Clark boards

[Silverstalker]

I have been away for a ''while'' come back just this last month and I see a lot of posts about 'Clark-boards' what exactly is a clark board is it a new kid on the block? better than the usual RX18?

[Tankbear]

Yep just that, but also need a different radio, some rewiring and extra bits to program it.

[Silverstalker]

is it worth it whats the benafits?

[jarndice]

The good thing about the CLARK board is that like the RX18 and the IBU2 it is a plug and play set up, the downsides are it is nowhere near as good as the IBU2 and the UK dealer is TANKZONE whose only connection to the Forum is that he is a long standing member of the BLACKLIST!!!
Also to initialize the board you need a particular SONY TV REMOTE and you stand a better chance of being knocked over by a Unicorn than finding one,
Michael C is the only reliable source that I know and of course you will need a new Transmitter and receiver, the recommended Transmitter is the TURNIGY xr9
www.clark-models.com
shaun

[Silverstalker]

I am ok with my RX18..... ha sounds like a lot of faf....

[MichaelC]

Silverstalker, if you are okay with RX-18 I would stay there. There are also easy upgrade to the new 2.4 Ghz HL which is identical to RX-18 except on a 2.4 Ghz radio frequency. The moment you move up to a Clark or IBU2 you will have to deal with hobby grade radio and programming of the board (although the defaults are pretty good anyway). Unless there are specific issues you have with HL/RX-18 like reception problem, or if you want better sound, or if you want to get rid of the hull shakes, or you want to battle with Tamiya compatible tanks clubs etc then I would start looking at other options.

jarndice, dgsselkirk and I are importing some of those Sony remotes which like you said is like trying to find a unicorn. So if anyone is looking for one they can contact myself or dgsselkirk and we will sell you one. We ordered 11 last time and I think half of them are gone already. Our club is mostly Clark (and some SLUs and obviously Tamiya's) so they are popular with the members.

I don't sell Clark personally but I know the product well. There is a bit of a regional thing happening here as IBU2 is popular in Europe/UK (I would dare say mostly because of Tankbear's amazing service !) and Clark is quite popular in N.A.

MichaelC.

[MichaelC]

I don't think IBU is that much bigger. Clark has the exact same foot print as the RX-18. In fact, I had use RX-18 bottoms as a holder for Clark. If you need size, I have used a Tk-35 Clark which is designed for 1/35s and it has the exact same function as the Tk-22 other than the fact that you have to choose between smoker function OR turret servo rotation (one or the other but not both).

The new Clark board (Tk-60) will be the same size as IBU. I think once you put in a SD card reader you have to go with a larger size. Both of them fully supports lipos so you can get away with a smaller battery in lieu of the larger footprint I guess. Doesn't the Benedini has an SD reader on it as well ? Or do you need to flash it everytime ?

There is no doubt that IBU2 has more features than Clark Tk-22, but also accessibility and support. This is where the regional thing come in as well. Post sales support in terms of parts/repairs/functions are just as important if not more so than the initial outlay of cash. I don't have an IBU2 but as far as I can tell it is much more customizable than Clark Tk-22 as well in addition to the SD sound files.

At some point I will try an IBU2 just to play with and see how the sounds files etc works and also the customization options.

MichaelC.

[dgsselkirk]

The only other thing I would point out is $$$ for my money and being the simple minded oaf I am the TK22's are sophisticated enough for me. $100 I don't mind for what I get but the few added features on the IBU set to me doesn't justify the extra money but this is just my opinion. From what I can see though the new TK60 will have all the IBU features but of course will now rise to be about the same price so there you go...

[Tankbear]

Hi kiaser,

I'm not certain where your based but if you can get yourself to a local tank club maybe there will be a Clark equipped tank and an ibu2 equipped tank so you can talk to the owners or have a go that way you get first hand experience.

Ian.

[Tankbear]

Hi Tankbear

Thanks for the advise I live in your understanding the country away from any tank club seeing your the supplier maybe we can do some business on a IBU2 pro I have purchased items from forgebear nice guy I'm in Australia but I do not mind Supporting you guys .

Drop me a pm and we can sort something out, Australia not a problem sold and shipped a few units there already.

Ian.