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New guy needs help with Heng Long tanks

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New guy needs help with Heng Long tanks

Old 03-06-2015, 07:16 AM
  #201  
Kanyhalos
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I tested the tank and the issue with the transmission was the loose crystal. Now it works fine. But it drives rightwards. I did not set the tensioners to super tight so I dunno why.
Old 03-07-2015, 12:02 PM
  #202  
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I ordered new metal sprockets and idlers, and the newest Taigen black metal tracks that also fit the Tamiya Panther. I hope it indicates some quality.
Old 03-17-2015, 12:29 PM
  #203  
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Hey guys,

I'm back. I purchased metal tracks and sprockets for my Panther. It's heavy and it's awesome. I can't wait to test it on rough terrain.

http://postimg.org/image/p4acvjr7v/

http://postimg.org/image/s2tqxbyan/

http://postimg.org/image/oa7c4pja5/

I will test it properly within a couple of days and make a video about that.
Old 03-19-2015, 01:08 PM
  #204  
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If anyone still cares... ... I'm very pleased with the metal tracks. The problem of the track slippage is over.
Old 03-19-2015, 02:58 PM
  #205  
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Yes, we care and are glad that your problem is solved.

Herman
Old 03-19-2015, 03:04 PM
  #206  
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Glad toi hear you were able to resolve your issue. Matched Tracks and Sprockets are the way to go!!!
Old 03-19-2015, 07:43 PM
  #207  
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Yeah. glad to hear your tank running ok now.
Old 03-20-2015, 06:09 AM
  #208  
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Thank you guys The problem was with the plastic tracks, they bend easily on pressure. The metal tracks are rigid so the track guides do not move into the grooves. It's nice.
It's still not running completely perfectly straight but I accepted that already. Maybe I will buy a better transmitter in the future which has got trimmers, but it's not that important at the moment.

Anyway I'm thinking about buying a better battery, possibly a NiMH Battery pack between the range of 4000mah and 5000mah. What kind of battery charger should I get for that? I've got the asiatam lower hull from rctank.de with the special battery charger, which has a custom socket at the rear of tank, so I don't have to remove the battery in case of charging.

Any hints?
Old 03-20-2015, 07:41 AM
  #209  
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First, I've always been told that it's a very bad idea to charge batteries inside your tank.

Second, this is the charger I'm using (they're so low cost I bought two). They'll charge nimhs, and if you ever go to lipos they'll do those, too.

https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...dProduct=43038
Old 03-20-2015, 07:54 AM
  #210  
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Dont you need some form of shelter, because the lipo might explode while charging?
Old 03-20-2015, 08:05 AM
  #211  
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He's running nimhs, so that's not such an issue, and yes, I do use a lipo bag when charging lipos, and that's inside a steel box with a bucket of sand nearby, just in case. If you do go to lipos, remember that some fire extinguishers will only make a lipo fire worse, and sand is probably the best thing to extinguish a runaway lipo.
Old 03-20-2015, 08:26 AM
  #212  
Kanyhalos
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Thank you. Why I shouldn't charge batteries inside the tank?
Old 03-20-2015, 09:55 AM
  #213  
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What if something goes wrong? The tank gets destroyed along with the battery.
Old 03-20-2015, 10:14 AM
  #214  
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I don't know where I got the idea that he wanted lipo. Guess I rolled a 1 on my reading comprehension check. Lol
Old 03-20-2015, 06:12 PM
  #215  
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Like you I have a Metal hull with a built in charging socket, I have never had any problems charging NI-MHs but I would never charge a LI-PO remotely, they are great batteries but when charging they really do need watching.shaun
Old 03-20-2015, 11:21 PM
  #216  
Kanyhalos
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If lipos are so dangerous, why do people use them? Is there any advantage?

Btw, let's say I buy a 5000mah nimh. Since I have the built-in charging socket, I need the special plug on the charger's wire... or should I just buy a charger with tamiya plug and remove the upper hull every time I charge it? It's very quick too.

How does a 5000mah nimh would last? My tank is almost full metal, so its heavy, but it doesn't have a smoke unit and I don't do IR battle.
Old 03-21-2015, 04:29 AM
  #217  
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Originally Posted by Kanyhalos
If lipos are so dangerous, why do people use them? Is there any advantage?
In tanks, almost zero advantage unless you have so many power hungry systems going (MFU, sound, amp) or have no space for a traditional NiMH.

Lipos have an immense ammount of power and discharge rate for their size. They are ideal for aircraft where weight and power are concerns or if you are racing cars or boats and need huge amounts of juice really fast. That all comes at a price though, they don't like to be abused in any way. Wet, puncture or short and you've got a big problem.

Used with caution, they are fine, but need to treated with respect. Not sitting in a hot car, etc.

My introduction to the bad side was while flying a small foam Corsair. It was the end of the day, I needed get to going, I landed the plane, pulled the battery, a 120 mAh 1 C (smaller than the return key on your computer), stuck it in my pocket and headed for the car. What I didn't know was on landing, the small connector broke free exposing a wire thread. I get to the car, put the plane away and as I'm getting in the front to drive I noticed my leg was getting hot. I yanked the battery out and tossed it on the ground and watched a tiny blow torch of a flame, bigger than the battery itself shoot out for a what seemed like an hour. If I was driving at the time, it would have been a disaster, the blow torch would have been on me. From that point on, I had a serious respect for lipos.
Old 03-21-2015, 05:49 AM
  #218  
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There's a couple more advantages to lipos. One is discharge rate. If you charge a nimh to full charge, the minute you take it off the charger it begins to lose charge. I've heard as much as 10% in the first 24 hours. That makes it difficult to charge batteries before a weekend event and have them all fully charged when you get there. Of course, a 90% charge still isn't bad and most people won't really notice the difference. It may shorten the usability of a 5000 mah nimh by 6 or 7 minutes, not really that big a deal, but the lipos don't lose charge like that. The next advantage is a bit more significant, and that's cost. For the cost of one 5000 mah nimh at my LHS I can get about five 2200 mah lipos. Yeah, I have to also buy LVAs but it's still a huge difference in price between nimh and lipo. Then there's the advantage that Jeff mentioned, and that's size. In the Panzer III there isn't a whole lot of room. I doubt I could get an IBU2 in my PIII with a nimh taking up that much space. My 2200 zippy compact runs the tank just as long as the 3000 mah nimh, but only uses half the space in the tank.

But Jeff is absolutely right - YOU HAVE TO HAVE A HEALTHY RESPECT FOR LIPO BATTERIES!! If you get careless they will bite you. HARD! With that said, any responsible adult that uses a decent amount of caution will find lipos perfectly safe to use, as long as you follow the rules. Never leave them unattended while charging, and make sure you have a metal box for charging, storage and transportation. That's why most lipo users have an old .50 cal ammo can. It's very good for storing and transporting lipos safely. I also use a metal box in a safe area to charge them, and I have a bucket of sand at hand, just in case. Jeff learned first hand that you do not carry them in your pocket, you put them in the ammo can, even just for the short walk to the car. And you have to keep in mind that a good deal of the horror stories you hear about lipos come from the flyboys, because lipos do NOT react well to crashes, or even rough landings. We don't have as many of those worries with tanks. So used properly, lipos are great, but it's probably a good idea to stick with nimh if you can. And one tip is, don't go for the 5000 mah right away. Look around a bit, and you'll find that a 3000 or a 4200 gives very good performance at a much lower cost. In my LHS, a 5000 is more than twice the price of a 3000. Before I buy a 5000 nimh I think I'd just buy two 3000s, and the final cost will be very close to just one 5000.

Last edited by Max-U52; 03-21-2015 at 12:44 PM.
Old 03-21-2015, 06:40 AM
  #219  
Kanyhalos
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Thank you guys for the explanations. It is very useful as usual.

How long does a 3000mah nimh and a 5000mh would last? 1-1,5 hours? Yup the 5k one is double price than the 3k one. I also need a charger so I dunno. I think I visit a local store to have a close look at them.
Old 03-21-2015, 07:15 AM
  #220  
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I haven't really timed my tank/battery ratio since the first original Tamiyas (TI and M4) and using NiCads, since you had to run them down to zero to avoid memory issues. The Tiger would run full out for about 30minutes on two 1500s and the M4 about the same on one 1900. I still have those batteries in service by the way.

Since we got into IR battling a few years ago, I've switched to 3800 and 4200 NiMHs. I have two sons, so three tanks going all the time and honestly, I'd expect at least an hour and a half out of them before having to swap. If we go to an organized battle with NEAD, I usually don't have to change a battery the whole afternoon, but bigger IR battles don't necessarily mean a lot of movement.

Never went to 5000s, don't see the need, 3800s are more than enough for a good time. With a good charger, you can have a pile of batteries ready in a short time.

And in response to NiMHs drop off, yes, the lose an initial bit, but on the flip side Onyx recommends in their charger manual to exceed to the rated mAh by 10-20% for a full charge.

I use lipos when I have to (Kettenkead, Kubelwagen) but see no need otherwise. I'm in this to enjoy the hobby and the simplicity of grabbing a stack of 3800 NiMHs in a mussette bag and out the door, even if they aren't 100% charged is infinitely more enjoyable than having to be overly watchful.
Old 03-21-2015, 07:42 AM
  #221  
olegnA
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For ease of use I just stick with NiMH.
Old 03-21-2015, 11:36 AM
  #222  
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Originally Posted by Kanyhalos
Thank you guys for the explanations. It is very useful as usual.

How long does a 3000mah nimh and a 5000mh would last? 1-1,5 hours? Yup the 5k one is double price than the 3k one. I also need a charger so I dunno. I think I visit a local store to have a close look at them.
I would buy a multi -function-battery charger ie NI-CD/NI-MH/ and LI-PO, very little difference in price and far more versatile and usually fully programmable. most on line battery suppliers will be selling them, shop around for best price. shaun
Old 03-21-2015, 12:57 PM
  #223  
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Adam, you and I have been emailing back and forth ever since you first joined the forum, and in all that I feel I've gotten to know a little bit about you. I honestly and truly believe that your very best bet when it comes to batteries is to just copy Jeff (Ausf). If he uses 3800 and 4200 nimhs then you should do the same. If you're lucky he'll post a photo of his charger so you'll know exactly what to buy. Jeff's been in this for a very long time and he knows what he's doing. He's not stupid. A little cocky sometimes, but definitely not stupid. Give his method at least an entire season and then if you think you want to branch out to other batteries you'll be much better prepared. Just follow Jeff's example to the letter and you shouldn't have a single problem, just hours and hours of dependable battery performance with no worries.
Old 03-21-2015, 01:15 PM
  #224  
Kanyhalos
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Thats fine. I believe in you, guys. I'm just not really sure where should I order from. I wish I would be in the States... Shipping and taxes are high you know.

I'd normally order both the battery and the charger from rctank.de but their charger is expensive and I don't need that huge amount of features for charging a single battery...

I visited a local store in Budapest but it was crap. It was expensive and they didn't even have Tamiya plugs...rofl.
Old 03-21-2015, 02:21 PM
  #225  
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Hobby King!! International warehouse. Shipping will probably be less to you than it is to send them here to the states. Here's a 3000, 4200 and 5000 battery and the charger for them that's even got the EU plug. The batteries all come with Tamiya connectors. Can't get much easier than that. Just decide how many you want and go for it!

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...er_Series.html

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...er_Series.html

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...er_Series.html

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s..._EU_Plug_.html

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