YHR

I have been experimenting with audio exciters for use in tanks instead of speakers. I installed one in the turret of my Leo, and another one in my T55. These are great and the next big thing for us tankers to use. However these do not work well on metal tanks and are best used in Plastic hulls.. The driver turns the hull into a speaker.

For metal tanks you could place foam board in the bottom and these would turn the foam board into a speaker,.

Read about this technology here

http://www.parts-express.com/resourc...guide-exciters

The T-55 has limited room for a speaker. I stuck a 19mm exciter on the floor of the tank and I have bass response like you wouldn't believe, Good bye traditional speakers in a plastic tank.

hiramekisama

Very cool and good find!

I'll order one later, I need more room and lessen the weight of my tank.

Please post a sample audio clip if you can.

Martellus

How much if any modification does it take to use one?

I know they don't represent the sound to well, but could you make a video?

YHR

Sure, but video does not do the bass justice. It will be a few days before I can find the time , but once I get my T-55 back together. I'll post a video.

You just stick it to the bottom of the tank and you are done. It does vibrate the hull quite a bit though see everything needs to be tight,

Strato50

That's intriguing! If it can plug straight into your speaker output and is flexible as to where it can be installed.. sounds cool

borealis

Will it slowly dismount the tank?

Interesting technology

ausf

I found some videos online, sounds pretty cool, looking forward to your video.

FreakyDude

The biggest problem with exciters is the vibration. As the exciter basicly turns the tank into the speaker it also turns it into a vibrating unit. All those little thing-a-ma-bobs glued on might suffer. Loctite might be a guys best friend using these.

Augustus1967

Hmmm...

Materials which may not give desirable results:

- Metal panels
- Metal structural members
- Concrete
- Wooden beams
- [B]Soil

ausf

Of course you post this a week after my Parts Express order of Visations arrived.

YHR

What I have found out is a combination of a good speaker and one of these transducers is dynamite when played through my dual output 15 watt amp. The Transducer( exciter) supplies the bass and the shake, and the regular speaker supplies the volume. If you placed a glass of water beside the tank, I am pretty sure it would shake. These things do generate heat as well. I only bought the small 19mm 3 watt units, but I am going back for the 2" Square 25 watt ones for some giggles.

danlrc

Dan,
This is great! I mostly do RC ships and sound decreases dramatically when the hull is in the water. I'm going to try this on a 36" tugboat build - see pic for size of current speaker, which is still too small.
Also will try on Tiger 1 being built.
Thanks for the info.

ausf

Now I know who's brain to pick when I convert my 1/35 Vospers MTB to RC.

danlrc

ausf - a lot of RC PT boat info available. Let me know when you need it. Should move this conversation to http://www.rcgroups.com/scale-boats-55/

Dan - ordered audio exciters. What is the impedance of the Tam stock speakers please?

Ordered 4 each (cheaper at 4) from Parts Express of :
# 297-2101 13mm, 16 ohm, 2W HIAX13C02-16/RH 1.25"D x 3/8" high $1.79 each
# 297-214 13mm, 8 ohm, 2W, TEAX13C02-8RH $2.25 each
# 295-214 13mm, 4ohm, 3W, DAEX13CT-4 $2.75 each

First application will be on the tugboat build. Will post details at http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...t=water+sensor

Then will try these in a Tam KT and a Tam Tiger 1.

YHR

Tamiya speakers are 4 ohm.

The volume these produce are relative to the material they are moving, with the type you ordered applied to plastic tank hull will be similar to the stock speaker. Which in itself good as they take up next to no room

i ordered 25 watt ones just to see what might be possible. 2x2 square 25 watt laying in the bottom of a KT or LEO hopefully is going to take us into uncharted audio response in a tank. I will keep the board posted with the results,

ausf

Tamiya uses 4 ohm, at least the one I replaced with Visation was.

Benedini uses 8 ohm, or at least with the 6W amp they do.

YHR

OK. I have been playing around some more with these transducers. . I cut some foam board that would fit on the bottom of a tank and stuck the small transducer on this foam board. Wow. No point showing video, because without a DB meter there wouldn't be much to show.

These are impressive and the foam board on the bottom of the tank produced a volume and quality as good as any of my traditional speakers. Again these take up next to no room. and I think the cost on this small exciter was less then $5.00 . I already ordered the 25 watt ones, but I am starting to think that will be overkill. When combined with the foam board this little exciter has plenty of clean volume.

Strato50

Dan, I'll order a bunch when you can post "Buy this one for your tank, it's amazing and I feel dumb not knowing these existed before"

...because I feel dumb not knowing these existed before

Where are you sourcing them if you don't mind saying?

danlrc

Dan,
I added some 19mm 5W exciters to my order after your suggestion to go bigger than 13mm. Should get them by next week.
I have an old HL Tiger hull that I'm going to experiment with.
I was thinking only of using the tank hull (or tugboat hull/superstructure) as the reverberator, but your approach opens up a whole lot of new possibilities. Great idea.

YHR

After more experimentation, I have found the placement in the hull of the foam board is critical. Remember the exciter is moving the foam board. Anything that interferes with the foam board interferes with the sound delivery. I kind of had an idea It would, but I didn't realize how drastically it effects the volume produced.

I had this foam board set in the bottom, and then placed my other electronics on top. It reduced the sound output. If the foam board isn't vibrating , it isn't making sound.


So a couple of ideas

Attach the foam board to the upper hull(Under the engine grills on most tanks) Make it as large as you can keeping in mind anything that interferes with the foam board will interfere with the sound output.

Lay it on the bottom of the tank and build and electronics tray attached to the side wall of the tank, so that nothing sits on the foam board.


So maybe the 25 watt units I have coming will find a use. ie use the plastic hull as the vibrating plain.

Strata


Source for these is already in the thread . If you go to the link I supplied in the original post, you will be at the source for these

danlrc

Hmmm.....what happens if the exciter is bonded directly to the bottom hull plate? Also thought about cutting hole in metal hull to allow exciter to be bonded directly to the plastic hull bottom.
Another idea...How might these exciters be used to pump a small super-smoker unit?

YHR

Bound to the bottom of the hull they are good. I did this on my T-55. With the foam board I was just experimenting on volume level and bass. Actually the bass response directly on the hull is better then on the foam, Just not so loud. So perhaps the best approach might be doing both. Attached to the hull you will get the bass, and the foam board will get you the volume.

MAUS45

What if you suspended the foam board just below the engine deck? Or would a plastic board suspended just below the engine deck work better? When I say suspend, I was thinking in terms of attaching the foam board or plastic card to the engine deck with spacers on the attachment points so a larger percentage the sound boards surface area is not in contact with the engine deck as a whole.

YHR

Yes that is what I am suggesting. A dap of hot glue on the four corners of the foam board, and then pressed onto the top deck would do the trick.. Cleaner and neater would be rubber gommet stand offs with sctrews on the corners. This would allow free vibration on the majority of the board.

ausf

I'd like to try them on the turret sides. Tamiya turrets are only resting on the hull on a roller or bearing and the only real connection is where ring gear meets the drive. It should be free for vibration and the height would project well. Plus there's no electronics to be shaken.

2 8s in parallel on both sides of the Tiger turret should do the trick nicely.