ausf

That really isn't that bad for a HL. I'm not kidding, that's minor and if you want to take the the time to get it to seat correctly, it's not that hard.

Don't take this the wrong way, but you have to manage expectations. These are toys, with the appropriate lack of tolerances. In you were putting in some serious aftermarket gearboxes and sprockets, yes it should run true (Tamiya does), but otherwise, you need to either live with it, or shim it with something.

There's a reason why Mercedes cost more than Hyundai. Both function as intended, just one is designed and assembled to better tolerances.

Kanyhalos

Thanks. Since I'm using this steel gearbox, my tank moves like it's shaking left-right a bit in every seconds. Maybe the issue is really with the idlers.

kizwan

If it's shaking like you described, probably the tracks guide horns are hitting something while it move. Look closely.

ausf

The shaking is from the sprocket.

The tracking to one side is from a difference is track length.

The sprocket wobble may have changed since reinstalling because of the way it's sitting on the drive shaft. The final position of the drive shaft with the new gearboxes may be different to, causing a greater discrepancy between the two track lengths.

Kanyhalos

That sounds bad. Any suggestions what should I try?

kizwan

Well my sprockets like that too & they doesn't cause the tank to shake. The last time my tank shaking while moving is because the idler wheels misaligned, causing the tracks guide horns to hitting the idler wheels which in turn causing the tank to shake while moving. To know for sure drive the tank slowly & look closely what happen when the tank shaking.

Kanyhalos

I am seriously considering to throw my tank into the garbage bin. Today I disassembled and reassembled the steel gearbox again, and my tank moves like a complete DISASTER!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yOh...ature=youtu.be

It's not only shaking, but moves horribly leftwards, and when I tap a single move, it moves flourish. And as you can see (clearly at around 0:34), when I order it to move ahead in a very slow rpm, it only starts the right motor. It was the same problem with the nylon gearboxes. Maybe it's an error of RX18 or the controller.

I think it doesn't matter anymore. Honestly guys, I just wanted an occasional hobby rc tank to sometimes have some fun with it, yet I have only found annoyance and frustration with this piece of junk. I guess this hobby isn't for me then.

ausf

Honestly, if that's the stock Tx, you've got a pretty good running HL Panther there. Tracks are too tight, but otherwise, at least what I can see, it's a good example of HL.

This is a great hobby, but there's only two ways to get to where it seems you want to be. Either you do a bunch of work as you go, or you pay for a solid performer up front.

cleong

The old adage still holds true - you get what you pay for.

Imex-Erik

You will have to upgrade your electronics or at least move to a hobby grade transmitter. The stock HL systems have little or no trim (depending on which one you get) and I've found it never really centers anyways if it was bad from the get go. Have you tried taking the tracks off and measuring them against each other and see if they have the same amount of links? Like Ausf said I would add a track link or two to loosen it up a hair. If there is tension on a gearbox from a tracking being too tight it will effect steering. Try getting a hold of YHR or FreakyDude here on the forums. They specialize in aftermarket electronics and you would be surprised at how much of a difference it can make. With a hobby grade transmitter you can do everything from limiting top speed to adjusting your throttle curve.
I know it isn't nice hearing you need to upgrade to fix a problem, but sometimes this is needed. That is one of the downfalls of buying HL, if something goes wrong not many sellers care or will help. Buying from someone like Taigen or Tamiya might cost you a bit more on the initial setup, but you get what you pay for. Luckily a full electronics replacement isn't that much and will last way longer than the life of that tank if taken care of correctly. You can move electronic systems from tank to tank. So you can count this as an investment just like your gearboxes. Those gearboxes will outlive the tank, so you can think about that if you decide you want a different model or get tired of that one.

kizwan

I understand your frustration but it's what it is with HL tank. I don't know whether you did try add one link (or two) to each tracks though. If you want to keep upgrade to a minimum, you can keep all stock except the gearboxes, adjustable idler & hobby grade electronics.

Kanyhalos

I just added one link to each tracks, and it became better. Thank you! After that I placed a 2kg brick onto the tank and how it runs now... is a world of difference.
I will get an approx 2kg iron block and I'll assemble it into the tank before I fix the upper hull.

I will post a video soon.

So you guys also suggest that I should buy a new controller that is hobby grade? Can I keep the RX18 or I need to replace everything?

Kanyhalos

What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Oth...ature=youtu.be

Max-U52

First, you need to test the tank on different surfaces before you decide how much weight to add. That hardwood floor is the easiest surface a tank can run on. Try it on deep pile carpet or grass with different levels of weight and see what happens. I see you can at least remove one of the weights and see what it's like with just half as much. You won't get perfect performance with all weight levels on all surfaces. You'll have to find a happy medium. You may have to give up some weight and have slightly poorer performance on hardwood floors in order to get decent performance on grass or carpet. That's a lot of weight for that tank to carry so I'm worried that when you get into rough terrain you might start breaking stuff from the stress. That same stress level isn't there on hardwood floors. So do a bunch of testing before you make up your mind. If you only test hardwood floors and then you button it up you may find later that performance on grass is horrible and then you'll have to open the tank again. Get all the testing done now, then once you decide exactly what weight to use you can go from there. You should also weigh the hull top and turret and add that much while you do the tests. If you do all the tests now and get it just right that may change when you add the extra weight of the upper hull so you need to take that into account now.

So don't give up, but remember you still have work to do. I can see pretty much what you want your tank to do, you just haven't come to terms with the fact that some things can't be done with your current budget. That's basically a hundred dollar HL tank, so you can't expect it to act like a thousand dollar Tamiya, or even an HL that's had a lot of money put into it. Another thing to keep in mind is that what you're doing now is just a means to an end. It's kind of like what I'm doing with the hobby grade stuff. I know what I want my tank to do and what I have to do to get it there. For me that means upgrading the electronics, but that's not really an aspect of the hobby that I enjoy. All the frustration of upgrading is something I can definitely do without, but if I want to get the tank to where I want it's a necessary evil. I may not enjoy the electronics stuff as much, but it's the only way to get the tank to perform the way I want it to so it's something that has to be done. Once it's all finished and I have these babies out on the tank trail it will all pay off. So I guess what I'm saying is that you and I are both working towards a goal. Some of the work really sucks, but the end payoff will be worth it so that's what we have to keep in mind. You'll have lots more bumpy spots before you get there, so remember that you can't give up and you just have to keep plugging away until you achieve the goal. When you do get there all this garbage will be a distant memory and you'll just be able to enjoy the fruits of all that labor.

Kanyhalos

Thanks mate. I will decide the additional weigth between 500g - 1000g. The upper hull is approx 650g. The main difference between us is that you are a pro and I'm a noob with my very first rc tank. I know where I want to get with the tank but I'm not sure what do I need to get it there... that's why I always ask but there's still much to learn.

Anyway I decided to cut and flex some 1mm thin steel plates. I will make a bridge between the two gearbox plates to make them stronger. Despite the fact I strengthened the plastic posts with very strong pvc tubes, the threads of the posts are already ruined (yup crappy plastic...) and I CA'd every mounting screws into the posts.
I just don't know if it's enough, but I guess I cannot be cautious enough with HL tanks...

Btw, could you please tell me the exact heigth of the plastic posts? I'm planning to make custom bakelite mounts.

Kanyhalos

I tested the tank in grass terrain. It's pitch black night but I hope it's visible enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DW-...ature=youtu.be

It was going well, running almost straight. However I noticed that when the tank is far away, it starts to go a bit rightwards. And when the battery was close to be exhausted, the tank was driving seriously rightwards. I guess that's something with the RX18 or the controller. Any hints?

Btw, this is the 1/72 little brother of my tank

http://postimg.org/image/e0k2wq4kd/

Max-U52

OK first, I'm a long way from being a pro. I've only been in this hobby for less than two years, and I still have boatloads of stuff to learn.

As for drifting one way or the other, you just have to get used to that. As long as you have HL electronics it will do stuff like that. You have to drive it. Constant corrections will always be necessary, even after you go to hobby grade electronics, but the better the electronics the better it will go in a straight line. And they do act differently when the juice gets low. Another reason for lipos, they aren't as bad in that respect. As for the posts, you really need to go to a metal mounting plate to cure that problem. You saw the video I did on that, right? We'll have to look around and see where you can get one of those. If you were in the states I'd just ask Erik to send you one, but I'm not sure how his boss would react to sending a plate overseas to put in an HL tank. That's one more reason why I kept saying you should get an Imex, because then you get the great support. Erik's really cool about that, even with other people's brands of tanks, but there's a limit, ya know? I'll have to give this some more thought, but in the meantime check around in your part of the world and see who you can find that deals in Taigen tanks and maybe they can sell you a mounting plate, or you could try to make your own but I know your tool situation so that would be very difficult for you.

Kanyhalos

My tools situation is currently still poor, but as I mentioned, I'm working in an automotive manufacturing company, and I can suggest professional technicians to help me creating basic stuff. I don't even have to pay them, they do it in favour. I'd love to work with Erik but European Union charges me with a tax fee if I order from overseas and I had to go after it with documents etc... I'd avoid that hassle with the authorities if there's an other way.

Regarding a metal mounting plate, I'm not sure. You sent me a video about brass tubing. I guess a mounting plate could be something else.

Max-U52

Watch this thread

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-t...-hl-tanks.html

That's the exact same lower hull you have in your Panther. This should give you a real good idea what it will take to put in a metal motor plate. You'll also have to take care of those stripped screws, but if you do this, when the time comes I have a neat trick for that.

Kanyhalos

Thanks. That metal plate looks robust, but if its only screwed into the plastic posts, then maybe the whole mount with the 2 motors will tear off the lower hull.
I think in my case I need additional posts and strengthening bridges between the two gearboxes. If I try to remove the gearboxes, then maybe it will be difficult to put them back.
The threads of the posts are ruined, so I placed a lot of CA into the holes, and the screws drilled themselves into them. I have to find a custom solution I think.

ausf

When I did the StuG, I just used bolts. I placed bolts through the gearbox from the top, used nuts from the bottom of the gearbox to basically make it into a stud like your car wheel. Added whatever I needed to that stud to get the right height (mixture of both nuts and washers) then fed them through the hull and used a washer and nut from the outside, cutting off any remaining bolt so it was flush with the nut. Used loctite and they haven't moved.

Kanyhalos

That nuts and bolts mounting stuff is a good idea, I wouldn't have think of it. I'd just have to find longer screws for doing that. I'm still considering to make bakelite block mounts though. We'll see.

Kanyhalos

Last time I drove the tank outside on grass, it had a little accident on a concrete block, and the right tracks teeth came off the idler wheel. It's definetly because I added the one link to each track. I placed it back, but since then, the tank drives seriously rightwards. I noticed that the right sprocket wheel is not perfectly horizontal, it's very visible to the eyes if I visually compare it with the left sprocket and tracks.
I think I should forgot about developing methods for trying to assemble the black steel gearbox into the plastic lower hull, it will probably never work together. Or maybe I need a strong block that fills every space below the gearboxes and mount them onto it.
And probably I need track tensioners too. I just don't really have the time and mood for all of this... I feel that the problems would never end. :S

Imex-Erik

The plastic tanks are ok for a first timer, but if you are going to drop some money into it and really drive it outside a metal lower hull will get you everything you need. It will have a metal motor mount plate where you can mount the gearboxes directly and be done with it. It will also come with a rear torsion bar which will allow you to adjust the track tension through the idler wheels. The suspension will also be changed over to a torsion bar system instead of a spring based system. It is a pretty large upgrade from a plastic lower. I know it may not be fun to hear but if you are having all these problems with your drive train it might be a good idea to get a metal lower chassis instead of upgrading the electronics first.
It never ends just btw, whether it is good or bad you will always be planning your next upgrade. It is very addictive.

Kanyhalos

I'd rather upgrade my garbage bin to a bigger capacity.