Scaleman3

I have the Leopard 2A6 and when the gun Barrel moves up it stops and clicks away till I move the radio stick back which then moves the barrel down till it stops and clicks away again. Is this the way the Leopard works or do I have a bad one or need to upgrade the barrel movement. My Challenger moves smoothly up and then back down in one smooth motion if I hold the Radio stick.

Any thoughts?

CaptainB

Defo have a faulty barrel elevation unit there - I have this tank and the barrel elevates very smoothly...........might be worth opening it up to see if something is jamming it.....

cheers

CaptB.

Imex-Erik

Yes, there is a new elevation system used by HL to get the separate up and down elevation. There is a clutch system in there now that prevents too much elevation or depression. That is the noise you hear. You will find all the tanks with the new dual sounds will have this same mechanism.

Scaleman3

So how do I get it to operate like the Challenger, up and down in one smooth move, replace the elevation unit. Do you carry?

Scaleman3

It goes up and down smoothly Capt. B it just stops and clicks when done then you have to move the radio stick the opposite direction, it does not transition from going up to going down in one smooth move like my Challenger.

CaptainB

Oh okay - you learn something new everyday - I guess this is to get 2 - way elevation? - not sure I like that feature though. I tend to put Clark boards in my tanks so I get 2 -way elevation that way............

cheers

CaptB

phordman

I have been using a servo, and a channel on my rx/tx that is a dial, much faster than on the joystick.

Scaleman3

Don't know about 2 way elevation Capt. B. On the leopard 2A6 as well as the Challenger the Barrel moves up and then back down to a neutral position, it does not move further down than level with the turret. Just don't understand why it stops and clicks at the top, then you have to move the radio stick stick down to move it back to neutral position. Erik at Taigen tanks says that is how the newer tanks work, how can you change it is I guess my question, or can you?

Scaleman3

Don't need speed, just would like it to work like the Challenger. If both tanks have the same elevation unit then it must be that I may have to change radios. Mine is a 2.4, but Black/ Silver opposed to the all black radio of the Challenger.

Scaleman3

So the clutch system is in the elevation unit? Change it with part # ? and it will work like the Chally?

Got off the phone with Erik at Taigen, he is always a lot of help and advice, will have to change out the electronics and or the elevation unit to move like my Challenger gun barrel. Will start with the inspection of the elevation unit first.

Imex-Erik

The wiring will have to be changed to the old type as well. You will need to rewire the airsoft unit and elevation unit as well as find one of the older 2.4ghz systems as well. The new dual sound 2.4ghz systems from HL are wired differently as well. The Leopard and T90 are the first two tanks I've seen with the new separate up and down elevation and are wired differently to match the new systems. I have yet to tear down one of the elevation units to see the difference but it is on my list. The Challenger tanks (at least that we have go so far) do not have the new sound/electronics and still use the previous generation type up/down cycle elevation.

Scaleman3

Thanks Erik,

Will stick with what I have as far as the Leopard. Maybe you'll find a better way to mod once you look at the elevation unit. Seems HL went backwards when they decided to change barrel movement and add 2 sounds with their Version 4 Tx. Who wants a KT sound when they have a modern tank. But most are toys that we like to upgrade with better stuff, still have my Chally with version 3 which I like the best. Hope you find a better solution to the Barrel click, click, click.

Imex-Erik

Ok so just a heads up I finally got a few minutes to dig into one of these new HL elevation systems and found it actually uses the same elevation and airsoft units, although slightly modified. Here is what I found:

• The new independent elevation system uses the SAME elevation unit as previous versions. HOWEVER, the gears inside the elevation are now different and stop halfway through the cam spin. The clicking you hear is the clutch slipping to prevent the cycle from completing. It now does a half spin left or right (which translates to up/down elevation) for elevation. The airsoft unit tab on the back is still inserted to the cam gear with a spring tension just as before. The wiring is now direct 2 wire plug to the upper hull.
• The airsoft unit is still the same one being used by HL. The wiring has changed and now runs a 2 wire cable direct to the upper hull.
• The MG is now on a 3 pin plug but is only 2 wires. It is also directly connected to the upper hull.
• The 5mm warning LED is now directly soldered to the airsoft motor (and also has a resistor between, please dont forget this!) and does not have a plug.
• The upper hull daughter board has now been redesigned to accept the plugs: turret rotation, elevation, airsoft unit, and turret MG. The LED headlights were soldered to the underside of the board but still follow the same shared common ground pattern as before. You can easily run a continuity test on the board to determine the new pinout.
• All plugs are normal JST-XH 2 and 3 wire plugs. Very common and easy to make.
• It is possible to install a Taigen system in it, you will only need to swap the elevation unit and check out our manual page on our website for wiring guides (exclude the on/off switch, wire that direct from elevation to the airsoft motor).
• An easier installation is to use the stock HL electronics and just use that for a control system. You will however need to change the plug on the tail light LEDs from a JST-PH (what Taigen uses for the rear LEDs) to a JST-XH plug. You can find the JST-XH plugs online or if you contact me before you purchase I can help you source some. The JST-XH plugs are very common and are the same used on most Lithium battery balance connectors.

Sorry it took me a bit to get on that, I have been wanting to do a write up on it for a while now but have been swamped with other things lately. The same system is also employed on the new T90 tank as well. Hopefully this helps! I'll get some photos up soon, I'm having an issue with my Photoshop not starting today

Jay-Em

By the by, the ingenious way Heng Long has rewired the whole affair, also has a funny by-result: When firing the machine gun and rotating the turret at the same time, the MG-LED keeps flashing, as long as the turret rotates.

Personally I loathe the cycling, and absolutely lóve the separate up-down the stock rev4 RX-18 offers now (among other improved features). However, as I discovered when testing the latest Taigen controller (with the separate sound-card), Taigen/Torro has them beat with their new controller on óne (to me) important feature: Built-in. Proportional. Smoker. Controller. (and the new sounds ain't half bad. )

Colour me impressed..

Imex-Erik

Yes I do like the move to more plugs, that is my final goal as well. Soon I'll do some kind of write up or video on how to do a swap or maybe nudge Taigen into doing a full Leo?
I'm glad you like the new system, I'm looking forward to the release soon. I'm actually checking the new IR units today...

Scaleman3

Thanks Erik,

Nice to know about the elation unit and how they changed it. Got to get in there and see for myself. I see from another post that other people like the Up/Down stick opposed to cycling thru. Oh well.

Scaleman3

Thanks Eric, do you have the pics? Also do you have the parts put together to go in and do this mod so the gun goes up and back down in one smooth movement?
Thanks

Imex-Erik

No pictures, I just opened to see. I'm not doing HL's dirty work

Scaleman3

Thanks for the quick reply Eric, I know what you mean, won't be too hard to mod it.

Imex-Erik

Technically if you have any other elevation unit you can just put it in its place, you just need to solder the cable from the old one to the new one. You would actually still have directional up/down but only if you do not pass the arc of movement, then it will be reverse till the next arc.

Scaleman3

Got it, Thanks Eric.

Sky_HawK

Why do you prefer the cyclic elevation vs the new up and down? I feel like the new setup is much better, the only thing I don't like is that you can fire the main cannon without also firing the airsoft unit like the older versions. You'd have to swap the MFU, upper hull daughter board and transmitter to the old version and rewire a few things to essentially downgrade your setup.

Scaleman3

You get that ratchet sound on the HL Leo when you get to the top as well as the bottom. The Challenger does not do that, it's just a nice smooth transition from going to the top and back down. Your right the Airsoft fires as well, with or with out pellets, thinking of selling it.

Imex-Erik

I actually see tons of complaints on this. The sounds are what people hate... when it reaches the max and that clutch starts clicking people get scared. It is a hell of a click too, sounds like it is broken

Sky_HawK

I don't really mind it.