Silly mistake...

Smoke creating devices!
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Timbo68
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Silly mistake...

Post by Timbo68 »

I have experimented successfully with a fan to boost the smoke output of my HL Tiger, spliced into the smoker wiring. There wasn't room for the original fan when I fitted a Taigen lower hull, so I found two really small fans instead. I was checking the voltage of the two smoker leads (why does HL have two?) with my meter, to see which might be the better for the little fans, and I stupidly shorted the heater leads with the probe. Crack, and now it's dead! The pump still works. The only long term solution is a new 6.0 box, so I've ordered one at great expense from Germany (and I'm hoping/assuming that DHL will be able to deliver, under current circumstances), but in the meantime I thought I might try both heater and pump leads on the pump output. Has anyone tried this, and do I risk blowing up the rest of the control unit?
I'm an idiot....
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Max-U52
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Re: Silly mistake...

Post by Max-U52 »

It has two sets of wires because it's a proportional smoker. One set of wires goes to the pump and one set goes to the heating element. That way you can start the heating element and build up smoke before you start putting it out the rear with the pump.

I've done a couple of custom smokers using wire wound resistors and they come out pretty good. Nowhere near as good as stormin Normand's acoustic smoker but not too bad for a rookie. I think I have a couple of videos on how I made my unit at my YouTube channel. If you think you'll need them I can take a look when I get home from work and see if maybe I can get you a link. Just let me know. Hope that helps.
When FDR coined the phrase "The Arsenal of Democracy", he was talking about Detroit. Proud to live in the 2nd most violent city in America!!
Timbo68
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Re: Silly mistake...

Post by Timbo68 »

Many thanks for your reply. I hadn't thought about the proportional thing. I think that what I have killed is the circuitry on the in the control unit which supplies power to the heating element - I'm guessing that the heater is still working, but I won't know for sure until the replacement board arrives (I'll check the heater for an internal short first). I could swap out the HL 6.0 board in the T-72 which I've just bought (I swore the Tiger would be my last, but I think I'm an addict!), but I don't want to take any risks. I think I'll wait until the new one arrives, and then experiment by plugging both heater and pump into the pump output on the 'old' one. At best, the smoke will take longer to appear - at worst, I'll kill the pump output circuity.

I'd just bought a new autoranging digital multimeter - if I'd stayed with my old analogue one with thinner probes, none of this would have happened!

I'd like to look at your videos anyway - every day is a school day. Unless, of course, a virus has closed your school....interesting times.

Thanks again...
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Max-U52
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Re: Silly mistake...

Post by Max-U52 »

I'll check when I get home from work and see if I can get you a link to my smoker videos.
When FDR coined the phrase "The Arsenal of Democracy", he was talking about Detroit. Proud to live in the 2nd most violent city in America!!
Vertigo
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Re: Silly mistake...

Post by Vertigo »

Don't rush to try and drive the heater off the pump feed. I suspect you will fry the lot.
Hopefully someone can provide info on the voltage and current requirements but I would suspect they are different due to the load requirements.
The heater is probably just like a resistor so as long as it gets suitable volts x amps you can use it. However to many amps will fry it so you have to get the voltage supply and ballast resistance right.
Timbo68
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Re: Silly mistake...

Post by Timbo68 »

Thanks - that was worrying me. However, my (expensive) replacement HL 6.0 board arrived this morning. I confirmed (safely, this time) that the heater output was around 6v, whereas the old one was dead. I then found that there was still no smoke. Before I tried to find a replacement online, I took the smoker apart, and ran the heater on its own - clouds of smoke! I think I'd overfilled it, and the fluid had run into the pump. The piston valve was just moving air backwards and forward, and it wasn't drawing air in around the piston on the 'back' stroke.
Every day a school day - except at the moment, of course...
R/C tanks are a great way to spend time when under 'house arrest'. Stay safe, and a long way apart!
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43rdRecceReg
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Re: Silly mistake...

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

Timbo68 wrote:Thanks - that was worrying me. However, my (expensive) replacement HL 6.0 board arrived this morning. I confirmed (safely, this time) that the heater output was around 6v, whereas the old one was dead. I then found that there was still no smoke. Before I tried to find a replacement online, I took the smoker apart, and ran the heater on its own - clouds of smoke! I think I'd overfilled it, and the fluid had run into the pump. The piston valve was just moving air backwards and forward, and it wasn't drawing air in around the piston on the 'back' stroke.
Every day a school day - except at the moment, of course...
R/C tanks are a great way to spend time when under 'house arrest'. Stay safe, and a long way apart!
Indeed! ... :problem:
Also, well done with the lesson learned. :thumbup: There are lots of 'learning curves' in Tank modelling, whether in electronics, history, or tank enhancement/customisation (Camo etc..), and when the curve leads to a brick wall, you can always use the tank to smash through it. :lolno: More than that, others can learn, and save money ( :D ), from your mistakes- and vice versa, of course :thumbup: There's a massive team here. :wave:
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
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