HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC  
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HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 10:32:13 AM   
borealis



Posts: 567
Joined: 1/11/2007
From: , ITALY
Status: offline 		Hello folks: this is what I am been working on the past weeks, and since yesterday I reassembled the top and bottom hulls, it is now the right time to tellyou about this project.

The upgrade was in exterior details as well as interiors.

Let's start with some of the details added to the turret:

- rebuilt Rommelkiste
- new side metal slits in correct position
- moved the side port hook upward
- some minor details made from metal





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       Post #: 1

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 10:38:46 AM   
borealis



Posts: 567
Joined: 1/11/2007
From: , ITALY
Status: offline 		The hull also received some improvements, the biggest of which being the raise of the drive axles of about 4mm, since the original position is too low.
This was obtained by putting a 4mm sheet of Forex under the gearboxes. The upper edge of the gearboxes had to be cut in order to fit inside the hull.

The outer gearbox cover was rotated upwards to copy the new axle position.

Other details included the reshape of the front hatches and hinges, and the motor panels outline redraw.





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(in reply to borealis)
       Post #: 2

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 10:45:39 AM   
borealis



Posts: 567
Joined: 1/11/2007
From: , ITALY
Status: offline 		The most difficult part was fitting Asiatam's elevation/recoil unit inside the turret, while reshaping the mantlet to the correct size and position.
The new gun barrel is made in metal, two parts, one sliding into the other.

Inside the barrel I fitted the muzzle flash led from Blitz, while the warning led was replaced with the IR emitter for the DBC unit.

After a lot of filing and testing of clearances and movements, everything found its place. I also had to repair a small micro inside the recoil unit which came already stuck from the factory.



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(in reply to borealis)
       Post #: 3

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 11:08:19 AM   
borealis



Posts: 567
Joined: 1/11/2007
From: , ITALY
Status: offline 		The hull interiors took a major rework.
First, the Rx-14 board did smoke (again! It's the 2nd RX-14 I smoke out!) when I connected everything. Again the motor fets... burn burn.

40 minutes to change the Rx-14 with a more reliable (for me!) Rx-13.

I removed the smoke generator to make room for a bigger speaker Blitz sent me, which improves by itself the overall sound. But I also wanted to test an additional 6W amplifier I took from Thomas Benedini. That thing makes the Heng Long ROAR!

So, I removed the smoker switch and closed the side hull window, moved the main switch and volume knob under the driver's hatch (which I cut open and hinged), together with an on-board recharge plug.

The 6W amplifier needs its own power connection, which I put after the main switch. Also added an additional heasink, cut from an aluminium sheet.

The additional sound card is between the gearboxes, the internal coil antenna in the back.

Additional connections were required for the muzzle flash led (connected to 2 pins on the HL board): I preferred to remove the original asiatam's muzzle red led (operated with the led stick) to use a white led operated through the 'K' button. Since the left stick function will be connected to the 'K' function through a micro into the transmitter, I will be able to either shoot with full muzzle flash, recoil and IR (left stick) or with just a quick flash+IR (K button alone).

Another connection is a negative wire from the recoil unit, which is used by a micro to automatically move the barrel back into position after the recoil.

Then add the IR led and the DBC-DBU connection and you have the wire mess you see in the picture. I really had to proceed carefully when I screwed the top and bottom hull together, and drop a prayer when later testing the turret rotation!
But the tests went fine, and the battle system interaction at close range too (against my DBC equipped Panzer III).

Now i just have to modifify the transmitter to make the tank fully operational.








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(in reply to borealis)
       Post #: 4

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 1:02:51 PM   
thomasjohnmurphy


 

Posts: 557
Joined: 10/30/2007
From: St Catharines, ON, CANADA
Status: offline 		Awesome work. You've definitely out doe me. I'm just finishing up my Panzer IV conversion (to Ausf G) Should have it done by the end of the week. I may reconsider the drive sprocket placement like you did.

(in reply to borealis)
       Post #: 5

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 1:23:39 PM   
borealis



Posts: 567
Joined: 1/11/2007
From: , ITALY
Status: offline 		If you plan to rise the original gearboxes (i.e. you didn't throw in the low profile ones), I might suggest to just rise the front of the gearbox and keep the rear at the original height. That will spare you a lot of rework on the gearboxes and on the upper hull to make room enought to close the two halves. You will just have to cut a bit from the top of the gearbox side sheets, but with a dremel cutting disc it is quick.

Then you drill two holes each side for the gearbox cover pins, and rotate some degrees the covers around the fixing screw in order to re-center the shaft in them.

One friend of mine followed this way and he obtained the same result with less trouble.

< Message edited by borealis -- 8/27/2008 1:27:41 PM >

(in reply to thomasjohnmurphy)
       Post #: 6

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 1:46:02 PM   
borealis



Posts: 567
Joined: 1/11/2007
From: , ITALY
Status: offline 		Would you like to see some Ausf. G pictures I took at Münster Panzermuseum a couple of weeks ago?



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       Post #: 7

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 1:47:53 PM   
pattoncommander



Posts: 2023
Joined: 12/28/2006
From: Columbia, SC, USA
Status: offline 		Really fine work and I wish I had your expertise in working electronics. You obviously have a good knowlege of the Pz IV and it's great to see posts from people who really care about making the tank authentic and realistic. Thanks for posting the rebuild sequence and descriptions.

(in reply to borealis)
       Post #: 8

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 2:05:06 PM   
blitzkrieg65



Posts: 1691
Joined: 5/1/2007
From: Escondido, CA, USA
Status: online 		borealis,

Excellent work,, I can't wait to see the video and hear the sound,, and I have been busy with other things need to get that amplifier and give it a go!

I got a good laugh out of your frustrtation with the RX=14, I felt the same way but I have been getting some better boards lately!

Question, don't you get the same reaction from the tank (recoil, shot sound, cannon flash, henglong jerk) if you push left stick forward or the K button correct?

The Blitz

< Message edited by blitzkrieg65 -- 8/27/2008 2:32:52 PM >

(in reply to pattoncommander)
       Post #: 9

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 2:42:55 PM   
borealis



Posts: 567
Joined: 1/11/2007
From: , ITALY
Status: offline 		No Blitz, it's slightly different.

When I push the left stick forward, the recoil motor (which has taken the place of the airsoft motor, and shares the same connections) starts to move a cam wheel.
It takes just a few degrees of rotation for the cam wheel to disengage the recoil sledge, thus letting it (and the barrel) be thrown back from the recoil spring (the spring is in tension when the barrel is in resting position). The backwards movement is instantaneous as it should be.
Meanwhile the cam wheel disengages a normally closed micro which is always under voltage, closing it, and starting the return to resting position of the barrel. When the barrel is at rest, the micro is set open and everything stops, ready for a new impulse.

That is the mechanics.

The original Asiatam unit has another (normally open) micro which is closed by the recoil sledge when it move backwards, operating the stock muzzle flash led (red -coloured). I removed this one.

The recoil unit requires to add a (supplied) microswitch also inside the transmitter. This micro is closed by the left stick itself when pushed forward, and is soldered to the 'K' button pins.

That's why when you push the stick:
- recoil motor operates, making the barrel recoil and the stock led lighten
- the micro inside the transmitter adds the 'K' button cannon sound and tank recoil to the process. With the DBC connected, it also operates the IR beam.


I made a slight change to the stock system. I removed the original muzzle flash led and added the white one you supplied, connected to the HL board and operated through the 'K' button.

Therefore, after adding the micro inside the transmitter I will be able to choose between two shooting modes:
- one is the 'push left stick one', which operates the gun recoil and -if the reloading time from a previous shot has elapsed, since I have the DBC- will operate the IR beam, muzzle flash, gun 'boom' sound and tank recoil. If the reloading time has not elapsed, I will just obtain the barrel to recoil, with no additional light or sound effect.
If I did not remove the stock muzzle flash system, I would also obtain the gun to flash (without really shooting the IR beam), which could be misunderstood as a real shoot during battles (and possibly go against Tamiya's battle rules).


- the 2nd operating mode is the 'quick shot': by just pressing the 'K' button I will operate the IR beam, the muzzle flash and the boom sound with full tank recoil, but without any barrel recoil. Could be useful in battles.

I hope to have explained how the system works clearly enough.


Blitz, I have a question, though. If I set the DBC to 'no recoil' I have seen that the muzzle flash led does not light up when I shoot. Is there a way to correct this?

< Message edited by borealis -- 8/27/2008 2:47:17 PM >

(in reply to blitzkrieg65)
       Post #: 10

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 3:13:18 PM   
blitzkrieg65



Posts: 1691
Joined: 5/1/2007
From: Escondido, CA, USA
Status: online
quote:

ORIGINAL: borealis

No Blitz, it's slightly different.

When I push the left stick forward, the recoil motor (which has taken the place of the airsoft motor, and shares the same connections) starts to move a cam wheel.
It takes just a few degrees of rotation for the cam wheel to disengage the recoil sledge, thus letting it (and the barrel) be thrown back from the recoil spring (the spring is in tension when the barrel is in resting position). The backwards movement is instantaneous as it should be.
Meanwhile the cam wheel disengages a normally closed micro which is always under voltage, closing it, and starting the return to resting position of the barrel. When the barrel is at rest, the micro is set open and everything stops, ready for a new impulse.

That is the mechanics.

The original Asiatam unit has another (normally open) micro which is closed by the recoil sledge when it move backwards, operating the stock muzzle flash led (red -coloured). I removed this one.

The recoil unit requires to add a (supplied) microswitch also inside the transmitter. This micro is closed by the left stick itself when pushed forward, and is soldered to the 'K' button pins.

That's why when you push the stick:
- recoil motor operates, making the barrel recoil and the stock led lighten
- the micro inside the transmitter adds the 'K' button cannon sound and tank recoil to the process. With the DBC connected, it also operates the IR beam.


I made a slight change to the stock system. I removed the original muzzle flash led and added the white one you supplied, connected to the HL board and operated through the 'K' button.

Therefore, after adding the micro inside the transmitter I will be able to choose between two shooting modes:
- one is the 'push left stick one', which operates the gun recoil and -if the reloading time from a previous shot has elapsed, since I have the DBC- will operate the IR beam, muzzle flash, gun 'boom' sound and tank recoil. If the reloading time has not elapsed, I will just obtain the barrel to recoil, with no additional light or sound effect.
If I did not remove the stock muzzle flash system, I would also obtain the gun to flash (without really shooting the IR beam), which could be misunderstood as a real shoot during battles (and possibly go against Tamiya's battle rules).


- the 2nd operating mode is the 'quick shot': by just pressing the 'K' button I will operate the IR beam, the muzzle flash and the boom sound with full tank recoil, but without any barrel recoil. Could be useful in battles.

I hope to have explained how the system works clearly enough.


Blitz, I have a question, though. If I set the DBC to 'no recoil' I have seen that the muzzle flash led does not light up when I shoot. Is there a way to correct this?



Wow thanks Borealis for the detailed explaination I got it now!! I have 2 units trying to decide which tank to install them in, well on have to bu with the EL MOD to see how that works??
Great question, about keeping the flash, this one if for the programmer of the chip, David or Darkih, but the problem is when you take out the recoil the DBC will fire the cannon with the sound from the kit sound card,, so it cuts the sound of the Heng Long Board! And that is the exact spot that we use to tap off of for the cannon flash! Maybe there is a way to take that option out in future kits, or maybe it is as simple as cutting a trace?

The Blitz

The Blitz

(in reply to borealis)
       Post #: 11

RE: HL Panzer IV upgraded to recoil and DBC - 8/27/2008 3:17:08 PM   
swathdiver