Smoking gun
01-11-2011, 08:08 PM
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RE: Smoking gun
Until recently , the smoking gun wasn't a priority for me ; I was planning to offer it as a bonus with my home-made smoke & sound system ...
I'm still working on this project ; which is bigger than I tough ....
The home-made solenoid valve that I'm using for the smoking gun is an important part of this project ; It allows me to have 2 outputs level with the same smoke unit ; thus being able to have a controlled " puff of smoke " at the exhausts ....
But it would be interesting to see someone making a smoking gun with an air-soft system ; I believe that the initial explosion effect would be even better than using a fan like I'm doing right now ....
Of course , the best system would be an air-soft that recoils an smoke ....But it's gonna be a bit tricky to design ....
I look forward to see your system in action ....
Norm
I'm still working on this project ; which is bigger than I tough ....
The home-made solenoid valve that I'm using for the smoking gun is an important part of this project ; It allows me to have 2 outputs level with the same smoke unit ; thus being able to have a controlled " puff of smoke " at the exhausts ....
But it would be interesting to see someone making a smoking gun with an air-soft system ; I believe that the initial explosion effect would be even better than using a fan like I'm doing right now ....
Of course , the best system would be an air-soft that recoils an smoke ....But it's gonna be a bit tricky to design ....
I look forward to see your system in action ....
Norm
01-31-2011, 10:42 AM
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RE: Smoking gun
Hi guys , It's me again ...
Those among you who though I had given up on the smoking gun don't know me very well
..
I took a little break to design a system allowing to fire the gun using the " K " button only ...My design ended up to be more complicated than I though and upon receiving my Tankmodellbau Anti Tracks Recoil unit from Welshdragon ; I realized that I was trying to reinvent the wheel ...
I immediately opened the unit and modified It to my needs ...It's a rather simple mod. and I will post a thread about it .
Meanwhile I gave a trial toTorpedochief"s idea of sucking the smoke from the unit in the chassis all the way to the main gun ....
Like I was afraid off ; It takes a rather complicated pipe system to allow for the rotation of the turret and most of the suction is lost in those pipes ; hence very little smoke at the gun' muzzle ...
I still think that this approach would work fine in an assault gun or a jagpanzer ....
As for now ; I went back to a very simple system : I put a mini smoke unit inside the turret and positioned the fan downwards from the air intake ...
Since the smoke as a natural tendency to rise and will go down only if pushed ; It eliminates the need for a solenoid valve .
So basically when the gun is at rest ; the smoke builds up in the chamber and stays in there until the fan comes "on " when firing the gun ..
Here's a short video of the results ...( P.S. I still have a couple ideas that I want to try ; using micro fans ..)
www.youtube.com/watch
Those among you who though I had given up on the smoking gun don't know me very well
..I took a little break to design a system allowing to fire the gun using the " K " button only ...My design ended up to be more complicated than I though and upon receiving my Tankmodellbau Anti Tracks Recoil unit from Welshdragon ; I realized that I was trying to reinvent the wheel ...
I immediately opened the unit and modified It to my needs ...It's a rather simple mod. and I will post a thread about it .
Meanwhile I gave a trial toTorpedochief"s idea of sucking the smoke from the unit in the chassis all the way to the main gun ....
Like I was afraid off ; It takes a rather complicated pipe system to allow for the rotation of the turret and most of the suction is lost in those pipes ; hence very little smoke at the gun' muzzle ...
I still think that this approach would work fine in an assault gun or a jagpanzer ....
As for now ; I went back to a very simple system : I put a mini smoke unit inside the turret and positioned the fan downwards from the air intake ...
Since the smoke as a natural tendency to rise and will go down only if pushed ; It eliminates the need for a solenoid valve .
So basically when the gun is at rest ; the smoke builds up in the chamber and stays in there until the fan comes "on " when firing the gun ..
Here's a short video of the results ...( P.S. I still have a couple ideas that I want to try ; using micro fans ..)
www.youtube.com/watch
01-31-2011, 08:35 PM
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RE: Smoking gun
It just keeps getting better and better each time you post a video. You are inspiring me to get back to work on my version of the smoking gun project this week. I'm taking a diferent approach though... Thanks for the inspiration. Great work.
Bob
Bob
01-31-2011, 09:48 PM
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RE: Smoking gun
Thanks guys for the support ...
This hasn't been a free ride in the park ...I ended up causing my own problems by being mostly lazy ....
If you look at the video , you'll notice that the tank is mounted on a block ; so the tracks are off the table ...
Well , 4 days ago , I got too lazy to use the block ; I hit the throttle by mistake and drove my tank off the table ....
It didn't fly very well and landed gun first ...
Took me a couple days to repair the damages ; mostly to the gun , the recoil unit and some loose parts on the chassis ...
All that time though , I was unable to find the missing screw attaching the gun collar to the recoil tray of the asiatam system ...
Until a couple hours ago when I fried my main board ....
Off all the places that little .....
I guess I learn my lesson the hard way ...
I'll put the spare board tomorrow , order a new one from Mato ; and resume testing ....
02-17-2011, 01:48 PM
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RE: Smoking gun
Here's my latest attempt at a smoking gun ...
The major improvment was to get rid of the high voltage flash unit and replace it by a " 3 mm high intensity yellow led " at the tip of the muzzle break ...
I'm rather happy with this one ....You guys tell me if I'm right or wrong ...
www.youtube.com/watch
The major improvment was to get rid of the high voltage flash unit and replace it by a " 3 mm high intensity yellow led " at the tip of the muzzle break ...
I'm rather happy with this one ....You guys tell me if I'm right or wrong ...
www.youtube.com/watch
02-17-2011, 02:46 PM
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RE: Smoking gun
pretty amazing! Ilike the look of the yellow led, and the sound is pretty good-which unit is it? As for the smoke-this is the best smoking gun unit I've ever seen! If you care for some constructive criticism, the only thing I'd change might be the timing-the smoke seems to emit after recoil is over, and perhaps should start right as the LED flashes. However this is picking nits, and Ican't emphasize enough how cool this looks! Now how about THIS idea-make it so the same unit that makes the smoke for the gun ALSO dumps smoke out of the hatches, etc when it gets destroyed, to simulate a burning tank...
This is truly sweet. I hope you've been keeping a log and will be able to post a tutorial when you're done!
02-17-2011, 04:50 PM
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RE: Smoking gun
The unit is the RX -18 board from Heng Long ....It has many flaws but the gun firing sound is very good....
You're right about the firing sequence ; I'm not a 100% happy with it ...
I plan to put the mini fan of the smoke unit on the same circuit that powers the led ; and use the switch of the Asiatam recoil unit to trigger the led ...
This way It should compensate for the inertia of the fan ...
As for simulating battle damage ; I'm sure that it's possible to rig something , I was thinking about tapping into the exhaust smoker with a solenoid valve ...But since I'm the only tanker that I"m aware off in Sudbury ON. I haven't really given any serious thoughs about the battle system yet ...
You're right about the firing sequence ; I'm not a 100% happy with it ...
I plan to put the mini fan of the smoke unit on the same circuit that powers the led ; and use the switch of the Asiatam recoil unit to trigger the led ...
This way It should compensate for the inertia of the fan ...
As for simulating battle damage ; I'm sure that it's possible to rig something , I was thinking about tapping into the exhaust smoker with a solenoid valve ...But since I'm the only tanker that I"m aware off in Sudbury ON. I haven't really given any serious thoughs about the battle system yet ...
02-17-2011, 06:09 PM
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RE: Smoking gun
Strmnd54, I really like the yellow LED and the visual effect it has with the smoke. It almost makes it look like the flame is coming out of the muzzle of the barrel. Now, can it be done with a Tamyia Tiger 1?
02-18-2011, 01:54 AM
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RE: Smoking gun
Hi Its getting better and better,love it,when you have it all done can you show us exactly what goes where and how to build one which parts need to be bought and how to build one.
regards pete
regards pete
02-21-2011, 07:36 PM
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RE: Smoking gun
Here's my latest results with this project :www.youtube.com/watch
I didn't change much since the last test , except connecting the smoker's mini fan with the yellow led and tried a new muzzle smoke diffuser ( which basically is the only thing I plan to improve ; since I'm happy with the rest of the system ) ...
That system is amazingly simple : A mini smoke unit ( made with a discarded H.L. smoke unit and a 5 Volts mini fan ) ,
a pipe system ( made of 1/4 " O.D. and 3/16 " O.D. flex straws ) , a 240 Ohms 1/4 Watts resistor in line with a 3 mm high intensity yellow led ( to replace the high voltage flash unit ) ...
The smoke unit is running with a high efficient 18 Ohms 1 Watts Wire Wound resistor , ( I'm also using the same type of resistor for the exhaust smoker . The current consumption at 7.2 Volts is 0.4 Amps , or 2.88 Watts for each smoke unit ; for a total load of 0.8 Amps , or 5.76 Watts for 2 smoke units ; which is pretty reasonable , considering the amount of smoke produced ....www.youtube.com/watch
I enlarged the air intake and double the exhaust of the smoker to get maximum air flow ..
I tried to put the mini fan away from the smoke chamber to minimized the smoke leakage through the air intake when the system is at rest ..
I put the pipes in a slope with a drain to prevent clugging by smoke fluid liquid residue ...
So this design is working right now and I'm ready to proceed to long terms field testing ....
By no means do I believe that this is the only way to get the gun smoking , nor is it the best way ; but in my humble opinion , this is a small step in the right direction ....It does prove that it is possible to get the gun smoking repeatadly ....
The system is customised to fit the turret of my Panzer IV , so a bigger turret , like a Tiger ; should be even easier to work with ....
Here's a few pictures , with comments ; to help ....
02-22-2011, 06:42 AM
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RE: Smoking gun
Norm,
Not a small step, a HUGE step in the right direction. That is a very elegant design and the effect is really great. Great system.
Since you mention that condensation clogging is an issue, I assume you are using glycol based fluid. You have the string in place and that really helps. If you still have problems, try adding a very small amount of PAM cooking spray to the fluid. Just adrop to to about 20ml and shake. It's lecithin, a natural emulsfier, andcan helpprevent large drop buildup in the tubes that can lead to blockage.
Also have found that I can change betweenglycol based fluid and baby oil and get similar smoke output. But the oil smells bad - outdoor use only.
Another thought - do you have a metal barrel? Because the aluminum is so thermally conductive, that may cause more condensation of the smoke in the barrel than using a plastic barrel.
The screen diffuser isvery good. Try anotherone about 3mm behind the first - I think you will find that helps.
Last thought - many factors for smoke output, but general rule of thumb from my testing is that 4watts is about the minimumfor decent smoke with a 30 to 40mm fan. I know you know this, just passing along results.
Your small fan is great and obviously lowers the wattage needed for great smoke output.
Not a small step, a HUGE step in the right direction. That is a very elegant design and the effect is really great. Great system.
Since you mention that condensation clogging is an issue, I assume you are using glycol based fluid. You have the string in place and that really helps. If you still have problems, try adding a very small amount of PAM cooking spray to the fluid. Just adrop to to about 20ml and shake. It's lecithin, a natural emulsfier, andcan helpprevent large drop buildup in the tubes that can lead to blockage.
Also have found that I can change betweenglycol based fluid and baby oil and get similar smoke output. But the oil smells bad - outdoor use only.
Another thought - do you have a metal barrel? Because the aluminum is so thermally conductive, that may cause more condensation of the smoke in the barrel than using a plastic barrel.
The screen diffuser isvery good. Try anotherone about 3mm behind the first - I think you will find that helps.
Last thought - many factors for smoke output, but general rule of thumb from my testing is that 4watts is about the minimumfor decent smoke with a 30 to 40mm fan. I know you know this, just passing along results.
Your small fan is great and obviously lowers the wattage needed for great smoke output.
02-22-2011, 07:26 AM
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RE: Smoking gun
Dan !
Thanks for the tip about the smoke fluid , I got to remember that one .
I was tempted for a while to use motor oil , like I did for a while for the exhaust smoker ; but the consequences of having a spill from the turret are to great ....
As for the gun , It's the original aluminum airsoft gun that came with the tank ; ( forgot to read the part that says you need a matching gun barrel with the Asiatam recoil unit when I bought it ; and fit the airsoft barrel anyhow ) ...
I have a 3/16 " O.D. flex straw that carries the smoke to about 1/2 " from the muzzle ...It gives me the room to pass the 2 wires for the led ....
You were right of course about the minimum power required for the smoker to work , but I had to try anyway , just in case...
The system is working for now and I will probably have to work out the bugs as they show up ...
I hope it'll give the guys some extra ideas how to make their own design ..
As for me , I realised that I've been working on that project for almost a month and a half ; but I don't mind because that's the part of the hobby that I enjoy the most ...
I need to fix the gear boxes on my panzer IV , ( the original Mato metal gears couldn't handle the stress of the winter tracks ) and hopefully post a video of my tank outside ....
Norm.
Thanks for the tip about the smoke fluid , I got to remember that one .
I was tempted for a while to use motor oil , like I did for a while for the exhaust smoker ; but the consequences of having a spill from the turret are to great ....
As for the gun , It's the original aluminum airsoft gun that came with the tank ; ( forgot to read the part that says you need a matching gun barrel with the Asiatam recoil unit when I bought it ; and fit the airsoft barrel anyhow ) ...
I have a 3/16 " O.D. flex straw that carries the smoke to about 1/2 " from the muzzle ...It gives me the room to pass the 2 wires for the led ....
You were right of course about the minimum power required for the smoker to work , but I had to try anyway , just in case
...The system is working for now and I will probably have to work out the bugs as they show up ...
I hope it'll give the guys some extra ideas how to make their own design ..
As for me , I realised that I've been working on that project for almost a month and a half ; but I don't mind because that's the part of the hobby that I enjoy the most ...
I need to fix the gear boxes on my panzer IV , ( the original Mato metal gears couldn't handle the stress of the winter tracks ) and hopefully post a video of my tank outside ....
Norm.
02-22-2011, 10:14 AM
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RE: Smoking gun
That's the beauty of the system right now ...I posted so many versions , one of them is bound to fullfill one's need ...
The easy way to reduce the smoke level and shorten the flash is to reintroduce the high voltage flash unit bulb inside the gun barrel ..
Kind of like killing 2 birds with 1 stone ....
As for me , I kind of like the flame effect given by the led and the smoke ...But it's just my opinion ...
Here's a short video of what the basic system delivers without restrictions in the gun barrel or in the muzzle break ....
www.youtube.com/watch
The easy way to reduce the smoke level and shorten the flash is to reintroduce the high voltage flash unit bulb inside the gun barrel ..
Kind of like killing 2 birds with 1 stone ....
As for me , I kind of like the flame effect given by the led and the smoke ...But it's just my opinion ...
Here's a short video of what the basic system delivers without restrictions in the gun barrel or in the muzzle break ....
www.youtube.com/watch
