Chieftain build by Phil Woollard.

[Adrian Harris]

> So we need to add a tick over fan which will provide positive pressure the whole time the engine is running.

Or one of my Fan Control Boxes, which links the fan speed to engine sound output, not track speed

Adrian.

[Phil Woollard]

Exactly adrian, for video work I have to be choreographer, director the lot. How will your fan control work with the auxiliary and main engine selection?

[Adrian Harris]

The idea is to trigger by listening for the engine start command from the transmitter, then driving the GUE fan in sync with the sounds in the start up routine. Once that is complete, the GUE returns to idle and the main engine fan speed matches the engine sounds. If it spots the engine shutdown signal, it will kill the main engine fans, then the GUE fan.

That's the plan anyway. Works a treat in my head

Adrian.

[Phil Woollard]

I would like to place a verbal order for the new Chieftain exhaust fan control box please Adrian.

[Stephen White]

.......Once that is complete, the GUE returns to idle and the main engine fan speed matches the engine sounds. That's the plan anyway. Works a treat in my head

Adrian.

Sounds like a great development Adrian. I’ll have one please. Note that the GUE was normally kept running with the ME. It ran at constant high rpm under load, so the GUE fan shouldn’t return to idle but run fast at constant speed.

[John Clarke]

Forgive if I "sound" a little puddled, Are you saying the GUE sound will be matched to the main engine smoker fan speed? That being the case won't the main engine sound drown out any sound made by the GUE?
My original plan was to have a totally separate GUE sound generator and speaker powered separately with it's own mini smoker. So that it can be used completely interdependently of anything to do with the main engine. Like the real thing i suppose. It requires 2 channels, start up, shut down and rev control, could even be used in conjunction. The mini smoker having it's own fan/piston control via a mini ESC, heating element constant regulated voltage. The gue can be chugging away while waiting for operations to begin.
This should be the joy of the 16 channel Taranis once setup. lots of working mods Just my two penneth

[Mark Heaps]

The sound of the ME never completely drowned out the tone of the GUE. The ME when being revved up could be louder but was a varying sound. The GUE running at constant revs was a consistent background noise which only changed according to the load placed on the generator and the health of the engine.
The gen panels on Chieftain would load the GUE gen and ME gen proportionally to their max rated output.
On Challenger 1, the gen panels were more sophisticated and would load the GUE gen first to it´s max output before loading the ME gen. Better for the engine to have it running at constant speed and constant load.

The GUE engine being a diesel 2-stroke was also very rugged and reliable. I experienced one that went about 18 months in use before showing symptoms of severe loss of power. Cause was that it had been timed incorrectly and had been running backwards the whole time. The exhaust manifold was full of sucked in sand and the liners were scored & shot. The crew had never changed the air filter as every time they checked it, it was perfectly clean. It was clean on the outside, the inside was clogged and black.
Mark

[John Clarke]

I haven't heard my own sound module yet, connecting up to test has been put on hold. But the use of two sound modules becomes more apparent. especially at startup and shut down of the main engine. it'll be interesting to see what Adrian comes up with.
Oh yes, that's standard ops procedure "Reset go"

[Adrian Harris]

It all depends on the sounds from the Armortek Audio Module. It will be perfectly possible to run separate fans for the GUE and ME.

The GUE fan would start first, and step up as per the video, then run full speed throughout, as mentioned by Stephen.

The ME fan would start up at the correct point in the engine sequence and then run in sync with the engine speed sounds.

Shutdown would be in reverse, so the ME fan shuts down before the GUE.

It will need two smokers, or three if you want to run two with the ME to get the volume.

Adrian.

[Phil Woollard]

Sorting the wiring and trying to place the modules which is proving tricky.

[Phil Woollard]

I'm afraid it's still not very exciting, I'm still running the wiring for all the ancillary equipment and trying not to forget anything.
It's all change for the module positioning as you can see but maybe just may be it will stay in this configuration, my idea is to have everything visible from one side, like the battery condition meter, the rx connections the volume control everything that's important at hand.

[Brian Ostlind]

Talk about packed! Exceptional build and I haven’t seen much of the turret yet. Look forward to that.

[Phil Woollard]

Cheers Brian, the turret work won't be long. More wiring today. I do like the little proportionate switchers that Andy has been offering. I also have a large stock of new electonize switches which are very reliable indeed. Now I presume that we now don't require a battery isolator switch with the new system, I can detect no current draw when the relay is in the off position? We do now have the nice plated connectors that can be used to isolate.

[Stephen White]

"Did the Chieftain have the Orange flashing light for road work"

Yes, from about the late seventies but you would not have seen them fitted or in use in Canada and since your model is in BATUS colours, it wouldn't be appropriate (unless you happen to like flashing lights anyway). They were a pain in the neck and had to be covered in masking tape to minimise the glare into the crew's eyes. Mind you, even with them operating, the civilian drivers in Germany still managed to hit Chieftains with monotonous regularity (of course never the other way round......).

[Mark Heaps]

For road work, the winky pot and side & tail lights had to be operational.
On the last FTX ( Field Training Exercise) I was supporting Chiefys before we got the Challengers and in the middle of the countryside, we had one tank that whenever it moved, got about 10 meters and the circuit breaker for the road lights tripped. Reset the circuit breaker, lights came on and stayed on. Move 10 meters, circuit breaker tripped. Late afternoon and we were about 3 Km short of the village where we were going to leageur up.
Sqn 2iC with his tank was with us and made the decision, his tank in front with full lights and winky pot flashing, tank just behind next with just winky pot flashing, 432 immediately behind with full lights and winky pot.

We covered the first kilometer with no problem and no other traffic on the road and were then stopped by the german police who explained that we could not move further till we sorted out the lights on the middle vehicle.

The Sqn 2iC then tried to explain what we were doing and why.

German Police - "You have not understood what I am saying. You cannot move that tank untill it´s lights are sorted and working"
Sqn 2iC - "Mr Policeman, you have not understood what I am saying and what we are doing. I do suggest you move your police car out of the way before these three tracked vehicles drive over the top of it" Turns around to face the driver and gives him the order to move. Tank nudges policecar before they jump in & speed away.
Got to village and parked up before all hell erupted, Blue flashing lights & staff cars with senior officers everywhere. I am not aware of what if any punishment the officer incurred but he was respected and loved by the men, and did not lose his position.
Took a while to track down the fault, it was a chafed wire to the number plate lamp which with vibration caused an intermittent short to the hull.

Mark