S.L.U OPINIONS needed.

[wibblywobbly]

I have two SLU's. one in a Tamiya/Mato Sherman running standard Mato gearboxes and metal suspension, it is quite heavy. Yes the esc's get hot, but I have run the tank for an hour over the SWAG battleground at Rhoose which is as tough as it gets on an RC tank without any problems. That includes steep gradients etc. Esc's get hot, that is why they have heatsinks on them?

I have a Leopard 2A6 SLU that I ran in a ZTZ without any problems either. The only problem I had was the turret control mini plug in board blew. The problem, as I found out months later was not the SLU, it was the HL turret rotation motors. It took me a while to figure out that I had a duff one, and had replaced it with another one that was also duff.

That unit is now being shoe horned into a Bulldog, which is presenting problems all of their own. That is running Asiatam Panther 3:1 low profile gearboxes. As a result it is slow, but that is a feature of running 3:1 boxes, not an issue with the SLU.

What makes a tank fast or slow is rarely the board output, it is a mix of gearboxes, plastic/metal tracks, and track design. Cleated tracks will never allow a tank to turn well on anything other than a smooth hard surface, and if they are metal and on grass, it becomes a significant problem.

I now only run plastic tracks on all of my tanks, they reduce the weight considerably, and I haven't had one break yet. They are also a lot cheaper. If you reduce the weight of the tank, you can even install plastic gearboxes, just glue up the slipper clutch and they are a great option. If they break they are as cheap as chips to replace. Super quiet too. If the manufacturers had any sense they would make gearboxes using quality nylon, not cheap metals, as they would be silent running, and weigh a lot less.

I also have two Elmods, these have performed flawlessly for years, and out of all of the systems they give the most rewarding driveability, you actually feel like you are driving a heavy tank due to the way the advanced electronics function.

I also have a Tamiya Panther, and out of all of my tanks I can say that, yes, the gearboxes are good, but that is where it ends. The tank is way too fast, and it's more like driving a tank with car drive systems than driving a tank. The SLU has way more functionality than a DMD/MFU and all programmable from a remote. Dare I say it, but with a properly set up speaker/enclosure, the sounds are better than the Tamiya offering, which is now very long in the tooth, and way overpriced in the current market.

The Clark board is good, it does everything, though I suspect that due to the shortcomings of the TK20, the initial production run may be sold, and then all development will be on the TK22, which on paper is a better board. Development is very slow at Clark Model though, and I wouldn't be surprised if the TK22 options are being held back to ensure that the stocks of TK20's are gone. Then it may well be dropped and the more expensive TK22 would be the only option. Pure conjecture on my part though.

Another option is the Darkith/Benedini option. Quality sounds, and transportable between tanks as the sounds are programmable like the Elmod.

The Taipan boards are still under development.

SGS do some quality kit, but that isn't cheap.

Have fun

Rob

[maxmekker]

Thanks for the info, and this tread. I have a rolling tiger that needs most of the electronic's. Not sure I would spend el-mod cash on it, but it seems to give the best performance 'out there'.


I know there is lot's of vido clips's out there but do share if yoy have them.

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[Herr Fritz]

Thanks guys!

hey Max your Tiger looks great!

Here is a link to my custom flash and modified Tamiya Recoil unit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFhu3PfAGF0

Curtis just got a fresh batch of the TK20's in and I should be getting mine soon! Can't wait.

SWEET NEWS!!!!

Off of Craigs List a local guy just sold me a SX6 with two receivers for 50.00!!! now I have my control board and a Radio ALL
for less than 175.00 !! Can't beat that!