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News & Announcements / OPEN PANZER Tank Control Board from TORRO

« Last post by jhamm on August 11, 2024, 10:19:11 AM »

OPEN PANZER Tank Control Board from TORRO
OPEN PANZER Tank Control Board is a state-of-the-art control board specifically designed for use in remote-controlled tank models.
This board offers a wide range of features to enable realistic movements and sound effects.
The Open Panzer Board is the ultimate solution if you're seeking maximum control and adaptability for your models.

With advanced features such as proportional speed control, realistic firing and engine sounds, and various lighting options, it elevates the driving experience to a new level.

Made in Bavaria
Manufactured in Germany. Produced by a premium manufacturer in Bavaria, this board guarantees the highest standards of quality and reliability.

Developed by an American Engineer
Innovative Design. Designed by an experienced American engineer, the board combines technical excellence with practical features to meet the high demands of your RC tank.

High Flexibility and Adaptability
Open Source Software. With the open-source firmware, users can program and customize the board according to their individual needs.
Diverse Configuration Options. Supports a wide range of functions and peripherals, including turret rotation, gun elevation and depression, as well as smoke and light effects.

Easy Operation and Programming
OP Config Software. The user-friendly OP Config software allows for easy and intuitive board configuration, even for beginners.
Micro USB Connection. Enables a straightforward connection to the PC for quick updates and adjustments.

Superior Performance and Reliability
High-Quality Components. Robust and durable components ensure reliable performance even under demanding conditions. Powerful Electronics. Supports supply voltages from 7-15V DC and offers a maximum current of 8A, ensuring high performance.

Safety Features and Protection Mechanisms
EMC Decoupling. All connected cables are to be decoupled with ferrite cores to minimize electromagnetic interference and ensure stable performance.
Heat Shrink Tubing. A heat shrink tubing protects the entire board, enhancing safety during operation.

Compatibility and Expandability
Wide Accessory Support. Compatible with a variety of accessories and components that extend the board’s functionality, including sound modules from Taigen and other manufacturers.
Future-Proof. Thanks to the open-source architecture, the board can be continuously improved and enhanced with new features.

Additional Unique Benefits
Community Support. The open-source nature of the project has fostered a strong and active community that continuously develops and shares new features and improvements.
Modular Architecture. The board is designed to be easily expanded and modified to meet specific user requirements and preferences.
Advanced Diagnostic Features. Built-in diagnostic and error detection features help quickly identify and resolve issues, making maintenance and operation easier.
Comprehensive Documentation. Extensive documentation and tutorials make it easy to get started and provide detailed guidance for advanced customizations and programming.

 

Details/Scope of Delivery:

    1x OPEN PANZER Tank Control Board
    1x Würth 74271222 Ferrite (Item No.: OP-01010)
    2x Torro Ferrite (Item No.: OP-01008)
    1x Heat Shrink Tubing (Item. No.: OP-01009)
    1x Data cable USB A to USB C Micro (Item No.: OP-01013)

 

All other required components are not included. Please refer to the OPEN PANZER Forum for further information.



https://www.torro-shop.de/OPEN-PANZER-Tank-Control-Board

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News & Announcements / Re: It's all over?

« Last post by LukeZ on August 09, 2024, 11:24:06 AM »

Hi Jürgen. You may be interested to know that your home country is now selling the TCB, it was even manufactured in Bavaria. It is being sold by Torro. 

Here is the product page for anyone looking to buy: Open Panzer TCB at torro-shop.de

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News & Announcements / Re: Project Status

« Last post by LukeZ on August 09, 2024, 11:03:11 AM »

August 9, 2024

Torro, the well-known RC tank company in Germany, has taken it upon themselves to produce the TCB. You can purchase the board from their online shop, and they ship worldwide.

See the product page here: Open Panzer TCB at torro-shop.de

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Scout Dev / Re: Scout ESC Mini

« Last post by NielsD on July 06, 2024, 08:54:31 AM »

Thanks for your reply!

I noticed indeed that it has a bit more complex ways of measuring currents and temperature.
There is some switching involved that, for example, can output the chip's internal temperature to the analog output.
Because of the compatibility with the Scout ESC, I decided to wire it in a way that it's not able to use those features  (because if I wanted to, I needed more pins on the MCU, which were not available).
The idea is to keep using the temperature sensor as in the original design.

Because I'm quite slow with this project and I am also designing the housing and mechanics in CAD, it might still take some time to finish.
I'll keep you posted on the progress!

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Scout Dev / Re: Scout ESC Mini

« Last post by LukeZ on June 23, 2024, 09:17:01 AM »

Hi Niels, I think it's a great idea and your board design looks very good. I always wished the Scout was smaller, but there never seemed to be just the perfect chip available. I can't remember if this VNH7040 was around when I was designing it.

I see it has the advanced but also confusing Multisense functionality for reading currents and other info. ST uses this in several of their motor driver chips and to the extent I looked into it I never completely figured it out (the datasheet is sorely lacking in details). I suspect this is one of the things you mentioned having to set to a fixed level. I'll be interested to see how you handled it, but really, since the chip has overcurrent/overtemp and other protections, it's probably fine not to monitor current and simply let the chip protect itself.

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. Once you have it tested and working (I have no doubt you will succeed), I will of course be happy to include it in the list of OP designs.

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Scout Dev / Scout ESC Mini

« Last post by NielsD on June 22, 2024, 03:41:47 PM »

Hi Guys,

I'm new to this forum, but I have been working (though a bit low-key recently) on a small remix of the Scout ESC.
I am building a 1/16th scale Leopard 1A4 from Tamiya for which I want to upgrade the gearbox to a fully independent 2-motor setup.
Since the Scout ESC is designed to support also much bigger motors than I use, I thought it would be a nice challenge to make a smaller version of this PCB.

I used the original schematics as baseline, but I changed the motor driver ICs for a different model.
The original motor driver is the VNH5019 (17.2x16mm) and I use the VNH7040 (10x7.5mm).
The Rds,on is a bit higher (40mOhm compared to 18mOhm) but since I use it for a 1/16th scale model only, I expect this to be no problem.
Designing for an acceptable thermal resistance was challenging in this small form factor though, but I think it is in good shape now, especially combined with the way the PCB will be mounted + fan and air ducting.

The control of the chip is a bit different unfortunately, so I have to update the firmware a bit as well.
The ATMEGA doesn't have enough pins to fully support the VNH7040, since the VNH7040 has a lot more control options.
This meant I had to design the control logic to be as close as possible to the way the VNH5019 is controlled by pulling control pins to fixed levels.
I now expect that the rotation direction is inverse, but the rest should be identical.
This now is the biggest risk though, and I can only fully test when I have the hardware on my desk and can do some testing and measurement.

The schematic and PCB design was made in Altium Designer.
It is finished now, but I still need to order and test it.
Because the thermal design involves quite some copper area, I hope to find an affordable place that can do the SMD assembly as well.
This will be continued shortly and I hope to post an update with the assembled PCB soon.

Regarding the fitment in the Leopard chassis, I first designed and 3D printed a housing in which the 2 motors and gearboxes fit and between which the Scout ESC Mini and a 40x40 fan could fit.
To make sure things don't get too hot, I did some airflow design, which uses ducts that will finally output any hot air from the Leopard's original exhaust ports.
This took quite some time and with a 2-year old son, hobby time is unfortunately not so abundant.

Anyway, let me know what you think.
I'll keep this thread to post any updates if I have them.

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Other Open Source Projects / Re: Standalone Tank IR

« Last post by LukeZ on May 27, 2024, 11:37:28 AM »

Hi Rongyos, thanks for double-checking everything. I actually found two typos! But they have been corrected, and I've also updated the BOM file.

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Other Open Source Projects / Re: Standalone Tank IR

« Last post by Rongyos on May 27, 2024, 03:34:21 AM »

I wrote a short description but if I have said anything incorrect or if you would like to modify it, just let me know!

Hi Luke,

I’ve corrected some values in the BOM. Please reupload the file for clarity. Also, there is a misspelling in the name of the STL file in your post (cse should be case).

regards
Rongyos

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Other Open Source Projects / Re: Standalone Tank IR

« Last post by LukeZ on May 23, 2024, 02:47:27 PM »

Hi Rongyos, yes that's ok you posted the files here. I have created an entry for your project on the Downloads page and added all the files there, along with a link to this thread as well as to your YouTube video.

I wrote a short description but if I have said anything incorrect or if you would like to modify it, just let me know!

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Other Open Source Projects / Re: Standalone Tank IR

« Last post by Rongyos on May 23, 2024, 08:20:25 AM »

Hi Rongyos, I will be happy to share the project. We can create an entry for it on the Downloads page the same way we have with other user designs. In addition to your Arduino code, if you have a schematic, board files (Eagle or Gerber or whatever), and list of parts (what we call a "BOM" for "bill of materials") we can post all that as well.

Even only understanding the subtitles, your video was very clear to me!

Hey Luke,

I hope its okay to attach the file to this post.

Regards
Rongyos