eight years, four owners, no mile

[Sam Hough]

Thanks all,

My tiny mind linked "DoD" to "MoD"... Anyway, I rushed out to charge the batteries

I added current monitoring but mainly as an input to engine sound. Sadly the computer doesn't have a real time clock so not sure I could calculate the integral of A over time.

Cheers

Sam

[Gerhard Michel]

Now the Greensavers are implanted, and receiver, sound module (USM-RC2), sound module extension (EXM-2) are in place and provisionally wired (I love wire entanglement ). Together with the power compartment on the other side (relays, amplifier and dc-dc-converter 24/5 volts) and the esc in the middle all electrical components are in place. The speakers are also provisionally and will be replaced by an individual made loudspeaker box with a dual coil speaker to fit both channels in one chassis. To control the gun elevation I didn't choose an expensive esc, because an electronic switch combined with 2 simple relays gives a fine double-throw switch to alter the direction of rotation by RC:





At the moment there are the following sounds implanted:

cold start
warm start
idle running
running (two gears)
motor turn off
horn
gunshot with falling cartouche
mg shot
linear track link squealing (is this the correct expression?)
curve track link squealing (depending on driving turns)
some commands as "Feindflugzeug gesichtet!" (enemy plane sighted); selectable by RC
30 songs and streams in the built-in player; selectable by RC, overall about 2 hours of music
5 occasional sounds, repeating in sections from 30 to 999 seconds

and one noise each for side moving and elevating the gun. I know this is not correct, and I consider if this may be nice or not.

In this state the tank is even ready to run (for testing), but there is still some more wiring to do: machine gun LED, convoy light and -last but not least- the Pololu! It will act 2 figures (commander, loader) with moving upper body, head and arm by servo.



By cessation of the voluminous 250 watts car hifi output stage (exchanged for Thomas Benedinis small 2 x 60 watts amplifier), the 12 volts auxiliary voltage and the powerful dc-dc-converter 24/12 volts together with the small Greensavers there is unfamiliarly large space in this tank!

[Gerhard Michel]

Machine gun flasher and convoy light are wired (wire entanglement increases ). The machine gun has an interesting optical fibre barrel, not a simple 3 mm - LED in the front like the selfmade gun barrels in my other tanks. A LED is mounted on the backside of the barrel:



Here one of my selfmade versions of older days with front LED:

[Gerhard Michel]

Vincents new track links arrived and were mounted for testing purposes:



In my opinion they are very well done and easier to mount than Olafs King Tiger track links in former days. All pieces were very easy to complete without any drilling! Only one of my 200 pieces needed a little remachining:



The track links have hardly less weight than Olafs King Tiger ones (131 to 137 g).





I'm glad to own now also steel track links for the Jagdpanther, because I mean that they are important for my operation conditions in heavy grounds. Now all my 4 models use them. Here a pic of "Eckersmühlen proving ground". I think one can see that this is not a recreation area for tank models!

[Gerhard Michel]

Hello together,

my tank came with animated commander and gunner, overall 9 servos. Therefore I need to have receiver current (5 volts) at the casemate roof to supply a 'Maestro' from Pololu which moves my figures. Since my 'Pöti', a King Tiger (in Germany abbreviated with 'Köti' ) with Porsche turret (therefore 'Pöti') I like a self-contacting electrical connection when attaching the deck (or here the roof).

To compensate the declined surfaces of rear wall and roof I made it easy for me this time. I didn't much measuring and calculating, but built a loose connection and filled the remaining gap with glue. After hardening I applied 2 screws to support the glue. (pics shown before trimming the glue):





The roof got a simple mounting which fits also the commander (right above). Also the 'Maestro' is mounted (right, in the middle).



Now always when the roof plate is mounted (magnetic fastening), also the electrical connection is ready.

The 'Maestro' was preprogrammed to move the figures. Now it can be started with only applying the supply voltage; started and controlled by the versatile Beier sound module.

[Phil Woollard]

Ingenious Gerhard!

[Gerhard Michel]

Thanks Phil!

I try to make things so that they make life easier; especially at models being in action. Therefore I also built a snap-in solution for the gun barrel. On of my pre-owners removed the thread from the barrel (due to recoil), so I can't screw it on no more. Now it can be simply pushed on.

[Gerhard Michel]

At my models I like to attach an onboard cam for making videos of the 'mission'. This cam should be mounted tight and in a position which looks like seen through the eyes of a crew member driving with the tank; e.g. the commander or the loader / gunner.

At my Jagdpanther there are 2 real figures at these places, therefore I needed a new position. It is important for me that all fixing points of this equipment are invisible when not needed.

So I decided to use the hatch for removing empty cartridges. When open there is a good tightening possibility for a support arm for the cam, fixed with only one knurled-head screw. When closed all this is vanished. The view is like seen through the eyes of a soldier kneeing on the engine compartment.

Please see my solution. Here the closed hatch:



... and here opened. Behind the hole there is a mounting plate with a bore and a pivot for rotation prevention:



Seen from beind:



The rugged mounting cylinder:




Fitting test:




Support arm mounted:





Cam mounted on support arm:

[Gerhard Michel]

Hello,

after some time of rest here the last component to complete my Jagdpanther: the loudspeaker box. To serve a 2 x 60 watts amplifier sufficient loudspeakers are necessary. Their floor space requirement is slightly too big for 1/6 scale, so I prefer loudspeakers with a double voice coil. Then I need only one speaker to fit two channels. These loudspeakers however are subwoofers, which can't emit higher frequencies. Therefore I additional spent 2 little tweeters, one at each channel. So I have a 'double channel two-way speaker box'

[Sam Hough]

Looks good. I'm tempted by a subwoofer too, can you hear the difference? I imagine main gun firing and engine sound should make use of the lower frequencies?

Cheers

Sam

[Gerhard Michel]

Hi Sam,

oh jes! Engine and main gun 'love' lower frequencies! In my opinion the Maybach sound and the 8.8 'need' some subwoofer, but also depending on the sound module's possibilities. I'm altering the sounds for the Beier module by myself with a sound editor to get an individual set of sounds, which prefer low frequencies and make the acoustic pattern more 'powerful'. Unfortunately a deeper sound needs a higher wattage to get the same loudness for the human ear. This limits too low frequencies rather more than the acoustic characteristics of the speaker.

In my other models I use 250 watts amplifiers and bigger loudspeakers / boxes / batteries, but only to lower the usable frequencies, not to increase the noise (it roars enough anyway )!

[Phil Woollard]

It's all about the base the base ! Not only looking good but sounding good to . Wish I could hear it Gerhard regards Phil.

[Gerhard Michel]

Hi Phil,

the occasionally built-in action cam will record the sound too; therefore after the first 'tour of duty' I will have some clips with sound from the Jagdpanther. But with experience of my other vehicles I must say that the recorded sounds are somewhat 'cheaper' as when hearing it directly.

I also have some video clips of my other vehicles, but because they are not Armortek tanks I will not publish that here. Our meetings are always 'mixed', with vehicles made by several manufacturers. Therefore I have only stills but not video clips from 'Armorteks only'

[Phil Woollard]

Understood dude, let me have a link for the videos by PM so I can watch them at my leisure .
When editing your videos try copying the audio in the filters menu which essentially doubles the recorded sound value, its not great but gives in more depth regards Phil

[Gerhard Michel]

Yesterday my cat had its first roll out. If you like to see it, here some pics.

Here it stands on its axle stand since I got it:



and here it has entered a lifting carriage. It's unfamiliar to me to need RC to move a tank in my basement. My other models are easy to push per hand due to their spur gear.



The ramps are ready installed



Overview



The lifting carriage is on location



The upper stage is easily to turn on ball bearings



up up and away.........



First pics in the garden









The trails show 'OK, steel track links at work!'





And now in the storage box. I use a car jack for easily lifting and storage with relieved drive train



Some further trails






One point mared the hapiness a litte: my Jagdpanther is a 'lame duck'! OK, I don't like dashing with a tank (most of my comrades drive too fast), but this model with its new spiradrives reaches hardly true 5 km/h. A Panther could run up to 60 km/h, twice so fast. Could it be that the new gears have another reduction ratio than the old ones?

To all the potential buyers of my old motors who sent me PMs: sorry, but I will keep my old motors to compare them with the Spiradrves