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Messages - LukeZ
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1126
« on: February 19, 2017, 12:48:28 PM »
Now another ? It is about the 4 types of transistors used in the TBC. How sensitive types are they? I would like to use transistors who is non-smd types. Torben your English is very good and I understand you perfectly. The values of the MOSFETs/transistors used on the TCB are not crucial. For the SBus inverter (Q10) you can use a BC337 NPN transistor which should be easily available and cheap. It can replace Q10 directly with no changes to the schematic. For the light outputs Aux, L1, L2, Brake, MG, IR send, and Hit notify (Q1-Q7) you can also substitute a BC337 for the MOSFETs shown in the schematic. You will want to change the 150 ohm base resistor to something a bit higher like 562 ohms, this should give you roughly 400-500mA capacity. Note that will not be quite enough for the IR LED which draws quite a bit more, but the IR signal is sent for a very short amount of time so it might be fine, but you might also not get the full range. Note also that the MG output on the TCB uses a pin on the ATmega2560 processor that is no available on a stock Arduino Mega. You can move it to a different, unused pin on the Mega but you will need to change the MG_PORT, MG_DDR, and MG_PORTPIN defines in OP_Settings.h and re-compile. Or you can just use the blinking options of the Aux output as an MG light, it will work just as well. For the high-intensity flash trigger (Q9) you can substitute any common PNP transistor, the value is not important. BC327, 2N3906, whatever you can find. Finally there is a MOSFET (Q11) to control the Smoker. The smoker pulls quite a bit more current so you will need to keep that in mind, I have not tested how much but at least a few amps. Any through-hole MOSFET with power dissipation of 50 watts or more that can be turned on with 5v should work, FDP8880, FDP8440, RFD14N05L, IRL640A are just some random choices I see at the local supplier.
1127
« on: February 18, 2017, 10:56:26 PM »
Yes Tom, the DXi 6 transmitter will work fine, but as you say it will need a proper receiver. For whatever reason Spektrum as a company seems dedicated to staying far behind the technology curve while over-charging for their products, and strangely this seems to have worked very well for them. The TCB will only accept receivers capable of sending a PPM, SBus, or iBus signal. Although these are becoming standard across the hobby Spektrum does not offer a receiver with those features, but we can be sure if they did it would cost an arm and a leg. However there are several DSMX-compatible receivers available from other companies, see the Radio Selection Guide in the Wiki for recommendations. At the present time the best options for Spektrum owners are:
1128
« on: February 18, 2017, 10:38:31 AM »
Thanks for the update, this will be useful to others. I've added an entry on the Troubleshooting page about this.
1129
« on: February 18, 2017, 10:30:06 AM »
Welcome Torben! Great to have people from around the world. I have also been the only member of various large panzer clubs myself, wherever I've lived.  Glad you figured out the ESC outputs on the stock Mega. For anyone else curious you can find them in the PDF attached above, but I will also list all 8 servo outputs here: | Mega Pin . | Output | | 22 | #8 - Benedini Prop 1 | | 23 | #7 - Benedini Prop 2 | | 24 | #6 - Benedini Prop 3 | | 25 | #5 - Recoil Servo | | 26 | #4 - Barrel Elevation servo/ESC | | 27 | #3 - Turret Rotation servo/ESC | | 28 | #2 - Right Tread servo/ESC | | 29 | #1 - Left Tread servo/ESC |
Depending on your selections in OP Config some of these may also be free for general pass-through, and you can assign any analog channel on your transmitter to control them directly, as if the TCB were a receiver.
1130
« on: February 13, 2017, 02:05:05 PM »
Great! I'm glad that's all it was. And thanks for posting this thread, hopefully it will help others with a similar issue.
1131
« on: February 13, 2017, 11:39:51 AM »
Here is a copy of my earlier response in the RCU thread in case others see only this one: In the meantime, this error simply states that your computer is failing to remove the existing version, and until it does, obviously it won't let you overwrite it with the new version. This could be a permission issue, and I see you've tried running as an administrator. However even an administrator doesn't have permission to overwrite a file that the administrator has open. Perhaps you have the exe running under another login, or else Windows thinks you do. Rebooting will fix this. Are you able to rename OPConfig.exe to something else like OPConfig.old? If so the installer should work.
You may want to try uninstalling the existing version yourself (rather than letting the auto-installer do it), by going to Programs and Features, select OP Config from the list, and uninstall. Then download the new version of OP Config from the downloads page and install it manually (by double-clicking the exe). The auto-installer that you can launch from within OP Config needs to close OP Config before it can complete the installation procedure, but perhaps it isn't running with sufficient privileges to do so.
There may be other things we can check but like I say, if this doesn't resolve it please start a thread in the Open Panzer forums. Now to respond specifically to your post here - your attempt #3 should not happen since of course there is no file to delete, you have already removed the program. The fact you are getting the third error that says it can't rename a file in the installation directory, when that directory doesn't even exist, suggests an issue outside of OP Config. If you Google this you will find many instances of people encountering this problem for various softwares. The issue almost always has to do with an antivirus program, such as McAfee, BitDefender or others that are blocking the installation. Do you have any of these programs installed and running? If so I would disable them and try the install again. If you are running McAfee see this post for a possible solution. It may be possible to provide a Zip install, I have not considered that before. Let me explore it further. Some things would not work such as file associations but that may not be a big deal. I will have to think about it, in the meantime let's try solving this issue. Luke
1132
« on: February 11, 2017, 09:02:19 PM »
I'm concerned this thread is going to end up confusing newcomers here once the TCB is released. It has what appears to be a helpful title ("Getting Started") but then it discusses things which no user will actually need to get started. Compiling code and setting up Qt are topics of interest only to developers and completely unnecessary for any end-user to concern themselves with. The list of items you just enumerated could also be quite confusing: - Implies there are unclear areas in the Wiki, that the board shuts down randomly, pins are inverted, etc... Nowhere is it made clear you are actually referring to a completely different product that has nothing to do with this one, namely the IBU. But of course the IBU is confusing, and they don't even have a Wiki to help you out. The whole motivation behind the Open Panzer project is to get away from the foolishness, insane complexity and lack of documentation common to these other boards. If there are problems with the TCB then by all means we need to correct them but let's not give people the impression we already possess the worst traits of the competition before we've seen the TCB in real life!
- The TCB is not plug and play and we do not want to imply to anyone that it is. That will create false expectations. If people want a plug-and-play solution they need to look at Tamiya, Taigen or Heng Long.
- Every pin on the TCB is clearly labelled. Again we have made a deliberate and thorough effort to distinguish ourselves from every other competitor on the planet in this regard. The IBU and Clark boards are particularly bad in this respect, but if someone didn't know better they might think you were referring to the TCB. Look at the images of the TCB board top and board bottom (you can find these on the Downloads page). You will find nothing that is not clearly labelled. See also the Board Layout page in the Wiki which goes into elaborate detail about every single connection.
- The TCB requires NO RADIO PROGRAMMING. All radio setup is done in OP Config. This lets you use the same radio without any changes across a wide variety of models that may have completely different requirements. I don't like programming computer radios any more than the next guy. The TCB was designed to eliminate that. You DO NOT need mixes, weird endpoints, dual rates, expo, any of that. Again, the only reason you are encountering these issues is because you are using a different product.
Good forum etiquette typically involves creating a "New Topic" that defines a specific topic and sticks to that topic in the discussion. We have to keep in mind these threads are going to stay here for eternity, and be read by many others. My concern is that noobs are going to come in here and see a thread titled "Getting Started" and then get all kinds of turned around or worse, turned off. The goal of most technical forums is primarily to provide a place to answer (or work through and solve) specific questions and problems, and store that information for others to find later. At the same time a forum can also be a place for general socializing with others who share our interest, and in that regard threads consisting of non specific chit chat that traverse a wide variety of topics are perfectly fine, but the title needs to make that clear. So please don't stop what you're doing, I like following your exploration of all things tank related! But I think we should do two things: First, move this thread to the TCB Developer's forum since many of the aspect you delve into are not end-user topics. This I have just done. Second, I would ask that you change the topic title to something better reflecting the discussion here, perhaps along the lines of "Random Experiments" or whatever you like, so long as it doesn't sound attractive or informative to newbies, and makes clear the topic is not about any specific topic. (To change a topic title edit your first post).
1133
« on: February 10, 2017, 12:54:27 PM »
Good question. The list of cables that I know will be included are: - Power cable (for making your own battery adapter). But the TCB will also be plug-and-play with standard Heng Long/Taigen power harnesses. In many photos on the Wiki the TCB has a screw connector for the battery inputs - but this was an earlier prototype. The production version as I say will be plug-and-play with HL/Taigen harnesses.
- Receiver cable
- Sabertooth cable
- Benedini cables
- A handful of leads to make your own LED strings with
- A plug to convert a Taigen High-Intensity flash unit
- Screws and standoffs
As for a USB cable I can't say yet. I had not originally intended to include one since it is such a common one and I wanted to keep costs to a minimum, but as I think about it more including one would be in keeping with our goal of making this as user-friendly as possible. It may be too late but I've put in a request at Hobby King to consider it. There is an additional 5-cable set of Tamiya adapters that will be available. At this point I am unclear whether they will be included with the TCB as standard or sold separately, but my suggestion was to sell them separately (not everyone will need them, and some will want multiples of them, so it makes sense to have them as a separate item).
1134
« on: February 07, 2017, 12:25:11 PM »
The Flash connector on the TCB is really intended for the Taigen high-intensity flash units that require 3 wires. But you could still use a regular LED with it if you make your own 2-wire plug.
The Aux Light output would be easier. It has a wide variety of options including a Flash setting specifically for this purpose.
1135
« on: February 02, 2017, 03:48:16 PM »
I agree with you absolutely that a repository of freely-available sound files is a necessity. I have given this some thought several times and although I haven't initiated anything yet I do think Open Panzer is the logical place for it. I have grappled with the best way to host them, my initial thought was to create another page similar to the existing Downloads page but just for sounds. The idea of using GitHub hadn't crossed my mind but now you mention it that is a good idea. I am still new to GitHub myself. I'm comfortable posting but I haven't really experimented with pull requests or the community involvement side of things. But this could be a good learning experience for us all. And it might be less maintenance work in the long run than a static page. For now I've created a repo with some empty folders: OpenPanzerProject/Sound-FilesBuild it and they will come! Or so I hope. Let's use this thread for ongoing discussion.
1136
« on: January 31, 2017, 12:06:05 PM »
Here is the best-sounding model tank I have ever heard. I'm not sure what sound system he is using. Maybe he even dubbed another track over his video. I contacted him once to get more details but he never replied.
1137
« on: January 31, 2017, 12:03:28 PM »
I don't have a lot of experience with speakers or model sounds generally. I do have a Visaton FRS7-4 (2.5") and I can say at least in loudness it lacks nothing. It is not a problem to get it loud enough to hurt your ears. Bass, not so much. For bass you need surface area, which is constrained in our small models. I have heard building an enclosure also helps though I have not experimented with that myself. Visaton also sells an FRS8-4 which is slightly larger (3.5"), maybe it would be a bit better.
One thing to note is that speakers come in 8 ohm and 4 ohm models. All else being equal, you will get a louder sound from a 4 ohm speaker than 8-ohm, especially at the low voltages we are running. Note the Visaton model number I listed above has a "-4" at the end, that signifies 4 ohms. Visaton also sells 8 ohm versions, so watch what you get.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the speaker that sounds the best to my ear is the stock Tamiya 2.5". Somehow it even manages to have a bit of bass. I think the other thing Tamiya has going for them is high quality sound files to begin with.
One idea I had but never pursued, involved using a detached subwoofer. Because low frequencies are rendered by the human brain as non-directional, it (theoretically) wouldn't matter where those frequencies originate from - in other words, they would no have to come from the location of the model itself. That is why it doesn't matter what corner of the room you put the subwoofer in a home theater setup, though of course it is very important where you place the other speakers.
The idea is one could get a cheap Bluetooth audio adapter and install it in the tank parallel to the onboard speaker. The onboard speaker will play the high notes. Then the other end of the Bluetooth audio device will be fed into a regular home theater subwoofer somewhere nearby. Most subs come with a low-pass filter already so you would only be playing the lower frequencies. Of course this isn't very practical for outdoors, you would need A/C power for the sub, but simply as an experiment it might be interesting to try. It definitely frees you from the size limitation that hampers bass frequencies in a model.
But I suspect the next thing one would start to notice once you get better speakers, is how poor the sound files are.
1138
« on: January 30, 2017, 02:46:48 PM »
Waiting Hobbyking news about TCB boards, I have build a proto shield plugged on a standard Mega2560 board to start experimentation. Eagle files are available if other impatient people are interested ... I know of one other person at least who is experimenting with a stock Arduino Mega as well. That might be interesting if you want to share more about it over in the Testing TCB Firmware with Stock Arduino Mega thread.
1139
« on: January 30, 2017, 12:22:34 PM »
This list of pins and their mappings may also be useful for those experimenting with a stock Mega. (As will the actual schematic, you can download a PDF of that on the Downloads page). When using a commercial Arduino Mega board, you want to use the pin numbers from the PDF in the Ard column (for "Arduino"). These will correspond to the pins printed on your board. The pins under the Atm column (for "ATmega") are the pin numbers on the physical chip itself, which would only be useful if you're designing a custom PCB.
1140
« on: January 22, 2017, 10:34:35 AM »
What I suggest for your's Todo List, is the possibility to enable/disable all "accessories" functions :
- Battle IR systems,
- Machine Gun,
- Sound
Motors control, turret rotation and barrel elevation should be assigned to CH0 --CH3,
This is the basis for a RC model.
But others, CH4 to CH7 (or more) could be enabled/disabled and assigned at the choice of the user to different secondaries functions.
I think you will find already most of this done. You will need to read through the Wiki to get a good sense of how the project works, and I encourage you also to download OP Config and play with it on your computer. Through OP Config any radio channel can be assigned to any function. Typically Channels 0-3 (or 1-4 depending on your nomenclature) do control motors, turret rotation and barrel elevation. This does not have to be the case but typically is. Channels 4-15 (5-16) are considered auxiliary channels and can control "accessory" functions. All of those functions can be enabled/disabled through the use of Function Triggers. I understand the desire to maximize the utility of each channel. We do this already in that we allow the turret stick to serve both as the control for the turret rotation and barrel elevation, but also simultaneously as a 9-position switch (see the Trigger List). This requires no hardware modification of the transmitter, and it means that a person with a basic 4 channel radio can still take advantage of quite a few features of the TCB. With the ability to have the engine auto-start with throttle and auto-stop after some time at idle, you don't even need to assign a specific function to starting/stopping the engine (though you can if you want). This would leave quite a few slots on the turret stick for assigning other functions like fire cannon, fire machine gun, turn on a light, etc... The only thing lacking right now from what you propose is the ability to read 8 positions as you suggest on an aux channel. The most the TCB can read right now is 3 positions. It would be possible to increase this number but this would require work, and compared to other improvements which would benefit all users, this one would only benefit a very small group of people willing to modify their transmitter. But since this is open source anyone is free to add that feature if they want! This is what I would like to do while studying your's sketches and libraries .....
Although I do want developers and people willing to examine and improve the code, I would suggest to everyone they should first become very familiar with the product documentation, how the TCB operates, and what various functions it can perform, through reading closely the Wiki. Only after one has a good understanding of what it can already do, and how, will one be in a position to know the best way to make it do something new. Also then you will have a better idea what area of code to focus on. Starting at the beginning with the code is probably going to be overwhelming. But no matter what I welcome your questions and even more your participation! Thank you.
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