This process was quite an involved process and for any reader to get any value out of this page I thought would present it in a different way, as an ex -engineer I am used to writing and using operations sheets.
So here’s the deck grips OP sheet
Notes “P” = Port “S” = Starboard
M/T = masking tape
Op No's Operation Descriptions Tools and Materials
1 Fit deck beading on “P”&”S” for the length of cabin
Tools/Materials glue, , 0.45 drill 3 x 3mm Walnut bead, 0.5 brass pins
2 Lay M/T along deck “P”&”S”
Tools/Materials 25mm M/T tape
3 On “P” Lay a thin strip of M/T (sticky side up)
Tools/Materials 10mm M/T tape
4 On “P” Mark all 20 out positions of bars using gauge
Tools/Materials pencil, gauge
5 On “S” mark 1st position then Transfer 10mm M/T and line up with the 1st bar
6 Using the gauge inverted mark on the remaining 19 bar lines, this gives identical markings
Tools/Materials gauge
7 On “P” Lay a 3x3 timber down each side to determine the width of bars
Tools/Materials 3 x 3mm Walnut/tape
8 For “P” sand angle on one end of bar – mark length and cut & angle the other end Tools/Materials saw, sander
9 Take each bar and using jig, drill 0.45mm hole in both ends of the bar – repeat on other 19 Tools/Materials drilling m/c drill jig, 0.45mm brill bit
10 Using pin jig, on the inside only tap in 0.5mm brass pin to depth on all 20 bars
Tools/Materials Pin hammer, jig
11 Using the drill gauge line up and drill the inside hole in the deck on all 20 positions
Tools/Materials drill gauge 0.45 drill, hand drill
12 Take the first bar & place the pin in the drilled hole and tap in place, not too deep, align the bar using jig and drill the second hole, insert pin and tap just to hold in position
Tools/Materials Pin hammer, jig, 0.45 drill, hand drill
13 Repeat operation 12 on all 20 bars
Tools/Materials Pin hammer, jig, 0.45 drill, hand drill
14 Repeat ops 7 – 12 on “S”
15 Pull each bar out (with pins)and push onto a piece of balsa next to each other lined up at the angle
Tools/Materials Balsa strip, angle gauge
16 Now clamp in the vice and file a radius on the inside ends of each bar
Tools/Materials Bench vice, smooth file
17 Reverse the bars and repeat operation 16
18 Place all bars “S” & “P” on a piece of balsa and spray 2 coats of satin varnish
19 Carry out adhesion test, wood glue – V – epoxy
Tools/Materials wood glue, epoxy
20 Using “pin length jig” cut all the pins to length – 5mm protruding
Tools/Materials Jig, side cutters
21 Using wood glue coat the bottom of each bar & tap into the pre drilled holes and tap fully home, wipe away any excess glue
Tools/Materials Wood glue, pin hammer, wet cloth
22 Finally cut the last piece according to original boat layout and drill, pin and glue into position
Unfortunately the site doesn't support a table format so the layout isn't as I wanted
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This process was quite an involved process and for any reader to get any value out of this page I thought would present it in a different way, as an ex -engineer I am used to writing and using operations sheets.
So here’s the deck grips OP sheet
Notes “P” = Port “S” = Starboard
M/T = masking tape
Op No's Operation Descriptions Tools and Materials
1 Fit deck beading on “P”&”S” for the length of cabin
Tools/Materials glue, , 0.45 drill 3 x 3mm Walnut bead, 0.5 brass pins
2 Lay M/T along deck “P”&”S”
Tools/Materials 25mm M/T tape
3 On “P” Lay a thin strip of M/T (sticky side up)
Tools/Materials 10mm M/T tape
4 On “P” Mark all 20 out positions of bars using gauge
Tools/Materials pencil, gauge
5 On “S” mark 1st position then Transfer 10mm M/T and line up with the 1st bar
6 Using the gauge inverted mark on the remaining 19 bar lines, this gives identical markings
Tools/Materials gauge
7 On “P” Lay a 3x3 timber down each side to determine the width of bars
Tools/Materials 3 x 3mm Walnut/tape
8 For “P” sand angle on one end of bar – mark length and cut & angle the other end Tools/Materials saw, sander
9 Take each bar and using jig, drill 0.45mm hole in both ends of the bar – repeat on other 19 Tools/Materials drilling m/c drill jig, 0.45mm brill bit
10 Using pin jig, on the inside only tap in 0.5mm brass pin to depth on all 20 bars
Tools/Materials Pin hammer, jig
11 Using the drill gauge line up and drill the inside hole in the deck on all 20 positions
Tools/Materials drill gauge 0.45 drill, hand drill
12 Take the first bar & place the pin in the drilled hole and tap in place, not too deep, align the bar using jig and drill the second hole, insert pin and tap just to hold in position
Tools/Materials Pin hammer, jig, 0.45 drill, hand drill
13 Repeat operation 12 on all 20 bars
Tools/Materials Pin hammer, jig, 0.45 drill, hand drill
14 Repeat ops 7 – 12 on “S”
15 Pull each bar out (with pins)and push onto a piece of balsa next to each other lined up at the angle
Tools/Materials Balsa strip, angle gauge
16 Now clamp in the vice and file a radius on the inside ends of each bar
Tools/Materials Bench vice, smooth file
17 Reverse the bars and repeat operation 16
18 Place all bars “S” & “P” on a piece of balsa and spray 2 coats of satin varnish
19 Carry out adhesion test, wood glue – V – epoxy
Tools/Materials wood glue, epoxy
20 Using “pin length jig” cut all the pins to length – 5mm protruding
Tools/Materials Jig, side cutters
21 Using wood glue coat the bottom of each bar & tap into the pre drilled holes and tap fully home, wipe away any excess glue
Tools/Materials Wood glue, pin hammer, wet cloth
22 Finally cut the last piece according to original boat layout and drill, pin and glue into position
Unfortunately the site doesn't support a table format so the layout isn't as I wanted
That language takes me back 30 years when I was an instructor with the Engineering Industry Training Board (EITB) teaching CNC machining. The organisation still exists as EAL: Part of "Enginuity Group" which is an employer-led engineering skills organisation supporting the engineering & manufacturing sectors.
I worked for them for 33years (that's great years)
"That language takes me back 30 years ..."
That explains a lot Mike 👍 With me it goes back even further!
I first started fiddling with BASIC about 50 years ago! Tempus fugit!! 😮
First started experimenting with an ATARI 400 then 800.
Kids wanted various Game devices! 🙄
So I said OK but better (cheaper!😁) we get a computer that can play your games and much more!
So what happened? Kids got Game Boys and such and I used the ATARI to learn BASIC, create new Mario levels etc etc ...
Then at work I got my hands on an HP85 'all in one computer' with a tiny B/W display and a 4" paper roll dot printer built in. Nirvana! Remember the Ski game supplied with that?
Soon ran out of possibilities with that but then got my sticky mits on an HP8020 and a ca 18" touch screen display - yes, there were such things back in the seventies!
With that I started using BASIC to programme ATE systems, using the IEEE 488 bus, as it was originally intended by HP - GPIB.
For example; spent some happy times with the crew of the Radio Type Approval Lab of the then MPT (Ministry of Posts & Telegraphs - anachronistic name now!) at Waterloo House in London, programming an ATE system for MPT127 mobile radio approval tests.
That led to programming an RF monitoring system for them to assist with mobile surveys for suitable Cellular radio cell sites. Many happy days with a very likeable bunch of guys 😀
On the monitoring side I had an interesting interlude helping NATS (National Air Traffic Services) to locate the source of signals interfering with ATC radio traffic.
During a visit to the NATS Air Traffic Control Centre (then in West Drayton), which was shared with the RAF controllers, I was highly amused to observe, from the visitors gallery, that; on the civil aviation side all was brightly lit, and a few metres further on the RAF side there was no overhead lighting and operators were huddled over their displays, above the RAF side there was a banner saying 'RAF Controllers Do it In The Dark'.
Some things you never forget! 😉
On the cellular side I also had dealings with the then 'start up' company Vodafone, also helping them find cell sites and test / service cell phones. Why oh why didn't I buy shares way back then when I had the chance 😭😭😭
Also programmed the Radio Test Sets for PYE Telecommunications and others to match their products and the MPT specs of the time.
Got a lot of stick from my bosses for spending too much time programming for a few customers - but I had the last laugh!
My efforts, and a bit of luck due to the Falklands incident, meant that I earned, with commission, more than my immediate boss and even the division manager!
After that the Div Man changed the commission rules and I said 'Fine, toodle ooh.' and moved to Germany where they respected and paid engineers much better back then. Still here after 36 years!
Funny, one of my first jobs in Munich was to analyse and correct the BASIC program for a Cellular Radio ATE Controller, cos I knew the NMT, AMPS and TACS cellular specs!
I found that the set did all the basic RF, AF and data telegram tests well BUT forgot the initial Login data exchange test! If dat don't woik the Cell system won't know that the phone is there and the rest is 'for the cats' (as they say around here😉)
Ramble over 😌
G'night all, Stay safe👍
😎😴💤💤💤
Here's just a few more pictures to help with the understanding of the process, they show the little jig that was used to tap the pins in to length before the head is cut off and the grouping of the pieces to put a radius on each end.
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Here's just a few more pictures to help with the understanding of the process, they show the little jig that was used to tap the pins in to length before the head is cut off and the grouping of the pieces to put a radius on each end.
Another job that’s been hanging around for some time and that’s painting the outside and inside of the cabin, as its removable it makes it a little easier to do. So first check is to make sure all the walnut wood adornments are in place or that the fixing holes are present since I don’t want to be drilling holes in new paintwork, so all ready for paint, The masking is a time consuming process and has to be done with care. The paint job will as all the rest 2/3 coats grey primer, I use commercial cellulose which I thin myself as it’s so much cheaper than rattle tins. This is rubbed down between coats ready for the final coats of appliance white, I leave it to dry but not too long as the sooner you remove the masking the better, leaving it too long can cause the tape to pull at the paint and tear the edges.
All that remains is to put on the navigation lights, hand rails, search lights and wire them all into the circuit board, these items were completed some time ago.
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Another job that’s been hanging around for some time and that’s painting the outside and inside of the cabin, as its removable it makes it a little easier to do. So first check is to make sure all the walnut wood adornments are in place or that the fixing holes are present since I don’t want to be drilling holes in new paintwork, so all ready for paint, The masking is a time consuming process and has to be done with care. The paint job will as all the rest 2/3 coats grey primer, I use commercial cellulose which I thin myself as it’s so much cheaper than rattle tins. This is rubbed down between coats ready for the final coats of appliance white, I leave it to dry but not too long as the sooner you remove the masking the better, leaving it too long can cause the tape to pull at the paint and tear the edges.
All that remains is to put on the navigation lights, hand rails, search lights and wire them all into the circuit board, these items were completed some time ago.
I don't have the spray equipment. There is low cost kit available, however I expect you get what you pay for. It sounds like it is economic, but only if you have a lot to do in one colour. I want to paint the hull of my Cutter with three different colours. Looks like rattle cans will work out a lot cheaper unless I can find a use for the left over colours (more boats?!)
I can't disagree with more boats😁 however spray equipment isn't cheap and I think to pay out for a decent set can't be justified for painting model boats I'm fortunate that I already had the equipment but I have to say if I was painting a range of odd colours I couldn't justify a litre of paint so I would use rattle tins and if cost wasn't a factor rattle tins are easiest.
The main battery is located at the front of the “BOX” area and contains a main switch for the power, the design of this area was originally by Rob who came up with the idea of having the main power switch operated by the steering wheel so hiding the switch operation. I also wanted to have a “Dash Board” to simulate the real boat and for it to have a couple of Leds as well as the illuminated dials so this needs to be mounted around the steering wheel and to move up and down as the “switch” is moved on and off. The dash board is made of aluminium and shaped as the original with four dials and three lights with a central hole where the switch/steering wheel fits.
I decided to build the wooden frame for the box using magnets to hold it in position and then to fill in the body area with some 2.5mm walnut sheet which was surrounded with 5x5mm walnut strips to form the whole cover. The magnets are an important part of this construction and as such the placement of them has to be accurate, so to achieve this they are drilled in pairs and the magnets glued into the wood in pairs.
I cut an initial slot to try the switch operation and placed the dash board in place this gives me an indication as to how far the aluminium dash has to move up and down. The next issue is how to make the dash to move up and down without it tipping sideways and also allowing the wires for the Leds to move freely underneath.
I used some 2.5mm sq tube with a 1.5mm sq tube running inside as a runner the larger tube is fastened to the cover with some 8BA nuts soldered to its side and then bolted through the top which has had wood hardener applied to strengthen the area. The central smaller rails are fastened to the aluminium dash with two 10BA screws; this allows the aluminium dash to slide freely up and down, I now need to put additional holes/slots to allow the wires to run freely through the wooden top.
The wires need to be connected to the 6v supply which is located in the central motor housing so a connector is required to allow the dash housing to be removed when required and any Led to be changed if they fail. The illumination of the dials is yet another hurdle which I not sure can be jumped and it may be that the illumination has to be from above as there just isn’t enough room between the aluminium dash and the wooden top.
PS not sure why it duplicarted all the pics but Ive deleted them
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The main battery is located at the front of the “BOX” area and contains a main switch for the power, the design of this area was originally by Rob who came up with the idea of having the main power switch operated by the steering wheel so hiding the switch operation. I also wanted to have a “Dash Board” to simulate the real boat and for it to have a couple of Leds as well as the illuminated dials so this needs to be mounted around the steering wheel and to move up and down as the “switch” is moved on and off. The dash board is made of aluminium and shaped as the original with four dials and three lights with a central hole where the switch/steering wheel fits.
I decided to build the wooden frame for the box using magnets to hold it in position and then to fill in the body area with some 2.5mm walnut sheet which was surrounded with 5x5mm walnut strips to form the whole cover. The magnets are an important part of this construction and as such the placement of them has to be accurate, so to achieve this they are drilled in pairs and the magnets glued into the wood in pairs.
I cut an initial slot to try the switch operation and placed the dash board in place this gives me an indication as to how far the aluminium dash has to move up and down. The next issue is how to make the dash to move up and down without it tipping sideways and also allowing the wires for the Leds to move freely underneath.
I used some 2.5mm sq tube with a 1.5mm sq tube running inside as a runner the larger tube is fastened to the cover with some 8BA nuts soldered to its side and then bolted through the top which has had wood hardener applied to strengthen the area. The central smaller rails are fastened to the aluminium dash with two 10BA screws; this allows the aluminium dash to slide freely up and down, I now need to put additional holes/slots to allow the wires to run freely through the wooden top.
The wires need to be connected to the 6v supply which is located in the central motor housing so a connector is required to allow the dash housing to be removed when required and any Led to be changed if they fail. The illumination of the dials is yet another hurdle which I not sure can be jumped and it may be that the illumination has to be from above as there just isn’t enough room between the aluminium dash and the wooden top.
PS not sure why it duplicarted all the pics but Ive deleted them
Hi Mike.
Thinking about your lighting conundrum....🤔
As the LED's will only be lit when the switch is in the ON position why not just drill through all the dial locations when the switch is in the ON position and place a LED light source below it or perhaps a piece of Perspex that is edge lit. The supply can be taken from the LiPo from the switch, possible even without a resistor dropper as Doug suggested. I guess a lot of this depends on how much space you have between the top of the ali switch bracket and the underside of the wood top panel ?
Rob.
Hi Doug, Rob, thanks for your really helpful suggestions. As you will have seen in all my work I don't usually take the easy option, if I did I would have finished this boat and the crash tender a year ago 😊
Anyway to your suggestions I have considered the Perspex option and am currently carrying out trials to make this an option, this would also need illuminating so maybe an SMD.
Rob drilling through each "dial hole" although it would work it would also compromise the integrity of the wood even though I have hardened it, so I think that's not an option, It would have worked if I had used some aluminium for the top and veneered it, but unfortunately I didn't.
Doug the SMD LED option again under consideration I have ordered some from EBay so I'm waiting for them to arrive. I have a 6V supply which is located in the centre motor housing and this supplies all the Led lighting in the cabin and stern, so a supply isn't a problem.
So again thanks for your suggestions and watch this space.
The rear seat is almost the same construction as the battery cover at the bow albeit square with no angled top, the space for equipment at the rear is quite tight and to make it look like a seat things will have to be compact. We have the ESC and receiver along with all the wires from the cabin and the motor, also the water cooling system all to be contained under the seat.
Again the frame is made from 5mm x 5mm walnut and the magnets are inserted in pairs into the wood to make sure the polarity is correct. I can then make up the frame to cover all the items and glue/pin it together. When the frame is set I can cut pieces if 1.5mm thick walnut sheet and edge it in 5 x 5mm walnut then glue it to the frame. Finally both the front battery cover and the seat will get a couple of coats of satin lacquer.
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The rear seat is almost the same construction as the battery cover at the bow albeit square with no angled top, the space for equipment at the rear is quite tight and to make it look like a seat things will have to be compact. We have the ESC and receiver along with all the wires from the cabin and the motor, also the water cooling system all to be contained under the seat.
Again the frame is made from 5mm x 5mm walnut and the magnets are inserted in pairs into the wood to make sure the polarity is correct. I can then make up the frame to cover all the items and glue/pin it together. When the frame is set I can cut pieces if 1.5mm thick walnut sheet and edge it in 5 x 5mm walnut then glue it to the frame. Finally both the front battery cover and the seat will get a couple of coats of satin lacquer.
Hi Mike.
Now that the Pilot Boat is finished I'm taking the opportunity to catch up with gardening, house repairs and decorating. I just spent the day in the garden and frankly I'm 'cream crackered' from all the effort 😀. Jet washing the decking and re-oiling it tomorrow. I'm still waiting for MC to deliver the next project, some last minute design changes I'm told so it could be a few weeks yet. Hoping to get some boating in with the club if we can do it within the restrictions 🤞😊. Rob.
Hi Rob, that's funny I've been doing exactly the same, I am a keen gardener and grow all my own plants so this time of year is really busy and for some reason the weeds continue to grow despite my efforts to kill them.
This part of the build is a delicate one, First the water line has been applied and I must ensure that it is firmly stuck without any tiny edges coming loose especially where the line crosses the chine and around the bow and two corners on the stern. Having made sure all is stuck, then the hull gets three coats of satin lacquer.
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This part of the build is a delicate one, First the water line has been applied and I must ensure that it is firmly stuck without any tiny edges coming loose especially where the line crosses the chine and around the bow and two corners on the stern. Having made sure all is stuck, then the hull gets three coats of satin lacquer.
Hi Mike, Rob,
It wasn't so much the waterline being bent as such (but now you come to mention it 😁).
No. It was more the way that the Trim/Boottop/Waterline seems to shrink and distort as it goes over the chine rail.
Maybe an optical delusion as Rob says. A side on right way up pic would maybe settle it.
Seeing the problems this causes I'm inclined to leave my Sea Scout as just a pure blue hull 🙄
Or, apply / paint the trim line now and then fit the chine / spray rail afterwards.
Cheers, Doug 😎
PS Hadn't rated you as a Plonker Rob 😉 😁
Doug I see what you were saying, it is a result of the angle I've taken the picture, from slightly above and the water line actually disappears onto the flat width of the chine (not visible) and reappears slightly further along giving the appearance of nearly thinning completely.
Brass capping
One of the things evident on the real craft is the brass capping on the rear cabin supports, I’m not sure of its purpose other than it could be an area of wear as officers bend to enter the cabin, however I’m not questioning its purpose but wanting to make my model as near the original as possible so I cut some strips of brass sheet 1mm thick x 5.5mm wide, I do this using a fine toothed slitting saw in the milling machine cutting a strip of any width I want and leaving a “ buckle free” strip unlike you get using tin snips. I then make a pencil trace of the shape and use this to bend the brass strip to shape. It now requires some 0.5 mm holes to allow me to pin the strips to the wood, adding some epoxy resin to make a tight fitting rail.
Spray rail
Next is the spray rail on the roof, this looks a simple enough item but it requires to be bent in 3 plains (roof curve, sweepback, and lean back) so I decided to laminate the piece on a jig with the same forms as the roof. It made fitting to the roofs shape much easier with minimal trimming. I held the rail on using 0.5 mm pins these were drilling into the underside of the rail and glued in place, leaving about 3mm proud to go through the cabin roof. Marking the position of the pins on the roof is easily done by placing a piece of masking tape on a piece of expanded polystyrene and then just pushing into the tape and polystyrene this leaves holes in the tape which can now be transferred to the cabin roof in the correct position the marked holes can then be drilled through in the exact position. I use some canopy adhesive on the underside of the rail to secure it in position.
Window frames
The manufacture of the window frames was detailed earlier and all that is required now is to secure them in position. I use a 2mm wide extra strong double sided tape which I found to be capable of securing aluminium sheet whilst machining! (The dash board). This tape was placed along the back face of all the frames and then each frame was positioned and pressed firmly home, the tape reaches its maximum strength after 12 hours and believe me it’s really difficult to remove when fully cured.
Hand rails
These again were detailed earlier and only needed to be glued in place and as with the spray rails I used the tape transfer method to position the holes and a small amount of canopy adhesive on each leg then pushed home.
Kent clearview
This little detail was made from black Perspex, I machined an outer ring and centre stud and then a small triangular piece extending to the centre stud was hand fashioned then all tree pieces were stuck to the front window with canopy glue.
Life ring and horns
Both these details had been previously made and trial fitted so it was a simple attachment job using the 8BA studs in the bases.
Search light
This item has already been tested so all that’s required is to bolt it in position and feed the wires through into the cabin; I made provision for the electrical connection so a plug is crimped on the wires and plugged into the distribution board.
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Brass capping
One of the things evident on the real craft is the brass capping on the rear cabin supports, I’m not sure of its purpose other than it could be an area of wear as officers bend to enter the cabin, however I’m not questioning its purpose but wanting to make my model as near the original as possible so I cut some strips of brass sheet 1mm thick x 5.5mm wide, I do this using a fine toothed slitting saw in the milling machine cutting a strip of any width I want and leaving a “ buckle free” strip unlike you get using tin snips. I then make a pencil trace of the shape and use this to bend the brass strip to shape. It now requires some 0.5 mm holes to allow me to pin the strips to the wood, adding some epoxy resin to make a tight fitting rail.
Spray rail
Next is the spray rail on the roof, this looks a simple enough item but it requires to be bent in 3 plains (roof curve, sweepback, and lean back) so I decided to laminate the piece on a jig with the same forms as the roof. It made fitting to the roofs shape much easier with minimal trimming. I held the rail on using 0.5 mm pins these were drilling into the underside of the rail and glued in place, leaving about 3mm proud to go through the cabin roof. Marking the position of the pins on the roof is easily done by placing a piece of masking tape on a piece of expanded polystyrene and then just pushing into the tape and polystyrene this leaves holes in the tape which can now be transferred to the cabin roof in the correct position the marked holes can then be drilled through in the exact position. I use some canopy adhesive on the underside of the rail to secure it in position.
Window frames
The manufacture of the window frames was detailed earlier and all that is required now is to secure them in position. I use a 2mm wide extra strong double sided tape which I found to be capable of securing aluminium sheet whilst machining! (The dash board). This tape was placed along the back face of all the frames and then each frame was positioned and pressed firmly home, the tape reaches its maximum strength after 12 hours and believe me it’s really difficult to remove when fully cured.
Hand rails
These again were detailed earlier and only needed to be glued in place and as with the spray rails I used the tape transfer method to position the holes and a small amount of canopy adhesive on each leg then pushed home.
Kent clearview
This little detail was made from black Perspex, I machined an outer ring and centre stud and then a small triangular piece extending to the centre stud was hand fashioned then all tree pieces were stuck to the front window with canopy glue.
Life ring and horns
Both these details had been previously made and trial fitted so it was a simple attachment job using the 8BA studs in the bases.
Search light
This item has already been tested so all that’s required is to bolt it in position and feed the wires through into the cabin; I made provision for the electrical connection so a plug is crimped on the wires and plugged into the distribution board.
The last post detailing the dash board highlighted the issue of illuminating the dials, Doug suggested using SMD LED option and I had ordered some (10pcs T0402WM Pre-soldered Micro Litz Wired Leads Warm White SMD Led 0402 UK) I was to say the least surprised how small these were and it made the mounting a challenge. Since the dash board sits above the wooden top any Led lighting underneath would let stray light escape at the sides; so I needed to make something that would contain the light in each dial. A simple aluminium ring around each dial would (should) work I machined up 4 small rings and 1 large, next I needed a method of mounting the Led in the centre of each ring. I drilled a 0.8mm hole in the side of each ring then pushed the Led into the centre position and used cyno in the hole to hold it in position. Each of the rings were then epoxied into position on the rear of the panel and the wires gently formed to follow the other Led wires. When all this was set I attempted to reassemble the panel to the guide rails whilst feeding the wires through the back, all went OK and all the Leds worked however with the additional wires behind the panel it made the sliding action rather stiff because the additional wire were rubbing, despite a number of attempts to ease the problem it still is rather stiff. The illumination of the dials was to be using a paper encapsulated overlay with an LED behind each; at this stage the overlay is temporary and isn’t secured to the baking so the dials aren’t defined very well.
I have decided that I’m not satisfied with this method of illuminating the dials so back to the drawing board.
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The last post detailing the dash board highlighted the issue of illuminating the dials, Doug suggested using SMD LED option and I had ordered some (10pcs T0402WM Pre-soldered Micro Litz Wired Leads Warm White SMD Led 0402 UK) I was to say the least surprised how small these were and it made the mounting a challenge. Since the dash board sits above the wooden top any Led lighting underneath would let stray light escape at the sides; so I needed to make something that would contain the light in each dial. A simple aluminium ring around each dial would (should) work I machined up 4 small rings and 1 large, next I needed a method of mounting the Led in the centre of each ring. I drilled a 0.8mm hole in the side of each ring then pushed the Led into the centre position and used cyno in the hole to hold it in position. Each of the rings were then epoxied into position on the rear of the panel and the wires gently formed to follow the other Led wires. When all this was set I attempted to reassemble the panel to the guide rails whilst feeding the wires through the back, all went OK and all the Leds worked however with the additional wires behind the panel it made the sliding action rather stiff because the additional wire were rubbing, despite a number of attempts to ease the problem it still is rather stiff. The illumination of the dials was to be using a paper encapsulated overlay with an LED behind each; at this stage the overlay is temporary and isn’t secured to the baking so the dials aren’t defined very well.
I have decided that I’m not satisfied with this method of illuminating the dials so back to the drawing board.
Hi Doug, so many questions but I'm not sure I have all the answers.
Two rails are the simple solution but at the moment the rails are joined by a strap but also they are bolted to the aluminium plate so the new design will have to be made from a non-conductive material, this will be Perspex.
However the wires need to be soldered to a "stationary" common positive solder tag and also a negative - solder tag. In the photo the rails are running on the part that bolts trough to the dash support panel and will have a and - power supply, this piece has to be mounted prior to the dash panel being put in its final position.
So all the wiring has to be done first, so additional stationary contact points need to be added, these will be pieces of the larger tube with a tag added and they will be glued into the top holes providing a stationary solder point. I'm working on this now and as soon as I have the job done I'll post some pictures which hopefully will show clearly the solution.
The dials so far have just been printed on paper but when pressed against the aluminium face are better defined however, I will try your suggestions of photo paper or transparent foil / decal 'paper' or indeed anything that may produce the effect I’m looking for.
Let’s wait and see.
This is the one area of the hobby I am simply inept at? Lighting wiring looms fill me with dread and is really something I need to learn more about. Watching you and Rob weave your magic, along with Dougs input has been very informative. I look forward to seeing how your instrument panel with the cheap n cheerful leds turns out👍
Some would say “have you nothing better to do” but I enjoy my modelling what else can I say.
The new panel is made from a new aluminium front and then a black Perspex back, the reason is that in the original design the slide rails were fastened to the front plate making electrical contact with each other, so the Perspex backing plate will allow me to mount the slide rails in the Perspex so that they are electrically insulated.
I have used the square tubing again having the larger tube glued in the top holes, this piece also has two contacts silver soldered to each one, silver soldered because I will be soft soldering all the led wires to this piece.
The Leds are also an issue because of the different voltages required for the Red 1.8v, Green 3.2v, Blue 3.2 and white3.2, there isn’t a voltage that will correctly illuminate all Leds, you may think use resisters , but the whole idea of this unit is that its self-contained and there isn’t really enough room for a resister. The other consideration having tried loads of resisters to get the correct illumination taking the voltage tolerances into account was proving difficult.
Solution – I will cut the back off the red, green and blue Leds and glue them into the holes, then they will be lit by the same Led type as all the dial openings meaning I only need the overall power supply to be correct for one type of Led which is 1206 Pre-soldered Micro Litz Warm White.
The Leds are very delicate so the method of fastening in position will have to be cyno or canopy glue (test required) and then the wires need trimming to length and the insulation stripping which is to say the least a challenge, with the wires been so small I’ve trialled stripping with a my wire strippers and managed to set them to strip rather than cut although it’s not an exact science. More to come about the wiring later.
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Some would say “have you nothing better to do” but I enjoy my modelling what else can I say.
The new panel is made from a new aluminium front and then a black Perspex back, the reason is that in the original design the slide rails were fastened to the front plate making electrical contact with each other, so the Perspex backing plate will allow me to mount the slide rails in the Perspex so that they are electrically insulated.
I have used the square tubing again having the larger tube glued in the top holes, this piece also has two contacts silver soldered to each one, silver soldered because I will be soft soldering all the led wires to this piece.
The Leds are also an issue because of the different voltages required for the Red 1.8v, Green 3.2v, Blue 3.2 and white3.2, there isn’t a voltage that will correctly illuminate all Leds, you may think use resisters , but the whole idea of this unit is that its self-contained and there isn’t really enough room for a resister. The other consideration having tried loads of resisters to get the correct illumination taking the voltage tolerances into account was proving difficult.
Solution – I will cut the back off the red, green and blue Leds and glue them into the holes, then they will be lit by the same Led type as all the dial openings meaning I only need the overall power supply to be correct for one type of Led which is 1206 Pre-soldered Micro Litz Warm White.
The Leds are very delicate so the method of fastening in position will have to be cyno or canopy glue (test required) and then the wires need trimming to length and the insulation stripping which is to say the least a challenge, with the wires been so small I’ve trialled stripping with a my wire strippers and managed to set them to strip rather than cut although it’s not an exact science. More to come about the wiring later.
Thanks for all the really helpful comments, It isn't obvious from the pictures but the last picture shows the common contacts for pos and neg which will be mounted in the black Perspex at the top of each rail thereby transmitting a path through each rail from each Led to the 8BA studs which are mounted in the wood facia and then to the battery.
More detail to come
Work has been slow recently I've been working on those bits that seem to take an age to finish plus I've been working on a new test tank (pics to come when finished) plus repairing RC cars for my grandson who seems to be able to hit the only post in the middle of a field.
So the new securing device now has two independent rails POS + & NEG-- and each is fastened through the top panel using 10 BA nuts on the back these then have tags which go to a socket.
The led backs have been removed and a 1206 pre-soldered Micro Litz Warm White LED is stuck in place using a dad of cyno, the positive and negative leads are then soldered to the rail tags. Next job is to secure the leds that will illuminate the five dials; these are positioned and secured with a piece of tape whilst the dab of canopy glue sets.
Again the leads are soldered to the appropriate electrical tag.
The next challenge was to remodel the dials which are to be printed on photographic paper to eliminate any grain in the paper the overlay is then encapsulated in a matt plastic heat applied pouch. Next the profile is cut out and the holes punched for the leds and the steering wheel shaft. The now finished paper overlay is now put through a thermal encapsulation unit (laminator)using a matt finish cover, I now have to cut out the profile and using some double sided tape I attach the overlay to the aluminium unit. Next test it works.
Yes it does, the holes are in the right places and the outer profile lines up correctly I have made a few copies of this as there is potential for damage as it is been pushed back and forth with the steering wheel switch and could get wet!
The photo of the finished dials isn’t very good but in reality it looks perfect and I think overall the work that I’ve put into this little item has been worth it.
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Work has been slow recently I've been working on those bits that seem to take an age to finish plus I've been working on a new test tank (pics to come when finished) plus repairing RC cars for my grandson who seems to be able to hit the only post in the middle of a field.
So the new securing device now has two independent rails POS + & NEG-- and each is fastened through the top panel using 10 BA nuts on the back these then have tags which go to a socket.
The led backs have been removed and a 1206 pre-soldered Micro Litz Warm White LED is stuck in place using a dad of cyno, the positive and negative leads are then soldered to the rail tags. Next job is to secure the leds that will illuminate the five dials; these are positioned and secured with a piece of tape whilst the dab of canopy glue sets.
Again the leads are soldered to the appropriate electrical tag.
The next challenge was to remodel the dials which are to be printed on photographic paper to eliminate any grain in the paper the overlay is then encapsulated in a matt plastic heat applied pouch. Next the profile is cut out and the holes punched for the leds and the steering wheel shaft. The now finished paper overlay is now put through a thermal encapsulation unit (laminator)using a matt finish cover, I now have to cut out the profile and using some double sided tape I attach the overlay to the aluminium unit. Next test it works.
Yes it does, the holes are in the right places and the outer profile lines up correctly I have made a few copies of this as there is potential for damage as it is been pushed back and forth with the steering wheel switch and could get wet!
The photo of the finished dials isn’t very good but in reality it looks perfect and I think overall the work that I’ve put into this little item has been worth it.
Hi Pete, yes there is a resister in the circuit, it runs on 6Volts but since I wanted the brightness to be reduced so I used a resister with a value :-
Yellow 4 purple 7 Brown 10 gold +/- 5%
this single supply runs all the LEDS on the dash
I worked for them for 33years (that's great years)
That explains a lot Mike 👍 With me it goes back even further!
I first started fiddling with BASIC about 50 years ago! Tempus fugit!! 😮
First started experimenting with an ATARI 400 then 800.
Kids wanted various Game devices! 🙄
So I said OK but better (cheaper!😁) we get a computer that can play your games and much more!
So what happened? Kids got Game Boys and such and I used the ATARI to learn BASIC, create new Mario levels etc etc ...
Then at work I got my hands on an HP85 'all in one computer' with a tiny B/W display and a 4" paper roll dot printer built in. Nirvana! Remember the Ski game supplied with that?
Soon ran out of possibilities with that but then got my sticky mits on an HP8020 and a ca 18" touch screen display - yes, there were such things back in the seventies!
With that I started using BASIC to programme ATE systems, using the IEEE 488 bus, as it was originally intended by HP - GPIB.
For example; spent some happy times with the crew of the Radio Type Approval Lab of the then MPT (Ministry of Posts & Telegraphs - anachronistic name now!) at Waterloo House in London, programming an ATE system for MPT127 mobile radio approval tests.
That led to programming an RF monitoring system for them to assist with mobile surveys for suitable Cellular radio cell sites. Many happy days with a very likeable bunch of guys 😀
On the monitoring side I had an interesting interlude helping NATS (National Air Traffic Services) to locate the source of signals interfering with ATC radio traffic.
During a visit to the NATS Air Traffic Control Centre (then in West Drayton), which was shared with the RAF controllers, I was highly amused to observe, from the visitors gallery, that; on the civil aviation side all was brightly lit, and a few metres further on the RAF side there was no overhead lighting and operators were huddled over their displays, above the RAF side there was a banner saying 'RAF Controllers Do it In The Dark'.
Some things you never forget! 😉
On the cellular side I also had dealings with the then 'start up' company Vodafone, also helping them find cell sites and test / service cell phones. Why oh why didn't I buy shares way back then when I had the chance 😭😭😭
Also programmed the Radio Test Sets for PYE Telecommunications and others to match their products and the MPT specs of the time.
Got a lot of stick from my bosses for spending too much time programming for a few customers - but I had the last laugh!
My efforts, and a bit of luck due to the Falklands incident, meant that I earned, with commission, more than my immediate boss and even the division manager!
After that the Div Man changed the commission rules and I said 'Fine, toodle ooh.' and moved to Germany where they respected and paid engineers much better back then. Still here after 36 years!
Funny, one of my first jobs in Munich was to analyse and correct the BASIC program for a Cellular Radio ATE Controller, cos I knew the NMT, AMPS and TACS cellular specs!
I found that the set did all the basic RF, AF and data telegram tests well BUT forgot the initial Login data exchange test! If dat don't woik the Cell system won't know that the phone is there and the rest is 'for the cats' (as they say around here😉)
Ramble over 😌
G'night all, Stay safe👍
😎😴💤💤💤