Question regarding my new taigen tank, help appreciated

[cupoftea]

Hi Marc

i did a little experiment today and put a standard heng long/taigen battery pack in my mostly metal Tiger 1. It did not last long at all - I would guess less than 15 mins. I then put in a high capacity lipo battery and it ran for the best part of an hour.
Heng long batteries are ok for what they are and enable you to use the tank out of the box but they are cheap and cheap batteries tend to have noticeably less voltage stability than a quality pack. I am not knocking heng long - after all I have seen new Tiger 1's on sale for £45 which is not even twice the price of a quality high capacity battery pack.

[Markocaster]

Hi Marc

i did a little experiment today and put a standard heng long/taigen battery pack in my mostly metal Tiger 1. It did not last long at all - I would guess less than 15 mins. I then put in a high capacity lipo battery and it ran for the best part of an hour.
Heng long batteries are ok for what they are and enable you to use the tank out of the box but they are cheap and cheap batteries tend to have noticeably less voltage stability than a quality pack. I am not knocking heng long - after all I have seen new Tiger 1's on sale for £45 which is not even twice the price of a quality high capacity battery pack.

Hey marc... you sound pretty savvy about charging your battery... so what I am about to say you might know already... seems you already have done a good initial charge... so charging it again for that length of time is unnecessary ...2 to 4 hours should be enough... as overcharging can actually cook your battery or charger

again Good luck

ALPHA

We just got home and I put the battery on charge so in about 2 hours I will have another crack at getting it running. Thanks to you all so much for the advice, this forum is great , I am new and feel a bit dumb with my newbie questions, but everyone here is very helpful.
Will let you know how it turns out in a few hours.
Mark

[ALPHA]

Hey Marc... no problem... everyone starts somewhere... once you get all the troubleshooting down... things get a little easier ... and a little more fun...but don't go thanking us too soon lol... we still have to know if you tank worked or not...

Good luck

ALPHA

[Markocaster]

Hey Marc... no problem... everyone starts somewhere... once you get all the troubleshooting down... things get a little easier ... and a little more fun...but don't go thanking us too soon lol... we still have to know if you tank worked or not...

Good luck

ALPHA

Haha well it didn't 2 1/2 hrs on charge , and turned it on and I got a high pitched whining noise that is new, I want to return it , but the buyer is apprehensive , I get that I am a newbie, but it just seems to have issues? It was cracked upon receipt and then all this , I think a return / exchange isn't too much to ask?
Mark

[Markocaster]

I charged the battery another hour and a half and put in a new set of AA in controller. Tank goes forward and backwards but no longer turns still, it just goes forward and backward when controller is pushed left and right also. Trim has no effect, all it will do is go forward and curve to the right, when going in reverse and pushing stick to the left it stops and just whirls not moving at all, as if the track gears aren't engaging. I believe it is an issue with the drive gears , I think the right side ones. Any other ideas how to fix is are appreciated however I believe it is defective.
I have requested a refund and hope Gene at artistic hobbies is a man of his word as the web site states 14 day returns. I am just going to get a $100 HL tiger off eBay and learn with that, this one has just ended up a $400 paperweight

Thanks again for all the assistance. mark

[ALPHA]

I charged the battery another hour and a half and put in a new set of AA in controller. Tank goes forward and backwards but no longer turns still, it just goes forward and backward when controller is pushed left and right also. Trim has no effect, all it will do is go forward and curve to the right, when going in reverse and pushing stick to the left it stops and just whirls not moving at all, as if the track gears aren't engaging. I believe it is an issue with the drive gears , I think the right side ones. Any other ideas how to fix is are appreciated however I believe it is defective.
I have requested a refund and hope Gene at artistic hobbies is a man of his word as the web site states 14 day returns. I am just going to get a $100 HL tiger off eBay and learn with that, this one has just ended up a $400 paperweight

Thanks again for all the assistance. mark

Hello Marc.... it sounds like the heat might have taken it's toll from the initial run...as the problem sounds like it is within your control box... If I'm not mistaken that's the 2.4 gig system... so everything is packed into the new style RX...so yeah before messing with anything else you might want to find out if you can return it...Taigens are a good brand...the internals are a little better than Heng Long... but very close in function...see what the guy says... if the best you can get is an exchange .. do it...just use this as a lesson... and get a better battery along with it

Good Luck Marc

ALPHA

[scalawag]

Hi Markocaster,

Sorry to hear it is still not functioning as it should.

I would definitely seek a refund or exchange. It is not working properly at all and you should not have to fix it straight from the box. It is also damaged.

I would second Alpha's opinion regarding the Taigen brand. They are usually rock solid, I have several myself.

I have had 6 of there 2.4Ghz systems in my tanks with no problems at all. It was my radio of choice until I got into the hobby grade stuff and started installing IBU2s. I believe all 6 of my old taigen T5 units are still in use with new owners. If it is the electronics I think you have been unlucky in this instance.

The crack in the lower hull raises my suspicions though, and I do wonder if your tank has experienced an impact at some point. Its interesting that you think it might be mechanical. Could something have been nocked out of alignment or bent due to a bump.

At any rate it should be the seller who has to correct this for you.

[ALPHA]

So true Scalawag... My Kv1 was thoroughly put through hell during transit... It wasn't the sellers fault but the Post office's....unfortunately they routed the package incorrectly as it took twice the normal delivery time from the merchants I dealt with... They are actually very good and showed the same concerns I did when the tank didn't arrive on time.... anyway...they did the leg work for me.. found the mistake...and made sure it was delivered to me
But that's not the important part... when the package did finally arrive... the outer shipping box was really busted up.. the normal Heng Long box wasn't too bad..but you knew it had a rough ride
This was about the fourth tank I got from these vendors... this one arrived in the worse condition... luckily I developed the habit of disassembling the tank and checking everything out before even plugging in the battery... turns out..as I checked the gearboxes ... one of the drive gears had jammed into the bearing in such a way that it kept the gearbox from turning... it was a pretty easy fix...just loosened the base screws and tapped it with the end of a screwdriver... but it just shows things happen

Which also could be what plagues Marc's tank...that crack sure is a red flag... checking everything would be the rule..but if the gears did jam ...even just a little it would also be responsible for excessive heat transfer to the Rx box...I do still suspect that is his ultimate problem... as it won't turn in both directions... if it were just a jammed gearbox... one might turn the other not ...anyway..because it is still new and within warranty..personally I wouldn't mess with it anymore and see what can be done through the vendor he bought it from
It's an unfortunate beginning... but at least there is a lesson... both in troubleshooting and dealing with vendors

Have a great day Gentlemen

ALPHA

[Markocaster]

Gene at Artistic Hobbys is a good guy, I spoke with him this morning and he sent me a fedex
Label. I am shipping it back and he will be sending me a replacement tank. He also said he would unbox and test the new one before sending it on to me. So I am happy this will be resolved

[jarndice]

Gene sounds like the American version of Steve at Welsh Dragon or Dave at Forgebear. good luck with the replacement. shaun