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Step 7"Advanced" depth control (optional)
Now for some real control I present a trick I once read in an old modelling magazine (far to old to remember which one, sorry).
Take a piece of thin steel or brass wire, 10 cm or longer. Stick it in the sail as if it where a periscope or antenna. Slide over a slitted piece plastic as shown. Using clear plastic gives a nice result, being almost invisible in the water. You can cut it from blister packaging or from a overhead projector slide.
Now, when diving, the plastic sheet will hit the water surface and as a kind of break level out the sub, making it not going any deeper. You can have it run at periscope depth, or if you put the plastic piece at the top end and carefully trim it by cutting it smaller, you can make the sub run just under the surface. Just under the surface it will cause a ripple and experience just a little less resistance than when going deeper under the surface. Sliding the motor a little back again can and bending the steel wire can also help trim to get the right effect. Just enjoy trying it out.
April 13th 2008: I have added a video showing the good performance of this type of depth control. In this is example it is a slightly different little sub, with a body made of a laminated paper colour drawing and battery powered (as it is used in an indoor pool).
Take a piece of thin steel or brass wire, 10 cm or longer. Stick it in the sail as if it where a periscope or antenna. Slide over a slitted piece plastic as shown. Using clear plastic gives a nice result, being almost invisible in the water. You can cut it from blister packaging or from a overhead projector slide.
Now, when diving, the plastic sheet will hit the water surface and as a kind of break level out the sub, making it not going any deeper. You can have it run at periscope depth, or if you put the plastic piece at the top end and carefully trim it by cutting it smaller, you can make the sub run just under the surface. Just under the surface it will cause a ripple and experience just a little less resistance than when going deeper under the surface. Sliding the motor a little back again can and bending the steel wire can also help trim to get the right effect. Just enjoy trying it out.
April 13th 2008: I have added a video showing the good performance of this type of depth control. In this is example it is a slightly different little sub, with a body made of a laminated paper colour drawing and battery powered (as it is used in an indoor pool).
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