KT has a mind of its own

[padge mc grath]

Hey Guys

Just got the KT back from the engineers. Its had a new left hand drive shaft fitted along with new key. In addition a new mechanism has been installed for tightening the tracks. I am well pleased with the results but just before my joy was complete the KT started doing things by itself. It started spinning around in a circle. I swittched it off at the main switch. I started it again and then it would go farward on its own. During this time the RC was on but I was not in control and the KT was liable to do anything. This made me nervous because at times I was unable to stop it from moving without knocking off the main switch. I have no clue whats going on and frankly I feel a bit deflated.

Can anyone please tell me whats wrong? I dont know what to do.
Any advice offered would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Padge

[Adrian Harris]

Which drive system does it have (Electronize, 4QD, Armortek silver box) ?

Which RC system do you use (Futaba 6EX, 7C, Spectrum) ?

How is the receiver powered (battery, BEC, Armortek PSU) ?

It sounds like the receiver is losing connection with the transmitter and the in-built "fail safe"system is cutting in. On an 'plane, this cuts the throttle but on a tank it puts one track in reverse, hence spinning the tank on the spot.

Adrian.

[John Fitzsimons]

Glad the engineer sorted you out. Sounds like loss of signal from radio. I would suggest you check that ALL batteries are fully charged. Check all connections and cables to make sure nothing broken loose. Very important, Jack it up off the ground while testing so you do not have to chase your KT atound the garden.

[padge mc grath]

Drive sytem is probably Armortek or Mark 1 I think

Receiver is powered from the battery I think.

The RC is a Graupner (used for airplanes and helicopters)

John might have a better idea on the first two.

The tank is up off the ground and the tracks seem to be working fine. As soon as it goes on the ground, this seems to be when the problems start. I am currently charging up the batteries and hope that this helps.

Should I change the RC?

[John Fitzsimons]

Drive system is not armortek. Not sure it's Mark 1 either as I thought they used some some sort of chain drive. Cannot remember what type of speed controllers are inside. Bit strange that it works while lifted off the ground but not while on the ground.
Check that all the connections to the receiver are secure.

[padge mc grath]

May be able to get a guy out tomorrow who has a lot of experience with RC's for planes. The engineer looks like he has done a really good job of sorting out the mechanics. I certainly hope that the electonics dont prove too difficult to sort.

Fingers crossed.

[John Fitzsimons]

Maybe if he connects a different receiver and radio it might narrow things down. Back home on Saturday. Must meet up.

[Dietrich Weber]

Hi Padge,



you can make a photo of the drive-controller.
and you can put the photo in the forum. I'm thinking it may help you better

[John Fitzsimons]

Just home from france. I took some photos of the Kt innards. I will post tomorrow. I think it will be a problem with radio/receiver.

[padge mc grath]

Finally some great news, the KT is working great and responding fully to the RC.
The problem was to do with the receiver. The antenna coming out of the receiver are no more than one inch long but I hadnt noticed that there were 2 of them. One was lying under the receiver and obviously wasnt getting enough signal Hence the reason why the tank was responding haphazardly to the RC.

The rear end of the tank has now been sorted and the push mechanism for tightening the track is working very well. Also a brand new drive shaft was built and installed on the front left side of the tank.

Its taken quite a while to get things sorted but tthe KT is absolutely flying now.

Sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to helping me get the KT back on the road. The forum has proved to be a massive aid and ultimately every problem was identified through the forum. Whilst it took a while to sort I feel I have learnt quite a bit from the problems encountered and overall I enjoyed the experience in a funny sort of way. Special thanks to John Fitsimons for all your help.

I will post some pictures very soon of the modifications and the KT rebuilt.

Thanks again everyone

Regards

Padge

[michael hilton]

Well done Padge and John, two heads are always better than one. I received tremendous help on the Forum, especially from Phil Fitzpatrick. Best wishes, looking forward to the photographs....Mick

[John Fitzsimons]

I did'nt have much input. Busy skiing. I guessed it was the radio or receiver though. I would recomend a nice new futaba.

[Maarten Schutjes]

I recently bought a Futaba 8fg for the Panther i recently aquired from a fellow forum member. It's set up on 1 stick drive. That took some time to figure out. You only can choose plane model setups and it's totally diffrent from the futaba 7 setup. Once you understand how the menu structure works, It's very flexible in programming channels, subtrims, reverse, range and more. And you can add more channels 8+4 analog or +6 digital. Great set.

[padge mc grath]

The Fubata seems to be a popular choice among the members. I am always surprised at the wonderful technical and mechanical abilities of the members on the forum. I feel totally inept when it comes to both these issues. All I want to know is that it works, I dont necessarily need to know how it works or at least I didn't.

Now that the few problems with the KT have been sorted out I feel that I have gained a little bit of knowledge. I would love to think that I could put a tank together but I am sure that I would not succeed. My backgroud is that I am an accountant for my sins and dont possess that natural mechanical mind.

Despite my failings in this regard I must confess that I love this hobby, particularly reading and viewing other peoples posts. Its a joy to behold the professionalism, knowledge and experience that the members have. I find myself tuning in every night just to see whats new. Its become a bit of an addiction.

[John Fitzsimons]

Here are some pictures of interior.