Muzzle flash circuit
 

Here it is

Thanks Alard.

...Now I just gotta reacquaint myself with how to read a diagram! ;)

Much thanks Alard. You just made my day. Thanks again, it will be going up on my new new website soon. Once I get it up heh. Thanks if you dont want it up then just say so :-)

so is aney one going 2 hook up one of thes puppies up? caz im not i might of done some other dareing stuff 2 my tanks but i can onley go so fare
i might do it if i hade a pic of where evreything goes

Well this is Combat-Digi-Q under a friends name cuz his stupid thing wont let him log out. I already started hooking up the 555 timer and all the other goodies but ran out of time, I should be able to test it on the tank tomorrow and tell you guys how it is. Il let you guys know how it is.

that site is going ton be a good one :)

back on subject,

cool diagram, im going to look at it more thoe

fascinating zip or whoever u r.id love 2 see it:D or hear about it:D

Use a low power CMOS 555
 

Glad you are going to try it out. Be sure to use a low power CMOS 555. The ones I use are designated 7555. I don't think the 5 volt supply of the tank will like a standard 555, too much current draw.

Hi alard, I got the circuit build and it didnt work, talked to my digital electronics teacher and he said that 2 of the pins should be swapped. I forget exactly what he said but im gonna test out the new design tomorrow:-)

Aarghh!
 

Sorry. Don't know how that happened, but, the schematic is wrong. The IR LED low side should be connected to pin 2 of the 555, not pin 4.

I'll post a new schematic.

How do I get the old one removed?

corrected circuit diagram
 

Musta screwed it up going from Orcad, to Visio, to GIF.

Thx alard, Im on vacation right now so I cant update my circuit right now, but next monday I will be testing the new design out in the tank, Im probly going to use a tick size 555 timer because quite frankly theres not all that much room in these tanks, I might make a couple of these circuits like 20 of em if anybody would be interested in them, Maybe 5 dollars for 1 of em. Dunno yet:D

I might be interested... I got 4 turret tanks coming from Japan this week, with sound tower and 4 tank charger. I've also reactivate my airbrush and diorama kits so i can do big battle on realistic terrain...

i'll post picts soon...

Sounds cool, you have aim, Its alot easier to talk that way! To give you a little more information on the pcb board here it is, The board will be about .5 inches by .25 inches, the board itself will be located in the tank chassis(in the front by the switch) There will be jumper wires to run up to the turret from which a bright white led will send a surge of light through the fiber optics in the barrel, this will inturn make a flash out of the muzzle. The only thing is you will be needing to drill out the barrel of your digi q tanks, that will be a very hard task. Fortunatly I will be selling custom made aluminum barrels that will be almost identical to the plastic ones but will have the drilled out barrel and muzzle. They will come unpainted! Well its 2 am here so ill talk more later

If you are replacing the barell any way... why not just replace it with hard, clear plastic tube? :) paint the outside of it, and leave the end "clear"... and use heat shrink on it, for "thicker" areas if you must... build it up...

consider using wier from the magnetic steering of a zip/mini rc car caz thers barely aney room in the tank. that wier is as thin as a hair. thats what i used for the back of my tank in thred WA LA, you know where the red lights are and i used serfs mounted LEDs ther much smaller ther the bulb shaped LEDs but if you can afford the room it would be beder 2 use bulb shaped LED caz it might b brighter and give a cooler affect

You used the zip zaps wire lol. Alrighty then. There is enough room to have wires teh same thickness as the ones in there already, I would suggest switchin those brittle wires out. Too thin and there inst really insulation on them so if they touch and short out you might burn yoru batts or pcb board. That would be very bad. I am still going to use the fiber optics idea. Running a led to the end of the barrel is a little unrealistic. Having a second led inside the turret is reasonable. Then just drill out teh barrel and insert the nylon guitar string.

all I can say is GOOD LUCK drilling out the barrel ;) its kinda small, your gona wind up drilling out the side at some poitn lol... thats why I said to use a clear plastic/glass tube, and paint it, then the LED will shine from one end out the other...

hay hay hay cant we all just get along

well, we'll see... i bought super tiny drill bits from a hobby shop! with a dremel it should go fine.... let's hope so!

Hooray, I got it working, no help from you alard though. Your circuit was wrong again so I sat down this time and thought it out with my teacher. Heh, a 10k resistor should be in place before the #2 pin and after the connection to the IR led. Also pin #4 is connected to pin #8 by way of a simple wire. The resistor was added because now when the pulse is triggered its not a long lasting glow from the led. Now its about a .25 seconds which is more like it. I just ordered all the parts, very very very tiny ones, and have started work on my pc board that will go in the frontal cavity of the tanks chassis. Wires will run up to the turret where it will house a super bright white led. The flash will be transfered via nylon guitar string. I will post the parts list up as soon as I know everything is the right stuff to make this thing work. www.Mouser.com is a good resource for electronics parts. Siiigh well im gonna go work on the circuit board diagram some more. Later guys!:D :cool:

GOD SPEED MAN!!! or i shude say take your time: confused:

Heh, thx. Most likely I will just end up fabricating new barrels out of aluminum in a lathe and repaint them. I dont really have any concerns about it.

well that dos sound like a better idea then trying 2 drill out something thats hard 2 replace like the original barrel no offence spad but geting your dremel bit X&Yaxes ALL THE WAY DOWN dead center OF THE BARREL!!!!! well....... seems like a slimm chans
besides Combat-Digi-Q is on to something.that sounds like some SEROUS MARKETING HERE!! MASS PRODUCTION!!! THER WILL B ONE IN EVERY HOUSEHOLD!!!!!!! MONOPOLY!!!! MONOPOLY!!!!MONOPOLY!!!! MONOPOLY!!! 4D:<panting & sweating profusely} OK im clam now but no sounds like a good idea.i just hope what ever light admitting diode your useing is bright enuff,like the one under the tank caz that mother is bright .LIKE BLOW!!! im talking eye cyandy and not the nose........:D :D :D :D :D :D HA HA LOL

Sorry for any confusion
 

Good thing you had someone to help you out.

Something to consider:
Not all 555 IC's are the same. Different manufacturers chips can behave somewhat differently.

The chip I used did not require the reset pin, (4), to be tied to +VCC.
The resistor between the IR LED and the trigger pin (2) was also unnecessary.

To change the length of the pulse, C1 or R1 values should be changed.

To lengthen the pulse raise either value.
To shorten the pulse lower either value.

In any case, glad it's working.

Heh yeah, I thought that all 555 timers were basiclly the same that is the pins and what there for. Thanks anyways for gettin me started, I probly wouldnt be doing it if you didnt post the pic of the diagram. Glad you motivated me though.

any pcitures?

Heh, Im not really that far along to post pictures+my digi cam isnt working. All it is right now is parts on a breadboard, I am currently starting to draw the pcb board. its about 1 and 1/2 centimeters by 1 centimeters. Very tiny, all my components are going to be super small. Ill let you guys know when I have made progress, so far I have been after school everyday looking up parts in a Mouser Catalog and doing some pcb board configuration. But without the parts I cant really make a pcb board as of yet. Ill keep you guys posted