Engine Operations Self-Teaching Guide

This guide will not teach you how to operate the engines but will offer you tasks and goals to figure out how to do on your own. If you get stuck you can ask questions.

INTRODUCTION

Learning how to operate the engines on your own can be an exiting experience. But sometimes it can be overwhelming and you might not actually know what you need to know.

This guide will offer you a list of skills every engine operator should know. It will also offer you a number list of the order you could learn these skills in.

Should you get stuck, you can post a comment in this guide and I will try to give you hints on how and what you can do to move on to the next step without spoiling and telling it all.

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1. SKILL LIST

Diesel Operations Management

• Diesel cold start
  Requirements: Start the diesels with temperature at 0 degrees,
  
• Diesel full speed ahead
  Requirements: Reach More than 480 RPMs while going forward on diesels,
  
• Diesel switching from forward to astern direction
  Requirements: Change from going half speed ahead on diesels to half speed astern as fast as possible.
  
• Diesel full speed astern
  Requirements: Reach More than 400 RPMs while going astern on diesels,
  
• Securing diesels for dive
  Requirements: Go to a depth of 10m without getting water in the bilge or engine.

Electric Operations Management

• Starting the electrics in forward direction
  Requirements: Go from half speed ahead on diesels to half speed ahead on electrics as fast as possible without tripping the fuse or breaking the resistor
  
• Going from ahead dead slow to ahead full speed
  Requirements: Go from dead slow speed ahead on electrics to full speed ahead on electrics as fast as possible without tripping the fuse or breaking the resistor
  
• Going from ahead full to astern full speed
  Requirements: Go from full speed ahead on electrics to full speed astern on electrics as fast as possible without tripping the fuse or breaking the resistor

Battery Recharging Management

• Charging battery at 340 RPM
  Requirements: Recharge batteries at ~1.8kA without ever tripping the fuse or breaking the resistor while going 340 RPM
  
• Charging battery at 255 RPM
  Requirements: Recharge batteries at ~1.8kA without ever tripping the fuse or breaking the resistor while going 255 RPM
  
• Charging battery at 180 RPM
  Requirements: Recharge batteries at ~1.4kA without ever tripping the fuse or breaking the resistor while going 180 RPM
  
• Charging battery while stationary
  Requirements: Recharge batteries at ~1.8kA without ever tripping the fuse or breaking the resistor while keeping the propeller shaft from rotating.

Malfunction Management

• Resetting fuse/breaker
  Requirements: Reset port and starboard fuses without tripping them again.
  
• Starting a flooded engine
  Requirements: Start the diesels after they been flooded with water and reach full speed ahead on diesels as fast as possible.
  
• Reviving a cold cylinder
  Requirements: Start a single cylinder from 0 degrees temperature while the other remaining cylinders are running at a temperature of ~300+ degrees at full throttle.

Emergency Management

• Emergency reverse
  Requirements: Go at full speed ahead on diesels and change to go full speed astern on electrics as fast as possible while keeping the diesels on.

2. CURRICULUM

This is the suggested order you can try to learn each skill with. Once you satisfy the requirements of each skill, then you can move on to the next.
Follow the setup instructions before you begin practicing.

1. Diesel cold start
   Setup Instructions: Launch the tutorial mission as the game will start with the diesels off. Or if you know how to stop the diesels, then stop them and let them reach 0 degrees temperature.
   
2. Diesel full speed ahead
   Setup Instructions: Start the diesels and get them to a RPM that is 480 or higher
   
3. Diesel switching from forward to astern direction
   Setup Instructions: Make sure you are already going ahead with the diesels and then you start the test
   
4. Diesel full speed astern
   Setup Instructions: Get the diesels to a RPM that is 400 or higher
   
5. Securing diesels for dive
   Setup Instructions: Secure the diesel and boat for dive, then open the main ballast tanks and when the boat reaches 10 m of depth open one check valve on both engines to see if they got water in them, check the bilge if they got water in it.
   
6. Starting a flooded engine
   Setup Instructions: Do not secure the diesels and still dive to 10m then go back up to periscope depth and get the diesels running.
   
7. Reviving a cold cylinder
   Setup Instructions: Get the diesels running and get them nice and warm with full throttle with super charger on, them cut the fuel to one cylinder only and let it cool down to 0 degrees and then try to get it to work again while not cutting the throttle below 100%
   
8. Starting the electrics in forward direction
   Setup Instructions: While going forward on diesels switch over to go forward with electrics instead.
   
9. Resetting fuse/breaker
   Setup Instructions: Play around with both electric engines until both fuses goes. Then try to find the fuse boxes around the U-boat.
   
10. Going from ahead dead slow to ahead full speed
    Setup Instructions: Get the electric engines to 60 RPM and then make them go 300 RPM.
    
11. Going from ahead full to astern full speed
    Setup Instructions: Get the diesels to a RPM that is 300 RPM going ahead then change to go full speed aster.
    
12. Charging Batteries
    Setup Instructions: Start the diesels.
    
13. Emergency reverse
    Setup Instructions: Get the diesels engines to go full speed ahead.

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AUTHORS WORDS

This guide is a bit different than other guides I publish. But when I learnt the engines I found out that it was interesting to treat the engines like a puzzlegame. Try to figure out stuff on my own but in the end you need to have a certain set of skills to play with others in a MP lobby so its good to know where the bar it set.
So in a way this is a Guide on how to avoid reading a guide. Anyway if you do get stuck feel free to ask your questions in the comment field and I will try to respond as soon as I can.

OTHER GUIDES

Other Guides By Fox

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2553649456
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2870513651
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2842875340
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2595952369
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2568475031
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2871279241
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2994179687
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2894764377

[Fox]

@TheKanashiiKiro

Who says Parallel-Series is suppose to work for all charging?

[IcaroGib]

So, 180 RPM im getting kinda close, but i needed parallel on both, and almost at 770 motor current... parallel-series are not getting close, any tips?

[IcaroGib]

Thanks a lot! I was confused if i needed to compensate the rpm again. I did it and it worked!
Made it out so far! Really good list! Trying 180 RPM now...

[Fox]

@TheKanashiiKiro Hey

340 RPM on the propeller shafts while recharging at ~1.8kA.

When turning on the e-motor it will slow down the RPM, hence you need to compensate for that so you can sustain 340 on the shaft with the e-motor on delivering 340 rpm and 1.8kA.

Let me know if you like any more help.

[IcaroGib]

Hey there, great list.
But these battery recharge, 340 rpm is while sailing? (with uboot moving) or stationary?
Before or after engaging E-Motor? (when i use forward, it slows the rpm)

[The_Robo]

Yeah that's fair man. Thanks for the reply

[Fox]

The_Robo I will most likely write a more educational guide later down the line. For that guide it would contain perhaps more what you are looking for.

the purpose of this guide is not to teach you, as the guide states it is for self-teaching players that might wanna know what they need to learn.

however I can offer my time as a private tutor should you wish. or you can ask questions. If you want a more direct approach how to learn stuff you can add my discord fox43 and DM questions to me and I can send you the links I know of or tell you directly how to do stuff.

[The_Robo]

While this "guide" is great for topics to hit, I would love to have some links and/or resources referenced for each topic so I can...actually learn them lol.

[WatchSnakee]

@Fox, somewhat of cryptic answer), but actually very helpful, thanks!

[Fox]

Hi @WatchSnakee

" do you have any advice on adjusting the oil/fuel for individual cylinders?"
- The hotter a cylinder get the higher RPM potential.
- which one is hotter? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame#/media/File:Bunsen_burner_flame_types.jpg
- In general more oil -> hotter engine
- too much oil could lead to cooling

"how to revive a cold cylinder?"
- sometimes too much of the "good stuff" will also cool the engine, some fluides in too large volume can extinguish a flame
- sometimes the root cause of the problem is that something was activated too soon, when not all cylinders were ready for it.

I hope these advices will offer you sufficient hints on what you need to do in order to further explore and self-learn the engines. Should you whish more direct answers let me know.