Vince's Tiger 1 late variant 2017

[Tom OBrien]

Hey Vince,

Thanks for posting your progress on the electronics.

I'm going to take another look at how I have connected the turret sub loom to the MCM -- haven't been able to get the elevation motor to work off the RC, and so I might have it mis-wired somehow. I'll follow your scheme later when I have a chance to get back to it.

If it's not too much trouble, would it be possible to focus in on how you have the RC cables connected from the receiver to the MCM and audio module? I'd like to double check my connections channel by channel.

Regarding the thermister on the wiring for the gun elevation motor, before re-installing mine, I might attempt to stabilize that part of the wire with its sub loom connector. I want to minimize any movement to prevent the thermister from breaking loose from its wiring. Maybe velcro the sub loom onto the turret wall or something.

Also, I agree with Adrian, that it's always a good idea to isolate the batteries with a mechanical on-off switch. I haven't done this yet, but I'll probably use the same type as I have on my tractor. Most any automotive parts store will carry different varieties. You just have to be able to install it where it will fit so you can get your hand in and turn the big red handle.

cheers... Tom

[Vince Cutajar]

No problem Tom. Tomorrow I will take a close up shot but be advised that my wiring is for single stick (right stick) driving. Turret turn is left stick left/right and elevation is left stick up/down. Basically exactly as the wiring diagram shown in the manual. The only thing that I changed was not using the Gear output of the receiver for the audio channel selection.

Vince

[Tom OBrien]

Vince,

Yes, mine is also set up for single (right) stick driving. Left stick turret turn and elevation. My sound is actuated using a 3-way switch.

I had all but the turret elevation working. I might have connected the rc cables improperly after having it apart. I thought I followed the diagram correctly, but at 67, my eyes aren't what they used to be, so who knows?

It's like the old Three Stooges where Curly turns on the kitchen gas stove and water shoots out!

Oh, also, I Velcro'd part of the turret sub loom to the turret wall in an attempt to keep it from moving around. I'm concerned the connection containing the thermistor might break with too much movement. I'll attach a photo.

Tom

[Vince Cutajar]

Tom, as promised, a couple of close-up photos. I don't know if they are of any help to you. If you were using a Spektrum receiver I would have written down where are the connections go.

Vince

[Tom OBrien]

Thanks, Vince. I think I'll re-connect RC wires this afternoon and your photos will help verify in the event something doesn't work right.

I made some extensions for some of the control connector cables/wires. If I need to change them later after installation, it will give me easier access to those connections. This way, I won't have to move the MCM and Audio Module in and out of the hull.

I'm labeling all of the RC cables and some of the control connector wires. If I walk away for more than a couple of weeks, I find myself scratching my head about what those cables and wires were attached to.

cheers... Tom

[Vince Cutajar]

Not much done with the table still occupied by all the wiring and I don't intend removing the wiring before I test the smoke module harness.

Still, I was itching to do something, so I cleared a small area of the table and put together the mechanical part of the smoke module. It went together quite quickly and easily which was bad news for me. With nothing else to do I started tinkering with it.

Not really required, but I made two gaskets.

Started experimenting with how to hold the heating element in place.

With the help of some washers, the bottom of the reservoir is not in contact with the steel plate below it so that it does not act as a heatsink.

Trial fit in it's place.

I also intend to add some viton O rings under all the brass fittings.

Vince

[Tom OBrien]

Very nice!

I didn't get the smoke and recoil. Maybe later, if I can get everything else to work.

[Stephen White]

Vince, one tip to consider. The heating element can work itself loose from the Paxolin bush, which allows fluid to leak and allows smoke to fill the engine compartment. It's a wise precaution to find a way of retaining it in place. One simple solution is to use one cable tie firmly wrapped around the end of the element and another longer one, interlinked, secured around the smoker body. There are other mechanical solutions but either way, don't rely on the element remaining in place on its own.

Stephen

[Vince Cutajar]

Stephen

The heating element just slides into a brass tube. This brass tube is screwed into a nylon-like bush. This nylon-like bush is screwed into the side of the reservoir as can be seen in the third photo. Also visible in the third photo is a nylon tie-wrap to hold the heating element in the brass tube. I can't see at the moment how to better fix it in place. Maybe if you have a photo that would be really helpful.

Vince

[Stephen White]

Apologies, Vince, I missed the cable tie. You've probably done enough, as long as the bush remains secure. The bush has a very fine thread which can under some circumstances allow the assembly to work loose from the body and allow seepage. The heating element can also work out of the brass tube with running if not secured, which reduces the heating effect. Securing the whole assembly is a precaution, whatever method used. Another approach is to use a wire retainer. The wire is given a few turns around the end of the heating element, using something to protect against chafing and then taken around the smoker body. Small notches filed at the corners will prevent the wire slipping and avoid sharp corners cutting the wire. Or two cable ties can be used, interleaved, one around the end of the heating element and the other around the smoker body. I don't think I can get a good photo in the darkest recesses of my Cent which would help.

[Vince Cutajar]

Thanks Stephen for the explanation. With the cable tie I used it would be difficult for the heating element to slide out of the brass tube. Regarding the seepage, I guess I have to keep an eye on it. I have already done a leak test and there was no seepage but have not used the heating element yet. With the heat things might change.

Vince

[Tom OBrien]

Here's a silly question:

Where do you plug the power cable from the receiver into? This is the red and black wire cable that goes into the socket on the receiver sometimes labeled "power" or "Battery". I can guess it's one of the rc connections but can't remember which one it was.

Thanks,

[Vince Cutajar]

That was the first question I asked Armortek after I received the option packs.

It seems that power to the receiver is taken from any R/C cable that is connected to the Motion Control Module.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

Yesterday I thought I would do the plumbing for the smoke module but soon hit a snag. The piping from the right exhaust stack was fouling with the body of the smoke module fan housing. This meant that the smoke module was sitting too high on the battery tray. I thought I would solve the problem by removing the spacers (1mm) I added under the reservoir but it did not help. So I removed the smoke unit base (CP0125) which is 3mm thick to see if this would help.

This solved the problem. So using this same smoke unit base as a template I drilled the four holes required to bolt the smoke unit directly to the battery tray. Unfortunately this created a new problem for me. As the smoke unit is sitting lower on the battery tray, I noticed that the wiring of the heater was snagging badly with the edge of the battery tray which could in the future be a source of a short circuit. So I milled a slot to make sure that the wiring does not touch the metal.

This morning I did the actual plumbing which went together very quickly. I was fortunate to have a water pipe cutter which produces clean cuts in the plastic pipe. I wonder if these cutters still exist?

Vince

[Tom OBrien]

I went back through the instructions, including the wiring diagram, and couldn't find a reference to the receiver power supply. I would have included it as part of that page.

Thanks for your advice -- I'll try plugging the receiver power cable into one of the empty MCM slots.

From your recent photos, it looks like you reinforced the ends of the smoke wiring with heat shrink -- excellent idea. I did the same with most all of the wires and wire bundles.