smokinbarracuda

Hi guys, my second rx18 in my Abrams has now quit, and thats with a fan! Granted I am running 480 HS BB motors and metal tracks but took a chance that it would handle the power.

Now instead of just getting another one I need to know my options for upgrade packages. Obviously the biggest reasons to upgrade are greater power handling and correct Abrams sounds.

I don't want to spend a fortune and need to keep costs as low as possible but I know my options are limited. Please can anyone offer any advice? Thanks in advance.

Panther G

I'm not sure if the SLU has their Abrams package complete yet. I believe they are putting one together.

smokinbarracuda

Hi Panther, thanks for this, I'll look into the SLU. I doubt I'd be able to use YHR's option as it utilises the rx18 which would be likely blow again which is a shame. There's elmod as well of course. How much does it cost these days and is it plug and play yet?

Panther G

Well , with Dan's conversion and the new DBC blown boards should be less of a problem. Being that you are using such big motors, El Mod may be your only choice. I'm not sure even the SLU can handle the draw that those motors creat. You would have to check with the guy's that are using them.
I'm just looking at it from the perspective of Should something go wrong I would rather it be a 20.00 dollar board than a 200.00 package.

YHR

Are you just using a Heng Long stock radio. IF you are then your options are very limited. IF you went with a DBC you could keep your current RX 18 for turret functions and buy a sabre tooth for about 70 bucks that can handle the drive motors. You would have to use a servo wire splitter cabe so you could run to the sabre tooth board and to the RX 18. Plug your motors into that and you should be laughing. I haven't done this yet buy was lookng at the Sabre tooth ESC just the other day. It should work.

Again you will need a DBC so you can use a standard receiver to go to the Sabre tooth, and of course if you go with a DBC you might as well get the DBC3 as it can mate up with a Benedini sound card when you want sound.

[link=http://www.robotmarketplace.com/products/0-SABER2X12-RC.html]Sabre tooth[/link]

Cheers

smokinbarracuda

That sabertooth looks interesting. Let us know how you get on with it if you get one. I've decided to give the rx18 another chance but I need to make sure its the latest version. Anyone know what this is?

I may also go for DBC and benedini sound card soon with this being my only choice if I want correct abrams sounds and to keep the HL transmitter. It appears my only other choice is elmod but this would cost me almost £300 which is just too much.

Any other ideas, I'm listening!

Thanks

Rebellion13

I think if you go the sabertooth route you would need another transmitter, the HL transmitter wont work with it, if I am thinking correctly

smokinbarracuda

Just realised I'd need a new transmitter if I got a DBC and Benedini from Dan as well. So basically I only have 2 options at the moment for Abrams sounds and both require new transmitter so either way I'm looking at a big dent in the wallet.

I guess I'll stick with the rx18 for a while until a few more options become available or it burns out again!

Panther G

Yeah like Dan said your options are very limited with the HL transmitter. better to go with a Hobby Grade trans anyway.

DirtyBird69

You got it Cuda......That's what I wanted was a serious upgrade in sound quality in my HL tanks, but unfortunatelyyou'd have to install a completely new system, or at leastpay for all the IR stuff(which I could care less about)that comes with it..very frustrating!. Wish somebody could design an individualsound card upgrade that you could integrate with factory Heng Long RX-18or any other radio system......you can always dream

Green Amphibian

I am with you on the separate sound card to work with any system, and be able to download your own sounds to it. Everything I have is working great, just don't have sound to the scratch builds.

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

A seperate sound card would be nice for stock HL tankers, but remember that with elmod, you do NOT have to buy the IR extras for the system to work correctly. You can buy the drive board and the sound board and have a hobby grade eelctronics package without IR. IF you decide to go IR battling at a later date, then it is an easy plug and play install to the existing elmod unit. I cannot give nay feedback on the SLU, as I have never used one. My honest opinion for a heavy tank is to either install Tamiya or elmod. Unfortunately Tamiya does not have anything remotely resembling an Abrams sound set.

Panther F

What direction would I have to go if I built the Coelian Panther tank? Gotta have the anti-aircraft sound PLUS the correct engine sounds too.

If it cannot be done I'll never get one. Well, maybe as a shelf queen.







~ Jeff

YHR

I have one prototype board that you can add Benedini sound to stock HL electronics. Trouble is I was getting phantom signals that would radonmly play battle sounds, and I never could get it figured out. If you just wanted great engine sounds this board was fine, but when you loaded up the other addresses with sounds, that is one the trouble started, soi I focused on working with David to figure out something with the DBC3..

The nice thing is the DBC3 plays just like a DBC2 so you get all the IR, momentum and recoil blocking features. Then later you can added the sound card to give you the Benedini experience.

Lots of options out there, but unfortunatley all of them cost you more then a Heng Long tank.

Yes you do need a DBC2 or 3 + a hobby radio to make use of the Sabre tooth option

Panther F

Well, if it was a "tank" I would already be looking at a Tamiya package ... just because that's what I know and it's plug N play so going into something a little more unique I know will take some playing. And we all know playing will cost.

Probably looking at the middle of next year on accumulating parts to do this.

I'd really like to build a Tamiya Gepard, but that costs too.





~ Jeff

DirtyBird69

Yeah I hear ya, but to be honest I really don't need a hobby grade radio(yet)...I just drive my tanks around with my friends and have an occasional airsoft battle...besides anything other then cosmetic or sound improvements we all decided to keep our tanks basicallystock(factory hop-upsallowed)so nobody has any kind of advantage, plusseveral of our team can't afford a macked out Tamiya so HL's work out just fine...But I would like to run better engine sounds/wa little more volume...maybe somebody will come out with a sound upgrade(don't want anything else..).

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

Jeff, elmod can be prgrammed with both, custom engine sounds and custom gun sounds so you can basically make the sound files you want and add them to the elmod folder for use uin the tank. For instance, if you had the sound of the gun you wanted on video or an audio file, I could convert it to the proper WAV format and send it back to you through email to add. It really is plug and play using the 8-pin HL connector. Rather easy if you have an HL wiring diagram handy and know how to ready it. Umm, I suppose a diagram is no trouble for you.

YHR

Beier make exactly what you are looking for, and they have programmable sounds as well. Another reason I gave up on my HL sound board. Beier already make it, and this market is small.

Here is a link to a Youtube video showing the unit in action. Again this is sound only, no IR,no ESC just good sounds to a Heng Long

Like El- Mod or Benedini this card is programmabe so you can customize them or add any tank sound you want. Gepard no probem. Benedini actually has this file built already wiht the AA guns sounds

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z8tvrY1Iog&feature=related]ZVideo of beier sound module.[/link]

strong622

For a radio how about the Spektrum? They are pretty cheap. I know radio frequencies are different there, but how would the 2.4 GHz work there?


Danny

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

The cheapest radio I have found is the Aerosport5, which is 2.4 and 5 channels. Works great. I have a few of them and love that little radio.

Dan, how much is the Bier unit selling for? Don't they have a system similar to elmod with full drive control and sounds too?

Rebellion13

Joe,

I think they go for 129 euro. Just a sound system, I didn't see any motor, turret etc. control board's on their site. Also I did not see any Abrams sound set either, but I may have missed it. What about Clark Model I know they have systems, just don't know if it connects directly to an RX-18 or if it replaces that.


Cheers,
Wade

I was just on the clark model site, they have some pretty neat stuff, for 1/35 tamiya tanks that are compatible with the 1/35 battle system, go for around 120 to 130 for controller, and sound unit. Buy any 1/35 Tamiya kit and add that for a fraction of what the 1/35 Tamiya IR series goes for.

YHR

The Beier unit is programmable so you can upload your own soundfiles. With some software and a little time you could teach yourself how to make a soundfile for anything

Rebellion13

I guess if I would have read your post I would have seen that lol [:-]



Cheers,
Wade

Green Amphibian

But you still need boards to make it work, right? My scratch builds do not have boards, only ESC's and RX.

YHR

Yes you still need a sound board. The Stock Benedini TBS board can give you variable engine sounds , and has addresses for another 8 sounds. As long as you are running a regular hobby radio this sound option is aviailable to you These can be selected using the joystick. For example. Suppose you had a March saved to sound address 4. To access this sound you would move the left joystick down to indicate you want to make a new selection. And then four quick up movements on the left joystick sets sound four to play. Next time you move the joystick down the sound in address four plays, and your tank is playng a march. This sound stays loaded until the next upward movement on joystick. You can set up this signalling yourself. I used the left joystick for example, but you could set some other control on your transmitter to be the sound selection mode.