I've been working on my KV2 today. Wanted to check if the flash is seen in the barrel behind the metal tube with emmitter inside. I heard a very loud sound of a shot and then I saw smoke coming out of.... my brand new T-08! Not the barrel...
What did I do wrong? How can I make the smoke come out of the barrel not the DMD?
I am still scratching my head.

You need to scratch build a miniature cover like a kitchen stove ventilator, then install a micro fan above it wired to the flash unit, and run a tube from the micro ventilator to the barrel. Install the mini cover exactly 3,72 mm above the T08, measuring from the bottom lip of the ventilator to the top flat surface of the T08. Remember, this dimension is critical, only 3.72 mm, not 3.7 or 3.75 mm. That way, when you shoot, the smoke from the T08 will then go out the barrel like the real tank....once.

Joking aside, what happened? Short circuit in the wiring to the main gun?

Hi Bob,

Well, it blew up and then smoked!

I tested it w/out the flash and it was ok. Then I connected the flash. It was Ok till I fired. When fired it blew up! The upper plastic cover started to melt.
I opened the DMD up and see that one of the stabilizers (two rows, 5 and 4 in each) had burnt.
Now when I turn the system on, it works well. I hear the sound. When I shoot, the whole system goes blank.

My idea is to replace the faulty piece and see if it works. Anyway, I wonder what caused this problem?

Check your flash wires going to the barrel, look for a pinched or bare wire. Also, check with a known good flash the wires in the connector. If possible, take a known good flash and try in on the T08, and if it still doesn't work, then the T08 is fried. With a new one, I'd still try first a known good flash. If you find nothing wrong with the flash system on this T08, I still think I would have the dealer replace the flash with the T08.

You're scaring me.  I'm about to test my KV-2 flash today.  Like you, I've tested the T-08 without flash and it works great.  So far...

Hmmmm, hope I don't have any problems with my Soviet electronics. Oh well, off to Tamiya it will go if so.


- Jeff

Got it repaired! I tested it with a prooven flash first. Worked OK. Then I tested it with supposedly faulty flash unit. It worked OK as well.
As you see on the pics one path on the board got burnt so a piece of wire was used.

The difference between Tamiya and Heng Long is getting smaller all the time Seriously though, good repair. Heng Long guys are kind of used to fixes like this. Admit it there is a certain satisfaction in "fixing" something.

Dan

Good job, Yevgenyi! Nothing like some good Russian know how for the field expedient repair. Well done!

the difference in HL and Tamiya is measured in Thousand of miles
[quote]ORIGINAL: YHR

The difference between Tamiya and Heng Long is getting smaller all the time Seriously though, good repair. Heng Long guys are kind of used to fixes like this. Admit it there is a certain satisfaction in "fixing" something.

Dan

[quote]ORIGINAL: Viper54

the difference in HL and Tamiya is measured in Thousand of miles[img][/img]
Sure OK

Nice fix, maybe, for now. Tamiya warranties those units, pretty much regardless, why not trade it in for a new one? Did you figure out why it failed? Bad unit? DMD pins forced to touch when installing the flash plug? Let us all know?

I do not know what caused this failure. The good thing it is operational now.

Replacing it is a bit of pain. It is easier and cheaper just to repair it.

You may have only masked the symptom not fixed the problem, whatever made it blow out the trace on the board may rear it's ugly head again. By replacing the trace with wire it may pass more current and cause some other part to fail (weakest link). I hope it was just a fluke but you may want keep an eye on it, especially check that it isn't getting excessively warm anywhere. Just my two rubles.
Steve

Steve, with this unit already burnt, I will be keeping all my eyes on it. Don't really want this thing burn inside the tank. This will be a desaster but a nice visual effect though.

Hi,

What cost? Maybe a small mailing fee at best.

Tamiya is famous for replacing failed DMDUnits for free, even old ones or ones that have been opened to trouble shoot. Just email or write a letter to your kit vendor or write to your closest Tamiya Service location directly and request some help. Simple, you have a new kit and and should have a new DMD unit to go with it.

Just briefly explain what happened and I suggest you write this to Tamiya:

That your curiosity lead you to perhaps fix the issue, but none the less, you should receive a new unit because the kit DMD Unit was defective, shorted, burned and failed after being properly installed.

You are not the first to get a bad KV-1 DMDUnit either. There are several other modeler complaints floating around on forums, mostly in Asia (Singapore &Hong Kong), about this kit DMD problem.

Go for it today.

John