Max-U52

It only comes preprogrammed if you get it from Kevin. If you buy a 9X from hobby king you'll have to flash the firmware yourself, but that's not difficult. If I can do it anybody should be able to do it. I'm waiting to hear back from Kevin (they're still in dreamland down in OZ) but if we can work out a package I intend to go for it. I'm also gonna see if we can get some small discount on packages for RCU members.

Phyrephysh

HI All

Thought you might like a look at my weekends work effort.

One thing missing from Asp was prop control of a smoke unit. This was left off and only basic control implemented as the stock smoke units are noisy and not quite up to the task in my opinion. I've been waiting for a good smoke solution and I think the new Burn Effect Smoke Generator is on the way there.

Unfortunately, the stock control board supplied won't really do the job (after all it is meant for drift cars) so after a bit of tweaking of a Sirvoe board and the program running on Asp I think I've got a smoke solution that I would like to put into one of my tanks.

Check out the results below. Remember the engine rev sound is just that a rev of the engine in neutral. So you could just sit there revving your tank engine and looking like some Tanker Hoon Enjoy

https://youtu.be/NAge_3PSNhI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAge_3PSNhI&feature=player_embedded Now before anyone asks about the sound:

This is my project board and I'm creating a sound set for an old WW1 A7V. This is that sound set in this particular video. It is NOT the Panther sound set.

Now before anyone asks about the smoke out of the top of the unit:
Although there is no mention of the hole in the instruction sheet clearly it is a vent for the over pressurization of the fluid chamber. The design above I did in 2 minutes for the video only. As you can see below the output is severely restricted by my use of much thinner tubing and the length of the tubing.



That smoke still comes out of the exhaust is wonder in itself. Yes, you could plug the hole, Yes, you could re route the vent output. However, best solution would be to use wider bore tubing and minimise distance between unit and exhaust out.

Cheers
KG

YHR

Who makes this burn effects unit. The volume of smoke that it puts out is impressive.

I am not much for exhaust effect, but this unit turned on at the time the tank is destroyed is exactly what I am looking for

Phyrephysh

Not sure of the Manufacturer but readily available from RC car stockists and now from good ole Hobby King. The supplied controller works off the pulses sent out for servos. From what I gather anything above 1500us turns smoke on prop. with increase up to 2000us. For cars it is installed with a simple y spilt of the throttle channel. No smoke below neutral. I guess just a simple switch on any channel -100% (1000us) to +100% (2000us) would turn on/off the unit.

Cheers
KG

YHR

I will search for one of these. Thanks for sharing.

Dusty Steppes

Now that would be something I would be interested in.

Strato50

This Asp board has me very intrigued.. I do recall somewhere in the back of my mind that I had heard about it once..!! I can't wait to see an installation and setup video.

I have read that it's recommended to have an 8 channel radio for all features..!! My first question would be whether it can function as a battle tank with a more common 6 channel. I have a brand new one! :P

Max-U52

I'm hoping my Asp will ship today, and I'll be running it on a Turnigy 9X. I also have the standard 6 channel so if Kevin says it will run on that I may hook it up, just as a test to provide the info for the guys here. I'd really like to get a 9XR PRO, but that's not in the budget right now and paypal won't let me use the credit line outside the US.

Strato50

I asked on a RCTA youtube video but might as well also ask here...

Will the Asp machine gun IR work with Clark boards? Our club has a majority of Clark powered tanks, and we've become MG spammers... :P

YHR

What does the MG ir do? Does it score and register as a hit or does it just activate a sound?

YHR

Stay tuned. I have ordered the parts for a prototype. I am also working on some new servo recoil devices.

Max-U52

Do you mean will a MG hit from an Asp register in a tank with a clark? As far as I know Asp uses the Tamiya code so if the clark will receive hits in that code it should detect hits from an Asp.

Strato50

Yes, you just get the sound, while you have the option on Clarks for soft-skinned vehicles to take damage from them although I've never seen or tried one.

If they can be compatible even just with activating the sounds.. well, awesome!

Phyrephysh

The MG IR on Asp works like it should. It will cause damage to light vehicles, along with our Panzerfaust Ir soldiers and Pantherturms. It will even cause very slight damage to medium tanks that have been damaged above 90%. There is also FLAK IR which is a little more damage causing. Yes, I have fitted a MAKO to a quadcopter and yes have done air attack on tanks. Asp ALSO allows you to have BOTH Armour piercing and high explosive shells in your magazine. The AP shell are the Tamiya 2 shot code. The other IR signal that Asp uses is a repair code which allows for a 50% reduction in damage and replenishment of your magazine. Yes, Asp also allows for you to set the magazine capacity of your tank.

If that is not enough you can set an ID for your tank for example "351" if all other tanks on your side have an ID starting with the digit "3" they are recognised as a friend and are not shot by you in close range combat "Friend or Foe".

And if that is not enough Asp and Piranha Battle unit combo typically outranges the effective IR range of all systems I have tested.

The MAKO running on Asp allows for the following modes of operation "Button Press on TV remote"
1. Light tank
2. Medium tank
3. Heavy Tank
4. Light Bergepanzer
5. Medium Bergepanzer
6. Heavy Bergepanzer.
7. MAUS mode (super heavy tank)
8. Toggles Halftrack mode after pressing "8" choose halftrack type:
1. Light Recon halftrack
2. Anti tank Halftrack
3. Flak halftrack

9. Toggles Flakpanzer Mode after pressing "9" chose weight class
1. Light flakpanzer
2. Medium flakpanzer
3. Heavy Flakpanzer

There are lots of videos showing the development of ASP on the RCTA youtube channel www,youtube,com/rctanksau

There is also a dedicated Asp topic on the RCTA Support Forum http://rctanksaustralia.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=164

Finally there are NO plans to change any RCTA board to make "compatible" with anything by Clark and NEVER will be. We don't go backwards at RCTA everyone else can catch up to us instead

Cheers
KG

YHR

That is a fine approach as long as you always have the fall back Tamiya standard as the one the binds them all. This hobby is too small to fragment it.(IMO) Clark is not exactly sitting on his laurels either, but seems to be falling back into the 1/35 scale market. HIs TK 60 with user downloadable IR files is certainly something new and innovative. No remotes to mess around with. A game master can build the IR files, and then all participants just have to download the file for easy game set up. This will be an appealing option for established clubs, as these systems that are so user configurable can get out of hand, and trying to herd everyone back to something that is remotely consistent is a big task..

Strato50

"Finally there are NO plans to change any RCTA board to make "compatible" with anything by Clark and NEVER will be. We don't go backwards at RCTA everyone else can catch up to us instead "

Frankly that makes me a bit sad In this instance I don't think it would be a backwards step.. just a compatibility step. For a machine gun, that goes 'plink plink plink', which is hilariously fun & adds some depth to team play. Fun is key here.

I don't want to spent ~$200 per tank on 12 tanks to bring everything up to a new standard, just like Tamiya users don't have to, and shouldn't have to. Just my 2 cents.


The board is cool and I still want to see more of it in action. One day it might make it into a dedicated FPV tank, but not a fleet-wide conversion.

Phyrephysh

HI Strato,

I don't see why all the onus should be on RCTA for "compatibility". I have been down that path previously asking others who shall remain nameless to provide info or samples so that things can be made compatible. The response from ALL OTHER makers has been na da, zip, zipo , zilch. Why not contact Clark and ask them to make their systems compatible with others and see if their response is any different to mine.

In fact I'll up the anti. If you contact Clark and ask them if they would make their MG IR also compatible with RCTA machine gun IR and post their response here regardless of what they say I'll have a look at their MG code and see what I can do.

Cheers
KG

YHR

I purchased a Clark TK 20 out of the gate. It did not have very good range, nor did it accept battle damage, I emailed Clark, and because he viewed me as the competition he was a little combative to start. However after multiple emails back and forth, between me and no doubt a few others, the TK 22 showed up

Ivano, the IBU designer, made his repair code public so others could use it if they wish.

This hobby is too small to fragment with incompatible electronics, and that is why I have always been a proponent of the Tamiya battle system as being the base. If developers want to go off on different tangents from there, great, but have a complete Tamiya compatible as a standard option. Same thing with TBU pin out.

A person doesn't have to look too far to see where incompatible systems are a problem. The whole proprietary boondoggle with the stock radios these tanks come with is a good example. At some point you just have to throw them away. Too bad they didn't just build radios with standard servo protocol. Would have saved us all money, and reduced landfill.

At some point it becomes commercially advantages to play well with others, as Strato has pointed out. As Clark has brought out the MG battle damage first, it would be nice if others adopted it. I would think there would be a commercial advantage to think along those lines, and work together to expand the hobby, and not divide it.

i have been in model railroading fo 40 years, and I appreciate that the manufacturers in that hobby embraced the NMRA standards to promote the hobby with some compatibility across the product lines. From wheel gauge to control systems the hobby is aligned, for the greater good of all. We need to get there.

Phyrephysh

If anyone really wants proof of who did things 'first' I suggest that you have a look on the old Hobby Havoc forum and compare dates of posts and then dates of when X or Y was released or ideas "Patented". Just saying.... Also yeah I did get the timings sent for the IBU repair code - but they did not work - so I waited and waited for a reply or actual unit for testing - but nothing..... So the actual RCTA repair code is in fact a slight variation of the timings that I was sent for the IBU repair code. I simply got tired of waiting....

But again and I have said this on more than 1 occasion. My tanks will NEVER battle with your tanks so it does not matter what you use nor for that matter what I use. I only have to worry about what my club uses as those are the ONLY tanks I'm likely to battle with. If everyone in a club is happy with "X" system then so be it. RCTA IR boards like everyone else all use the standard Tamiya IR signals and with vast majority using only this then that is fine as base system for everyone. That's the base "wheel gauge". But even in model rail - how many different types of couplers are there??? I like Kadees and I'd be pissed off if some other crap type was made "standard". And like above my rolling stock ain't going to roll around on your railroad so I can have whatever coupler I think is best.. Guess you could say I'm more of a code 83 type - more scale, attention to detail - not a fan of code 100 - simple, made for the masses - not at all to scale. But I do find Code 75 just a little too small. That's HO scale of course not OO or N or Z or G or..... In N scale I use code 55 not code 80 though I must admit half of my N scale stock has couplers that don't match. Come on model railroads standardised you are joking right.
MG, Repair, FOrF, Flak, Round Select, ID Codes are all optional so choose a system you like and go with it I say.

YHR

Actually you can do the same on this forum and see that the DBC2 has been out first and the longest, with hull recoil blocking, Tamiya compatibility including hit damage and weight classes, and servo recoil, even before the Hobby Havoc forum came into existence. The DBC idea was hatched on this forum, and built to deliver what the forum members wanted, and that was a completely compatible Tamiya system for 1/16 scale Heng Long tanks. Since that time RCTA, CLARK and the IBU have sprung up. IMO This is not about who is first, or who is best, it is about building something that is sustainable that encourages people to stay in the hobby. IMO opinion compatibility between brands is essential to this. This is an open forum and you can choose to agree or disagree, and most of us are OK with that.


The N gauge standard is the Rapido coupler, because the Kadees were patented and wouldn't share. Once the patent expired, others have followed the Kadee design, as it is more prototypical , Lenz opened up their DCC system for all. All but digitrax use it.. SO yes there are many examples of standardization and the industry working together. I can take a decoder equipped locomotive and run it on any brand of system because of this. So far manufacturers seem to understanding the importance of compatibility and we have Tamiya, Clark, IBU2 and the DBC all playing together. I am pretty sure your RCTA stuff now is Tamiya compatible as well

So no I am not joking, working together expands the hobby. Clark and Ivano or quite open to suggestions for improvement, and the hope is RCTA is as well. Your whole concept of feedback from the tank is also interesting and sets apart RCTA electronics from all the others in this hobby. However even this is not new as the M.I.L.E.S Laser weapons system for combat training has been using this for years.. I approached them about a decade ago about looking at RC tanks, and their comment was they were not interested in a small hobby market, preferring to stay focused on infantry based laser guns. They sell all the components online and someone with a good electronics background could possibly make modifications to this system, and turn it into a RC tank system. They use a focused lens to get ranges of 90 -100 meters using the same IR stuff we use. I built a lens for one of my tanks and it kind of looks like the IR stuff the Germans employed in WWII. With this device I could pick off people from quite a distance. However the beam is focused and very accurate. You would need FPV and a LASER point to hit people at that distance with an RC tank.

YHR

Hmmm I took you advice and I did look up the old Hobby Havoc forum and look what I found. So I guess you are aware who was first onto the scene, in addition to this the Darkith unit was completely compatible with Tamiya including wt classes, and damage something that "other system" you suggested wasn't. Five years and a pile of snakes later it is. Interesting reading old posts .[HR][/HR]« Reply #23 on: April 14, 2010, 07:01:45 AM »

Spud, Yep a delay for firing is a simple addition. Basically it is the exact same circuit as the led flash you just change the resistor and capacitor values. None of the circuits are mine BTW they are all standard model railway circuits. May I humbly suggest that you don't get the Darkith DBU nor Dave's battle unit. There is a system that is apparently compatible with WSN, Tamiya & Heng Long. Plus there is an add on to the system that will allow you to use a 2.4 ghz transmitter. The only thing not yet developed is the sound card. All hush hush as I'm keeping it mum from that El Mod mob headed up by Darth M.A.Ts & his evil apprentice Darth Butherbird.
I'm getting the relays tomorrow for Panzermann and your ATRCs. Now you want yours customised for:
1. 3-5 second firing delay
2. Output for LED flash (with timer circuit)
3. Ability to trigger the recoil motor from the 'K' button
4 Ability to call in a tactical airstrike on your opponent (codename: the kid)
5 Stealth function to hide said tank from 'THE BOSS' (aka The wife) &
6 A Coffee making function

Should be no problems at all

Cheers Pfish


I just couldn't help myself when I stumbled on to this looking for an RX 18 schematic to help add the sound to a stock RX today I guess that clears up who was first.