RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hello everybody! I'm a RCTANKWARFARE virgin (ouch!) This is my first entry and I hope I can make some friends . HL smokers are a disappointment to say the least. Since I have so much time on my hands I set out to explore the possibility of upgrading this unit and make it a long lasting, dependable, smokin sob. I'm not a electronics genius but sometimes I surprize myself (most of the time I disappoint myself). I read what others have attempted and after some experimenting I do believe I've done it. I tested it with letting it run continuously for 1/2 hour, then stoped and and started it ten times letting it run a few minutes between stops, I've started it over and over for days. Is it durable I asked? So I placed it in a 14" square cardboard box and shook it violantly, then I dropped it several times chest high on a hard surface. It still works fine! The great thing is this wasn't that difficult. Smoke on!!!

hi and welcome to the forum, are you going to spill the beans on your smoker fix ?
all the best, ice

hi there and welcome to the fourm may you have lots of happy builds
dave

Well I just wrote out in detail how to up-grade the smoker. By the time I was done when I pushed submit it made me sign in again and it was lost. B.S. Sorry

press back and copy and paste it in if that happens, if i even write a long post i always copy it before i hit subit just incase that happens

welcome to the forum hope you can retreive it or write it again lol how much smoke does it give out ? more than stock ? would be great to cheaply get a good smoker as decent ones like graunpers cost a fair amount

cheers,

Mart

If you're interested in building a smok eunit, it can be done very easily and very cheap. Here's a link to a great bunch of ideas. Last 2 pages of the post have great information...
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_58065 ... ey_/tm.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
And here's the one I just finished...
http://www.streetfire.net/video/Tiger-w ... 733401.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ok! I'm gonna try it again. Part one.... First a common problem with these smokers is one tube plugs with fluid. Heres the fix; Carefully cut around the 90 degree fittings on the top of the fluid box to cut through any glue, then pry them off. Now remove clear tubes from fittings, if they are glued on insert a pointed exacto knife between tube and fitting and pry gently. Now use a 1/8" drill bit and very carefully drill out the nipple on the fitting (don't drill through fitting and drill straight and slow) now do the same the nipples on top of the tank lid. Now use a 9/64" bit and do it all over again. This will enlarge the holes quite a bit thus allowing the fluid to run back into the tank and you'll get more smoke. Part two to follow!

I forgot to mention this is not building a entirely new smoker, this is dramatically improving a stock or proportional Heng Long smoke unit.....Part two coming soon!

Part two!...Now understandI tried many different materials and these were what worked.
First, go to dube.com and click on kevlar rope, then click on 1/8" and purchase one foot ($0.35). Next is a hair dryer, I purchased a Vidal Sasson 1875 compact turbo. This dryer has 2 different size heating elements, you want the small one. Dismantle dryer and cut a 3" piece, it resembles a spring. Straighten it out, it's pretty stiff. Now cut a 1 1/2" piece of the kevlar rope, this is multi-stand and loosely twisted so moisten it and twist it tight. Now mark with a pen 1/4" in from each end of the rope. With the rope in one hand and the wire in the other place the wire against the mark on one end of the rope 3/4" from the end of the wire. Now twist the long end of the wire straight around the rope once, now twist the wire on an angle 5 more times around the rope ending on the mark at the other end of the rope, the 5th twist straight around just like on the other end making sure the left over tail is pointing in the same direction on both ends. You have now made your new element, it may take a couple of trys to get it like this. You should have a 1/4" of rope past both ends of the coil.Trim the wire tails to 1/4-3/16 long, these will be soldered on to the solder points wher the original element is. Hold Your new element between your fingers and bend it into an arched shape with the wire tails facing each other. Remove original element and wick with cotton and discard. Solder new element into place pinching it together to fit. After soldering push 1/4" ends of rope over solder, if too much trim it off. You should end up with enough of an arch in element to create a space to slip a 2" piece of rope through it. Pull one of the stands out of it to tie it up. Now trim this loop off enough so the ends up just touching the bottom of the oil tank, you can tie two pieces on but you don't want to distort the shape of the element. Soak it with smoke oil, put a 1/4" in the tank, screw on the lid and you're done. It will smoke ALOT MORE that the original.
Hey I did this just to help my fellow tankers, not to step on anyones toes. Any questions please ask. If you want me to build you one e-mail me. Thanks!!!!!!!!!

There's a part three!... I removed the wires between the circuit board and the fluid tank lid/element and replaced them with a larger gauge wire (18 ga.). You have to drill out new holes in the lid to accommodate the larger wire. I'm done now!! Bye!!