Intro to the Open Panzer Project - and a new Control Board

[Sub]

Hi LukeZ.
Many thanks for the info I thought as much but thought I would check, I also had a slight issue when connecting to the OP which was that I could only connect through the snoop facility, but once I got the snoop up I could connect to the full OP, don't know if this is something that can happen as I found the answer to use snoop in the wiki....very useful indeed.

If I could also ask a question...I am making my own sound board up that only require a positive and negative connection to make the board work ie just like a switch turning the power on...I was going to use one of the light functions to switch them on and off, but just wondered about the sound ports on the TCB...does that switch a positive and negative on when they are used with any of the sound cards available or is the + and - constantly switched on with the signal activating the sound card from the servo plug.
As I thought I may be able to just plug my + and - into the servo plug sound port to activate my card....sorry if this sounds a bit strange but I am no electronics expert..
Many thanks.
Sub.

[LukeZ]

On all the servo outputs the + and - are simply constant voltage supplies, they don't and can't be switched on or off. Only the signal wire is switched but not really as on/off, more as a series of pulses that won't be useful for your purposes.

Instead you can use the light outputs or one of the general purpose I/O ports labelled A and B. The light outputs would be better (including the Aux output) because they include a transistorized switch (the infamous MOSFETs) which allow them to source some decent amount of current if your sound card requires it. The A & B outputs can only source 20mA each, which is fine if you are connecting it to another digital circuit that simply needs a logic switch, but if your sound circuit switch draws more current than that you would have to add your own transistor to the A or B output, or use a relay (these are discussed on the Wiki page).

PS - on your connection issue, this is a known problem. So far it has only affected a handful of users and I am not able to replicate it on my end, but I suspect it has something to do with your specific Windows setup, or some other software you have which is conflicting. The solution as you read in the Wiki Troubleshooting guide is to use the Snoop workaround, which for anyone else reading this is to connect using Snoop first (on the Firmware tab) and once that connection is established then click the Connect button to move into full connection mode.

[c.rainford73]

Hi Luke Thanks for the information. Now that the dip switches are sorted I have a question.

I've been studying the wiki and it's very helpful.

So far I've programmed the channels on my remote and setup my channels. My computer setup the driver and OP without any issue that I can see. So far so good!

I'm using a servo for elevation and recoil. I see a very informative video for servo elevation setup. How is the process for the servo recoil setup?

I see on the OP configuration options I just want it clarified. I own two boards and am very impressed to say the least.

Thanks

Carl

[Sub]

Hi Luke.
Thx for the info most helpful, i will go through one of the lighting ports as my unit only needs 5v to work.
Regards
Sub.

[LukeZ]

I'm using a servo for elevation and recoil. I see a very informative video for servo elevation setup. How is the process for the servo recoil setup?

There is a separate video for the recoil servo, you can find information about all the servo setup menus on this page.

[c.rainford73]

Thanks again Luke. My servo recoil setup is dialed in, my turret rotation and lights are all set too.

I really like the ability to dial in the recoil and set the overall recoil and return to battery.

I've got the system setup on my bench and will be installing it starting this weekend in the T-34.

Thanks so much

[LukeZ]

Glad you like it. Keep us posted on your T-34, others are interested to see this system in action.

[c.rainford73]

Glad you like it. Keep us posted on your T-34, others are interested to see this system in action.

Will do Luke

[Rad_Schuhart]

Hi Luke, according to my last experiments, you can have turret rotation and barrel elevation too with the dasmikro. And of course cannon shoot and machine guns... Everything is a matter of programming the radio, but it can be done.

[LukeZ]

Just an update on several new features added to the TCB recently. To take advantage of these you will need to update first OP Config and then flash your TCB with latest firmware.

Benedini Micro - Limited Support
You will now see an option for the Benedini Micro on the Sounds tab of OP Config (in addition to the Mini which was already there). The Micro has its own page now in the Wiki as well. Functionality is very limited - you get engine sounds, machine gun and cannon fire, that's it. This isn't really a change in policy or addition of features, since the Micro has always been able to work with the TCB this way. It's just gotten to be such common knowledge that I decided it would be easier to make it part of the official documentation rather than answering questions about it.  

Now because the Benedini Micro was designed for use with standard RC gear to begin with, you can in fact take advantage of its other features but you will need a programmable radio and some expertise, you can see Rad Schuhart's thread for more tricks and tips on that topic, but I will not be actively helping people figure that stuff out. This is as far as I am able to go down this path since as we all know the Micro has been cloned by the Chinese and I don't want to undercut Thomas's business.

Now if you choose to use Benedini's Mini sound card then you don't need any fancy computer radio and the TCB will take care of all the extra features for you, and you get 15 extra sounds in addition to the engine sounds.


Support for Transmitters Without Self Centering Throttle
This was suggested by a user from Slovakia, you can read his thread here. Most transmitters don't come with self-centering throttle stick and he asked if we could create a function where the direction could be selected by a 3-position switch (neutral, forward, reverse), and then the throttle stick would be used only for speed. This is a perfect example of a clever idea I didn't think of but which we were able to implement with a simple change in firmware. (Warning: not every idea pitched to me seems clever.)

If your transmitter has a self-centering throttle stick, do nothing and the TCB will operate as it always has. If you don't have self-centering but do have a 3-position switch, assign that switch as triggers for the three new Manual Transmission functions. Note that the TCB will prevent you from starting the engine unless you have put your gear switch into the neutral position. Also note that you lose the ability to brake (unless you change gears from forward to reverse or vice versa). Braking is only needed if you use high levels of deceleration constraint (momentum).


Support for Tamiya DMD Drive Units
Tom Hugill pointed out an obvious fact which nevertheless I had never thought of, that the Tamiya DMD units are just 4 brushed speed controllers crammed into a single box with a V-Tail mixer for the tracked drive, and therefore might work with the TCB. You can read his thread here. In fact they will work but we can't have the TCB and the DMD both trying to do track mixing so we need to turn it off on the TCB. For this you will notice a new entry in the Vehicle Type drop-down on the Motors tab of OP Config, the entry is called Tank (Tamiya DMD). (If you hadn't been paying attention we also added a new entry there for the DKLM gearboxes a few months ago). Then you just connect the DMD Rudder cable to the TCB RC Output 1 and DMD Throttle to TCB RC Output 2.

As always, there are details and caveats: First, because the Tamiya DMD has a BEC (battery eliminator circuit) you must remove the center pin from the servo connectors before you attach it to the TCB, otherwise you could damage one or both devices (this precaution holds true for all hobby speed controllers with a BEC). See this page for a photo of what I am talking about.

Also, because the DMD is doing the mixing you can no longer use the TCB's various Turn Modes which require the TCB to do the mixing. Finally, the neutral turn (super spin) behavior is now defined by the DMD. I only have a T-08 model to test with but I think they are all the same, the DMD performs spin turns when under ~50% throttle while the steering is held all the way to the left or right (the TCB by comparison performs neutral turns when throttle is zero and steering is applied).

Now everybody already knows that Tamiya will only sell you a DMD for the price of about two kidneys and a lung, so if you don't already have any speed controllers I wouldn't recommend buying one, there are better and cheaper options. But if you already have a DMD in one of your Tamiya tanks and want to update the MFU to the TCB, you can do that.


I hope some of you find these changes useful, and thanks to everyone for giving me creative ideas to improve this product.