RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Not sure if this is a flash issue or an ElMod fusion pro problem.
The xenon flash doesn’t always flash, maybe 1 in 10 times.
Any ideas what is the problem, all wiring has been checked. I don’t want a new flash if it’s an ElMod issue or something else.

Have you tried plugging the flash unit into another tank or board?
I once had one of those things stop working and found the main part under the shrink wrap was super hot as it was charging but not discharging. It might be worth checking that too. Flash units are fairly inexpensive so hopefully it's that and not the board.

Hmmm..

Depending in the state of the battery, or type, the flash can take a bit of time to charge.
In my experience, when using a NiMh battery, the more I fired the cannon, the longer it took to charge and flash.

With LiPo I never had those problems. But even then it took up to 4 seconds for the flash to charge. You could hear its high pitched whine rising, before letting loose.

Sadly a bit of clumsy handling on my part caused a short and blew it up. Currently I keep at super bright LED’s. They aren’t any less bright, but are more directional than the xenon flash.

I use these: https://www.conrad-electronic.co.uk/ce/ ... -mcd-----2

They are a tad expensive, and “cheap” white LED’s around 1000 to 4000mcd work fine, but they lack the retina-searing 9000mcd of the conrad ones.

Test


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A new flash has fixed this so not a board issue

Just to say, be careful how you handle flash units. They work by storing a charge in an onboard capacitor, the charge stored is quite high which is why they are enclosed in heatshrink. The charge stays in the capacitor for a while even after switching off etc.

Firing a tank in quick succession will not allow the capacitor time to recharge, just in case anyone else gets a similar problem.

Rob,

Definitely a dodgy unit, but wise words.