Vince's Tiger 1 late variant 2017

[Vince Cutajar]

Thanks Michael for the encouragement.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

Success

These notes are for a DX8G2 transmitter in Mode 2 and an AR8010T receiver. This might be helpful to Adam who is building the Panzer 3 and I believe has got the same equipment.

Woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the R/C setup and as I was wide awake I went carefully through what Adrian said in his posts and also the link that Stephen posted. Also had a good look at the DX8 manual and also the Armotek wiring diagram. After a while it started to make some sense. I concluded that if one needs two stick operation one has to use the receiver throttle and elevator outputs to control the motors whilst if one wants one stick operation one has to use the receiver elevator and aileron outputs instead. So this morning went back to the test bench to test my theories.

As Adrian suggested to start simple, that is exactly what I did. So started with same setup I had used a month ago to test the tracks. Using only the Motion Control Module (MCM) and receiver only I plugged the receiver throttle and elevator outputs to MCM R/C inputs 3 and 4. Motors worked with two stick input. I want single stick operation (that's what I am used to in real life) so next I tried the receiver elevator and aileron outputs into the same MCM R/C inputs. Both motors worked with right hand stick but obviously not in the desired way. Next went into Stephen's link for the instructions to set the transmitter to single stick operation. Followed religiously the steps. One thing I noticed in those instructions was that it says that the DX8 only has the Elevon selection but in actual fact it has Elevon and Elevon B. As the instructions said to set ELEVON for the DX8 that's what I did. I can't be certain but after setting to single stick operation I had to re-bind the receiver to the transmitter. I did not use the bind plug as this can be done with the switches on the receiver and the transmitter. Now the right hand stick was controlling the motors in the desired way. I did not do the part of the instructions were it tells you how to increase the speed of the motors. I will decide at a later stage if this is required.

Next I wired in the Audio Control Module to the setup using this diagram.

Looking at the receiver outputs it seems that this diagram is intended for single stick operation. I have not added to this setup anything having to do with gun elevation, turret turn, recoil or smoker. Tested the motors again and everything still worked nicely.

I setup also the pre-set failsafe but used the instructions in the receiver documentation to do it. It was a bit fiddly to set-up but managed to do it after the fourth try. Failsafe tested perfectly.

I feel like in seventh heaven.

Next step is to setup the audio module and see if I can get some sounds. I have to look at the following thread as it might help also.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7295

Vince

[Adrian Harris]

Well done Vince

Adrian.

[Stephen White]

Vince, well done. Before you set up the sound card, suggest you have a read through the Knowledge Base Topic:

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=5809

It's not difficult but it's vital to follow the steps in the right order as described. Setting the special sounds can sometimes require a couple of goes.

Stephen

[Vince Cutajar]

Thanks Adrian and Stephen. Will be attempting the set-up of the audio module after the siesta although too excited and might do it earlier. Wish me luck.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

Another Success

Managed to get the Audio Module working and finally heard the sounds I was waiting for a long time.

Stephen I printed out those instructions to set up the TBSmini but it seems the set-up method has changed since then. Following the setup instructions found in the Audio Module manual did the trick.

It is also very important to read the following link:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7295

So I changed the receiver output to the audio module from Gear to AUX 1 which is controlled by a three position switch called Switch D on DX8. I don't know if what I did next was correct but seemed to work. I could not find how to activate this switch but finally realised that by default it is linked to the flap system. Went into the Function List menu by pressing the roller and then scrolled down to the Flap System. Here I activated the Flap System and set the switch to POS 0 to 100%, POS 1 to 0% and POS 2 to -100%. This seemed to do the trick. Followed the instructions to set-up the sounds.

I noticed that the manual says that sound channel 5 is a pistol sound but instead seems to be a failed engine start similar to sound channel two. The other channels operate as described.

Also I noticed that the green programming LED light continues to flash rapidly after setup. Is this OK?

I must say that today was a very satisfying day. I seem to be on a roll but won't push my luck any further and call it a day.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

Today I connected the turret turn electronics and motor as per instructions. Connected directly to the receiver Rudder output. Bench test and calibration went smoothly. The only thing of note was that the instructions were referring to the throttle (left stick up/down) to operate the turret turn. It should be the rudder (left stick left/right).

Vince

[Tom OBrien]

Guys,

With all the posts about RC, it makes me feel a little less inept knowing others are having the same issues as I've had the past months.

I'm using a Tactic TTX650 transmitter, and so, I've had to figure out a few subtleties with it compared to the Spectrum DX series and also, the Futaba brand, which seem to be the more popular brands.

Last July, I had the tank running just fine. Except for the gun elevation.

So, a few weeks back, I decided to fix it. I also wanted to re-position and re-work the batteries, so I disassembled the electronics module cables from the receiver, etc. to give me a clean working space.

Once I completed what I wanted to do with the batteries, I attempted to re-wire the electronics. I followed the wiring diagram in the instructions, thinking this was how I originally installed the system. However, after powering up, nothing seemed to work right. Now, I'm going to have to go back to July of last year and re-figure some of the connections until I get it to work.

I ordered a bunch of male/female cables of varying lengths because it's easier to connect/disconnect/reconnect cable-to-cable, not at the Motion Control Module and Audio Module, nor at the receiver. (I'm afraid all the connect/disconnect activities at the Modules will eventually damage the connection points). Hopefully, I'll get everything back in working order before long.

BTW, it would probably help if Armortek recommend one brand of transmitter/receiver, and then prepare a video instructing exactly how to set up the transmitter and receiver, and connecting those with all the rest of the system. This may be impractical as there are probably too many brands to deal with, but it would help the consumer.

cheers... Tom

[Vince Cutajar]

Tom

I have learnt my lesson.

If you are going to rebuild the electronics again, take it one step at a time. Get the two drive motors working first and when done add another part. That is the reason I am leaving so many notes here because when I come to transfer everything to the model I have to start again from scratch.

Vince

[Adrian Harris]

> it would probably help if Armortek recommend one brand of transmitter/receiver

The problem is that Armortek is a truly global brand, so what is popular in Europe may not be in the Americas, and the same for the Middle East, and the Far East. And, as we have seen, advice for one brand is meaningless for another, as they all use their own terminology.

Using a simple servo on the receiver, to see which transmitter control operates which channel, is always my starting point for working out someones wiring, even if it's my own

Adrian.

[Tom OBrien]

Vince, that is great advice and I will follow it -- one step at a time, test, operate, test. Your detailed notes are helpful even though we use different RC gear. Many thanks.

Adrian, I understand, and also, it is what I figured is the case.

Ultimately, we spend our spare time on this intriguing hobby expecting to tinker, lightly fabricate, and exercise our minds to solve issues. It is to Armortek's credit we face as few problems as we do.

I love following the forum and look forward to seeing more of the build.

cheers... Tom

[Vince Cutajar]

Today I received the 3 core male to male ribbon cables I had ordered from eBay. Super fast dispatch and delivery. So now I can test the turret loom and sub loom and associated motors, servo and LEDs. Everything seemed to work as expected.

As I said earlier these are personal notes that I might need to refer to at a later stage.

As the limit switches for the recoil are not in there proper positions the recoil motor runs continuously. Closing both micro switches will stop the motor. Opening one of the micro switches will make the motor run again. Tried this with both micro switches. I consider this a good test.

I noted that the motors for the recoil and the elevation look very similar to each other although the gear ratio is different. So not to mix them up at a later stage I marked them so that I can easily differentiate them.

The power to the sub loom is taken from the Motion Control Module Switched 1 output. These are colour coded as yellow and blue. The power wires in the sub loom are colour coded black and blue. So I connected the blue wire of the sub loom to the blue output of Switched 1 and the black wire of the sub loom to the yellow output of Switched 1 which worked.

Spaghetti junction or is it Clapham junction

It was a very good idea to clear the table as an uncluttered work area helped. I am still using the 10A bench power supply to do the tests and I haven't seen it exceed 5A yet. This obviously with the main drive motors under no load.

All that remains is to test the smoke module loom but first I have to wait for a reply from Kian to an email I sent him.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

A couple of questions for Adrian.

In the Elevation circuit just before the motor there is a link with a yellow thingy. Looks like a ceramic capacitor but I'm sure it's not. The link is called the "Elev Auto Stop Link". Is it some sort of thermal switch/fuse which breaks the circuit when the elevation hits the mechanical limits?

At one time I was considering adding a switch between the batteries and electronics to act as a main switch. Today I inserted an ammeter in the circuit to see if there is any battery drain with the model remote switch off. Even on the lowest setting (uA) I did not see a current flow. So now I am thinking that there is no need of a main switch. What do you think?

Vince

[Adrian Harris]

Is it some sort of thermal switch/fuse which breaks the circuit when the elevation hits the mechanical limits?

Yes, that's exactly it. It's a positive temperature coefficient thermistor, so the more current that passes through it, the hotter it gets, which increases its resistance, which then acts to limit the current flow. It does mean you need to ensure the elevation system runs smoothly, as any physical resistance in the motion can cause the thermistor to activate too soon.

At one time I was considering adding a switch between the batteries and electronics to act as a main switch. Today I inserted an ammeter in the circuit to see if there is any battery drain with the model remote switch off. Even on the lowest setting (uA) I did not see a current flow. So now I am thinking that there is no need of a main switch. What do you think?

I'm not familiar with the exact electronics related to the power switch, but the fact that it is a "soft start" type system means there must always be some power on the board when the unit is off, so I would always include a main power switch to isolate the batteries.

Adrian.

[Vince Cutajar]

Two good points I did not think of. Thanks Adrian.

Vince