Jussek

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Hello, i open this tread to explain step by step the little project i have just ended.

As every HL user, I was deeply disappointed with the sound performance of my tank, so I I’ve installed a Beier USM-HL soundmodul on my HL Tiger I.

Also, I’ve installed two pinhole wireless cams, one on the turret, canon aligned for aiming purposes, and the other on the lower hull, near the driver’s hatch. I’ve tested them, and both work ok with one AV receiver, I have only to switch a jumper on it to be able to have one view or the other one.

About the soundcard, I don’t need to say too much, sounds great! The acceleration can be heard perfectly, but in my cat with metal gears and tracks (very noisy ‘environment&rsquo the sound results is a bit toned down.

She comes with preregistered sounds, but the good part is that you can put in it all the sounds you want. The configuration software is easy to use. I’ve yet entered this terrain, I will soon.

She is a bit pricey (129€+15&euro, but it was, for me needed, the cheapest way to get good sounds. Also, is very easy to swap it to another HL tank (if the space required is done for beforehand), two cables and running.

With the engine stopped (but with the transmitter on) she has a new set of sounds, no movement sounds, but you can put ‘ambient’ sounds and run them with all the buttons and sticks positions of the transmitter.

I started looking for a place inside the hull for the soundcard, and finally stripped the entire lower hull and relocated all elements from zero. I did a new ‘waterproof’ container for all the electronics, so if water enters for the lower side of the hull, it cannot harm the electronics. Also, the frontal section will be the firewall between the gearboxes and the electronics, so neither oil nor grease will be splashed to them. After trying a lot of different layouts I opted for the one you can see on the pics. I know, the receiver board is too close to the motors, but I’ve tested it, and no problems had appeared. I’ve tested the tank at my yard, and from 30m away it responds to commands without issues, and with my home between the tank and me. The tank was over his ‘bed’ (with the tracks off the ground), and from my location on the other side of the yard, I was able to hear all the sounds: engine start and stop, acceleration, brakes, caterpillar squeaks, turret left and right, gun elevation, MG and canon fire, etc…

One of the batteries is for the tank, the other for the cams, I’ve a work to be tone here though, the interrupter must be located between the battery and the 5v regulator (LM2575), or it will drain the power out of the battery in a few hours. Oops, I’ve not said it before, the cams run on 5v, so a regulator must be installed to reduce the output.

My initial plan was to put the cams inside the turret and the hull, to be able to achieve a ‘realistic’ view. But the reality was that the quality of the signal reaching the receiver dropped noticeably, and the work inside for accommodate the cams was not easy, especially on the turret one. I tested it putting the cam on the led hole, but the elevation mount of the canon was in contact with it, and worst, the angle of view was very restricted, I was able to see only an circular image, maybe only the 20% of the available display surface on the monitor, and the last 1/3 of the canon.

Achieve a bigger angle of vision would require a rework on the gun mantlet, with big probabilities of ruin it in the process. So I decided to put the cam on the turret roof, between the commander cupola and the loader’s hatch. The power cable enters the turret via a hole in the loader’s hatch. And then, the other cam too, was located between the driver’s hatch and the Bosch light, and the power cable enter the lower hull via this hatch.

So they (cams and cables) must be camouflaged, I don’t like see elements on the tank that were not there in reality. I’m working in camo nets and/or foliage to solve this.

The wiring for the cams has been a bit difficult (for me) to be done, maybe it’s not a nice layout, but it works.

On the AV receiver side I’ve done a similar solution for the power, but this time from a 9v battery to 5v for the receiver. I’m waiting a battery holder for 4xAA rechargeable batteries, so 1.2x4=4.8v, I will see if the receiver works with this, so I will able not to use a voltage regulator here. On the pics you will see the TFT display with the receiver attached on his back (with Velcro), and with the power wiring using the 9v battery and the regulator. I hope the 4xAA solution works; I don’t like how it is now. The receiver is located in a way that permits a quick channel change, so I can select one cam or the other.

Well, after all this was worked out yesterday, I did a test. I was sitting in the middle of my home, and was able to run the tank all around my house and yard looking to the 7” display. It is difficult to drive in this manner! But was a lot of fun.

Now I have to think in how to put together the display and the transmitter in a manner that I need only my two hands to run the tank…

YHR

Interestng project. The Beier sound card seems like a good card. I can't read German though, and they don't have any english instructions, so I was reluctant to try it.

For those that don't know the Beier card is designed to function with HL electronics, and provide great sound, with programmable memory to allow you to tailor sounds. When I found out about this card I stopped developing the card I was working on, as this card fit the bill and was ready to go.

No battle system yet though, but I think they are working on it.

Jussek

yes, i forgot to say that, instructions are only in german, i don't speak german too, but i trnaslated the manual with the help of two online translators, all you know how this translators work, but the result is enough for me, and no problems after all. Also, the soft is in english too, and this helps a lot to customize the sounds on the card.

best regards

YHR

The software is in English??? That is good news, and I did not know that. The electrical diagram pretty much explains how to hook it up, but I was worried about the software!!!!!!. If it is in English, then I am not so intimiated

Jussek

yes, as i was 'translating' the manual, i saw it, i went quickly to the soft and voilà, it was true, all menus and optins in english! i have to say that by that moment, i had all the menus and options already trnaslated one by one

reyemmanuel

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the info. Do you think this will work with either DBC or DBCRC2-equipped tank?

Cheers,

Jussek

hi, this model is dessigned to work with HL electronics, hence the name USM-HL, is installed between the RX18 and the HL receiver board. For other brand of electronics they have the USM-RC, they cost the same.

take a look on his website

http://www.beier-electronic.de/modellbau/index.php


best regards

TeTris MoNk

how much was it for those cams and AV reciever?

Jussek

they cost me about 40$ (1 cam+1 receiver), i choosed this model because i wanted to put them internally, and the rest of the cams i saw were bigger, althoug i also saw somoene who put another model, more square, inside the HL figure...

Airbrushler

when do we get to hear it

Jussek

i'm having problems with my usb video receiver, as i want to record from the minicams, but then i think i will record the video with a common videocam and upload it to youtube.

if you do not want to wait, go to youtube and search 'beier sounmodul', there will appear a few of them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WYb7EG7nFw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMp2EfMiCB8&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4yRrqU5Lh4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B_V8iP1vNo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lNWJRaJx9Q

the sounds are customizable, there are a few diferent sets for every tank model inside the memory of the module, and also you can made you own and put them inside.

Airbrushler

what radios can be used with this unit

Jussek

this model is only for HL tanks with HL electronics, so it will work with the HL transmitter

for other brand of electronics there is another model availabe, i writte that a few post back


best regards

TeTris MoNk

can i get a link to where you got the cams and reciever?

Jussek

i cannot see the same item, but is this one in this same ebay shop

http://cgi.ebay.es/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...d=710450146018

best regards

Jussek

hi,

the project v1.0 is finished (the v2.0 will be when i finally do all the major surgery to put the minicams inside the tank)

first, i dropped the 9v battery + 5v regulator combo to feed the AV receiver on the monitor, and put a battery case with interruptor, for 4x AA 3000mAh rechargeables batteries, so 4.8v in total, and i had also put all the cables inside a little box:




then came the way to camouflage the minicams. First i tried to use folliage, but the results were not of my liking after a lot of work. So i switched to plan B, the use of camo nets, I had some already done, so i cut them to form and rolled them, with the aid of diluted white glue:













As i said, this will last until i venture myself on the project of punt the minicams inside the hull, one looking from the driver's visor, the other in the hole where the red lLED was in the turret, or in the coaxial MG possition.

Then came the HARD work to configure the Beier with the sounds i liked. I downloaded a lot of videos from the internet where real panther and tiger engines were beign run, extracted the audio and started to build up every one sound that the beier could reproduce. Man, this is difficult! as i had never worked before with sounds, it cost me a lot of trial and error.

finaly i think i have achieved a sound profile i like. Here you are the two firsts tests videos i have done. Excuse the poor image quality, i didn't have a good videocam:

sound test 1:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZimFZtsNQQo[/youtube]

soundtest 2, here i have only changed a little the volume of one sound, because the metal gear and tracks are noisy, and the soundplay of the tank running was too much 'eclipsed' by the mechanical sounds:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzSp5RHGKxU[/youtube]

man, youtube eats a lot of quality! i can tell you that in real the sounds are awesome!

anf finally, today i've been able to record some videos from the minicams, with a lot of interferences, i'm sorry.

sigth from the minicam 1, the "driver's view":

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyC4YFJzSEY[/youtube]

and sigth from the cam 2 on the turret roof, the "gunner's view"

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UtRx8W8p8U[/youtube]

here the sound of the VS airsoft gear cover up the shooting sound of the sound card, you can also notice the differences of sound volume captured by both minicams.

best regards!