RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Tools scattered everywhere; discarded wires, vital bits of tank cast aside: all evidence of frantic activity, and a house that looks like it's been burgled. But, it's just an old manic Highlander shouting his way through the process of fitting a Clark Tk-22 to his early production Tiger 1 project. (No turret number as yet..but 666 comes to mind..yeah, I know, there never was one). Having already finished the exterior, the Tiger needed a heart transplant to give it character. The plodding 2.4Ghz stock Taigen system I'd built it with, though fairly dependable, was always uninspiring, and had to go.
But this old dinosaur, from the age of cars with starting handles, TVs with 9inch screens (came with large magifying glass to boost the screen size..true that), and steam trains, had never looked at tank MFU systems before, let alone handled a programmable Rx/Tx. (Spektrum
DX6i with AR610). This was always going to be a recipe for bellows of frustration across the Loch. In the event, and in the modern spirit of self- congratulation (why DO people applaud themselves on Tv?) I'm going to give myself a wee pat on the back. The Clark transplant is beating away, and the tank is a different beast..and the Spektrum (really could do with centering left stick) handles quite well....but there's a thick manual to go through., and much help needed.I've benefitted from the pain and gain demonstrated in the forum archive, of all those prior frustrations. I've also built PCs, and worked with (home) recording studio electronics/ hi-fi etc., (Guitars and amps too), for many decades...but this RC stuff is from an alternate universe. Now about the Clark:
Pros:
1.Credible sound effects, and proportional engine sounds
2.Ability to switch stuff on and off (lights, engine sounds etc., but still have movement)
3. Smokes like an opium den.
4. Program options through Sony remote better than nothing. Just.

Cons:
1. Out-of-date illustrations (Heng Long wiring loom doesn't look identical to modern Taigen one)
2. Inadequate instructions (guesswork needed)
3. Things lost in translation
4. Wiring mods.
5. Surprising lack of solid advice online
6. Doesn't appear to work with my Taigen Airsoft Barrel recoil....still. looking for a solution there. Probably needs a firmware update.

Conclusion:
I wouldn't buy another one. It's the ASP for me in future (If Max U52s enthusiam is anything to go by), or the trust IBU2..
So here's the final product (for the moment), the 666:-

Forgot the sodding pictures....ich bin etwas geistig abwesend, Ich glaube! Sooorry, see: Hard Transplant 2: the sequel

43,

Sorry to hear about your hard transplant with Clark board. You might know this already, but you need to change the configuration on the default setting on Clark for Airsoft to work. I have many Clark boards and have live thru thick and thin with them, so if there are any questions on setting/installation as such would be more than happy to help. The website is a must and there is a download of it somewhere which is handy to have printed as a hard copy as well.

MichaelC.

If you want a "SELF CENTERING LEFT STICK DX6i" for your Spectrum DX6i you should go to "YOU TUBE" and type in the words I have Capitalised. No cost, very easy, and if you need to, the modification is easily reversible. A well kept secret modification that anyone with a Spectrum DX6i who uses it with Tanks should definitely try.
shaun

Thanks for the input, Michael and Jarndice.. Yes, I did set the Board to '2' (power button option etc.,) for Airsoft, and the Airsoft works well, and I'd already managed the wire from the safety switch to the 8-pin daughter board- though there's not much room inside one of those metal turrets to get your pinkies in. It's the Airlift barrel recoil that doesn't work. Anyway, It's a Tiger 2 turret for me next time, and maybe a plastic one at that. 'Nate' (Captain Nemo)s take on the Clark board is lucid, but predates airsoft barrel recoil by two years. It was penned in 2013, I think. Clark's
guide came to me via Heng-Long-Panzer.de., from whence the board came. A good source, by the way, as I didn't want to risk Tankzone. Hope that's not being uncharitable, but I had read the trusted vendor's files. The Clark guide is in German..which I speak, but had to brush up on a few technical terms. Thanks, though Michael, I've scanned quite a few of your previous posts, and was suitably impressed. Now Mr Jaundice (got through that time...damned spell checker) I shall try that YOU TUBE tip right away. Cheers. I've also scanned quite a few of your useful bits of hard-won savvy.
I did see a piece by 'Tanker 10' on Youtube, where he simply slackened off one of those tensioners (pair per gimbal) on the gimbal, and Hey Presto! he got springy centre return. Mine doesn't do that, it just hangs limp(no ratchet, no tension) like a case of severe brewer's droop. He must have had a spring in there to begin with...but then maybe the configuration's slightly different on models sold in the US, where he's based. Maybe SpeKtrum saw his vid and decided to nullify that move... they're not a charity after all.