeah I'm a little worried about that too. The bottom is not flat, but it's not a deep V either, only the front 25% or so has a significant V.
That's heavy! But it will take a hit well. It may well struggle as an airboat though.
But whatever you do has to be better than the original prop/rudder configuration
Boat propellers go FORWARD of the rudder otherwise they don't steer well (no propwash hitting the rudder)
_Looks at new motor mounts and smiles_
You do like a challenge don't you........ especially if you expect "waves" ;)
The fore and aft centre of gravity shouldn't be too critical on that hull shape
The lateral trim may well be another matter. There should be enough stability with those chines when travelling forwards but turning may show a need for ballast adjustments
You could make your observations a little more specific... the ESCs are about 15cm above the water line, if that's what you're worrying about. Where should ballast go for better turning?
Sorry. I expect the moments of force from those motors when in action will cause a heeling effect in turns. How extensive that will be will be down to testing. But with a semi hard-chine like that hull shape you will need to ensure you have enough central (laterally) ballast to ensure that the heeling effect isn't too steep to affect your steering (If the edge of the chine digs in it will act much like a keel and so require more steering input)
Even with small cross waves that can be a problem.
With the big batteries you are using, keeping them as low in the hull and as central as possible should negate most problems though.
i powered my fsi6 with 4s and it worked for 5 seconds. you can imagine what happened next, as the pmic is only rated for 6V.
i recently replaced the burned ic and did the 10ch mod, but it doesn't bind to recievers anymore. didn't do it before i updated the firmware as well. what do i do now? replace the rf module?
At the price they cost I would probably just buy another :) Hobby King just sent me more spam today, they currently have the Turnigy TGY-i6s (looks like a FS-i6s) for $39
@@iforce2d ok, but i think i'd rather go with a nv14/dark knight/nirvana instead, if i'm already buying a new one, thanks anyways :)
(but first i have to test the new rx i got, to see if it could've been the rx's fault)
You'll get more efficient turning with the props on the CG
True, but I think the thrust line would push the nose down more too, possibly not what I want. I pushed on the motors a little when it was in the bathtub and it turns fairly well with just a surprisingly light touch.
We need more turkey shit
The big hole was for the exhaust
Woow excellent
Boats need to be heavy and often have a lead bottom, might as well trade weight for strength.
So I guess 5-6kg empty is pretty normal for an 1100mm hull? I have never had a boat before to know much about this stuff. Just from the quick test in the bathtub, I wouldn't be surprised if it could carry another 5kg in addition to the gear and batteries I have on it, without too much trouble.
Well, rather buying a new (expensive!) boat motor, I'm thinking more of sticking a pair of 70mm EDF so it will looks like James Bond villain's jet speed boat :p
That’s what I did lol 😂
I’m seeing a huge shift in this hobby lately towards boats and ardurover type land vehicles. The new regs coming into play have people shifting away from flying drones at least the hobby side of flying.
@2;15+ Need strong symmetrical rudder, see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudder -- working in flow from the screw. Goog luck
P.S. Sure, just for airbot it's needn't... :-)
I've derstroyed so many ESCs over the last few years, it's not even funny... They seem to be the most fragile electrical component in the hobby. Anything goes wrong -> Magic smoke!
muh1h1 really depends on what u do/buy and if u choose the right one for the job...didnt kill one for 1.5years amd i fly my 4quads every week and also a plane/car....
Which esc are u using for what job?
I've probably destroyed ESCs in all price ranges. Last ESC i destroyed was when i lost my Racequad because the FC died for some reason mid flight. Couldn't find the quad until the next day, with heavy, heavy rain over night. When i found it the next day covered in water with the battery still connected one ESC was dead. Blame is on me with that one of course. I also had one (not sure of make and model anymore) that cought on flire taking the motor with it upon connecting it to the Lipo after updating BLHeli to the newest version. Another set of 6 ESCs died on me when i tried to build a hexacopter using super sketchy generic ebay BLDCs (back when they were still kind of expensive). The motors where probably mismarked and actually made for 2S or somthing. Another ESC of mine cought on fire after probably taking a hit from a prop during a crash into a gate. Some also just died randomly, but that is gettting really rare nowadays, because ESCs got much better and more robust lately.
First!