My late Tiger conversion (Taigen)

[LordLudikrous]

"they also...squeak and squeal in a realistic fashion" Oh that must be fun to hear! May that sound last and last and last. And don't underestimate the effect of details like the periscopes. Un-hunh, that stuff is noticeable.

Tragically as theyre bedding in the sounds are happening less and less, so its probably on borrowed time. I've got some woods and marshlands that are about a 10 minute walk from where I live and just need to figure out a solution to transport the tank safely there as its the perfect playground to actually get some dirt on the tracks. Might be a case of buying a toolbox and putting foam inside it.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

The "CRAFTSMAN PRO Tool Box, Lockable, 28-in. (CMST28001)" on Amazon may be large enough to carry even a modern MBT. No point in going too small. https://www.amazon.com/CRAFTSMAN-Tool-S ... =8-44&th=1[/url]

[LordLudikrous]

Yeah I probably won't go for something quite that big as I can't see myself getting an MBT anytime soon due to other commitments and space, but I need to take my tank somewhere that isn't my back patio.

Not a huge amount of change other than tweaking track tension, but I did find wires were coming into contact with the MFU fan, especially when the gun was fully elevated. So I did a small modification and added a fan cover to stop it from happening. Turned out despite measuring it that Taigen used some kind of wierd fan size and the cover was too large, but it only needed one screw to secure it and thats what I did.



I did however try something different and took it for a limited spin in my front garden. Predictably it handled the loose stones just fine, but things didn't go so well on the grass. I know grass can be tricky for RC tanks at the best of times but my front lawn is like a 1/3 incline. The grass, the strong incline and the fact I had the tracks set a bit too loose for that kind of terrain caused an immediate detracking on both sides. Easily rectified and no damage aside from some paint scraped off the sprocket teeth, and I've tighted the tracks up a bit more as a result.




I'm still very pleased with the paint job so no concerns on that front but its obvious the electronics are very dated – which they are, it’s a Taigen V2 from January 2018. Theres no point upgrading to a V3 because that’s also very dated. The professional hobby grade boards are monstrously expensive in the UK and as much as I love my Tiger for the cost of the board and a transmitter that money is almost enough to get me another whole tank.

I think my best option is to replace the MFU with the HL 7.1 board. I’m aware that it will require changing some connectors and rewiring some of the turret innards, but its potentially a very cost effective option.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

"Wires were coming into contact with the MFU fan...added a fan cover to stop it from happening." I often hear this problem from my Taigen/Torro tanks. What was your source for the fan guard? Or did you make it yourself? And, yes, alas, I favor the Taigen/Torro sound modules, but the rest of the electronics are now sadly outdated.

[LordLudikrous]

These ones

I just removed the dust filter as it seriously restricts airflow. I'm not sure how hot these boards get but I didn't want to chance it. So far its worked.

For me I prefer the current HL board for Tiger sounds from the videos I've seen because while the Taigen one might be more accurate, its very obviously looping and the effects don't progress nicely as throttle power increases. HL, while the sound is less accurate, does a more convincing job of sounding like an engine revving up in line with throttle input.

I've managed to get pretty good at mimicking a more realistic movement and speed with the V2 but its extremely difficult, especially when turning.



Something else I've noticed as well is that when I power the tank on the fan on the MFU is really, really loud and spinning like crazy, and then slows and quietens down over the course of a minute or so. Never used to do that so it wouldn't surprise me to learn the board is on its way out or something.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

From any V3 Taigen/Torro tank I have, the sound is louder for the initial start-up. This may be related to the fan speed. Hmm…

[LordLudikrous]

Not much to say lately, I'm just waiting for the HL 7.1 boards to come back into stock at Forgebear. I'll be replacing the MFU, speaker and smoke unit, particularly as the latter won't function with newer MFUs. Its actually stopped working properly but seeing as its being replaced in a month or so I'm not going to expend the effort trying to fix it.

Unfortunately the squeaking from the tracks has disappeared, but I sort of expected that. I will say this though that watching the wheels and suspension working never gets old.

[Jofaur86]

Hello, if I may? Whether for work, on the tank, storage, transport? I would advise making a wooden block, of the length, width of the chassis and height, so that the tank never rests on its tracks, when not working!!! you can also attach this part to a larger panel, and thus facilitate transport in your trunk, or rear seat. For a Tiger I? 2 CTP thickness of 21 mm
assembled do the job very well

[LordLudikrous]

Its been a while since I last updated but here we are. After what feels like waiting for an eternity for them to come back in stock, I ordered and got a Heng Long 7.1 MFU and transmitter, along with the CNC J4 smoker and the uprated twin speaker. I did consider the Clark and Elmod boards but they’re just a bit too pricey for me, and in the case of the Elmod board loaded with features I’d likely never ever need.

I plugged the speaker and smoker into the board to do a quick pair and test before I go installing everything into the tank, and hoo boy I was not expecting the somewhat “violent” behaviour of both components (sound on).



I have to say I’m extremely impressed. I admit my very positive impression is probably mainly down to going from an 8 year old Taigen V2 MFU to the latest HL, and that my last experience with a HL board was the very first 27mhz non smoke, non sound, non proportional Tiger (with the upside down mantlet). There’s just so many options to customise, and the sound while not as accurate other options scales really nicely with throttle power, and its very easy to drive in a realistic manner.

Satisfied with the new board, the first order of business is to remove the old electronics setup.




Once all components were removed the next step is to desolder the existing wires for the motors and replace with the new bullet style connectors. After a quick perch on the obligatory tins of baked beans to make sure the gearboxes worked ok with the new wires, I installed the new MFU.



This is where the first challenges began to appear. The 7.1 MFU is quite a bit larger than the V2, and because of the way the connections to the gearboxes are designed I’m not able to position it as far forward as I’d like. As you can see from the clip above, the smoker motor moves around quite vigorously, and inside the hull this translates to a noticeable rattle.

I ended up securing some foam to the side and floor of the hull interior with double sided foam tape, and then secured the motor to the foam with more double sided tape. The rattle is transformed into a mild vibration that can be felt through the tank.



What has proven a challenge is the speaker. Its too big to fit into the sponsons without fouling the turret rotation motor. What I might end up doing tomorrow is fashioning a form of removable riser to support the speaker so it can just sit above the battery and the empty space in the left rear of the hull.



I also noticed that I’m going to have to re-wire nearly all the connections in the upper hull because they’re 3 pin and the HL MFU is 2 pin, so that’s fun. I’m hoping as well that I can take the servo connector for the recoil out the turret and plug it straight into the board without too much trouble. Overall though, its worth the effort.

[HERMAN BIX]

Mr Ludikrous that smoker you have is a Barrel Smoke unit not and engine smoke one sorry.
That unit is designed only for intermittent bursts rather than constant discharge of smoke.
It wont last long.
Keep it though.
Get yourself an H/L proportional smoker unit and plumb that in instead.

https://hobbyassault.com.au/collections ... u-rc-tanks

Like this for example.
Good news is these things are simple to hook up and work very much more reliable than the old ones used to be ..............