Thought it was about time I shared this upgrade which seems to have gone on forever >:(
Quick re-cap: This is the Hobby Engine 1/16 Leopard2-A5, external detailing is quite good, running gear and RC is rubbish. So I decided to upgrade it to HL S&S boards for proportional control and HL Pershing tracks and gear boxes for performance/realism.
Here it is as delivered on top of the tumble dryer, big bugger innit!
The first job was to remove the stock electronics, battery box, speaker etc, then do a temporary rig on the HL board to get the wiring right. Wiring diagrams for the HL board are available on RCU, wonder if we could get copies for this forum?
I wanted to fit the boards in the turret so I didn't have to waterproof the hull. No worries here, bags of room.
While I was inside the turret I tidied up the antennae wire.
Thats the antennae wire holder.
And that's it in place.
The turret of this thing is a real pain to remove and replace, it's held in place by a sort of 'plastic cup' with 3 tiny screws.
Once the boards were installed in the turret I needed a way to easily connect and disconnect the wiring for maintenance. I tried various methods and eventually settled for good old fashioned spade connectors.
Next comes the battery set up and charge plug. I've shamefully copied FV432's brilliant idea of using foam to keep the batteries snugly in place, it works a treat. As you can see its set up for dual batteries. However, one of the batteries has mysteriously disappeared. The minister of finance denies all responsibility!!!
The drivers hatch was opened up, and a charging plug fitted. and yes it slides to the right just like the real thing.
That's the electronics fitted and working.
