anyone take it apart?

MaddMatt · #1 02-10-2003, 09:49 AM

has anyone taken apart the controls for the tank yet?

I have a habit of taking the r/c stff apart and building larger more durable controls. I have never done it with IR before though and don't know what problems I would run into.

Does anyone have pics of the boards? A dismantled controller?

Thanks

Napalm_Guru · #2 02-11-2003, 03:57 PM

The new tanks do not have a problem with durability. Old tanks are hard to come by, so I guess your stuck with a high quality product.

MaddMatt · #3 02-11-2003, 04:40 PM

What I am thinking of is using two large arcade joysticks per tank and having a 6x6 playing field to battle it out with 4 tanks. I would rather not use stock as it is going into a store that wants something more professional looking.

Any ideas?

Napalm_Guru · #4 02-11-2003, 05:20 PM

My tank is in the mail but here are some pics. They are nice (like ps2 sticks) but you could certainly amp them.

Napalm_Guru · #5 02-11-2003, 05:26 PM

Here

MaddMatt · #6 02-13-2003, 09:57 AM

Thanks for the pics. My concern is more with the IR. With a standard r/c gun I just make sure take care of the antenna. Would I just mount the IR on the outside of the unit?

When you are using the tanks do you need to point the controller at the tank or does it work pretty well in any direction?

Thanks

Napalm_Guru · #7 02-13-2003, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MaddMatt
Thanks for the pics. My concern is more with the IR. With a standard r/c gun I just make sure take care of the antenna. Would I just mount the IR on the outside of the unit?

When you are using the tanks do you need to point the controller at the tank or does it work pretty well in any direction?

Thanks

You need to point the controler in the genreral direction, I'm pretty sure(Tanks in the mail).

Yeah you can have the IR led hanging out the front, and have the roms inside. Id suggest mount the led inside the front of the controller then put a IR cover from a tv remote on the front of the gun.

Ripping the rom out of the Controller and puting into a bigger gun style controller sounds cool. But imagine trying to make a wheel drive the tank

!

MaddMatt · #8 02-13-2003, 04:32 PM

I would have to check out the tanks but that could work. Do the treads work seperately so you can spin on a dime or does it drive like a zip zap?

if it drives like one of the small cars, then hooking up a wheel wouldn't be tough. check out my website to see the controls I've made up for r/c cars

Panzer · #9 02-13-2003, 06:02 PM

Each track drives independently, so, yes it will turn on a dime. You do not have to aim the controller directly at the tanks. As long as you're close enough to a wall it will bounce off and make it to the tanks receiver.

If I'm running mine on a table I sometimes dont even have to have the controller above the table to get the tank to respond.

MaddMatt · #10 02-14-2003, 09:04 AM

How far away can you control the tank before losing it?

if I built a 8x8 field could I handle it or would i lose control at the far side?

Thanks

Panzer · #11 02-15-2003, 01:41 AM

You can run them about 20 feet, at least, maybe even more. But from that kind of distance you can hardly see the tanks.

jayd177 · #12 02-16-2003, 10:57 PM

The Ir doesn't need to be pointing directly at the tanks. Often I'll be pointing 90 or 100 degrees off. Sometimes they may get a little confused, but no more than the seem to even if pointing directly at them. The things to watch for are bright lights that interfere with the signal and anything that obstructs the path between the tank and the controller. If you want some pics of the insides of the controls check out this older thread: Electronics for Turrets If you're making a giant joystick for a display then one thing to consider is the charging and ID assignments of the tanks. These functions are built into the controller. They do or will soon be selling a separate charger that will hold 4 tanks. The ID assignment comes out from the back side of the control, and that led is built onto the circuit board of the controller. I believe you can use the top IR for ID assignment also. also you'd have to wire up a power supply or figure out how to mount the battery pack so it's accessable.

As far as distance, I set up a batlefield on a large pool table, and I didn't have any trouble controlling it at the far end. On the other hand, I had to walk over to them a lot because I kept flipping them over, or the batteries would wear out.

Sounds like a pretty cool idea. When you get it finished post some pics.

MaddMatt · #13 02-17-2003, 07:56 AM

Thanks for the help.

The charging and ID assignments are something I could work on but I don't think it would be too dificult to figure out.

Do the tanks ID need to be set by the controller using them? If I set up a tank at ID1 could I take it to a different controller set at ID1 and use it?

Do you need to set the ID after every charge?

What kind of run times are you getting?

Thanks

jayd177 · #14 02-17-2003, 12:48 PM

I don't believe the tank IDs need to be set by their own controller. As long as the tank is told he is #3 and then the controller you want to make him go is set at #3.

You do not have to set the ID after every charge.

I've been getting between 5 and 10 minutes depending on how hard I push them. Climbing steep angles and constantly changing directions make the motors work more and bring the run time down. ---Jay

MaddMatt · #15 02-17-2003, 08:27 PM

Jay:

Thanks for the details. That's not a real long charge but it would probably work.

I read somewhere that they take aroun 10-15 mins to charge. Is that right?

I am going to wait for the new movable turret model to come out and then I'll pick one or two up and see what I can do with them