Armortek

I have been doing a bit of work on the wiring inside the tank this week but no pix with this post.

The front headlights have been wired in with a simple on/off switch mounted inside behind the Radio Operators hull escape hatch.
The Drivers escape hatch has been fastened shut but can be opened from the inside if required.

The original 24v smoke unit was also wired in and again has an on/off switch that operates the smoker and the 24v fan on the smoke unit.
I need to speak to Adrian to see what his smoke controller units are like but don't know if it would be compatible with this era of electrics (2009).

I realised that i missed out a couple of jobs from the big list i posted a few days ago.
The biggest of these is probably the sealing of the lower hull with black mastic.
When I stripped the tank down it was very clear that any puddle would be a real danger to the lower hull electrics and also cause a horrible mess as there were holes and 1/4" gaps all over the place.
I sealed all the holes and gaps in the lower hull with a black flexible sealer which should help to keep the insides clean and dry.

I have spent the last couple of evenings trying to get the TBS5 sound card working which worked when i first got the tank but has never worked since I tried to set it up in Encoder mode on my Spektrum DX9 radio.
The amp gets very hot after 10 mins so i assume there is a fault and have got a replacement fitted.
The TBS5 does not cycle through the sounds and i am assuming this is also faulty so got in contact with Benedini but no reply yet.

I have a spare TBS Mini which i found late last night and my current plan is to get this setup so I have some sounds even though my Panzer III will strangely sound a lot like a Type 82 Kubelwagon.
If it works then i can have a go at swapping the sound files over to the correct P3 sounds or maybe just order another TBS Mini.
If the TBS Mini works then i will 3d print a new audio box to hold the amp and audio card as the amp is slightly too big to fit in the original Armortek Audio box. However, this is one of the newer Benedini amps with a rotary on/off Volume control so I will need to find a convenient place to locate it so that it can be adjusted in situ.

I will then have to tidy up the wiring again once the sound system is sorted and then add labels to the various switches but i really am running out of jobs to do and very close to calling this 'DONE'.

Cheers
Tim

Yes

Adrian.

the TBS Mini is a significant step forward compared to the Tbs5,
with the latest firmware version it manages the recoil of the cannon through a servo, the speed in both directions and the excursion can be adjusted via PC, it has the output for both the gun flash and the MG
in my PZIII it manages everything, including the lights,
I used a Chinese 24 Volt amplifier with a ground isolator in order not to risk strange noises.
Hello Marco

Thanks Marco.
I am hoping to have a play with the Mini tonight.

Cheers
Tim

Had a few productive hours in the garage today.
I now have, at long last, noises coming from my Panzer3 speaker.

The original Armortek TBS5 & Amp that came with the tank continues to defy my and refuses to make any noise.It did work when i first got it but stopped when i tried to change it to Encoder Mode.
I have probably done something stupid but I am sure someone used to working with Benedini's can get it working correctly.
I will but it in the For Sale section to see if anyone wants it.

Anyway, I had a spare TBS Mini which had been setup with the Kubelwagon sounds and i set that up today with a new 100w amp that i got from ebay which Adrian had recommended.

It is all wired up and working with the Rotary Encoder on my Spektrum DX9 but obviously the engine sounds are a bit odd.
I also got the coax mg LED wired up and this is also now working with the MG firing which is great.
I just need to get the correct Panzer 3 sound files copied onto the TBS Mini then it will be all set.

I am currently 3D printing off a new housing for the amp and soundcard which should keep it all safe and secure.

Cheers
Tim

Have just spent a couple of hours fitting the new Amplifier box and tidying the wiring a bit more.
You can now open the right hand side lower hull hatch and start the tank on the power module which is just inside.
There is also a toggle switch to turn the headlights on and off and the on/off rotary volume controller for the amp that can be accessed through this hatch. Here is an image of the hatch closed. Here is an image of the open hatch showing the simulated locking latch. The smoke unit is turned on and off from under the rear left engine hatch with a toggle switch.
The image below showing the switch in the ON position. There is a main relay driven Master On/Off switch under the right hand side large engine hatch.
This isolates all electrics in the tank.
There is also a Battery meter to indicate the charge state of the 24v battery pack.

The image below shows the switch in the on position and the green panel light is ON. Cheers
Tim

So, I am expecting that this will probably be the last build post for this tank as I am now calling it DONE.

I posted a pretty long task list a few weeks ago to try and describe what has been done to this tank over the last few years.
Since then I've done quite a bit more tasks to further improve the tank which I've listed below.

Added a drivers vision block.
Added a driver figure that can be seen through the drivers vision block.
Wired in the working Steve Winstone headlights.
Replace the original TBS 5 soundcard and amp which seemed to be faulty with a TBS Mini and a 2x60w amp.
Configured TBS Mini to work with my Spektrum DX9 in Encoder Mode.
Programmed the Co-Ax mg to flash with mg sound.
Installed the new Sound unit into the 3d printed box that i made a couple of weeks ago.
Tidied up the wiring and closed it all up.

The final task will be to put a For sale sign on it and put an advert in the For Sale & Wanted section.
Cheers
Tim

Well done Tim and good luck with the selling process