Newbie on RC Tank controller electronics

[NickyB65]

Hi All,

Being new to this great hobby I was wondering about the different electronic boards for RC tanks. Models such as the Clark TK60, the IBU3 or the Elmod.

Generally what ones in members mind are the best here? Also, for me at least, ease of setup, such as uploading sounds to the board?

Finally are all these boards compatible with the likes of the FlySky transmitters and also tank models such as Torro for example?

Thanks for any comments,

Nick

[Black Knight]

Hi All,

Being new to this great hobby I was wondering about the different electronic boards for RC tanks. Models such as the Clark TK60, the IBU3 or the Elmod.

Generally what ones in members mind are the best here? Also, for me at least, ease of setup, such as uploading sounds to the board?

Finally are all these boards compatible with the likes of the FlySky transmitters and also tank models such as Torro for example?

Thanks for any comments,

Nick

My (limited) understanding is as follows;

Clark - comparatively cheap and easy to set up/use (I have a TK60) but restricted options.

IBU3 & Elmod - much more expensive, complicated to set up but loads more options.

I would suggest begining with a Clark set-up and then figuring out what you want and how much you are willing to pay before advancing to a IBU3 or Elmod (I'm currently in the process of deciding if I really need/can use an IBU3!)

I'm sure someone who has been arould a lot longer will confirm/refute this shortly

[Son of a gun-ner]

Well, FlySky work with both Clarks and IBU's.
I don't know about Elmod.

IBU's are a lot bigger than the usual Heng Long and Taigen boards, but the Clarks are the same physical size as those stock boards, therefore much better for small tanks.

[NickyB65]

Hi All,

Being new to this great hobby I was wondering about the different electronic boards for RC tanks. Models such as the Clark TK60, the IBU3 or the Elmod.

Generally what ones in members mind are the best here? Also, for me at least, ease of setup, such as uploading sounds to the board?

Finally are all these boards compatible with the likes of the FlySky transmitters and also tank models such as Torro for example?

Thanks for any comments,

Nick

My (limited) understanding is as follows;

Clark - comparatively cheap and easy to set up/use (I have a TK60) but restricted options.

IBU3 & Elmod - much more expensive, complicated to set up but loads more options.

I would suggest begining with a Clark set-up and then figuring out what you want and how much you are willing to pay before advancing to a IBU3 or Elmod (I'm currently in the process of deciding if I really need/can use an IBU3!)

I'm sure someone who has been arould a lot longer will confirm/refute this shortly

Thanks Black Knight, useful info.

[NickyB65]

Well, FlySky work with both Clarks and IBU's.
I don't know about Elmod.

IBU's are a lot bigger than the usual Heng Long and Taigen boards, but the Clarks are the same physical size as those stock boards, therefore much better for small tanks.

Okay, thanks for that info. I think I will go along the TK route.

[Black Knight]

The TK boards are great and require minimal programming. They are almost plug and play. I'd suggest the S-BUS version - less wiring and simple operation.

[jarndice]

All the aftermarket control boards are compatible with all the 1/16 armour that we have available today,
The first thing you need to know is how much space inside your tank do you have?
The CLARK board is quite small and will fit inside the hull of a PZ111/PZ4/ShermanM4 the IBU2/3 is a larger board and is more suited to the Tiger1/2/Challenger/Abrams etc,
They are not difficult to set up,
The IBU comes with a decent set of instructions and you can just follow the enclosed illustrations and just put the plugs of the tank into the correct sockets of the control board,
BUT to get the best from an IBU2 you need a computer and an IBU3 is designed around the user (You) programming it from your PC/MAC/Laptop
For sounds and other set up options simply unclip the Micro SD card from the IBU and put it in a micro SD card reader, (Cheap as chips from PC World) and connect the card reader to the PC via a USB Port and just follow the instructions.

Think about it for a minute,

The makers of these boards want people to buy their product and making a control board that requires a degree in electronics will just scare customers away.
There is plenty of help available from Ian at www.rctankelectronics.com and from Thomas at Elmod plus pages of help on the Forum.

[NickyB65]

All the aftermarket control boards are compatible with all the 1/16 armour that we have available today,
The first thing you need to know is how much space inside your tank do you have?
The CLARK board is quite small and will fit inside the hull of a PZ111/PZ4/ShermanM4 the IBU2/3 is a larger board and is more suited to the Tiger1/2/Challenger/Abrams etc,
They are not difficult to set up,
The IBU comes with a decent set of instructions and you can just follow the enclosed illustrations and just put the plugs of the tank into the correct sockets of the control board,
BUT to get the best from an IBU2 you need a computer and an IBU3 is designed around the user (You) programming it from your PC/MAC/Laptop
For sounds and other set up options simply unclip the Micro SD card from the IBU and put it in a micro SD card reader, (Cheap as chips from PC World) and connect the card reader to the PC via a USB Port and just follow the instructions.

Think about it for a minute,

The makers of these boards want people to buy their product and making a control board that requires a degree in electronics will just scare customers away.
There is plenty of help available from Ian at http://www.rctankelectronics.com and from Thomas at Elmod plus pages of help on the Forum.

Thanks for that jarndice. Yes, looking inside some of these tanks, the wiring, PCBs (for me at least) can be a bit off putting for sure.