Kitchen table control system..........

[cupoftea]

I am not sure if this will be of interest to anyone but just in case................
Never having been very keen on the Heng Long RX18 I decided to have a go at eliminating it. Basically i am using two Mtroniks 15 amp speed controllers and my Futaba T6J's elevon mixing system to control the tank's motion. It is a massive improvement over the RX18's motion control.



The blue coloured card is a cheap ebay sound card from Hong Kong (£3) and is used for the gun's 'bang'. Problem was that it was too quiet so I am making up a simple mono audio amp to go between the board and the speaker. Here is a circuit diagram:



This together with the gun flash will be triggered by a simple monostable timer:



I did not design either of these circuits and got them from the web.

[cupoftea]

Have now neatened up the wiring and had a change of heart and removed the RX battery pack and am using one speed controler's BEC circuit for radio power. Not a lot of room in the sherman for the RX battery and I need the space for other stuff. Have also decided to move the main power switch to the rear bulkhead.

[wibblywobbly]

You could have saved yourself a lot of hassle and replaced the RX18 with a Clark board?

Programmable from a remote, set up the tank how you want it to run, servo recoil and elevation or standard HL. You even get IR battling with all other tanks.

http://www.clark-model.com/eng/index_e.html

[cupoftea]

You could have saved yourself a lot of hassle and replaced the RX18 with a Clark board?

Programmable from a remote, set up the tank how you want it to run, servo recoil and elevation or standard HL. You even get IR battling with all other tanks.

http://www.clark-model.com/eng/index_e.html

You are indeed correct Sir but I enjoy playing with electronics and do not need an IR battle system. I had the speed controls available and so the cost has been low. Main thing is the satisfaction of having a home made working system.

[hawkeye3guns]

Well done mate, l also have used MTRONICS speed controllers and sound units for a many years and also get the satisfaction of making the systems work just how I want them to. I find that by using these separate modules they are very easy to space around the hull and being modular easy to fault find.
I have used them in boats, trucks and now my tanks the beauty of them being totally waterproof making sealing the models not much of a problem against dust,dirt or water'

[Andy in Cheltenham]

Well done, sometimes building is more fun than playing. I may well have a closer look at what you did.

[cupoftea]

Thank you for the kind words. I think it should be quite possible to make a 'hybrid' system and use only the speed controllers for tank motion and perhaps an RX18 through an RC Tanks Australia RC5HL 'translator' for other functions as required. The difference in motion control using the twin speed controls is remarkable and my sherman now behaves a lot more like a real tank.
I really like Edwin's idea of using brushless motors and flywheels for an inertia effect and plan to do something similar if funds ever permit. For now though I am quite happy with the way this little project is going in that I now have much improved control, better turret rotation and gun elevation and a far more authentic 'bang' sound.

[cupoftea]

Have done a little more work on the system and now the gun's 'bang' sound is now loud enough and the muzzle flash is working. At present they are triggered by a micro switch tripped by a micro servo but I will change this for an RC switch unit when funds permit.

[cupoftea]

Oh well - Inspired by the improved motion control I have installed a hybrid system in my HL Tiger 1. Basically two Mtroniks speed controlers for motion control and all other functions via an RX18 linked to my Futaba radio through an RC tanks Australia RC5HL 'translator'. I have also replaced the Tiger's nicad with a 5800mah Lipo. The result is similar to the Sherman - much improved control. Pictures to follow when I can borrow a camera.

[cupoftea]

Here is the Tiger 1 hybrid control system.