Joe's Biathlon Abrams Build

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joseph.g.briggs
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Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2022 1:23 am
Location: Minnesota, United States

Joe's Biathlon Abrams Build

Post by joseph.g.briggs »

This is my build log for taking a stock Heng Long M1A2 Abrams Professional edition and modding it to be a dedicated Tank Biathlon rig.
Last edited by joseph.g.briggs on Sat Jun 18, 2022 1:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
(Stephen Baldwin) "We're going home, sir."
(George Dzundza) "Yeah. In the tank."
(Donald Patrick Harvey) "Why can't we go home in the #### helicopter?"
(George Dzundza) "Because you're tankers."
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joseph.g.briggs
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Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2022 1:23 am
Location: Minnesota, United States

Re: Joe's Biathalon Abrams Build

Post by joseph.g.briggs »

I am a newbie. R/C is new to me, mostly. I had an r/c Sherman tank from Radio Shack back in the 80s. I recently received a Heng Long M1A2 as I mentioned above and am playing around with the possibilities for having fun with this new toy. Follow me as I stumble my way through an overly-ambitious vision for getting into this sport and chart a path to a feasible reality.

I've not found a lot of tank r/c folks in my area, so I am suffering from what the software/startup world refers to as the 'loneliness problem'. In other words, a lot of social events that would be fun to do only work if you have multiple people with the same interest and technology to participate. For example, if you wanted to do a tank IR battle, you'd need someone within a reasonable driving distance that: 1) has an r/c tank, 2) has a compatible IR system, and 3) has a compatible interest and schedule.

Since I have one tank and zero other nearby people with tanks, I'd like to develop a way to involve other people locally, but without introducing a high bar to entry, i.e., having to buy one's own tank. My thought is to create a dedicated rig for running 'tank biathalons' - a rig that everyone can use. To get beyond the 'one tank' problem, participants would use my one tank and compete against each other on the same course for best time.

This means that some of the features, like IR battle features, or engine smoke simulation, are less important and things that enhance the biathalon goals would take precedence.

Thanks for joining me on this journey!
(Stephen Baldwin) "We're going home, sir."
(George Dzundza) "Yeah. In the tank."
(Donald Patrick Harvey) "Why can't we go home in the #### helicopter?"
(George Dzundza) "Because you're tankers."
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joseph.g.briggs
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Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2022 1:23 am
Location: Minnesota, United States

Re: Joe's Biathlon Abrams Build

Post by joseph.g.briggs »

Starting with Base Tank:
HLG3918-002
Heng Long USA M1A2 Abrams Professional Edition 1/16 Scale Battle Tank - RTR
• TK7 Multi-Function Control Board (MFCB)
• 12-Channel 2.4GHz radio transmitter
• 2S 7.4v 1800mAh Li-ion battery with XT-60 connector
• 2S USB LiPo/Li-ion battery charger
• Full Metal track material, sprocket, road and idler wheels
• Dual bearings and rubber capped tires on all road wheels
• Independent suspension on all road wheels, with metal suspension arms
• Magnetic Infrared (IR) battle system receiver
• Fires an invisible IR signal - Heng Long's Infrared Battle System
• Fires a 6mm plastic BB

I have spent some time driving the tank as is. I drove it over concrete driveways, long grass (about 5 in.), over piles of landscaping stones. I didn't have a way to test the IR battle functionality, but had some fun shooting the airsoft bbs.

I like the weight of the tracks and overall the heaviness of the tank is nice. However I whip through the battery pretty quickly doing all the rough driving I was doing. I am sure a light tank would last longer. I can't imaging how quickly a full metal tank would wipe out this battery.

Overall I am pretty pleased, but here is a short list of the first (of many) mods I would like to make:
Tracks
I want to put rubber treads on the tracks. I noticed when I was doing more aggressive climbing on a wooden board that the treads would slip. The tracks look like they are cast the full dimension of the tread with metal where there would normally be rubber. I don't want to machine down all that metal, so will probably glue on a thin rubber layer on the outside pads.
Bottom Hull
I am already scratching up the bottom of the tank, so I plan to clad the bottom with a very thin sheet of sheet metal. When doing this, I will be closing off the bottom access to the battery, so that will mean some mods to the inside as well. Will cut out the battery box and try to level it out and find another way or location for battery.
I am going to try all magnets for connecting the top and bottom of the bottom hull while covering up all the screw holes on the bottom. I see that others have done some magnets but left a few screws. I may wind up there as well, we'll see how it goes.
There is also a lot of flex in the bottom hull. I am going to try my hand at devising an internal structure with some aluminum angle.
Bigger battery
I am a little freaked out by what I have seen with LiPo batteries and what can happen if you don't carefully maintain them. I don't trust myself to be that diligent and I don't want to burn my garage down. I think I am going to try to start off with Li Ions. I may change my mind if I can prove to myself that I can maintain them properly.
(Stephen Baldwin) "We're going home, sir."
(George Dzundza) "Yeah. In the tank."
(Donald Patrick Harvey) "Why can't we go home in the #### helicopter?"
(George Dzundza) "Because you're tankers."
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