High Performance MPX Foil/Self-righting Trimaran-The Test Model

MPX Test Model---------- Video Helm(!)

From 1984-1991 I designed and developed a Video Piloting System for a small RC heli to allow it to fly out of site ranges. The system used a special vibration isolation system that I designed as well as a video transmitter($20,000 then!) and a 1 lb color camera. In addition to this my partners and I commisioned a one of a kind van with the heli flown from inside watching a tv screen. We also got FCC permission to transmit video from the machine-the first such license outside the military!
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Anyway,tonight I was looking around at the various transmitter modes being used now for RC copters and aircraft and happened to see what looks like a possible great deal.
The last time I priced video goggles they were about $2500 but this package from Hobby King was an amazing(to me) $ 279 and included the onboard camera, video transmitter and the video receiver was molded into the goggles along with a DVR! And all compatible with radio control transmitters and receivers. So I'm going to look around a lot more-I had no idea prices had come down so much. I don't have the money now to go for this but I will. Yep, we're going to Video Helm the Fire Arrow at some point! It will provide stunning video especially if I incorporated a movable camera* on the X and Y axis-a lot to be learned during testing with this system. This is so cool.......
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Pictures below show some of the history of my company-what we did had never been done(by a civilian group or company), according to the pros at Miniature Aircraft, and I guarantee you that to do a Video Helm will be a piece of cake compared to the heli system-especially now that prices are so low.
*I have a gopro

Pictures:-1)-2) my first video piloted heli-one pix with coax instead of transmitter, 3) & 4) Our video piloted helicopter van,5) my first twin rotor design-like the single rotor built with many parts from Miniature Aircraft in Orlando:

 

So the launch is now delayed until you save up for your goggles ?

FFS ! Get it wet Doug !

 

Oh no ! I'm subscribed.

 

Come on Doug,

For Christ's sake put the thing in the water. Are we now going to go on for months about helicopters and r.c. gear that those of us who sail r.c. have seen, heard about and used for years?
I too am now seriously thinking you really are afraid this thing might not work?

So come on put everyone out of their misery and sail the bloody thing. I wonder how many others of the 130,000 are checking in every day to see if its been wet yet.

B

 

Ain't the anticipation delightful?

http://www.johns-jokes.com/A-Sadist-meets-a-Masochist.html

 

MPX Test Model--------radio gear tested

Major minor milestone: I assembled all the radio gear, programmed the radio and tested every thing-works nearly perfectly. There is an "anomaly" with the winch channel: the stick moves about 10% of its travel before the winch moves. It's set on "heli" and there may be something I've missed on "idle up" since the sheet stick is also the throttle stick for a helicopter.* No big deal-and I set the winch turns to 4.75, and since this winch turns 3.5 revs per second, it will take a little over one second to sheet in from max out-which is very fast for a model. I'll probably seldom use the full travel.
In the picture below, the left LED on the transmitter means the set is on;the right LED means a radio frequency signal is being sent. The solid green light on the receiver means the receiver is getting the signal. I had to complete a "link" procedure: since the radio is spread spectrum the radio and receiver have to be linked with the same code-they are now.
This radio has a unique method of programming it: it uses a touch sensitive dial on the lower right side of the transmitter to select menus and change settings. I was concerned about that when I first got the radio last June, but now that I've worked with it I'm impressed.
* Figured it out: it's caused by setting the endpoints in the transmitter. Normally, I should have been able to adjust the total travel using Setup 1 in the winch instructions, but it didn't seem to work so I used the endpoint adjustment in the transmitter. I'll fool with this some more down the line-it's programmed so that it works well now.

Click(and expand) for best view:

 

MPX Test Model-------------continuous loop

Installed the continuous loop today and tested it-works like it is supposed to. It sure was a pain! The continuous loop is set up to allow very fast movement of the main and jib sheet: 1-1 jib (same travel as any point on the loop), 1-2 main (main sheet moves twice as far as any point on the loop). Tension on the loop is adjustable with a miniature pekabe turnbuckle and slacked off between sails. The sheets are attached to the booms via a small loop and bowsie with a snap on the bowsie loop-easily attached and removed.
Discovered a way to mount the receiver so that the LED showing that it is receiving a signal from the transmitter is easily visible. Requires drilling a hole in the hatch and covering it with the same clear mylar that holds the flap on the main foil.
Need to rig the main and jib sheet, install the center mounted "riser"(a carbon tube) for the main sheet so that it pulls horizontally-never down, install the very long rudder pushrod, tie wrap the wires in the box, run the two antennas and this baby is done did.
Then a dress rehersal to make sure the rig fits. Last time the jib didn't and I haven't tried the Code Zero yet. Both sailing the first time and the dress rehersal depend on little to no wind-and we've had a lot of wind for weeks night and day.

click---

 

MPX Test Model---------------------The Riser

Because I'm giving away some power for speed with the RMG sail winch, the mainsheet must pull horizontally and not down. Also, the very powerful vang takes care of shaping the sail and twist. And the shrouds now extend quite a ways aft and can be used to keep the forestay tight. But because I have not been able to take the boat outside to rig it*, I had to find a way to measure the actual height of the boom above the rear crossarm at the 3.75 degree, 7 degree and 10 degree mast rakes I am concerned with. That was a tedious job at the end of which I came up with a solution that would have saved all that time: the "riser" will be adjustable for any rake! Boy, I wish I had thought of that before today. The riser is made of two carbon tubes,one fits into the other snugly but so it can be adjusted by hand. The tube that moves is fitted with a single Pekabe block with a spring on top and a line to retain the block. The spring allows the block to move as required when tacking or gybing. The fixed piece is epoxied into the rear cross.

*too much wind

click---

 

Yep,
Just as I thought another 6 months on the electrics/electronics

 

This has to be the most highly anticipated thread for the history of the internet

 

The worlds most talked up project, and it may not finish in time for the designer to sail it before he kicks the bucket.

In the year I have been following this, expecting it to be the next week or two maybe, but instead its been forever :/ Fortunatelly in this time I found my dream block, designed a house for it myself, took that through council (which took 4 months of whom they gave similar responses to Doug... and have actually refunded me my application fees because they took too long to certify the drawings), and have now begun building it myself... itll be done by October (i hope, November if we have a wet winter) Whilst sailing 1-3 times a week on the Tornado, and sometimes on the other boats to kill extra time... Argh i want to see this finish already. once all this is over i need to put successful ideas together and make a mini AC62, maybe 1/3 scale model

 

Shhhhh! Dont say that or it will NEVER get launched. I have read 85 pages over 3.5 years and I want my moneys worth.

 

Give the guy a break, he's had to make 9500 posts just on this forum alone !
God knows how many others he's on, I don't want to know.

 

MPX Test Model

Nice to know there is some interest. Keep up the good work, guys....

 

There are probably several Ph.D dissertations in this thread alone, and the moderators should put this thread away in a padded cell. It's morbid.