Most of us have a modern car,yes?
We all know that the engine's management system can be "chipped" or re-programmed to alter the engine's power output,yes?
This is usually done via the management system's diagnostic port where a pc or laptop is plugged in using a usb connection and software on the computer used to do the dirty deed
and communicate with the standard chip to "burn" the new fuelling/boost/timing information onto it,yes?
Ok.
Here's the thoughts then.
If that is possible to do,wouldn't you think that some clever sort who is able to write pc programmes would've come up with something to modify the HL sound.
Someone else who knows the workings of the HL board would've worked out where to fit
the "diagnostic port"(for want of a better term)so that it'd be possible to plug it into a usb
connection to "communicate" with the pc or laptop so that the HL sound chip could be re-programmed with pukka sounds that are applicable to the tank it's fitted to.
There's your El-Mod that is fitted with a sound chip,the Tamiya system has various sounds on it,so surely the HL can be thus modified to give the correct sound.
Mark
Some questions and thoughts.....................
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wibblywobbly
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Re: Some questions and thoughts.....................
NigelDerEnglander looked at this over a year ago. The problem is that the HL sounds are hard coded onto a chip.
The Elmod sounds can be reprogrammed as they are on a flash card, and stored as .wav files, which is an industry standard, you can put Tweetie Pie on there if you want to to.
The Tamiya is hard coded, so no chance of reprogramming anything.
What the HL board does is generate sound tones that sound like a tank, but they are very short, and are on a short repeat loop. Even if you could put new sounds onto the chip they would also have to be very short, and would not therefore sound any better than what we have got. The next stumbling block is the amplifier, the speaker and the potentiometer that controls the volume. The onboard memory that HL has available is tiny, so you can't do much with it. Elmod sound file capacity is pretty much unlimited, but even with multi channel polyphonics there is a limit to how good that can be made (trust me, I have often spent weeks trying).
The amp is a very low power item, the speaker is cheap and so is the volume control.
If you want to improve the existing sound fit a 1 ohm speaker and a 22kb potentiometer.
Think of it this way. You push the left stick forward, and you want a sound of a tank pulling away from a standstill. The board registers the stick position and starts the relevant sound file playing, now you pull the stick back? That sound has to stop immediately, so the repeated sound file can only be around 3 milliseconds long. If it is any longer the sound will carry on playing until it has finished, regardless of the stick position. What you would end up with is a tank where the sounds lagged behind the stick positions. So, the limiting factor is how long each sound bite is, and how many there are.
Some of my Elmod engine sounds consist of 40 3 millisecond sound bites, 8 turret sounds, 8 track squeaks, a cold start sound, a warm start sound, gun fire, reload, barrel up and down etc etc. The HL board cannot cope with that.
I hope that explains it all. The only way that the HL sound could be improved is to route the tx signals through a box of tricks that powered a bigger amp. That would need a seperate battery. Creeping Death took a look at it, and it is a challenge that no one has yet conquered.
Rob G
The Elmod sounds can be reprogrammed as they are on a flash card, and stored as .wav files, which is an industry standard, you can put Tweetie Pie on there if you want to to.
The Tamiya is hard coded, so no chance of reprogramming anything.
What the HL board does is generate sound tones that sound like a tank, but they are very short, and are on a short repeat loop. Even if you could put new sounds onto the chip they would also have to be very short, and would not therefore sound any better than what we have got. The next stumbling block is the amplifier, the speaker and the potentiometer that controls the volume. The onboard memory that HL has available is tiny, so you can't do much with it. Elmod sound file capacity is pretty much unlimited, but even with multi channel polyphonics there is a limit to how good that can be made (trust me, I have often spent weeks trying).
The amp is a very low power item, the speaker is cheap and so is the volume control.
If you want to improve the existing sound fit a 1 ohm speaker and a 22kb potentiometer.
Think of it this way. You push the left stick forward, and you want a sound of a tank pulling away from a standstill. The board registers the stick position and starts the relevant sound file playing, now you pull the stick back? That sound has to stop immediately, so the repeated sound file can only be around 3 milliseconds long. If it is any longer the sound will carry on playing until it has finished, regardless of the stick position. What you would end up with is a tank where the sounds lagged behind the stick positions. So, the limiting factor is how long each sound bite is, and how many there are.
Some of my Elmod engine sounds consist of 40 3 millisecond sound bites, 8 turret sounds, 8 track squeaks, a cold start sound, a warm start sound, gun fire, reload, barrel up and down etc etc. The HL board cannot cope with that.
I hope that explains it all. The only way that the HL sound could be improved is to route the tx signals through a box of tricks that powered a bigger amp. That would need a seperate battery. Creeping Death took a look at it, and it is a challenge that no one has yet conquered.
Rob G
Re: Some questions and thoughts.....................
I see where you're coming from Rob,I have a little experience of engine and general sound
programming for Flightsim and as a result have some very good contacts who're well skilled in that field.
The main difference though is that a computer has a hairy great soundcard or at the least a fair built-in soundcard that is pretty good at what it does.
Fs sounds BTW,are like you've mentioned,all wav.files.
A simple single engined light aircraft such as a Cessna or Piper can have upto fifty different wav.files,depending on who's done the soundfile for it.Multi-engined types can have upto a hundred.
Once you've selected take off power,the prop and engine noise is constant,once you select climb power settings the sounds are constant as is cruise power settings,they're not changing
through a range and pitch of sounds like a tank engine/gearbox combination does.
If someone comes up with a small enough yet powerful enough pc type soundcard that can be linked to a suitable amp/speaker combo,then we'd be onto a winner.
Mark
programming for Flightsim and as a result have some very good contacts who're well skilled in that field.
The main difference though is that a computer has a hairy great soundcard or at the least a fair built-in soundcard that is pretty good at what it does.
Fs sounds BTW,are like you've mentioned,all wav.files.
A simple single engined light aircraft such as a Cessna or Piper can have upto fifty different wav.files,depending on who's done the soundfile for it.Multi-engined types can have upto a hundred.
Once you've selected take off power,the prop and engine noise is constant,once you select climb power settings the sounds are constant as is cruise power settings,they're not changing
through a range and pitch of sounds like a tank engine/gearbox combination does.
If someone comes up with a small enough yet powerful enough pc type soundcard that can be linked to a suitable amp/speaker combo,then we'd be onto a winner.
Mark
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wibblywobbly
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Re: Some questions and thoughts.....................
There are quite a few companies out there who all have their variations on a theme.
One is Benedini http://www.benedini.de/Home_D/home_d.html
There is also a guy in Canada who makes state of the art 16 channel sound boards http://modelsolutions.ca/testimonials.htm
The problem is, none of them are cheap. It is a mystery to all as to why HL with their mass market appeal have not yet produced a Tamiya standard sound system. The Tamiya R&D is donkeys years old, so HL in theory should be able to get something together. Someone did infer that HL were working on it last year, but as to whether this is true or not has yet to be proven.
The Mato Sherman sounds are step forward, but that golden chalice is there for the taking by anyone with the knowledge. An HL tank with quality sound for £250 would be a bargain, even in kit form.
One is Benedini http://www.benedini.de/Home_D/home_d.html
There is also a guy in Canada who makes state of the art 16 channel sound boards http://modelsolutions.ca/testimonials.htm
The problem is, none of them are cheap. It is a mystery to all as to why HL with their mass market appeal have not yet produced a Tamiya standard sound system. The Tamiya R&D is donkeys years old, so HL in theory should be able to get something together. Someone did infer that HL were working on it last year, but as to whether this is true or not has yet to be proven.
The Mato Sherman sounds are step forward, but that golden chalice is there for the taking by anyone with the knowledge. An HL tank with quality sound for £250 would be a bargain, even in kit form.
