RC Tanks Australia Forum

January 1st 2015.....

No better day to unveil the new works for 2015. First up Taipan2014 has done it's job. I am very happy with T2014 and have been rolling out the T2014 boards into my own tanks. So I have a few spare SGS and EL Mod units lying around now. I have designed a production unit of Taipan2014 which is creatively named Taipan2015. Essentially T2015 is the same as the 2014 unit BUT I have added a few more DIP switches on the board for selection of operating modes. To save space for these space hungry switches I have had to used smaller 0603 components. This means T2015 can not be made by hand and so once there are enough guaranteed pre-sales it will go into production.

Screenshot 2015-01-01 08.42.53.png

Now T2015 is a mega option control board with options that many may not need or wish to pay for. For example all of you that only do BB. For you guys a stripped down T2015 is also in the production process and the first units are due within 10 days. Introducing "Diamondback"

Screenshot 2015-01-01 08.40.07.png

Diamondback features the same motor control units as Taipan but it has been designed for BB users. There is NO IR function on Diamondback. Dback has also been designed to be a plug and play upgrade with no initial rewiring required for operation. Once installed users can at their leisure rewire the elevation motor wires to provide for proportional operation. To keep costs down Dback uses a different sound module to Taipan. However, sound files are still of CD quality, stored on SD cards and user changeable. There is only a 2 sound polyphony with Diamondback. Further, Dback requires only 6 channels for operation. Channel 5 remains as a switching channel so too Channel 6 for sound control. Gun functions remain on CH3. Diamondback will be about half the cost of Taipan.

Happy New Year
Kevin G

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rctanksaustralia.com

Diamondback

Arrived today and this is how far assembly has gone for today.

diamondback_protoA.jpg

Not bad given that it is still school holidays. Will start editing Taipan code for operation on Diamondback soon. Note the dual sound module option for Diamondback which will cut costs but still provide duophonic CD quality sound with SD card storage. Also onboard the 8W amp.

Arriving along with Diamondback today was Hammerhead IV a special hammerhead made as small as possible on the direction of our 3D guru Spud. HHIV is the first in a 2nd generation of RCTA battle units. Throughout 2015 I will be working on a 'friend or foe" IR code. This should enhance team play battles. On HHIV is a third LED location which will feature a multicolour LED. The LED will display what team colour your tank is playing for.

HHIV.jpg

As yet there is no support whatsoever for this option - it is on th edrawing board for 2015.

Cheers
KG

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rctanksaustralia.com

Good news Kevin, finally getting there mate.
Any chance we can have a spec page on both these products, I find it a bit confusing what's on the boards with all the constant updates over the period of time lol.
The Diamond Back board is a good idea as I don't want to IR all my Tanks, along with the BB will it be able operate a recoil unit or servo setup??

Cheers
Gra

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Gra's Heavy Tank Regiment
HL Tiger 1 - El Mod, Tiger 1, K T Porsche turret, Panzer III & IV, Stug G & E, Panther D,
Matorro KT, Jagdtiger and Sturmtiger, HL Sherman and T - 34, A7V (WIP)
Panzergruppe South Member

HI Gra

Recoil and BB are not the easiest of bedfellows. So on board - no. But I seem to say it over and over again - You can add recoil to anything just by using your 9X. So if you did come up with a recoiling BB gun just use the 9X to program a recoil servo.

For everything else there is Sirvoe.

Specs is easy as far as Taipan goes - Everything But costings on T2015 will scare you so there may actually be 2 cut back boards, Asp & Diamondback

As far as Diamondback goes - I've completely reworked the board almost from the ground up thanks to a suggestion by Andrew. (reduced costs ) So the prototype above is already in the bin

Asp is for the smaller Panzers as T2015 and Diamondback are a bit on the big side.

Specs are not final as I am still finding I can add extra things without pushing up costs.

Asp the smallest of the 3 will probably be available first

Cheers
KG

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rctanksaustralia.com