Heng Long Tiger Upgrade Options

[wibblywobbly]

Upgrading a Heng Long Tiger

Due to the numerous topics raised on the web worldwide over the past few years I have decided to create a page that covers the subject, pulling together all of the forum links, suppliers and tips that I have been able to find.

Heng Long

Website: http://www.henglongtoys.net/eng/product.asp?ClassID=1

A Chinese company that began manufacturing RC tanks a few years ago. The hulls are an almost identical copy of the Tamiya items, right down to the small indents etc that facilitate the fitting of Tamiya aftermarket metal parts. For copyright reasons the Heng Long Tiger 1 has a few detail differences. These relate to the turret and consist of:

The barrel is in the permament recoil position.
The barrel mantle is upside down.
The rear pistol port is in the wrong position.

All of these can be rectified and are covered below.

The Tigers came in two versions:

Simple RC tanks, with 2 speed, no smoke and no sound, but with the BB gun.
Later model with proportional speed, smoke and sound, and with the BB gun.

Both models came RTR with transmitter.

The receiver board in the two models was the same, the RX13, however this has an overload problem and was subsequently upgraded during later model production with the RX14 which is more durable. It appears that the boards differ due to evolution of the design. To extend the life of the standard components do not run the tank through water, it is not waterproof. Do not place excessive load on the transmission by doing spins on carpet, or running the tank up steep inclines, do not stall the motors. The amps that the standard boards can cope with is around 3 amps. A stalled motor (when the tracks have ground to a halt but the throttle is held open) can demand up to 21 amps.

Upgrading the Tiger.

When upgrading a Tiger it must be remembered that the tank, as supplied, is a toy. It functions perfectly, though durability is a problem for some. If you wish to turn it into a scale model then depending on your budget there is a lot of work involved. This is both rewarding and expensive.

If any part of the transmission is upgraded then it places a strain on the original parts that are retained, so you may wish to consider how much you propose spending before you embark on the upgrade path.

The upgrade path is usually:

Fit metal tracks. This will place a strain on the plastic drive sprockets.
Fit metal drive sprockets. This will place a strain on the suspension.
Fit metal road wheels (the round ones between the sprockets).
Fit metal suspension. This will place a strain on the hull mounts.
Fit hull mount stiffeners.
Fitting metal tracks and sprockets will place a strain on the plastic gearboxes.
Fitting metal gearboxes.
Fitting all metal transmission will place a strain on the motors, which in turn will place a strain on the receiver board components.
Track tensioners.

Useful Links:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=743482


Getting the picture now?

The good news is that all of these parts are cheap!

Scale Model upgrades

There are numerous suppliers of model upgrades for the Tiger.

Metal commanders hatch.
Barrel extension.
Metal front hatches.
Turret machine guns and mounts.
Alternative crew.
Internal aerial.
Additional detail such as metal tow shackles, ammunition, camo nets, tools etc.

Painting the Tiger.

The paint scheme that you choose is entirely up to you. In reality the Tiger had few original paint schemes. Most modellers choose their own.
Tank paint was not showroom shiny, many were painted on the battlefield using whatever paint was available.
Never use gloss paint, always matt.
Don't be afraid to inflict battle damage on tanks, eg shell marks, torn steel, rust.
Many owners remove the factory standard moulded tools, toolboxes etc with a Dremel.

Electronics upgrades:

There are numerous paths to go down.

1. Retain the standard electronics and motors. Replace an RX13 board with the RX14 if and when it fails.
2. Replace the standard black cap Suntech motors with the higher torque Suntech motors, these have a white cap.
3. Options 1 & 2 will work perfectly well with metal transmission upgrades.
4. For longevity fit a 7.2v internal fan over the rx board. It is heat that kills the boards and the fan helps considerably.
5. Upgrade the motors to 7.2v 400's. The standard boards will support 400 series motors. The rx14 board is recommended. I have seen a tank with this conversion and the difference is amazing, though fitting a fan is advisable as they draw more current. Protech 400 motors will fit. 480 motors can be fitted if Elmod conversions are installed (see below).
6. Fit Elmod electronics (see below).
7. Fit a Creeping Death turret (see below).
8. Fit a barrel recoil. You will lose the BB gun.
9. Modify the smoke unit to generate more smoke.


Options 1 - 4 can be resolved via Ebay.
Option 5 can be resolved via any reputable hobby shop.
Option 6 can be resolved via the Elmod website.
Option 7 can be resolved via the Creeping Death website.
Option 8 can be resolved via Ebay.
Option 9 requires the smoke unit to be dismantled. The heating element is then shortened and the unit re-assembled. The shorter element generates more heat.

Explanation of what Elmod offer:

http://www.el-mod.de

This is not a cheap upgrade, and will only appeal to the serious RC tank commanders. If your tank is a scale model, then adding the Elmod kit will take it far beyond anything that Tamiya can offer.

What it does:

This depends on the optional parts that you fit, if you fit everything then you will have:

6 channel control.
Fully proportional speed.
Fully proportional turret rotation speed.
Full sound system, firing system, start up and stop sounds, all of which are proportional. Eg the gun takes 6 seconds to reload, and the turret rotation is slower and sounds different if the engine is turned off as it has to be hand cranked.
480 motors can be fitted.

Optional configurations:

Keep the HL 4 channel tx, and rx14 board.

Drive options depending on the weight of the tank

What do Elmod provide?

You need one of the following 3 options.
Think Tank Booster (Main motor drive board).
Think Tank Afterburner (Add on for Booster if your tank gains weight)
Think Tank Booster inc Afterburner (If your tank weighs more than 5kg)

Think Tank TLS (Turret Control, Light Control, Sound Control)
This module controlls the turret rotation, gun elevation, main gun shot (soft air gun or a recoil unit and a muzzle flash), MG shot (with a muzzle flash) and up to two light sources. The TLS can be directly connected to the Heng Long electronics or to a proportional RC-gear (4 or 6 channels) or WSN T-34. It also works with Bandai or Tamiya tanks.
This unit can only be fitted in conjunction with a Booster module.
HL: TLS with cable set for original heng long electronics
Proportional: TLS with cable set for a proportional radio set (two free channels are necessary)
Proportional C4: TLS with cable set for a proportional radio set (four free channels are necessary.

Think Tank Blaster III (Sound Module)
Five channels for the simultaneous output of sounds.
Open file format: wav, 8 bit, 22kHz sampling rate, mono, pcm.
When used with a proportional RC set, up to four additional clips which can be defined by the user can be played on channel 5 or 6.
Random selection of several chain squeaks depending on speed.
Up tp seven samples for for the turning of the turret depending on the turret speed.
Alternative sounds for turret turning when motor is switched off (operation by hand / emergency operation)
Distinction between cold and warm start.
Random selection of up to ten clips for switching engine on / off.
Sound for canon movement.
Synchronized shot sound.
MG sound: continuing shots, the last one with echo.
Possibility to connect a second speaker.

In summary, you need a one Booster unit, one TLS unit, and one Blaster unit from Elmod.
The options for each unit are shown on the Elmod site, you can have either HL tx, aftermarket 4 channel tx, or aftermarket 6 channel tx.

So in addition to the ElMod kit you may need to buy a new tx. You will also need to buy either 1 or 2 speakers, depending on your requirements.

You can also fit an IR battle system:

This module allows tank combats against any number of opponents. Three available tank profiles (heavy, middle, light) and a unique multiple hit zones mode demand wise acting of the tank commander. It is fully interoperable with the Tamiya Battle Unit and the EGS from Imperial-Modellbau.

Creeping Death Turret upgrade:

http://creepingdeathrc.netfirms.com/seekndestroy//catalog/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=39

This comes as a complete replacement unit and is unique in that it uses an HL turret, but has a full length barrel, recoil, and fires BB's whilst recoiling at the same time. It also has a laser sighting system and the mantle is the correct way around. The BB gun is upgraded way beyond what the original HL gun is capable of too.

Elmod Demo
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HnBxU3P0TOc


Creeping Death Demo
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PyXA5qwUPL0

Real Tiger Pics
http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic.php?t=1766&sid=4b8d63f6b054a2e3ab28ad0742231544

[Norse]

Nice lil guide/list but on your list of metal upgrades i'd do metal gearboxes after the metal sprockets or the clutch will constantly kick in

[[ICE]monkey]

nice guide [ i think ive done all of them lol ]

[Matdragon]

Nice lil guide/list but on your list of metal upgrades i'd do metal gearboxes after the metal sprockets or the clutch will constantly kick in

having said that you can simply glue the slipper cluch, just put some glue (i think ) between it and the big cog next to it and it doesnt slip...

thanks,

Matt

[adin]

That really is an excellent guide matey - well done

[Mackem]

A really helpful and well put together guide.
Nice one 

John

[fv432]

A couple of things you might have forgotten is the DBC and DBUs as these come with there own sounds for your pleasure and the newer unit which will accept a STD reciever thus opening up the freqs we use

but well done on a very informative thread and i for one reckon it should be used as an intro sticky

[wibblywobbly]

Thanks for the comments. Much appreciated.

Quick update - Elmod have now revised and upgraded their systems. They are more compact, and they will now handle 10 amps. That opens the door for some serious motors. They also have a system programmer, the configurator. This allows users to alter the settings for all channels almost infinitely. None of it is cheap though!!

Having ordered my kit a few days ago I am now wondering whether I will get the upgraded system or the old one?

Something that the engineers amongst forum members may like to explore...the HL smoke unit is noisy and lacks that 'pressure'. Whilst my Tiger was in bits I cut away the motor and piston so that I was left with the smoker element box. I then drilled a couple of holes in the back and attached a 7.2v cooling fan. The fan was direct soldered to one of the motors. It was all a bit Heath Robinson, but it gave me real proportional smoke, rev the engine and the smoke belted out of the exhausts. I would have pursued it but managed to burn out the smoke circuit on the RX13 board I was using (the bit that powers the smoke unit). What is perfectly possible is a silent running smoke unit that is a million times better then the original. I still have no idea what caused the problem with the board, so would anyone know whether removing the original smoke pump motor causes some sort of overload? I have a new proportional smoke unit on order and would love to modify it, and any tips on the most suitable thickness/length/type of replacement element wire would be very welcome.

I now realise how the smoke unit works, it's a plastic box with a +/- pair of wires feeding each end of an element. A length of wick is wrapped around this element so that the element heats it up and burns the oil off the wick. The loose ends of the wick drop to the bottom of the tank and suck up oil as required. There is also a cotton wool ball in there to soak up excess oil. Contrary to popular belief, it does not appear possible to 'overfill' the smoke unit with oil as the tank will take quite a bit. If smoke units stop working then the most probable cause will be a loose element wire. They box will need to be cut open and resealed to fix it though I would recommend not cutting around the original join, but simply cut the top off as it will make it easier to re-solder joints.

One tip for more smoke is to shorten the element and remove the cotton wall ball.

D&D Modelsport sell the fans on Ebay. £3.79 inc p&p, the same ones that can be used to cool the boards.

Cheers

Rob G