Vince's Tiger 1 late variant 2017

[Vince Cutajar]

Transferred all the electronics back on the test bench and re-tested everything including the MG flash. All OK.

I started thinking about how to operate the Bosch light and convoy light. They both have 12V filament lamps so they have to be wired in series to be fed from a 24V supply. Or maybe in parallel and take a 12V supply from one of the batteries. Had a look on the internet and searched for RC controlled switches. I sort of fancied the Turnigy switch.

But after the siesta I had an idea .

I still have Switched 2 output on the Motion Control Module (MCM) available/not used and this is controlled by MCM RC input 2 which is also available/not used. What if I can switch this output ON/OFF using the receiver Gear output which is linked to a two position toggle switch (Switch A on the DX8)?

So went to my test bench to test this idea.

Connected the Gear output of the receiver to the MCM RC input 2 with an RC cable. Connected a digital voltmeter to MCM Switched output 2. Switched everything on and got a reading of about 24V. Flicked the Gear switch (switch A) to the other position and got -24V. Not the ideal situation because in both positions the lights would be ON. Had a look in the transmitter menu for the settings of this switch and found that one position was at 100% and the other position was at -100%. Reset these positions to 0% and 100% and got what I was aiming for. With 0% MCM Switched output 2 gives 0V and with 100% Switched output 2 gives 24V. So now I can switch ON and OFF both lights wired in series.

Is this a good way of controlling the lights??

Vince

P.S. If people are getting bored with my "verbal diarrhea" just say so and I will tone it down.

[Vince Cutajar]

Smoke module tested. Fan OK. Heater OK. Also tested smoke generation. Not very visible in the photo but it does produce smoke.

Now to transfer back some of the electronics in the tank and start clearing the table so that I can start work on the hull roof.

Vince

[Christoffer Ahlfors]

Smoke is difficult. The visibility is so dependent on the lighting conditions and background. Not to mention wind...

[Glen Clark]

Not getting bored at all Vince,all interesting stuff that I would probably asking myself if you hadn't already.Keep up the good work.




Glen.

[Vince Cutajar]

Started slowly putting in the electronics in the hull. Initially I will be following the layout that is suggested in one of the photos of the Motion Control Module.

The Audio Module and the Motion Control Module are stacked on each other. The batteries are also stacked on each other. I put a rubber sheet between the lower battery and the battery tray and another one between the two batteries. With this configuration the batteries just miss the engine deck support.

At the moment there is about 26mm distance between the Smoke Module and the batteries.

The Smoke Module gets quite hot in operation and am wondering if this 26mm distance is enough not to damage the batteries. I was thinking of placing a strip of 20mm thick wood as an insulation from the radiated heat from the Smoke Module. What do you think, or am I worrying too much?

Vince

[Robert E Morey]

Vince
You are making good progress. Your Tiger is looking fantastic. There should be enough clearance between smoker and battery with 25mm or so, but you could add a thin alum sheet wall to act as heat sink if you wanted. Looks like your batteries are secure but sometimes they can move/slide a bit. Wouldn't hurt to have something to prevent touching the smoker.

All in all a super build. I will be referencing yours once I get back on mine.
Best regards,
Bob

[Adrian Harris]

I would use something like vermiculite blocks, which are heatproof and lightweight, rather than wood.

Adrian.

[Vince Cutajar]

Thanks Bob.

Looks like your batteries are secure but sometimes they can move/slide a bit.

One of the reasons for putting a rubber sheet under and between the batteries was to minimize slippage but as you said it would be a good idea to have something between the smoker and batteries.

Adrian, I doubt I will find vermiculite bricks here. I could send for one from the UK but as it is fragile/brittle I suspect it would arrive in pieces. I will start a local treasure hunt and see what I can find as regards heat insulation.

Vince

[Timo Winterlich]

Hello Vince,

first, excuse my english it is not so good but i hope i can help you.

Short. Use a Tape for the exhaust. It's from Motorsport and will wrap around the Exhaust to reduce the Heat in the engine compartment
to save the Engine Components for the Heat and keep them colder. i think thats the best way. But you must fix it with a wire or Cable ties?
It burns not but in the beginning you have a little smoke from it, but after a time its ok.

For example
https://www.amazon.de/LIHAO-Hitzeschutz ... P4S3SD651G

High Quality from Sandtler Motorsport Parts
https://www.sandtler24.de/thermo-tec-pl ... 80198.html

Regards Timo

[Vince Cutajar]

Many thanks Timo.

That is another solution I could use.

Vince

[Tom OBrien]

Vince,

I don't have the smoker but I would think the heat resistant tape Timo recommends would work just fine.
Another option the next time you're driving around is to stop by an automotive repair shop and ask if they have a small piece of heat resistant material -- they'll probably give you a piece for free.

I found that when running the tank up and down steep inclines, it's important to secure the heavy batteries so they won't move at all. I took a couple of plastic electrical boxes and cut them to fit on either side of the batteries. I replaced the steel floor shelf with a thick poly carbon sheet and secured the batteries to these using the modified electrical boxes. Also, I added Velcro straps secured to the plastic pieces.

You can do this with the batteries standing on their sides like yours or with the terminals up like mine.

I'll send a couple of photos.

[Vince Cutajar]

As I wanted to see what clearance I have between the speakers and the turret turn motor I needed to temporarily fit the motor to the hull roof. Could not find the specified fasteners so used some of my own. I have to remember to get two M4 x 50mm countersunk screws as the ones I used were not countersunk.

There is good clearance and now I know where to fit the speakers.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

As the speaker tray is made of steel I etched primed it and today I wanted to paint it the same colour as the interior but found out I ran out of paint . So instead I drove the hull around with the smoker ON. After about 15 minutes of playing around went and checked if the battery case closest to the smoke module was affected by the heat radiated from the smoker. Pleased to note that the separation between the smoker and the battery was enough not to heat the battery case. Having said that, if I come across some heat insulation material I will add it.

During these trials I noted that the tank was consistently pulling to the right. During the bench test I had noticed that one of the motors was slightly faster than the other. I think I solved the problem by going into the Servo Setup, Travel Select and increasing the LAL from 100% to 120%. It is now moving relatively straight in forward and reverse. I did not use the Sub-Trim menu of the Servo Setup.

Vince

[Vince Cutajar]

Thought I will have a break from tidying up the cables and continue with the mechanical part of the build. I was really looking forward to start work on the hull roof. The first thing I did was to fit the turret turn mechanism with the big bearing and gear. Everything went smoothly. I even put on the turret base to see how it looks and also check for fitment.

I also fitted the gear to the turret turn motor. I used Phil's tip to secure the wires to the body of the motor using a cable tie. Obviously I put the roof on the hull and tested the turret turn mechanism. Turns really smoothly.

Then I thought how about checking the fitment of the roof with the engine deck installed?

This is where I encountered a problem and I need some help. The rear of the hull roof will not fit properly because the turret turn bearing is fouling with the engine deck support (CE2131 - Bulkhead).

It feels like that there should be a rectangular cut-out in the bulkhead (see red line in photo below) so that the bearing will fit in it.

I have checked, double checked and triple checked that the bulkhead is fitted right way round as per assembly manual.

I have also checked that the turret turn mechanism is fitted properly. I really can't see what I am doing wrong. Most probably I will email Kian to see what he has to say.

Vince

[Adrian Harris]

It looks like it's only fixed with the screws along the top, and wouldn't impinge on anything if swapped around, so I would just swap it.

Adrian