Broken boat :( it's the electrics...

[Nick]

Hi, anyone give me some trouble shooting advice for a nice boat:
http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/product1094/product_info.html?name=Harbour%20Tug%20Boat&&prod=1094
that is around a week out of warranty and has packed in :(

The symptoms are:
1. No forward power at all - the motor doesn't even attempt to turn
2. The rudder judders instead of turning smoothly
3. Reverse power works, but the motor judders a lot

It is as if there is no power in the battery (except for the complete lack of forward motion) but I've tried a different battery pack and it's just the same.

The controller seems ok, I can hear it send it's signals when tuning a shortwave radio to the same frequency.

Any ideas where to start looking or what the most likely culprit is?

Thanks,

Nick

[Kevin R]

first of all try the manufacturers some times they will fix things outside
of warranty
I take it the receiver is all in one piece if so is any water inside give it
a good dry out and try again
and a final option might be to buy a cheap two channel radio and a speed
control
"Nick" <Nick@lake-district.info> wrote in message
news:369a3qF507gc9U1@individual.net...
> Hi, anyone give me some trouble shooting advice for a nice boat:
> http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/product1094/product_info.html?name=Harbour%20Tug%20Boat&&prod=1094
> that is around a week out of warranty and has packed in :(
>
> The symptoms are:
> 1. No forward power at all - the motor doesn't even attempt to turn
> 2. The rudder judders instead of turning smoothly
> 3. Reverse power works, but the motor judders a lot
>
> It is as if there is no power in the battery (except for the complete lack
> of forward motion) but I've tried a different battery pack and it's just
> the same.
>
> The controller seems ok, I can hear it send it's signals when tuning a
> shortwave radio to the same frequency.
>
> Any ideas where to start looking or what the most likely culprit is?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Nick

[Nick]

Kevin R wrote:
> first of all try the manufacturers some times they will fix things outside
> of warranty
> I take it the receiver is all in one piece if so is any water inside give it
> a good dry out and try again
> and a final option might be to buy a cheap two channel radio and a speed
> control

I have taken it apart tonight. There was water on the receiver circuit,
but it is waxed so I'm not sure how much difference it makes. Re the
manufacturer, it's made in China :(

All is not lost though, an electronics lecturer at the college I work at
has agreed to take a look and check the siganls are correct on a scope.
So I'll report back *if* he fixes it...

tnx, Nick

> "Nick" <Nick@lake-district.info> wrote in message
> news:369a3qF507gc9U1@individual.net...
>
>>Hi, anyone give me some trouble shooting advice for a nice boat:
>>http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/product1094/product_info.html?name=Harbour%20Tug%20Boat&&prod=1094
>>that is around a week out of warranty and has packed in :(
>>
>>The symptoms are:
>>1. No forward power at all - the motor doesn't even attempt to turn
>>2. The rudder judders instead of turning smoothly
>>3. Reverse power works, but the motor judders a lot
>>
>>It is as if there is no power in the battery (except for the complete lack
>>of forward motion) but I've tried a different battery pack and it's just
>>the same.
>>
>>The controller seems ok, I can hear it send it's signals when tuning a
>>shortwave radio to the same frequency.
>>
>>Any ideas where to start looking or what the most likely culprit is?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Nick
>
>
>

[Nick]

Nick wrote:
> Kevin R wrote:
>
>> first of all try the manufacturers some times they will fix things
>> outside of warranty
>> I take it the receiver is all in one piece if so is any water inside
>> give it a good dry out and try again
>> and a final option might be to buy a cheap two channel radio and a
>> speed control
>
>
> I have taken it apart tonight. There was water on the receiver circuit,
> but it is waxed so I'm not sure how much difference it makes. Re the
> manufacturer, it's made in China :(
>
> All is not lost though, an electronics lecturer at the college I work at
> has agreed to take a look and check the siganls are correct on a scope.
> So I'll report back *if* he fixes it...
>
> tnx, Nick
>
>> "Nick" <Nick@lake-district.info> wrote in message
>> news:369a3qF507gc9U1@individual.net...
>>
>>> Hi, anyone give me some trouble shooting advice for a nice boat:
>>> http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/product1094/product_info.html?name=Harbour%20Tug%20Boat&&prod=1094
>>>
>>> that is around a week out of warranty and has packed in :(
>>>
>>> The symptoms are:
>>> 1. No forward power at all - the motor doesn't even attempt to turn
>>> 2. The rudder judders instead of turning smoothly
>>> 3. Reverse power works, but the motor judders a lot
>>>
>>> It is as if there is no power in the battery (except for the complete
>>> lack of forward motion) but I've tried a different battery pack and
>>> it's just the same.
>>>
>>> The controller seems ok, I can hear it send it's signals when tuning
>>> a shortwave radio to the same frequency.
>>>
>>> Any ideas where to start looking or what the most likely culprit is?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Nick
>>
>>
>>
>>
For info, it was a power transistor failure, a 6amp PNP type had
cracked. Thanks for the suggestions.

--
Nick

[William]

"Nick" <neverchecked@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:EJ8Nd.8363$8B3.7539@text.news.blueyonder.co.u k...

> For info, it was a power transistor failure, a 6amp PNP type had cracked.
> Thanks for the suggestions.

The old joke is that transistors are placed in the circuit to protect
the fuses.

Did it crack from mechanical causes or overheating, can you tell?
-Wm

[Nick]

William wrote:
> "Nick" <neverchecked@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:EJ8Nd.8363$8B3.7539@text.news.blueyonder.co.u k...
>
>
>>For info, it was a power transistor failure, a 6amp PNP type had cracked.
>>Thanks for the suggestions.
>
>
> The old joke is that transistors are placed in the circuit to protect
> the fuses.
>
> Did it crack from mechanical causes or overheating, can you tell?
> -Wm
>
>
Overheating by the look of them. 2 have gone. 2 provided switching for
forward power and 2 for reverse. There was water on the circuit board,
also the soldering was less than good (cheap Chinese import) so I don't
know if they played a factor. Anyway, the had cracks, heat spots and a
little tiny burst mark on each one. Uprated ones are on order and will
be going in and I'll probably heatsink them too just in case...

--
Nick

[William]

"Nick" <neverchecked@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1OoNd.8732$8B3.3927@text.news.blueyonder.co.u k...
>>
> Overheating by the look of them. 2 have gone. 2 provided switching for
> forward power and 2 for reverse. There was water on the circuit board,
> also the soldering was less than good (cheap Chinese import) so I don't
> know if they played a factor. Anyway, the had cracks, heat spots and a
> little tiny burst mark on each one. Uprated ones are on order and will be
> going in and I'll probably heatsink them too just in case...

Water is never a good thing. If these were FETs of some kind, they
need virtually no current to turn them on and water would be a great
path. Even if the resistors aren't FETs, the circuits are chock full of
equally sensitive CMOS which would do the same thing.

They probably created low-resistance shorts and really did act like
expensive fuses. Might not be a bad idea to put a small fuse in the
power line - something slow-blo with a rating between the maximum
rated load and the absolute max rating of the transistors.

Heat sinks are a good idea, but if the cases popped, they probably
went way beyond their ratings very quickly and a heat sink wouldn't
have helped. -Wm

[garyg]

Suspect it's a problem with the speed control if the battery pack is
properly charged. If it's a newish speed control, send it to the
manufacturer to be checked/repaired. It is possible that the motor has an
internal problem such as a broken brush or armature dragging on magnets, etc
that kills battery voltage and gives symptoms you describe.




"Nick" <Nick@lake-district.info> wrote in message
news:369a3qF507gc9U1@individual.net...
> Hi, anyone give me some trouble shooting advice for a nice boat:
>
http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/product1094/product_info.html?name=Harbour%20Tug%20Boat&&prod=1094
> that is around a week out of warranty and has packed in :(
>
> The symptoms are:
> 1. No forward power at all - the motor doesn't even attempt to turn
> 2. The rudder judders instead of turning smoothly
> 3. Reverse power works, but the motor judders a lot
>
> It is as if there is no power in the battery (except for the complete lack
of forward motion) but I've tried a different battery pack and it's just the
same.
>
> The controller seems ok, I can hear it send it's signals when tuning a
shortwave radio to the same frequency.
>
> Any ideas where to start looking or what the most likely culprit is?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Nick

[Boat Hull Maker]

If you sure the circuit was not permanently damaged. Try cleaning the
circuit with distilled water. Immerse the circuit into distilled water
for overnight is no problem. This dissolve the electrolyte. Then take
it out. Flush with distilled water. Dry the circuit with hair dryer.
I used to repaire VHF circuit by similar method. Only difference was I
use just tape water. Good luck!

Kevin R wrote:
> first of all try the manufacturers some times they will fix things outside
> of warranty
> I take it the receiver is all in one piece if so is any water inside give it
> a good dry out and try again
> and a final option might be to buy a cheap two channel radio and a speed
> control
> "Nick" <Nick@lake-district.info> wrote in message
> news:369a3qF507gc9U1@individual.net...
>
>>Hi, anyone give me some trouble shooting advice for a nice boat:
>>http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/product1094/product_info.html?name=Harbour%20Tug%20Boat&&prod=1094
>>that is around a week out of warranty and has packed in :(
>>
>>The symptoms are:
>>1. No forward power at all - the motor doesn't even attempt to turn
>>2. The rudder judders instead of turning smoothly
>>3. Reverse power works, but the motor judders a lot
>>