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RMG Sailwinch

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24.01.2022 And Kimmy is still using the same spanner to this day.

24.01.2022 University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) will shortly have the mk2 sailwinch on board Ada the transatlantic sailbot. Been a bloody long project for me... getting to this stage. Two more units required for testing by the team but after extensive bench testing here pulling loads well above their required specs I am super confident. Note the controller circuit used. Standard SmartWinch E series controller. The current load is no problem. The software gives good handling characteristics. Only change was to allow it to run on 12 Volts. Driving to a load of 24 kg off the drum, stop the winch then restart either to increase load or decrease load, effortless. All this predicted by my spreadsheet modeling at design stage. I so love engineering design :) For comparison with a 290ES which has stall torque of 28 kg.cm (7.4 V), this beast is 420 kg.cm. (12 V) !!!!! https://www.facebook.com/ubcsailbot/?fref=ts

24.01.2022 I have finally updated website with latest specs for all models. Including the change of 380 motor some time ago. So what's the differences? 280 to 290 motor m...eans 38% more speed and 52% more torque. 380ES (old motor to new motor) 20% more speed and 40% more torque. And as a result of higher torque the 380ES now has metal gears in the later stages of the gear train as can be seen in this picture. 380EH (old motor ) to 380EL (new motor and gear ratio change) insignificant speed difference but 70% more torque. https://www.rmgsailwinch.com.au/r/pages/Specifications.html See more

23.01.2022 I get requests occasionally for help with programming a winch. I've just uploaded a section on possible problems programming the E models. It's near the top of ...the online user guide and headed, "Having trouble programming your E model SmartWinch?" https://www.rmgsailwinch.com.au//SmartWinch-User-Guide.htm

23.01.2022 Several of you have asked if the new motor can be used on existing 280 size winches. This pic shows the motor mount centers difference. I have sat the new 290ES... plate over top of the old 280ES plate. The existing 280 plate would need to be opened out by about 1/2 a hole diam. The new motor is same dimensions as the 280.

22.01.2022 I should have added that the photo dates to around mid 1990.

22.01.2022 Our apologies for the delays in our new products. We now expect to start shipping the RMGSwitch at the end of December 2012 and the Race Manager is not likely to be ready until May 2013.

20.01.2022 My xmas prezzy from Jeff hit the water today. I named my brand new Mirage Nitro, Matilda, after apprentice Tilly :)

19.01.2022 A change has been made to the E series SmartWinch controller. As of now, the receiver BEC supply has been upgraded to 6 Volts at up to 5 Amps. This extra current is handy is for those classes that allow more than two channels hence more than just the rudder servo powered from the receiver. It also allows the use of high speed and/or high torque rudder servos. Such servos can require more current than the old SmartWinch 5 Volt, 1 Amp BEC could supply. Five times more peak current capacity will allow very high power rudder servos to be used now without the need for extra external BEC. The extra voltage also improves servo response time by 20%.

19.01.2022 After 4 years and in some cases even longer we have increased prices on the SmartWinch range. Typical increase is around AU$6.00. The 380EH has increased by AU$10.00. Sorry for this but we are just keeping up with materials cost increases over the last few years.

18.01.2022 Announcing change of motor for our servos. The Mabuchi 280 we have been using since 1987 is no longer. We have changed to the Mabuchi 370. Each of the 280 size ...units are now called 290EF, 290ES & 290EL. Ok so why not 370EF etc. We just thought it made them sound too different from the existing and too close to the 380s. Specs are impressive. 53% increase in torque and 32% faster. Weight is only 6 gm heavier. See more

18.01.2022 Had to start again with the transatlantic sailbot winch for the University of British Columbia. The original gearbox was falsely specified as fully self locking.... This is critical to this application. I discovered it in my own testing. UBC decided to give it a go anyway and try a ratchet block to reduce holding force on the winch. But that was not successful so back to the drawing board. I decided to design my own gearbox based on off the shelf worm and worm gear. Should start machining in a few days. Can't wait to start making chips :) See more

16.01.2022 With apologies to those waiting for the RMG Race Manager, we have had to put it's development on hold. This product is more of a hobby project for me as it will never pay its way commercially due to the amount of time required to develop it compared to its potential market. And so more commercial products like the new RMGSwitch have had to take precedence. This is not to say it will never be released. Hardware design is complete and I have enough components in stock to fabricate the first 10 units. Much of the software has been written as well but many hours of coding still is required. But it will be completed. I just have to admit I can not predict when.

16.01.2022 Big changes in the RMG range happening. You may have noticed that the 380ES and 380EL have disappeared from the website. www.rmgsailwinch.com.au The reason is m...y motor supply has dried up. And the same has now occurred for the Mabuchi 370 motors used on the 290 range. Good news is that I have found plenty of Mabuchi 280 motors. So in the next week I should have the new range of winches up on the site. Sorry for those waiting for the 290s. You will be contacted by email about the change to the different motor. See more

13.01.2022 Just had an email question I thought worth sharing. "Can I turn off my transmitter and leave the IOM RC Yacht connected to its Battery?" It depends on the type ...of radio and failsafe setting if any. The basic rule of tx on then rx on and rx off then tx off goes back to the days of analogue radios (AM and FM). AM is particularly prone to interference and if the tx is off when the rx is on, then all hell can break loose in the boat, car, plane or whatever the craft. FM is less susceptible but the rule still applies. Now with digital systems (2.4 GHz), it does not matter because interference is not possible. But!! If there is failsafe setting in the receiver and the tx is turned off then the winch could be driven to a place outside the sheeting limits of the boat and damage could be done to the boat or winch. So it is important to use the winch setup procedure for setting limits and travel. And also when binding the rx to tx it is advised to leave the winch control stick in mid position so that the failsafe position for the winch is mid travel. So, If your radio is 2.4 GHz and failsafe position is not a problem then tx off but boat left on is not a problem.

13.01.2022 Kimmy came to me the other day and asked if she could take long service leave. But you've only been working a few years I said. She then showed me this picture she found. She now claims continuous employment since the age of 8 months. That's over 20 years service. Hard to refute the evidence :)

12.01.2022 With the introduction of the more powerful 290 motor for the SmartWinch, the quality of connectors and wiring is more critical than ever. The first pic shows a ...customer's arrangement for battery connection. Not good! Bear in mind that the 290 motor requires more than double the current of the 280. With inadequate wiring and connectors, this is causing some skippers grief. I strongly advise against these servo size connectors. Where some got away with these for the 280 size winch, more and more are having strife with the 290 now. Please heed the warnings in the booklet that comes with the product. Don't use servo connectors for SmartWinch power supply. The other important point is that NimH batteries are now even causing problems in some cases too. They don't deliver current as efficiently as Lithium batteries. I changed to Lithium Polymer in 2004. I recommend either Lithium Polymer or Lithium Iron. (LiPo or LiFePo4) Shown are 3 examples of recommended connectors. These are the Deans Ultra style, EC3 and XT60. Acknowledgement to HobbyKing for the connector images.

10.01.2022 A note from your friendly RMG Sailwinch team. From the close of business Thurs 28th Sept. we're offline. Will be back online. Monday 9th Oct. Orders can be taken via email and the website only in that time but not shipped. Repairs will continue to be done but not shipped.

09.01.2022 Latest efforts at water resistance treatment for my winches. The 290 motors and the feedback pot now have a combination of heat shrink cover and Silicone sealan...t. The only maintenance needed now is for a lube spray to be used between the gears and to the motor drive end bearing. The back of the motor is now sealed so no treatment needed at all there. See more

09.01.2022 Our RMGSwitches have been very popular. But there's a couple of things I don't like. One is the amount of work required to mount them. Drill 4 holes, mount, adjust button height and fit cover sticker. The other irritation is the cost of posting. That's not an issue if purchased with say a winch but if purchased alone the postage cost is high. So I have redesigned. Sorry no pics just yet but the new design requires one hole in the deck, no height adjustment and we fit the button sticker. And for postage the new lower profile means it up to 4 switches can be posted anywhere on the planet for as little as AU$6.

07.01.2022 Another special project. This one is not for publication yet. If I told you I would have to ... well you know. This servo is modified 380EL. Extra stage of gear...s which increases torque by 300% but reduces speed by same. Design load is 10 kg. But most important factor is it must have minimum backdrive. This causes overheating. It will backdrive at very high load hence the heatsink. The customer has tested these and heating was very acceptable. Six units were shipped to the customer yesterday for full trials of the end product. Can't wait to see these in action. Hope to share a video soon. Quite an exciting project. :) See more