Robbe Type XXI question (did I mess up)

[HorribleHarry]

Hello all, My question is simple, does your "equipment tray have a slight downwards angle to the front of it (with the aft housing keel flat on a surface?
Is this just my imagination? Mine was damaged in shipping (a completed kit) & I had to re attach my rear WTC bulkhead to the inner framework. Did I mess up?

Thank you all,
Harry

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9554/10034129em.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[k225]

Harry
Mine seems to be fairly flat, not saying I have it together right either, but at least it was watertight when I tightened it. There seems to be a fair amount of flexibility in the tray.
Good luck with it.
Steve

[HorribleHarry]

Steve, how tight do you crank your WTC down? also, did you have any issues with the bow plane retract servo not throwing enough?

Thanks,
Harry

[k225]

Harry
You have to be careful not to overtighten the WTC just enough to seal the o-Ring. You can overtighten I have seen posts of problems with this on the U47.
Actually my front dive planes don't retract enough but as a result when extended they are just about right.
I am in the process of converting mine to a static diver using the Engel tank.
I have reinforced the equipment tray using aluminum channeling. Let you know how it goes.
Good luck
Steve

[Tabledancer]

Steve,
I would like to see more of this conversion,as I have given some thought to this as my next project.I`m not to sure about the mechanics of doing this conversion and would like to see anything that might help me make up my mind as to what system and whose boat I will go with. :D



Harry,
YOUR XXI LOOKS GREAT! :) That is a Robbe rite?
TD :cool:

[HorribleHarry]

Hey Steve' it is a Robbe.
I have another question while we're here, what are you XXI skippers using for ESC's?
I find the 755 motors in this thing are pretty abusive to the speed controls I have been testing, and the only one that holds up is my SuperMarine.
I also had a failure of the forward servo box & so I'm working on a new box made out of 080 styrene. Should hold up better & allow a longer arm for the planes to deploy.

Again thank you all for your input,
Harry

[k225]

I am using two proboat units for mine, hope they hold up. Have been procrastinating on my build lately too much other stuff going on. Have everything ready to reassemble. I am considering changing the motors as I won't need the speed of the 755s and can use something that draws less to drive her.
I have a couple of pump motors with 5:1 gearing that I have used in my surface craft that would increase my run times.
Steve

[Fernando B]

Dear Sirs: After having spent more than enough time along with my Dad on what's supposed to be our first combined RC sub together and having decided that this would be the U 2540 we've encountered the exact same drawbacks as experienced here. Namely, the front dive planes, if regulated to fully retract, won't completely open and vice-versa. Therefore, we decided on compensating just like K225 did and preferred full extension. It's sad to see on a kit such as this and with this price tag that the instructions are so detailed in so many unnecessary aspects and so frail on others so extremely important.By the way, trying to get the proper inclination on the fornt servo that controls diving and surfacing while holding the connecting wire with a plier as we screwed on the plastic connector that connects as well to the dive planes broke the servo horn which meant immediate dissasembly of the forward servo box from the model and then performing "surgery on the box to ultimately replace the broken servo horn for a new one. I can't agree more about the lousy construction of the forward servo box and I seriously doubt about ours being able to get back to watertight conditions. This just may be the proper moment to ask Harry publickly if he can share a scale image of the box he's considering to assemble because I just can't understand how such an expensive model takes so much pride on having machined all the water intake holes and not having built better mechanical working parts such as the above mentioned. Having gotten this off my chest, and awaiting both gentlemen's comments...I remain.

Fernando

[k225]

Fernando
Actually my forward servo box has held up fairly well, the alignment continues as a problem. The forward hydroplanes in my opinion are for show only anyways as they don't seem to help in controlling the boat.
When trimmed properly, I actually got lucky here, she ran nicely. With the Engle piston tank she submerged on the level, very awsome. The beast takes forever to turn when on the surface, I am on a lake and it takes a good bit of lake frontage to come around, better under water.
Another weakness I have run into is the tightening screw my solder joints haven't held up at all. I used lead solder probably a mistake should have silver soldered it together. This is probably my inexperience showing through. I was lucky a fellow club member has a lath and turned me a new piece out of solid brass.
My crew check it out before installation, will try out the new fittting this weekend for the first time.
Let you know how it goes.
Steve

[Jack Söderberg]

Hi guys!

Also have a 2540, diveplanes, well after ours of trimming i finally got them retracted and extened
perfectly, mine is also converted to a static with a engel 850 ml tank, the subs been laying around for two years now due lack of time but is 90% ready and been tested in a watertank with sucess, the servo house that are used for the front planes was skipped and the servos now sits just behind the planes, they are of course sealed, maybe therefor i got the planes working properly!

Cheers Jack

[k225]

When it all comes together it is worth it. Sometimes it seems like it will never work but perseverance and a little help from my friends and.....
Well you will note the front dive planes didn't work, but maybe next time. The shot was by Ben Cliffe this weekend at his cottage.
Thanks Ben!
Steve

[Jack Söderberg]

Man, thats a impressive picture, looks like it been taken from "Das Boot II"

Cheers jack

[k225]

You bet Jack, for underwater shots of subs Ben's the best, he's like a fish in the water. To check out some more of Ben Cliffe's shots from our weekend see the Subcomon forum on the Subcommittee site. The picture he got of Rick Teskey's FS-1 is totally awesome!
Steve

http://www.subcommittee.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=13;t=5036

[Jack Söderberg]

If it wasnt described I wood take that one for a real one!!

very nice...Thanks