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BillyBonz
10-23-2002, 05:56 PM
YAHOOO! I finally have a working tank. I received the new tank today and charged it up and was off and running. Having the working set also gave me the chance to test out the non-functioning set. It is the TX at fault. I can run both tanks with the new controller so that question is answered. I noticed that when I turned on the defective controller, neither tank would respond to it with the red flash like the working controller did. Everything else worked fine, charging, changing IDs and the LED panel.

My tank's charging and run times are about the same, 13 min. What I do like is the fact it runs with pretty much the same performance until the charge is gone. I put a piece of tape at the bottom of the controller and I'm counting how many charges I get from the batts, both TX and tank cells.

One other thing, I made a device to totally discharge the tank batts. I used a bulb from a 2 AA cell maglite and some stiff wire. Just line up the tank's 2 contact on the bottom, when the lite goes out, the batt is dead.

Now I have to send the defective tank back and wait for a replacement.
pitstain
10-23-2002, 06:43 PM
i bet takara is having alot of tanks replaced.... could you post a pic of the discharging method? i kinda get what you're saying.... that's a very good idea...
BillyBonz
10-23-2002, 07:46 PM
This is my first crude design but it gets the job done. I just used some small heat shrink tubing, 2 pieces of stiff wire and the maglite bulb. I use that bulb cuz it has 2 leads coming out that were easy to connet to, as well as the fact thats all I could find around the house that was the right voltage. Anyway, you get the idea.
GTR
10-23-2002, 08:10 PM
nimh batteries should not be deep discharged...
BillyBonz
10-23-2002, 10:59 PM
Ah yes, you are correct sir...they are not NiCads
stone
10-26-2002, 09:31 PM
Does the defective controller get any power at all?

I had a brand new controller that wasn't responding. I found that the battery contacts inside the controller were pressed flat and melted into the plastic. It was easily repaired by bending the contacts back into place.
BillyBonz
10-26-2002, 10:12 PM
The controller seemed to function in every respect except for controlling the tank. I could charge the tank up, and change IDs. After charging and the tank is on, then you turn on the controller the tank will flash. This set never did that. When I received the second tank, I could use the new controller and everything was a-OK.

My guess is the IR emitters at the front of the contoller weren't working for some season.
stone
10-27-2002, 05:30 PM
If you could change to ID's with the broken controller, then it's not the IR emitters. Sounds like the joysticks are screwed up. Open it up and check the wires leading to the joysticks. (i bet theirs a bad solder joint somewhere on the circuit board.)
stone
10-27-2002, 05:30 PM
sorry for the bad spelling