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Phantom of the Opera RC Boat


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Hey guys,

 

I am working with a company who are putting on a production of Phantom of the Opera in March so time is now of the essence.

 

We have hunted around the UK tirelessly for a Remote controlled "Phantom of the Opera" boat and have found nothing.

 

We are not looking at building the boat ourselves so looking for help on 2 fronts:

 

Does anyone on here know of anyone who has a small RC truck for hire

OR

Does anyone have any experience of building such thing?

 

THanks in advance,

Chris

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When we did the gondola in Our House we simply got a black rope that spanned the stage (placed across in the interval, but you could use a blackout). Then judicious amounts of low smoke (spend your budget for a motorised gondola hiring a Le Maitre freeze fog instead) and you'll never know the difference.

 

I've considered building some motorised modules to go beneath a piece of steel deck for a while now. I've got a pair of 1/4 horsepower 12V motors here gathering dust and want to put them to good use. Geared down to maybe 3mph max, I think they'd do a good job. Few problems though - such a device would need a decent size battery. It'd need plenty of failsafes in there, including some sort of manual stop or a bump strip around the edge. I'd also considered a separate key fob style remote "kill switch" working on an alternative frequency to the control.

 

If I had a little more time then I'd maybe offer to build it for you, or build the modules I'm hoping to build sometime and hire them to you, but there just isn't the time at the minute.

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HI Ceed,

 

Thanks for your reply!

 

I think we have solved our issue. We are now looking at using the Sabretooth 2x32 and some motors with some lead acid batterys for our project.

 

All these working in conjunction with a pro Radio controlled TX and RX will suit our needs perfectly I think!

 

Once again though thanks for your reply!

 

Chris

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The Sabertooth controllers are very good - My life-size R2D2 has one of their smaller units in it driving 2 windscreen wiper motors. What size motors are we talking? Just beware that if you decide to use wheelchair motors or mobility scooter motors, they're often series wound. This makes them very difficult to stall - they slow down but will keep going when put under load. They're often require different speed controllers to those designed for permanent magnet motors.

Take a look in to the world of fighting robots if you need more info on DC drive systems. They're very good at getting lots of power out of motors and battery systems. They also have some pretty strict rules regarding failsafes and cutouts that you'd be wise to adhere to. Gear the thing to do the maximum speed you require - don't rely on speed controllers to reduce the speed as it's inefficient but also means that if it gets stuck at full speed, it could be tricky to catch. If the fastest it'll do is 3mph then it's pretty easy to catch up with! Consider installing a cutout system for the actors onboard - just an emergency stop button. Also maybe look at using a relay driven emergency stop that's held in by a jack plug with a loop of wire out the back of it - grabbing said jack plug (or the loop of wire attached) and pulling it out will stop the thing dead. It's a method used on a lot of the fighting robots.

 

Another place to look for parts and motors are Parkside Electronics (aka Parkside Railways). They're based in Burnley and supply electric motors and speed controllers, along with sprockets, bearings etc. They're a useful firm and I've used a number of their speed controllers over the years. They also supply motors built by EMD to their own spec. These motors have gallons of torque as they're specifically designed for hauling passengers on ride on miniature railways.

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Hi again Ceed!,

 

Unsure as of yet as nothing has been bought for the project, still researching at present. It will more than likely be something from an electric scooter/wheelchair running 24v.

 

Can you link us to something that you feel motor wise would be sufficient, as I am rather stumped by what you mean by series wound? :/

 

Failsafe wise we are looking at putting in an E-stop to the boat for the actors and also I'm sure the Sabertooth has an option to stop all motors on loss of RC, so failsafe wise we are all good.

 

I'll also have a look at Parkside Electronics, Might actually give them a phone.

 

Thanks,

Chris

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I don't think the sabertooth will drive a series wound motor. You'll find that a good number of mobility scooter style motors are series wound. It just means that rather than having permanent "normal" magnets within the motor, the magnetic field is generated by an electromagnet, which is wired in series with the motor armature. This has some big benefits, for instance it gives you gallons of torque, because as the current through the motor increases, so does the flux strength of the electromagnet. The problem with this is they're very inconsistent when it comes to their speed - it varies depending on the load they're under. They also need different speed controllers to permanent magnet motors often.

To save you having to faff around with a gearbox I'd suggest you look at motors that already have a gearbox attached. Mobility scooters often have a worm drive gearbox which has some big benefits such as allowing a large reduction in only one stage of gearing - gives you nice low speed running for not much space. They also won't coast which means if you cut the power, the machine will stop dead. It isn't going to go running away down a raked stage then!

Parkside sell a nice little 180W worm drive, 12v motor and gearbox assembly at the bottom of this page here;

http://www.parksiderailways.co.uk/motors_15.html

A pair of them may well be enough for a small truck like this gondola. Take a look at their "Important motor info" page under the "Miniature railway items" tab to see some specifications and rough loads for different motors. Remember that their specs are aimed at hauling multiple people on miniature railway tracks at up to 10mph, with hills and turns. You've got a flat stage with only a couple of people.

Brian and Marcus who run the business are a Grandfather/Grandson pair, and they both know their stuff. It's a proper little family business and they're very helpful so they're well worth a call.

 

Alternatively you could take a look at something like this;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/450W-Electric-Motor-24v-Bike-Scooter-24-volt-Gear-Unite-MY1020Z-/171612174476?pt=UK_CartsParts_Vehicles_ATVQuad_Trike_Parts_Accessories_SM&hash=item27f4e1f88c

 

Slightly larger motor. I've no real knowledge about them. 3000 RPM with a 60:9 ratio gives you 450RPM which might work with small enough wheels, but may need a little more gearing. 24V is a bonus as it halves your currents compared to a 12V motor.

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My local help the aged has a shop in an industrial park where we have bough furniture

It's pretty sad as it is clearly the last stop for the taste styles of the average 80 year old, in terms of furniture etc . Ie no ikea to be seenPlainly people empty a house at probate and wholesale donate the contentsBut I did notice that they had a corner where all sorts of wheel chairs, frames etc were piled upLast time I was there there was a small scooter that might go in a car boot v the larger ones No idea of price but worth considering the local charity shops or back pages of loacal rags?

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Guys!

 

Many many thanks for all your replies!

 

We managed to get this nailed! and there is a link to a photo here.

 

Spektrum DX5e transmitter and receiver, 2 x 12v 55ah batteries and a Sabertooth motor controller did all the hard work for us!

 

Many many thanks for all your suggestions!

 

Chris,

Technical Director

Shine Youth Music Theatre

 

t: 07825701710

e: chris@shineyouthmusictheatre.co.uk

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