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Messages - Wibbly
31
« on: November 29, 2019, 10:59:46 AM »
New cheap 20amp esc's arrived today, created a messy wiring loom to test the running gear, and it runs very well. It's set to full acceleration at the moment, but I can tweak that later. I have tested the turret rotation esc and that works as well. I now need to sort the recoil and muzzle flash, I'm not too bothered about elevation as I rarely use it. £10 Arduino. 2 x £5 esc's. £9 signal converter. Turret will add: 1 x £5 esc. Servo £3. Voltage regulator £5 Sound £25 Das Mikro Mini Speaker £10? Total around £90 doing it all as cheaply as possible.
32
« on: November 29, 2019, 02:05:23 AM »
@jhamm The purpose of the project was to see what works and what doesn't, I just enjoy tinkering with this sort of thing simply to see if I can get things to work at minimal cost. I already have voltage regulators, amplifiers etc, so I can hook up anything as the project progresses. I have created my own Elmod sound files in the past using Audacity so can load these onto the DasMikro Mini if I need to. Yes, I always use Visaton speakers, they are good, high quality speakers, and 3D printed enclosures improve the output as well. At indoor club meets we all turn the volume down, as ten tanks running indoors quickly become a strain on everyone's eardrums. lol. There was a rumour that a US distributor was thinking of putting the TCB back into production, I have no idea if that will ever become a reality. There is a market for it now, the low cost DasMikro sound units makes it a viable proposition, but they didn't exist when Hobbyking ceased production. Like many, I have several transmitters, but none of them are PPM or SBUS. If I bought one it would only be useful for a tank that runs this one board, which would render it uneconomic. All of my other tanks use Elmod and Clark boards (TK22 & TK40) and PWM. The Elmods are flawless, the Clark boards not so much but they do the job. I also run RC trucks and Rock Crawlers, so my wallet gets emptied very quickly nowadays! 
33
« on: November 28, 2019, 03:24:22 AM »
Just a quick update on my 2560 DIY project.
After a few glitches, and sourcing the reason for them, I seem to have got the drive motors working, along with the turret controls. Just waiting on some more cheap 20amp esc's.
The PWM>PPM converter works, the glitches I narrowed down to an old tx I am using that is less accurate than the firmware expects it to be. Eg the sticks don't always centre at the exact same position each time. The tx was sending false signals, so I disabled the default functions and expanding the dead zone from 10 to 15 sorted the problem.
Hopefully the new esc's will arrive soon, and I will get everything plugged in and see how it runs.
The plan is to see if an installation works all ok, and then think about upgrading the drive esc maybe with a Sabretooth. I can install a Turnigy rx and use my Turnigy tx to improve things, I might even push the boat out and buy a PPM tx/rx??
The next step will then be getting a muzzle flash, and the mechanical recoil working, though if that gets messy I'll change the recoil for a servo, which is easy for me to do.
I have a few DasMikro Mini sound boards, so can hook one of those up, though a side by side test reveals that the Dasmikro boards don't quite have the same sound quality as the originals. They will do the job though.
It's an interesting project, I have learnt a huge amount about how the system works along the way by tinkering, and for anyone else thinking of doing this my advice is to click on those '?' found on the GUI, they provide a wealth of information on how to set things up. Using snoop is the first thing that anyone should do as it tells you what the tx is doing and controlling.
Knowing what I now know, If the TCB ever goes back into production at a good price I would buy them in an instant.
34
« on: November 21, 2019, 01:52:16 PM »
Did a snoop as you suggested.
Motor started as usual.
However what Snoop told me was that no matter what I set the LVC to, or whether it is enabled or not, the firmware will declare that the LVC has been reached, and power to the motor is shut off.
35
« on: November 21, 2019, 06:06:58 AM »
Ok, I can't figure this out, admittedly I am taking huge amounts of meds at the moment, but something must be staring me in the face and I can't see it.
I am using a PWM tx/rx and an S2PW pwm>ppm converter. These are widely used in the RC aircraft world and are reliable.
The latest DIY firmware is installed.
If I hook up the speed controller as a normal PWM set up, without the Mega2560, I can run a tank motor in forward and reverse on Channel 3 (right stick).
I have the basic:
GND>A12
GND>33
If I hook up the converter PPM output to the Arduino:
GND
3
5v
that would appear to be correct.
This leaves:
GND
5v (tried with and without this connected)
28
These I connect into the esc 3 pin plug.
The esc is run off a good battery.
The Arduino is run off a good battery.
The most that happens is that the tank motor will run for a few seconds using Channel 3, but if I centre the stick it will not then restart. It will not run in reverse.
Something is either shutting down the esc, or something is stopping the PPM signal. I cannot figure out what it is.
Strangely I had the same set up with a previous version of the DIY firmware and had a tank driving around no problem at all, but now...I am pulling my hair out. What have I missed?
36
« on: November 02, 2019, 01:32:54 PM »
OMG Luke, I am absolutely kicking myself now.  Sat here, tried snoop, nothing, selected the DIY firmware, clicked Flash and it all worked perfectly. When I tried it on the first board I must have flashed it first, totally forgot the most logical thing in the world when I tried the second one. Many thanks! Rob
37
« on: November 02, 2019, 02:48:27 AM »
Ok, I have a problem and despite hours trying to solve it, I am completely stuck. I am using the latest Config download. I tried two clones but the TCB config would not connect to them. I now have a genuine, boxed 2560 and that will not connect either. I have tried the Arduino IDE on a Linux PC, a Vista laptop, and a Windows 10 laptop, and they all simply plugged in, found the port and I could click on Serial Monitor, no problem. I have tried the same boards on the Vista laptop and the Windows 10 laptop, and they will not connect to the TCB config. I have 'Arduino 2560' displayed in Device Manager, I have a port displayed in the Config. When I click on Connect it either displays 'Device is Disconnected', or 'Port is Closed'. I have tried all of the drivers in Zadig, no joy. I have tried manually installing drivers via Windows, no joy. Something, somewhere is refusing to allow communication between the USB and the Genuine 2560 and I have no idea what it is. I have been all over the web looking for solutions. I've tried installing, uninstalling drivers, reboots, and downloaded the latest Net Framework, Windows 10 is also the latest up to date version. Oddly I have a broken 2560 clone, though a good clone with the right chipset, I can plug that in and it hooks up to the TCB config no problem. I have the GND>12 jumper in place at all times. Does anyone know what the problem could be? 
38
« on: October 26, 2019, 06:07:16 AM »
The new board arrived, I had specifically looked for a board that had a 340 chip on it. The Ebay ad had a pic of the chip, and stated that it was a 340.
I got a magnifying glass out, the chip on the board I received was unmarked, as was the last one. In fact the new board is identical to the last one purchased from a different vendor, so is probably a 328P.
This one is also going back as it has the same problem, Ebay is a nightmare!
39
« on: October 26, 2019, 05:13:15 AM »
40
« on: October 25, 2019, 02:34:48 AM »
I recently bought a 2560 off Ebay, did it in a rush, just looked for a cheap one. Having spent hours trying to get a driver that worked, I went back and looked at the listing. I had purchased a board with a 328P chip, not a 340/341.  The board will hook up to the IDE, but will not connect to the OP configuration. Depending on the driver it will either show a blank port field, or it will show one, but when I click on Connect, it just displays 'Disconnected'. It sometimes displays 'Port not Open'. I've no idea what the conflict is, I have tried every driver I can find on the web, Zadig 2.4 etc, tried deleting the device, deleting drivers etc, but no joy whatsoever. My other 2650 with a 340 chip simply plugs in on the USB and connects no problem. The vendor accepts free returns so I can send it back, and I have ordered another one that actually has a 340 chip on it.
41
« on: October 19, 2019, 01:00:17 PM »
I already have this useful program.  The only device is usb serial device The driver was: usbser (v10.0.17763.1) Having updated the driver as suggested, the COM port box in the config was blank. However, I just tried USB Serial (CDC) in desperation..and it worked. The firmware updated. The radio readings are a bit glitchy but I am putting that down to the converter in the circuit. Having now centered the sticks, and allocated ch3 to throttle, and ch1 to steering, with pins 28 and 29 hooked up to the signals from the esc's, I am getting no response. My radio is in Mode 1, so the throttle is right stick up, and steering right stick left/right. Can I assume that the 28/29 pins remain the same for the drive motors regardless of which mode the radio is in? There may yet be a blown tx/rx chip on the 2560, if the tx signals aren't getting through the Arduino. I won't know until the new board arrives. PS - I downloaded the latest OP Config as well.
42
« on: October 19, 2019, 08:04:00 AM »
Can I load the DIY firmware using the IDE? Whilst playing around with the tx, Read Radio etc, my Windows 10 laptop decided to stop uploading to the Arduino. It connects, but throws up an AVRDude.exe error message "The application was unable to start correctly (0x000007b). Click OK to close the application." when I try to flash. It looks like the firmware is corrupted on the 2560, I've reinstalled the OP interface but no joy. Re-installed drivers and no joy either. The 2560 lights up, the VR hasn't blown, and the OP interface will connect. It just won't identify the port COM4, which is the only one on offer. I assumed that the USB I/O had blown and ordered another 2560, but then fired up my Linux desktop. I had the same result, no port found. After a bit of digging around I have the 2560 'apparently' talking to the pc, eg the serial monitor works. In order to test the comms, how do I upload the DIY hex file onto the 2560, I can't use the OP interface as this is Windows based. Never done this before. Hoping someone can help? It's got to be worth a try, though the 2560 may have toasted something 
43
« on: October 03, 2019, 01:31:45 PM »
After being tied up on other things, I finally pulled an Arduino 2560 out of a dusty box, and set about getting the OP firmware onto it.
A quick tip for anyone thinking of making their own TCB using an Arduino board. If you buy a cheap Chinese 2560 you may hit problems trying to get the board to communicate with your PC.
The reason is that FTDI/USB is a proprietary chip, not public domain. The people at FTDI realised that the Chinese had cloned their chip on Arduino boards so revamped their drivers so that they would only work on genuine USB chips. Some Chinese boards work, others don't. Mine didn't.
I had an ancient laptop in a drawer that I had used for previous Arduino projects, and that had a Legacy driver on it. This driver was released before the cloning problem, so has no internal checks for a genuine chip.
It worked! I downloaded the DIY-Hex firmware onto the cloned 2560.
I have a PWM converter on the way, and will then set about building the rest of the Open Panzer system, my only concern at the moment is getting the standard HL style motor driven turret rotation/elevation motors to work, rather than replacing them with servo's. Same goes for the Torro mechanical recoil.
Other than that, a muzzle flash is the only thing to get working and it will all be good to go.
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