SLU resurrection

[wibblywobbly]

I just bought a Taigen KT and didn't have any electronics for it, so I dug out an old SLU unit to see if it still worked, and to see how well it powered a heavy KT on carpet. Well it worked perfectly, powered the tank around effortlessly, and even running a feeble HL speaker it is still loud and clear. If I could figure out how to get a decent battle system linked up to it I would make it a permanent install.

You may ask why they aren't around anymore? Well people had problems with them, and the IR system had a very short range (20m) and supersensitive sensors (daylight would trigger hits no matter how you shrouded them). There is also dodgy soldering on them, which made people think the board had blown, plus the turret esc's would blow if placed under a lot of strain.

It was a revelation at the time, fully programmable with a remote, huge lighting options all tx controlled, airsoft or IR, and all the usual battle configuration stuff that we take for granted now.

They are now being made again, but with a different design, bigger esc's, and no soldered cables, it's all plugs. No idea if the IR is improved though?

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[tomhugill]

I've always wondered if mine had a faulty esc, I loved the sounds and how it drove but it had zero power and would just stall on grass or even rough carpet if you so much as tried to turn!

[wibblywobbly]

Check where the motor cables are soldered into the esc board, and try changing the max % throttle on the tx. During my travels around the web I saw a couple of mentions of the same problem, and those were the suggested cures. The one I have has dodgy soldering, I thought the esc's were blown on one side but jiggling the wires brought it back to life.

You can buy the new esc board via DKLM.

http://can-amrctankclub.canadian-forum. ... tle-system

As for a battle system, I am trying to figure out whether I could install an RX18 and a Darkith unit, and use Y leads to have the Darkith detecting hits, and the SLU providing the sounds. The Darkith will run an RX18 off a standard 2.4ghz tx, so my brain is telling me that it should work...but will it??

[Tankbear]

From what I have seen of the SLU the IR works but too sensitive with various brand sensors. So a few suggestions

1 paint over it. Non technical but will help.
2 if using hidden sensors, have a reduced hole. Should help rebound off objects.
3 a sensor has a power circuit which powers an amplifier which amplifies the received IR and sends back to the electronics. Typically the power circuit will be 3.3v or 5v maybe the SLU is pushing 5v down a 3.3v circuit and therefore over powering the amplifier and making extra sensitive. Maybe this could be measured and checked. I can check the voltage of the sensors in the vampires I sell might help confirm or dismiss this.

[wibblywobbly]

Only snag is that after trying to modify the original apple many years ago, changing the sensors and the emitter, I gave up and it has been lost in the mists of time. Due to the non standard design, eg it had circuitry in the apple, I have never found a way to build my own. This gives me two problems, no battle system, and no way of programming the SLU as it needs an apple, like the Clark, to use the tv remote. It had a capacitor and various other components on a double pcb, I've no idea why he went down that route because no one else has done that before or since.

I might drop DKLM a line and see what the score is with the new design. If it is just the ESC board that has been changed then it won't help much as the apple plugs into the sound unit. It would also be interesting to know whether the IR system has been improved. The original was almost useless, couldn't hit a barn door at 20 feet, and took hits from low flying aircraft.

[971wright]

Hi Rob You can use the Tamiya T01 ESC to drive the tank with the SLU .or you can even go brushless using a suitable twin esc. It was a good unit very good sounds , I have found that if the traverse part of the board pops ( I have 2 of them) you can use a cheap 10amp esc to power the traverse like this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231444824721? ... EBIDX%3AIT
You just have to put it on a splitter still have sounds of traverse. The only draw back to adding these ESC, it dose add to the wiring and makes it look like a rats nest. Ok if your installing in a large Tank but a nightmare in a Sherman or panzer 3 .So you can remove the ESC board from the SLU and fit other ones and the sound part still works (even the battle unit but that isn't a good idea its bad).

regards pete

[wibblywobbly]

The tank drives ok, all of the esc's seem to be good to go. I did rewire the loom between the battery, switch, and the two boards, there is a little less wiring in there now. Fitted a Visiton FRS7 so it's more than loud enough. I also beefed up the solder joints on the esc board where the various wires attach.

Interestingly what I said above to Tom may have some truth to it. I was playing around with the throttle curve on the tx, and it didn't take much to prevent the tank from moving or being able to turn on carpet. With a 'straight' curve and 100% full throttle it breezes around. It drained a battery in no time, but that may have been due to the switch arrangement I had set up, I am pretty sure that the board was live all night even though it was switched off.

I've sent a message to Carson at DKLM to see what the state of play is on the revamped version, and whether there is a new IR system for it.

[971wright]

Hi Rob let me know if there is an upgraded Battle unit for the SLU .would be nice to have one ,


regards pete

[wibblywobbly]

Will do Pete.

One tip for getting the tank to run properly, and that is to run through the tx calibration with everything on the tx set to neutral. I couldn't stop track creep at standstill but ran through it and it's 99.9% cured now.

I hooked up the turret to the board and elevation/rotation works fine. I'll fit a muzzle flash tomorrow and see if I can decipher the instructions to get the recoil working using the Taigen unit. I tried fitting an FRS7 but there isn't enough room if I retain the battery box, it sounds plenty good enough with the Taigen speaker so I'll use that.

[wibblywobbly]

Carson tells me that the SLU is back in production and that the battle system is available. He is going to get the answers to the questions that I asked him, and come back to me on Monday.