RC Tanks Australia Forum

24 MARCH 2015
***LATEST UPDATE FOR ALL USERS***

There is a new version of the RC5HL firmware available for download. This update fixes a very minor bug with turret rotation to improve performance with gyros (turret stablilzation)

rc5hl_150324.zip

MARCH 2015
***IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR ALL USERS***
Many RC5HL users have noted that under certain circumstances their tanks may 'jerk' forward on occasions. Some users do not experience this issue. The reason for this glitch has been narrowed down and actually has nothing to do with the RC5HL at all.
The glitch in movement is caused by interference to the receiver signal and the receiver passing on invalid signals to the RC5HL. Previously, this issue could be fixed by reducing the electromagnetic interference (EMI) of the motors, in particular the turret motor. HOWEVER, this method did not always work with everyone.

Consequently, the RC5HL will now operate in a manner to disregard these invalid signals and thus drastically reduce if not eliminate these tank twitches.

It is strongly suggested that ALL RC5HL users update to the new firmware contained in the zip file below. Included are he standard RC5HL version and a version for Spektrum users with reduced channel ranges (DX5e for example).

To update with the firmware below a RC5HL programming cable is required along with the DS30 Loader program. If you do not have a cable then as this is such an important update we will supply users with updated chips which they can simply swap out on their existing RC5HL. Please contact us for more details.

rc5hl_150222.zip

DS30Loader_RC5HL.zip

i was going to ask what was causing the jerking every time turn my turret and thought it was the motors but didn't think of how it was doing it since every time i move it away it would work fine.
(1)how do i fixed by reducing the electromagnetic interference ? (2) if that don't work which file do i down load? (3) will this usb plug work that i found on ebay 6pin FTDI FT232RL USB to Serial adapter module RS232 Arduino cable 6pin?

Hey Hanker,

There are a few options for the reduction of EMI. Do a google search and a few good pages will pop up. Typically you have 3 x 0.1uf capacitors. 1 across the motor terminals, and then 1 from left terminal to case and the last one from the right terminal to case. Looping the turret motor through a ferrite ring will also help.

HOWEVER, you will get better results with the update. The files are named as to their release date (150324) means 24th of March 2015. This is the latest date and incidentally the final firmware for the RC5HL. There will be no further updates for the RC5HL firmware. With that in mind it would probably be better for you just to get an updated chip rather than buy a cable for a one time update.

Cheers
Kevin G

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rctanksaustralia.com

thanks for your reply. i would like to the chip but where do i get it. then theres one more thing thats happens. every time i fire the canon the fire sound and tracks will work then a sec later the air soft gun will fire but if i keep the firing trigger down it will work fine like it should.but if i stop and start over it will do the same thing. any ideals.

thanks

For an updated chip simply send an email to rctanksaustralia via the shop page.

The airsoft issue is "how airsoft works". When you send the signal to fire from your radio this happens instantaneously. The RX18 get a signal from the RC5HL to initiate fire and it does so right away. HOWEVER, airsoft is not instantaneous as it has to wind up before firing. This is the source for your first delay. NOTE: This is also dependant on your version of the RX18 as the timing of the the sound and flash and the triggering of these actions has been changed by Heng Long over time. By holding UP the firing stick you are no longer sending extra signals to fire nor are you sending any stop fire signals and the RX18 takes over as if stuck in a loop.

From the start the RC5HL was designed for "realistic" control which meant that firing happens right away. This is not possible with airsoft due to the delay, however some RX18 handle this better than others. In contrast the RC5HL system works well for those using IR or who just want "realistic" driving control for their tank. To sync the cannon sound with the firing of the BB an input is needed to tell the controller that the bb unit has fired. Such a system is only possible with a more complicated control unit like our Asp.

Cheers
KG

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rctanksaustralia.com

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rctanksaustralia.com

so when i do all of this to the rc5hl will i lose the channel 1 and 2 when i turn off the air soft? i have a 2 channel relay and don't really want to lose it. or is set to 50% to on and off the tank switch? what is the best 4.7k or 10k resistor?

thanks
hanker

Hi Hanker

The resistor is simply functioning as a "pull-up" resistor. Any value between 4.7K and 10K will be fine. Since the microswitch triggers by connecting to 0V (GND) the pull-up resistor is there to maintain a slight positive signal on the input pin. This ensures no false triggering - with a trigger only occurring when the microswitch closes and connects to ground.

No you will not have any other channel affected.

As for the toggle function. That is all it is. Andrew has added some extra code so that if you want to revert to the way before or even change over to IR then you can simply toggle on or off this mode of firing (microswitch controlled) by 50% on CH5. If you plan to stay with airsoft and this method works for you then you need not worry about ever toggling back to the old method.

Cheers
KG

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rctanksaustralia.com

Hi, I dislike offtopics specially when I can confuse people so I decided to write here instead of the ASP subforum. You could move our posts here.

What awoke my interest in updating the RC5HL was this thread and this hardware mod. For some reason I tried the relay way of having BB fire and sound at the same time at it did not work. Probarbly was my fault, don´t know.

Now that Im going to replace the electronics in all my tanks with ASP2 I`ll probarly use the RX18 for one tiny tank like this one: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/111312712 ... -l1000.jpg

Then I read this on your store "With the aid of the RC5HL programming cable users can connect the RC5HL to their computer via USB to download firmware updates or to chose from a number of operating options."

And that operation options are what really surprised me. I tried to find some info about them and I found nothing. What are those options?

Hi Rad

The RC5HL is now an old board that I'm considering not producing any more. Asp is the way to go. Many of the "options" that were available only related to what type of radio you were using. Most notably those darn Spektrum radios. Spektrum radio have by default a limited servo travel range say -60% to +60% and as such the limits of travel did not trigger the guns. So there were Spektrum versions with limited range and then normal versions with the full and proper range.

As I said an old board back in 2013 there was a version changed to have the turret respond only from -80 to +80. This was adopted in all subsequent versions. HL turret control is NOT proportional so a response of -10 to +10 will produce EXACTLY the same thing as -100 to +100. So Andrew kept this to allow for switching at the turret (CH4) limits. No more options here anymore.

Other options included how to communicate with the MAKO2 board using MAMBA. Again that option included now in later firmware releases.

So unless you have a Spektrum radio you do not again need to worry about the firmware. There is no Spektrum version for Andrews last release for the BB timing.

Cheers
KG

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rctanksaustralia.com