GRAUPNER VELOX Operating Instructions Manual
Operating Instructions for the VELOX model boat
Order No. 2161
The full-size vessel
The VELOX escort tug was built at Astilleros Gondan in Spain in the year 2005, and
was delivered to Ostensjo Rederi AS, Haugesund, Norway, in 2006. The ship is fitted
with two Type 32R6/210-2 Voith-Schneider propellers, powered by a pair of Bergen
C25: 33L8P diesel engines, each generating 2400 kW. This power train gives the tug
a maximum pulling power of 140 t at fifteen knots, and 150 t at ten knots.
Overall length
.
37.00 m
Length between perps. 33.85 m
Overall beam
14.00 m
Draft at CWL 5.40 m
Max. draft
6.90 m
Speed 15 kn
Bollard pull 65 t
Equipment:
Double hydraulic winch with 200 t pull
1 x 250 m 80 mm Ø steel cable
1 x 800 m 57 mm Ø plastic cable
Fire-fighting equipment:
1 Water monitor: 20.000 l / min
1 Foam monitor: 20.000 l / min
Accommodation:
Six single cabins, living room, galley, wash-rooms, laundry
Model description
Specification
Length approx. 885 mm
Beam approx. 350 mm
Draft approx. 130 mm
Overall height approx. 550 mm
All-up weight incl. RC approx. 6.5 kg
Dry weight excl. battery approx. 4.5 kg
Scale approx. 1 : 46
Our model of the VELOX was developed with the support of Voith Turbo Schneider
Propulsion, Heidenheim. Like the full-size vessel, the model is equipped with two
Voith Schneider propellers.
The Voith Schneider power units make the tug extremely manoeuvrable, as it can
move in any direction.
GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY
No liability for printing errors. Technical modifications reserved.
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This Premium Line model is designed for modellers with little experience. Installing
the receiving system components requires no modelling experience or manual skill.
Adjusting the working systems does call for accurate working and some patience;
please carry out this stage conscientiously. Your care will be rewarded with a model
boat which attracts attention wherever you go, and which will give you many
interesting hours at the lakeside.
This model is capable of manoeuvres which are not feasible with any other model
boat fitted with a conventional propulsion system.
Thanks to the close collaboration with Voith Turbo Schneider Propulsion of
Heidenheim, the model is capable of carrying out the same manoeuvres as the fullsize vessel.
Assembly instructions
• In the following section the Voith Schneider Propeller is abbreviated to VSP.
• Stick : dual-axis transmitter stick
• Control lever : lever on the VSP
• Remove the security packaging, lift the model out of the transport box and place it
in the boatstand.
• Ensure that all the components are present, and check the transport box for parts
which might have come loose in transit. Any such parts can be re-attached to the
appropriate location on the model with a drop of cyano glue.
• Lift off the superstructure, followed by the winch.
• Locate the second hole from the
outside of the double-ended servo
output levers, and open them up
using a 2 mm drill, so that the
clevises can be connected to them.
Press the rubber grommets supplied
with the servos into the mounting
lugs, then push the brass spacer
sleeves into the holes in the grommets from the underside. Place the
servos in the openings in the wooden
plate and fit the four retaining screws
for each one. IMPORTANT: ensure that the servo leads are not trapped or
damaged.
• Screw the threaded rods into the aluminium ball-links and the steel clevises.
Engage the clevises in the drilled-out 2 mm holes in the servo output levers.
• Remove the black bellcranks from the VSP control levers, as they are not needed.
• Set the control levers of the VSPs approximately to centre by clamping them with
a suitable tool.
• Screw the aluminium ball-links to the control levers using the M2 x 12 screws
supplied; you will need to screw the clevises in or out on the threaded rods to
achieve this. Apply a drop of thread-lock fluid, e.g. UHU Schraubensicher (Order
No. 952), to the threads of the ball-links to prevent them working loose. When
tightening the M2 x 12 screws, hold the control levers with pointed-nose pliers to
prevent them moving.
GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY
No liability for printing errors. Technical modifications reserved.
10/2010 #0062222
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• Thread-lock fluid is not necessary at this point, as the linkage balls revolve in the
links themselves. The balls should therefore be oiled lightly.
• Note that the linkages should be connected to the VSPs symmetrically, i.e. the
lateral servo pushrods on the underside, the rear servo pushrods on top, or vice
versa. If you neglect to do this, you may encounter problems with some
manoeuvres (e.g. accurate straight running or traversing may be impossible).
• It must be possible to disconnect the
motors from each other for the
purpose of setting up the VSPs
correctly.
• This is accomplished by unsoldering
the wires from the motors.
• Solder the G2 couplers to the
terminal tags on the motors, and
solder the G2 plugs to the wires.
• Shorten the wires to a length of
about 12 cm, and solder the positive
and negative wires from the motors
to a G2 plug.
• Solder the G2 couplers to the speed controller, and insulate these joints by fitting
the plastic housings over them. Insulate the speed controller / motor connections
with heat-shrink sleeves. Once you have set up the VSPs accurately, a heat-shrink
sleeve can be shrunk over the connection. You will only need access to this
connection if the speed controller ever needs to be replaced or repaired.
• Attach the speed controller to the servo plate using Velcro (hook-and-loop) tape.
• Fix the receiver to the servo plate using Velcro (hook-and-loop) tape.
• Deploy the servo cables neatly, keeping them well clear of the drive system gears
and the VSP belts.
• Channel assignment at the receiver:
• Channel 1: left VSA forward, stop, reverse
• Channel 2: left VSA left, stop, right
• Channel 3: right VSA forward, stop, reverse
• Channel 4: right VSA left, stop, right
• Channel 5: speed controller for setting the speed of the VSP
• Channel 5: for fixed rotational speed a switch is preferable; for variable speed use
a slider. The rotational speed of both VSPs is increased and reduced in parallel.
• Solder a connecting lead, Order No. 94308, to the terminal tags of the batteries.
• Insulate the soldered joints with insulating tape or heat-shrink sleeves.
• Charge up the two drive batteries.
• Mark the location of the drive batteries in the model.
• To prevent the batteries shifting, stick pieces of Velcro tape (hook side) to the hull
floor at the battery position. Apply the mating Velcro tape (loop side) to the
underside of the batteries themselves.
• Fit the two batteries between the servo plate and the deck, pushing them aft on
each side of the keel rail.
GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY
No liability for printing errors. Technical modifications reserved.
10/2010 #0062222
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GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY
No liability for printing errors. Technical modifications reserved.
10/2010 #0062222
4
Setting up the VSPs
• Place the travel limiters in the transmitter stick wells. Please note: the limiters only
fit Graupner transmitters. The openings in the limiters do not correspond to the
stick units of other makes of transmitter.
• We recommend that you install the limiters permanently using thin double-sided
adhesive tape; they will not obstruct when you are operating other model boats.
• Charge up your transmitter and switch it on.
• Select an unoccupied memory on your transmitter.
• Select the Servo Settings menu at the transmitter, and reduce the end-points of all
the servos to about 30% to avoid damaging the servos during the next stage.
• We also recommend that you reduce the maximum speed of the speed controller
to about 50% or less, again by adjusting the servo travels at the transmitter; the
motors should only turn slowly while you are adjusting the system.
• Disconnect the motors from the power supply.
• Important: take care to avoid short-circuits; insulate any bare connectors.
• Connect the batteries to the battery link lead, Order No. 3031.
• Connect the speed controller’s battery connectors to the battery link lead.
• When adjusting the motors, leave the servos at the centre position to avoid
possible damage to them.
• Connect the motors to the speed controller and check that they rotate in the
correct direction.
• Directions as seen from the stern, looking forward:
• Right VSP: to the right (clockwise)
• Left VSP: to the left (anti-clockwise)
• Important: any attempt at setting up the VSPs in the bathtub or any similar con-
fined container will fail. Open water is required, otherwise water will flow between
the propeller blades, the hull and the “bank”, and cause confusing movements.
• To prevent the model drifting away during the adjustment procedure, secure it to
the bank or quay with a 1 - 2 m length of buoyant cord attached to the towing bar.
Ensure that the cord cannot become entangled in the propeller blades.
• Important: each VSP must be adjusted individually, i.e. without the other one
running.
• Set all the transmitter trim levers to centre.
• Connect one VSP to the speed controller.
• Select the Servo Settings menu at the transmitter, and adjust the centre position of
both servos until the boat floats motionless in the water.
• Caution: the two servos have a mutually inter-active effect on the steering and
running characteristics of the VELOX. For example, if you alter the centrepoint of
the forward / reverse servo, this will also have an effect on the rudder setting.
Keep the control lever close to its centre position, and the transmitter stick at the
Centre - 0 - position at all times during the adjustment procedure.
• It will take a little while to complete these adjustments, i.e. until the model is
motionless in the water. If you find you have to adjust the settings too far from the
centre point, it is best to adjust the threaded rods and start again.
• Watch the floating cord to check whether the boat is stationary or not.
• At this point you can adjust the travel end-points for both servos.
• This is accomplished by moving the associated stick to the upper / lower or right /
left end-point, and set values for servo travel at which the control lever does not
contact or foul the VSP’s guide sleeve.
GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY
No liability for printing errors. Technical modifications reserved.
10/2010 #0062222
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• Move the transmitter stick in a circular path, and check that the control lever does
not foul the guide sleeve at any point. If there is any contact, you will hear a rattling
sound from the VSP. If this should occur, reduce the end-points for the corresponding servo slightly. Movement of the VSP’s control lever must not generate
noises of any sort.
• Important: never operate the boat without the travel limiters in place, as they
protect the VSP and the servos from overloading.
• If the control lever strikes or rubs on the guide sleeve, the mechanism and servos
will be under excessive strain, and this in turn will cause the bearings to leak. The
ball-links on the control lever will also wear much more quickly under these
circumstances.
• For your information: the maximum travel is about 4 mm to each side.
• Untie the cord from the model. When you give a ‘forward’ command, the boat
should now travel in a straight line forward. With only one VSP operating, the
model will always tend to turn when reversing. However, for the setting-up stage
only forward running is relevant.
• Once you have completed the set-up procedure for one VSP, disconnect its motor
from the speed controller and connect the other VSP to the controller.
• At this point the same adjustments have to be carried out on the other VSP.
• Once you have completed the settings on the second VSP, disconnect it from the
speed controller.
• Now connect both VSPs to the controller, and carry out a test-run with the boat.
• The model should run straight in the forward and reverse directions.
• Now set the maximum motor speed: the rotational speed of the propeller wheel
should be about 457 rpm, which corresponds to a motor speed of N
nom
: 6000 rpm.
This is the same speed as the full-size power plants.
• On a 12 V supply this rotational speed corresponds to a speed controller setting of
about 52% (Graupner RC system)
• Maximum speed is available at 8800 rpm. Note that motor speeds higher than this
may damage the VSPs.
• Special manoeuvres such as tight turns, rotating on the spot and traversing are
certainly possible with this model, but they do require practice. You must use both
dual-axis sticks to control the boat.
• The stick positions are shown in the diagram. Note that any movement of the
transmitter stick causes the VSP’s control lever to move in the opposite direction.
• TIP: the best method of steering large, broad turns is to allow one VSP to run
forwards, and steer with the other. Tight turns are best initiated using both VSPs.
• When traversing, keep one stick motionless and control the model with the other.
Oil the linkage balls in the ball-links at regular intervals, but take care that no oil runs
through the guide sleeve into the propeller wheel. The plain bearing can be lubricated
lightly with gearbox grease or high-viscosity oil: apply a little grease between the
guide sleeve and the control lever of the VSP.
Important: do not use mineral oil.
It will take you a lot of practice and many runs before you completely master the
model’s manoeuvring capabilities.
All of us in the Graupner team hope you have loads of fun running your Voith
Schneider VELOX escort tug.
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