Battle

On this page we offer a basic description of IR battling, what it is, and how it works. For specific details on physically connecting an IR receiver and transmitter to your TCB see the Infra-Red installation page. And to change protocols are adjust any of the other battle settings, you will want to see the Battle tab of the OP Config desktop program.

IR battle is when model tanks use infra-red beams (just like those from your TV remote) to “shoot” each other. Each tank must have an infra-red transmitter, which is just a special LED designed to emit light in the infra-red range. And each tank must also have an infra-red receiver so it can detect incoming “hits.” For some reason people will often call the IR receiver the “apple” although it doesn't really look like one.

Several companies make IR receivers and transmitters but the industry standard is the Tamiya Battle System (#53447). It's not especially cheap but you can buy it for a lot less if you search on eBay or buy one through the AAF Tank Museum shop. The set comes with a Tamiya “apple” (Tamiya calls it the GFS for “gun fire simulator); a base that you install in the turret of your model that allows you to easily plug in or remove the apple, and an infra-red LED transmitter.

When an IR beam is transmitted from one tank to the other, it is not simply a beam of infra-red light that turns on. In fact it is a signal of very rapid and brief pulses that make up a specific code, or protocol. Unfortunately there is no actual industry standard for these codes, although Tamiya comes the closest to a standard since it has been around the longest. But even if the Tamiya cannon fire code is the most commonly used, in recent years other manufacturers have started to introduce codes for machine gun fire and even codes that will “repair” a tank rather than “damage” it. Among these there are certainly no standards.

The TCB is compatible with virtually every major protocol on the market today. Settings on the Battle tab of OP Config will let you select which IR protocol you want to use for cannon fire, machine gun fire, and repair. Any protocol you select will be both the protocol you fire, and the protocol you accept hits from. Although you can only fire a single protocol at a time, the TCB does allow you to accept incoming hits from an optional second cannon protocol in addition to the one you are set to fire. Hits received from non-selected protocols will be ignored.

Tamiya originated the concept of weight classes for their model tanks, and they provide three options: light, medium and heavy. The TCB keeps the same three weight classes but adds a fourth class called Custom, which you can adjust however you want. The actual weight class can be changed at any time in the field by the position of dipswitches 1 and 2 on the TCB (see here for more info).

Each weight class defines three values related to IR battle: the amount of time it takes for the tank to reload its cannon (firing rate), the number of cannon hits the tank can receive before being destroyed, and how long of an invulnerability time the tank is given after being destroyed. The first two are self-explanatory, but the invulnerability time needs some explaining. When a tank receives enough hits and is considered “destroyed,” it becomes immobilized for 15 seconds while lights in the apple blink. After the 15 second period is over, the tank “re-spawns” (to borrow a computer gaming term), or in other words, comes back to life with 100% health. As soon as the model returns to life the invulnerability timer begins for whatever length of time is specified by the model's weight class. During the invulnerability time the tank is invincible and will ignore all hits. The idea is to give a re-spawned model time to move away from its prior location and make it difficult for the opposing team to position themselves around the destroyed tank in an effort to kill it again the instant it comes back to life.

No matter how many times your tank is “destroyed” it will always return to life. But depending on club rules where you battle, you may be required to drive off the field after re-spawning a certain number of times.

In general, “Heavy” tanks will have longer cannon reload times (slower firing rate), but require more hits before being destroyed, and have a shorter invulnerability time after coming back to life. Conversely, a “Light” tank will be able to fire faster but will be destroyed with fewer hits, while having a longer invulnerability time.

When your model receives an IR signal from another tank for a recognized protocol, your tank will be “hit.” If you are using the Tamiya receiver apple or some other brand that has built-in notification lights, the apple will light up to indicate a hit, and if you have a sound unit attached your choice of explosion sound will play. Depending on your

When you fire the cannon (by triggering the Cannon Fire function) the TCB will