What is the normal firing distance for IR units on 1/16th scale tanks ?

I am getting my tanks set up for IR and I am working on tweaking the IR LED for more range, but being new, I don't know what I should expect range wise.

Thanks!

Depends on your system, Tamiya is quoted as 30m under optimal conditions. Minimum recommended is about 65ft. The darkith system has been tested out to 144ft! Henglong ir system is only good to 5m or so
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The darkith system is what I am using. I only got 23 feet on the first test. I need to jumper the resistor on the board to see what improvement that makes. What IR LED's are recommended?

Dan (yhr) is probably your man!

[link=http://www.vishay.com/docs/81007/tsal5100.pdf]TSAL 5100[/link]

Jumping out the resistor will improve the range, but be prepared for a reduction of life on the LED, so check it after every battle to make sure it is functioning OK. I use a socket mount, so I can easily replace an IR LED in seconds if I have an issue with one.


The guys who did the test in England were using a maplins IR LED, 144 ft is outstanding.!!!!

I jumpered the resistor. Now I am getting quite a bit more range. I like the socket idea. Any pics on how you did that?

There are two significant factors in IR range. 1) A clean quality emitter:Tamiya, DT Creations or Impact are the best. 2) Sunlight: whether you are indoors and or under shade. The bright sunlight is then most significant factor to effect IR range. I have hit tanks over 100 feet away indoors at Danville. We do 80 mto 90 feet kills diagonal across the field all the time there. At our club battledays it all depends on sunlight and shade. Do bear in mind that the closer the emitter is to your long gun barrel the bigger the blind spot created by the barrel on the opposite side. My DBU from Phil hits out to 75 feet outdoors in party cloudy weather. I hope this helps.

I am now getting 60 feet range now without any issues. That is as far as I could test today thanks to my backyard fence. The resistor was the issue. My friend and I noticed the blind spot from the barrel. I eventually want to put the LED in the barrel, but I can't make myself give up the airsoft ability just yet

Where do most tankers put their LED's ???

Here is a link to an old thread. I also have an extension wire now that plugs into the socket and can be used to extend the IR out to the end of the bbl


[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_9166641/anchors_9166641/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#9166641]IR plug[/link]

Is there a downfall to mounting the emitter in the barrel? I don't mind losing the airsoft function but wonder is it the optimal place. Also how far in do you go into the barrel?


Thank,

Bill

I prefer mounting the emitter in the barrel, allows for sticking the barrel through cover without always exposing the whole tank. 
You want to mount the emitter at least 9mm from the end of the tube to the crown of the LED.

Hi Bill,

There are pro and cons. Just stick your gun tip in the dirt and you are done with that battle. or done for the day if your broke the emitter. Hence I do not recomend it at all. It is difficult with a smaller gun and it gets tight in the barrel tip. NEAD conforms to modified RCAN rules of IR tank battle. The emitter tube must be 9MM deep and no bigger in diameter than the emitter itself. That way it restricts the cone of IR light. The gun barrel must have a visible flash so we can see when you fire the main gun. Just as the Apple leds must be visible to see a hit. A Strobe and emitter will compete for room in all but the biggest gun barrels. Most of us have them near the back of the barrel (Leave clearance for you rrecoil) or in the gun mantlet. Mantlet mount is my favorite. Volume must be all the way up and recoil is nice but NOT mandatory. We do not tolerate sticking the gun thru a tree and hiding a tank apple behind it. It is very unrealistic. I have seen CQB (Close Quarter Battles) with tanks where the barrel tip emitters couldn't hit the enemy. Unrealistic again but a fact of battle. ALSO Emitters DO go bad. To replace a barrel tip mounted emitter is very labor intensive and very vulerable to damage and debris.

Bob, just don't stick your barrel in the dirt...

For the guys who have muzzle mounted IR emitters, just keep the kit supplied clip on mount and a spare IR bulb in your toolbox so that you can mount a back up IR. Beats driving miles back home to get a spare, or cooling your heels the rest of the weekend just because you don't have a battleworthy tank.

But I can't help it.....LOL

Many of us do. But that level of preparedness is rarely found.

All of my builds are done with the IR in the barrel and flash behind it. I would think real tanks would fire from a cover position, if at all possile. Also, the CQB is not affected in any way. Having it set up this way is much more realistic than drilling a hole and mounting it in the mantlet or clipping it on a barrel. I only had a problem one time, when someone drove into the tank head on and broke the mantlet...but then, the tank was useless for combat, no matter where the emitter would have been....

Also forgot to mention on the IR emitter, that I have the water clear LED's on the website. Same range as impact from my testing here.
http://armorcreations.weebly.com/spe...ectronics.html

Thanks for the information. Does anyone know the IR emitter wavelength? I know some are using one from Radio shack. How is that one on range compared to the others? I know I be able to pick the brains of the vets when I get to a battle day. Definately looking forward to this hobby


Bill

The ones in radio shack are usually blue, and not great to install in the barrel becasue the flash unit can not be seen very well. With the clear ones, it is seen very well...

I have been looking for the wavelength also and found it to be 940nm.

Thanks Oracus. I used to work in RF and IR controls. I have a bunch of parts in boxes and a good assortment of IR emitters. This way I'll be able to test out the ones I have for range and compatability.