Drone Boat Build

Bryce · July 22, 2024, 6:57pm

Dear Community,

Thanks in advance for the community support and feedback on my project.

I am building a drone boat using the electronic hardware listed below and need help connecting the systems together. I’ve started down the rabbit hole on how to use splitters, hubs, and various cables to connect the discrete components but figured this community might help shorten my learning curve.

In summary, I’m looking for help selecting the correct cables and components that would enable the ESC, Cube, and Servos to all be compatible.

Components:

Orange Cube
ESC [VESC 75V 300A] (VESC 75V 300A Black Anodised Non Conductive CNC housing)
Motor Maytech Fully Waterproof Brushless Motor
BEC MAUCH 021 PL 4-14S HYB BEC
Battery EV West Battery
Servo ZOSKAY Coreless Digital Servo

Areas I Need Help With:

Cables and Connectors: Recommendations for cables and connectors that will ensure compatibility between the ESC, Cube, Servos, and other components.
Splitters and Hubs: Advice on any necessary splitters or hubs to manage connections.
General Integration: Any tips or insights on integrating these components seamlessly.

I appreciate any guidance, resources, or advice you can provide to help me successfully connect these components for my drone boat project.

Thank you very much for your support!

Colechr · July 25, 2024, 6:45am

Hi
While I am not familiar with your equipment, I have been exploring the similar paths. The F405WingApp setup has just gone into a boat and is beginning water trials.
I found the XT range of power connectors to be good and reliable. For power cables I would recommend silicon covered multicore cables, of at least double the projected current capacity expected.
The control side, would tend to be using the same style as the servo/receiver connectors, I think are the “JR” type, where you can obtain male and female pins and housings, and a suitable crimping tool. Again silicon cable works for me, of about 28AWG size. You can get multi colour sets of rolls of such cable, which means making cable sets to suit.
The CubeOrange+ will either go in a different boat, or swap with the F405. The sets are built onto boards, to allow bench testing, and configuration, without lugging a monster round all the time. The F405 uses INAV, while the Orange uses a rover/boat version of ArduRover
Have fun!
ChrisC