RC Tanks Australia Forum

RC5HL Firmware Update

As of today 08 Dec 2013 the RC5HL will be shipped with firmware that allows for gun elevation with both up and down movement on the left stick (Ch3). With prior versions the RC5HL operated in the same way as the RX18 with the cannon triggered with any up stick movement. The new version triggers the cannon with +85% on CH3 only.

However, and this is important to note, the factory wiring of the Heng Long elevation motor DOES NOT ALLOW for the reversal of movement with up and down stick. This is because the elevation motor is wired up to the recoil/bb motors and these motors should not be operated in reverse. FURTHER the Heng Long elevation mechanism is cyclic in operation - eventually one the gun is fully elevated it will then start coming back down. So up stick if held long enough will eventually see the gun lower.

So why make the change?? The new mode of operation brings the operation of the gun elevation more into line with that of all higher end tank control systems (Taipan, EL Mod, SGS, Tamiya,...). It also allows for better integration of our GEKO board to the RC5HL/RX18 combo. With the addition of a GEKO the RC5HL/RX18 system can then provide full proportional control of both turret rotation and gun elevation. GEKO will also circumvent the non reversal issue allowing for the direction of elevation to change with up and down stick.



Although GEKO provide an eloquent solution to enable better turret and gun control some of you may wish to employ your own DIY solutions. It is possible to reverse the elevation motor using a relay which can be triggered using the S1 or S2 functions on the RC5HL. Total cost less than $5 for the relay and some hook up wire plus a bit of your time. More details of how to do this later.

Cheers
Kevin Grannum

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