RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Disaster has struck with the supersmoker !
FIRE!!!!!!!!!!
side of case has melted on one side and almost torched the Tiger.

Had nothing but trouble with these things wouldnt recommend them.
thank Taigen for Metal chassis.

Fishtank wrote:Disaster has struck with the supersmoker !
FIRE!!!!!!!!!!
side of case has melted on one side and almost torched the Tiger.

Had nothing but trouble with these things wouldnt recommend them.
thank Taigen for Metal chassis.

Yup, same thing happened with my first one. I was told that I had let it run dry however there was still smoke fluid inside the wick had just burned thru and started smoking black. I was able to get my Tiger opened up and ripped it out burning my fingers in the process. I had told the builder of the problem for him to look into and he replied by sending me a new smoker with a new instruction sheet that included a disclaimer and warning about misuse causing fire. However being that my first one still had smoke fluid in it when it caught fire I don't think its a matter of misuse especially after Carl stated on this forum that he cut costs on the smokers to have more money to spend on his tank projects.

Blake tried to come to the rescue for me as well and sent me a bunch of parts to build some smokers and was going to send me a wire diagram and let me know how much I owed him but I never heard back from him. Blake is a great guy, can't say enough good about him. If anyone can help with this smoker it would be him.

Blake, please check your PM and let me know.

I had only just filled it up as i ran it on test when i first got the unit and timed how long it ran for without depleating the fluid.
I was well within the time as i had only ran the tank for 4:28 seconds according to my run time indicator on hand set. I was suprised that where the wick enters the case of the smoker to see it had deformed and begun to melt. The exhaust port had blackened on one side and was dark brown on the other. This unit had got FAR hotter than i would expect. there must be a fault with this unit. It absolutly started pouring out smoke and a nasty smell like burning plastic started being emitted from it aswell as smoke pooring out of not only the exhaust vents but the fan intake.What i wasnt expecting was a ploom of redish smoke just before i ripped it out? Im not sure what the case is made from but i thought it was metal however it seemed more like soft plastic when i ripped it out.
Anyway this unit is now toast, just glad my taigen Tiger is not harmed as it is now quite expensive. Just use caution with these units.

Fishtank, yup same thing happened to my first one EXACTLY! I said the same thing as you just did in my review of this smoker and after the 2nd one messed up that I got I was left with the conclusion that the problem was not with me but rather the smokers themselves. As to the builder my mom always told me if I didn't have anything nice to say to not say anything at all so my silence should speak volumes.

I'm glad your Tiger is ok and that you didn't get burned like I did. I'm sure had I not been running the Taigen metal lower hull too that it would have melted thru the floor of the tank.

Its a shame Blakes work on this smoker has been turned into this mess.

Ok Guys let me say this. Its my fault entirely.

I will be able to spend some time on the forum from Wed Night forward and we can resolve these smoker problems and perhaps resolve this so anyone can have a smoker.

I should have posted these long ago, but commercial interest and other consideration prevented me from doing so. And know this Carl did try and produce a unit and I assure you he did not make a dime. I know as I marketed these through RC TANK WARS and considering the time to fill an order its like working for McDonalds for 1/4 of minimum wage and then getting paid half because you forgot to clock in.

Lets just see if we cannot solve the problem and get anyone who wants a unit to have one. I've contacted Normond and he is the best source for smoker information once I am able to create new schematics to demonstrate the wiring.

This entire idea of smokers started with three guys on RC UNIVERSE, me Normond and Dan. So since me and Normond are still in the Hobby I'm sure we will have a solution. I am sorry guys, just so much going on in my life I have not been able to devote even a 1hr to 1/16 scale tanks.

The one thing I ask is for us to remember this is for fun, and so lets just try to resolve the problems and enjoy our Hobby. Life is much to short, and with one foot in the grave and an insurance company trying to shovel the soil already I am a bit slow I admit. And apologize.

Wed guys, I'll be on here and that is central standard US time from 6-12 ok gang. Be ready for smoker 101 INSTRUCTION IN HOW NOT TO CATCH YOUR TANK ON FIRE WHILE MAKING SMOKE! lol cheers 1 saxondog

Figures! Just when this whole thing may be coming to an end I change jobs at work and will be working on a regional train not locals anymore for a while so I won't be home too much in the next couple months. I will however try to catch up as much as I can and post when my phone will let me.

Ok! I was asked to chip in and try to find a solution for the problems of the supersmoker2 when used with the Taigen board...

First, the super smoker was designed before the release of the Taigen board and built to work with the RX-18...

The Taigen board was design to work with the stock H.L. smoke unit...

So it seems that the super smoker is not entirely compatible with the Taigen board mainly because Taigen is swiching the smoke unit differently...

The results for the supersmoker is a lower speed of the fan at idle, increasing the heat in the smoke chamber; leading to the melting of the ABS casing and even fire...

I don't have a supersmoker or the schematics, but since I have a Taigen board; I decided to run some tests using a boosted H.L. smoker...

I modified the smoker so I can connect or disconnect the heater ground terminal to the smoker ground.

The heater is a 14 Ohms 1 Watt wire wound resistor

The 5 Volts mini fan and the pump motor are powered by a voltage regulator type LM 7805

The power to the board comes from a voltage regulator adjusted at 7.5 Volts


TEST 1 Heater ground terminal disconnected

- Voltage to the board: 7.5 V.
- Voltage to smoke unit terminal: 7.22 V.
- LM 7805 output: 5.00 V.

TEST 2 Heater ground connected to smoke unit ground

- Voltage to board: 7.5 V.
- Voltage to smoke unit terminal: 6.35 V.
- LM 7805 output: 4.79 V.

TEST 3 Heater ground connected to battery ground

- Voltage to board: 7.5V
- Voltage to smoke unit terminal: 6.93 V.
- LM 7805 output: 5.00 V.

Tests conclusion:
The transistor switching "on" and "off" the smoke unit on the Taigen board is not power full enough to handle the heater element and the combo voltage regulator/ fan; resulting in a lack of speed of the fan at idle...

Proposed solution:
Disconnect the ground terminal of the heater from the smoke unit and connect it directly to the battery ground.

This will turn "on" the power to the heater element as soon as you turn "on" the power switch.

Do not wait more than 30 sec. to start the tank because of the rapid heat build up in the smoke chamber when the fan is "off"

Hmmmm..... May have to try this today before I go to work. Thanks man.

Sorry for the delay guys, my wife has been very ill for over a year. In August sugery had given us some hope that recovery was possible.Sunday night we returned to the Hospital due to her condition. She remains in isolation with pneumonia.

I will not be available tonight to post the Super Smoker details. I'm not sure why units are flaming, as my original unit still works as designed?

I will return asap to post the original unit design specs. The unit does not require any link with the Control unit. The entire fan control circuit relies on the motor voltage to power the fan.

I will post asap guys, the circuit is simple and the parts are available online at Radio shack.

Thanks for your consideration of my situation,

cheers Blake

Priority's Blake, You know where you have to be and it is not here. My prayers and good wishes for your Lady's speedy recovery. shaun