Sturmgeschutz III - don't do this at home, kids!

[HDMM]

Great job on the tank commander! Are those plastic tracks? If so, I've done just one more step than with metal ones. Spray them first with any silver you like, then lightly overspray with the brown we've been talking about. The brown wears off first, yielding 'metal" highlights.

Or, you could order three or four types of pigments, mix your own, then paint each link. Shouldn't take more than a few days! (Facetious I know, but I worked in a hobby shop for a while and overheard just this type of conversation.)

I do have some AK metal pigment paste that I use on edges, handles, etc., which could touch up tracks. Rub some on your fingers, rub your finger on the surfaces you want. Just beware, a little goes a long way!

Yes, they are plastic tracks on this one. I have metal ones that I will put on eventually. I have been using a combination of paint and Vallejo weathering for my metal tracks.

[Grandpa53]

I do love the STUGS!!!

[SoCalBobS]

If you are interested in what it looks like inside the Stug III after my v6.0 upgrade here are some images with notes on the changes.







And the final results. First drive.😃

https://youtu.be/MwdoWEs69kY

Hey Karl, I have some questions. How did you mount the IR bulb? I see you drilled a hole. Did you disassemble all the way down to the mantle so you could get the hole aligned? Did you remove the airsoft unit to access the area? Have you tried it, how accurate do you feel it is? How did you brace the bulb behind the mantle?

I talked to Toucan, they can sell me the required parts without the transmitter for $55, so now I have to figure out the process. Thanks for any help you can share.

[karltrek]

Hey Karl, I have some questions. How did you mount the IR bulb? I see you drilled a hole. Did you disassemble all the way down to the mantle so you could get the hole aligned? Did you remove the airsoft unit to access the area? Have you tried it, how accurate do you feel it is? How did you brace the bulb behind the mantle?

I talked to Toucan, they can sell me the required parts without the transmitter for $55, so now I have to figure out the process. Thanks for any help you can share.

Hi Bob,
Yes. I disassembled it down to just that part so that I could easily drill the hole. I am very happy with the IR performance. Works perfectly.

One thing I am not happy with is the tracks come off to easily. Almost any turn will de-track it. I have to slow down to a crawl to make a turn. I believe it has to do with the idler wheel. It’s too floppy and can’t be tightened any better. It is the metal Heng Long version that has no bushing. I ordered a Mato metal idler that comes with a bearing. I am hoping that will have better performance.

[SoCalBobS]

Hi Bob,
Yes. I disassembled it down to just that part so that I could easily drill the hole. I am very happy with the IR performance. Works perfectly.

One thing I am not happy with is the tracks come off to easily. Almost any turn will de-track it. I have to slow down to a crawl to make a turn. I believe it has to do with the idler wheel. It’s too floppy and can’t be tightened any better. It is the metal Heng Long version that has no bushing. I ordered a Mato metal idler that comes with a bearing. I am hoping that will have better performance.

Strange, I have the same setup (maybe newer?) with metal sprocket and idler wheels and tracks and there hasn't been any of that. As a matter of fact, I've run it so aggressively that some of the outside road wheels fell off! I've silicone cemented them to stop this.

Anytime I take the idlers off my tanks I have to be careful not to lose the washer at the mount. They like to run off onto the floor! I think the weakest point on HL tanks is the idler mount. With all the stress the tracks place on them, especially the heavier metal ones, it's a wonder the mounts don't break more. I had just that happen on a KV-1. Once it breaks, it's impossible to fix.

[SoCalBobS]

Still thinking about the IR emitter. In stock HL tanks, they are situated behind a small diameter aperture. In Karl's case and in others who place the bulbs in the barrel, how is the accuracy affected? Is there more spread, registering hits on objects not in the aimed direction? If the bulb happens to be angled a tiny bit off the boresight, does one have to compensate in their aiming? I presume so, but I'd like to hear from those who have made this modification.

[karltrek]

Still thinking about the IR emitter. In stock HL tanks, they are situated behind a small diameter aperture. In Karl's case and in others who place the bulbs in the barrel, how is the accuracy affected? Is there more spread, registering hits on objects not in the aimed direction? If the bulb happens to be angled a tiny bit off the boresight, does one have to compensate in their aiming? I presume so, but I'd like to hear from those who have made this modification.

The group I tank with has many different HL models. I really can’t tell if the IR emitter installed in my StuG has any advantage over the other tanks during battles. I guess you could drill a smaller hole on the surface and then drill the size that fits the LED just far enough on the inside to mount the LED.

[SoCalBobS]

I got my 5.3 to 6.0 upgrade kit yesterday; $55 from Toucan Hobby. I'm really looking forward to the upgrade, and the primary reason is for better steering and throttle. The absence of a turret makes it important to fine tune the aim, almost impossible with the 5.3 electronics. It also allows IR functionality, absent in 5.3. (An aside: some earlier HL products could be bought with EITHER IR or Airsoft, but not both.)

First step is to open up the patient. Second is to photograph the guts, in case stuff needs to be put back! I've posted large size versions, in case anyone wants a closer view.

[SoCalBobS]

This is a photo of the 6.0 components, hooked up as much as possible for educational purposes. I used the wiring diagram included in the 6.0 manual that comes with their respective tanks. So all I have to do is pull the 5.3 wires and plug in the 6.0? No, not really, but it won't be too hard to connect the appropriate modules. I will be relying heavily on Karltrek's photos in this thread.

[SoCalBobS]

By the way, this is a 6.0 connection schematic I grabbed from another thread. A good reference if you can't find your manual.

[SoCalBobS]

So, good news and bad news. Bad; I got well into the conversion, hooked up the airsoft I thought, activated it and fffffft! burned out a board. Toucan sells them for $33, so I'm in hiatus. Up to that, it was going good.

The following are the steps up to.., you know. This is by no means a how to, just my real time observations. Please consider them "helpful hints".

Stug III 5.3 to 6.0S upgrade process:

You will need an upgrade kit. Also a 6.0 transmitter, unless you already have one. You can bind more than one tank to a transmitter. Just don't have two bound tanks turned on at a time! More on this later. Screwdrivers of course, a soldering iron or gun and solder and miscellaneous tools.

Open the hull.
Photograph the 5.3 wiring details, just in case!

Using the wiring schematic in the 6.0 manual if you have one, learn where the 6.0 modules plug into the 6.0 board (aka MFCB).
I opted to remove the Tamiya socket & solder XT-30 replacement connectors onto power leads.
Remove 5.3 on/off switch, install 6.0 on/off switch. Look underneath so on and off are correctly configured.
Enlarge lower hull hole a little bit for power leads.
Install the 6.0 power leads.
Unscrew small black cover & remove 5.3 momentary button from lower hull; not needed in 6.0.
Remove 5.3 smoke generator by unscrewing three screws on the outside bottom of the hull.
Install the 6.0 smoke generator. Check karltrek's picture of his installation for orientation. It can be held in place by one of the removed screws in the center of the three holes. The red & black leads to the smoke generator motor and blue leads to the heater may need to be lengthened.

Connecting the Motors:
Depending on your soldering equipment and comfort level, this can be done either in place or with the motors and gearboxes removed.
Unsolder the 5.3 motor leads from the motors. Remember that the M1 circuit is for the left motor and the M2 is for the right.
Note that the kit's motor leads have a plug and socket midway for ease of adjustment and replacement. You may want to shorten the leads to achieve a cleaner install. Solder the 6.0 motor leads to the motors.
At some point you will need to confirm the treads go forward and back correctly. This has to be done when the tank is bound to a transmitter. Fortunately, if a motor is reversed, you can unplug and reverse the leads.

I bound the tank to a transmitter at this point. In this way I could confirm each step as I re-routed the wiring. Simple process; turn on the transmitter. Hold down the ignition button and while doing so turn on the tank. Voila!

It turns out the left motor leads were reversed. I'd connected red to red all along the circuit. However, one motor ran backward. Simple fix, plug red to black and it ran correctly.

Next was connecting the headlight circuit and the machine gun light circuit. The 5.3 wiring buss on the underside of the upper hull will be eliminated. Rewire the parts, with leads included in the kit, and plug them plug directly into the MFCB.

Next was the "cannon lifting" (read: elevation motor) circuit. Same process; wire leads, plug them into the board. I turned them on to test, all worked fine.


Now here's where things went wrong, advice will be appreciated.

I rewired and plugged in the "Trigger" circuit and did the same for the "BB Launch System" (airsoft gun motor).
Time to test. The motor worked but when the time for the trigger to activate, fffssst!

Hmmm. wiggle wiggle poke poke turn off and on, restart. Nope, dead. So close!

[karltrek]

SoCalBob,
Sorry to hear that your 6.0 control unit fried. Did you remove everything from the StuG except the Airsoft unit? I take out all the 5.3 electronics.

"I rewired and plugged in the "Trigger" circuit and did the same for the "BB Launch System" (airsoft gun motor).
Time to test. The motor worked but when the time for the trigger to activate, fffssst! "

You should not have needed to rewire the trigger from the BB Firing unit. It's the same as the ones used in the 6.0 tanks except one side has a rail glued on for the lifting unit. It uses the same plugs. But make use to unplug it from that small secondary circuit board and plug it in directly to the main 6.0 board. I remove that secondary board all together.

[karltrek]

I finished another 5.3 to 6.0 upgrade on a StuG III. This time for NoCalBob (aka borntolate).

I cleaned us the wiring with some Spiral Cable Wrap.








Here is the tanks in action after the upgrade. All is well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPAxjfD9HVU

Here is is testing the IR function with my Henlong T-34 using LegoDEI’s LED IR Reciever upgrade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjORSScats8

[SoCalBobS]

Hi Karl. Yeah, I'd done what you said, texting sometimes doesn't impart meaning as well. I eliminated the 5.3 harness in favor of direct wiring. All hull functions - motors, smoke, lights - tested fine. The airsoft elevation motor worked fine. The cocking motor worked fine. When the trigger was activated is when the short happened. Some possibilities: bad board. wrong socket. reversed polarity. I would have thought the last would have just not functioned rather than causing a short. When the new board arrives I'll just have to be extra careful. I may have questions for you before I flip the power switch.

[karltrek]

Hi Karl. Yeah, I'd done what you said, texting sometimes doesn't impart meaning as well. I eliminated the 5.3 harness in favor of direct wiring. All hull functions - motors, smoke, lights - tested fine. The airsoft elevation motor worked fine. The cocking motor worked fine. When the trigger was activated is when the short happened. Some possibilities: bad board. wrong socket. reversed polarity. I would have thought the last would have just not functioned rather than causing a short. When the new board arrives I'll just have to be extra careful. I may have questions for you before I flip the power switch.

Don’t take a chance. Just order a new BB firing unit. They are cheap. And Toucan may have them in stock. If not I have an extra one I can send you. 😃

Both my StuG and Borntoolate’s has bad BB firing units. The motor would just spin. I replaced both. The StuG has a customized BB unit. It is the same as a regular one but they have glued a special channel on the left side for the lifting motor and shaved part of the rear of the unit for clearance in the tank. I just took apart the original unit an moved that side to the new one. It’s a very easy straight forward process.

[SoCalBobS]

Very good point, which I hadn’t really considered strongly. My other option is to eliminate the gun entirely in favor of a barrel mounted IR, since I’d planned to use it in club battles anyway. I’ll just have to research how the gun is linked to the IR flashing. I’d also still want the gun noise so I know I’m firing in the field.

[karltrek]

Very good point, which I hadn’t really considered strongly. My other option is to eliminate the gun entirely in favor of a barrel mounted IR, since I’d planned to use it in club battles anyway. I’ll just have to research how the gun is linked to the IR flashing. I’d also still want the gun noise so I know I’m firing in the field.

It seems that the firing process that is accomplished by the BB Shooting unit is needed for the IR feature to function. I don't know how you could bypass it? When the motor was just spinning in my StuG it would not finish the firing sequence and so IR function would not register a shot.

[Sureshot]

The trigger is simply a momentary contact switch on the air soft gun that activates both the cannon sound and the track recoil when the piston is at it's most rearward travel a split second before firing.
If the trigger is plugged into another port that runs a motor or sends current to a light it would create a dead short that could possibly burn out the unit.
If you wanted to eliminate the airsoft you could possibly trip the trigger switch with a servo or solenoid of some sort and just use the gun housing for elevation control.
Steve

[Sureshot]

I'm not 100% sure what triggers the IR flash in the firing sequence. It is triggered both by the cannon and the machine gun.
From watching the IR with my cell phone camera on several of my tanks it seems to flash right at the end of the cannon firing and when the machine gun fires the IR flashed a couple of seconds after the gun starts firing and then every few seconds if the mg button is held down.
I received a Panzer IV last week and when I test ran it everything worked except the track recoil and cannon sound. I opened it up and the trigger plug was unplugged. I checked the book to make sure where it went and plugged it back in and all was well.
I didn't check the IR when it was unplugged so not sure if it was working or not.
Steve

[SoCalBobS]

The trigger is simply a momentary contact switch on the air soft gun that activates both the cannon sound and the track recoil when the piston is at it's most rearward travel a split second before firing.
If the trigger is plugged into another port that runs a motor or sends current to a light it would create a dead short that could possibly burn out the unit.
Steve

I thought that might be the sequence, but if it is a momentary, would that be on long enough to fry a board. Food for thought.