Heng Long machine gun in IR combat

[oldwolf]

I notice that my Heng Long tank's machine gun button, when held down a few to several seconds triggers a brief pulse of the IR transmitter LED. This pulse seems to carry the same coding as firing the tank's main gun since it puts a hit on a target tank. Is this part of the tamiya IR combat protocol? Or is it unique to Heng Long? Anyone have any guesses on the reasoning behind this? I could understand it if it had a different code to put hits on some planned future soft targets that would be appropriate for machine guns. Anyone have an explanation?

[Rubicon99]

I notice that my Heng Long tank's machine gun button, when held down a few to several seconds triggers a brief pulse of the IR transmitter LED. This pulse seems to carry the same coding as firing the tank's main gun since it puts a hit on a target tank. Is this part of the tamiya IR combat protocol? Or is it unique to Heng Long? Anyone have any guesses on the reasoning behind this? I could understand it if it had a different code to put hits on some planned future soft targets that would be appropriate for machine guns. Anyone have an explanation?

Been discussed a number of times on this forum. Short answer, IT IS NOT part of the Tamiya protocol and if **used in an organized club battle in conjunction with a typical light, medium or heavy class of tank is a sure way to piss folks off and be asked to leave once counseled about it’s use and warned. Usually it is a young kid or someone that just doesn’t know. Trust me doing it after being warned is not going to make friends.

When used it fires the same intensity of IR beam as the main gun and fires once every second. Also when firing the tank “usually” will not receive incoming hits.

Folk have figured out that they can move out from cover and dash across a field firing their MG and not take hits. Believe me clubs are aware of this feature and watch for its misuse. Though as long as it is NOT shooting at a tank some clubs allow it to be used as a method of “movement cover” kinda like a smoke screen.

**On a positive note about the features. I have seen several “Scout / Ultra light” AFVs custom builds using this feature. They have the IR emitter set 15mm back instead of 9mm and the IR bore opening has been reduced from a maximum of 6mm down to under 3mm. This causes the beam “spread” to be very narrow and also tends to reduce the range to simulate something approximating a 25-40mm auto canon. These tanks have a TWO hit max limit until destroyed. This is simply set but “pre shooting” the tank with four hit prior to its use in a battle (6hits-4hits=2 remaining hits). These are a non Tamiya protocol class of tank but are becoming popular and many clubs are embracing them. IMO they are rather fun to fight against because they bring a fresh look to the fields and now give a place for wheeled and half track vehicles to take part.

[oldwolf]

Thanks for the response. Odd that HL would do that, though I suppose the people making decisions about product and the people writing code for said product often have little understanding of what the end user actually does with the product. It's too bad they didnt make it fire a different code. Then they wouldn't have needed to make the tank unhitable when it is fired and it would have provided an opportunity for after market suppliers to produce a variety of things that could have responded to it. Thus making their tanks more desirable, instead of what they have now: an odd feature that competitors may abuse either on purpose or by accident.

Having just gotten my second tank late yesterday, today was the first time I could test to see if the MG IR pulse affects another tank.

[Rubicon99]

Thanks for the response. Odd that HL would do that, though I suppose the people making decisions about product and the people writing code for said product often have little understanding of what the end user actually does with the product. It's too bad they didnt make it fire a different code. Then they wouldn't have needed to make the tank unhitable when it is fired and it would have provided an opportunity for after market suppliers to produce a variety of things that could have responded to it. Thus making their tanks more desirable, instead of what they have now: an odd feature that competitors may abuse either on purpose or by accident.

Having just gotten my second tank late yesterday, today was the first time I could test to see if the MG IR pulse affects another tank.

Just wait until you dump the crappy stock IR receiver and install an aftermarket hobby grade IR receiver like the LegoDEI one. Then you will see just how effective the MG firing is and why it can cause issues on the field when used improperly.

[oldwolf]

Just wait until you dump the crappy stock IR receiver and install an aftermarket hobby grade IR receiver like the LegoDEI one. Then you will see just how effective the MG firing is and why it can cause issues on the field when used improperly.

Actually, I have one of those on my T34 and another on order for my new challenger 2. Indoors at a max range of 15 meters the stock IR reviever on the chally worked ok. The weather here in Maine was unpleasant enough to keep me from going outside where the differences should be obvious. Mostly today I deburred the chally's metal track, opened it up and took pictures of all the wiring, marked ambiguously colored plugs and their receptacles with colored paint and put a few drops of machine oil on the gears. I am pleased to see that the chally main gun does not recoil at all instead of the recoil first then fire on my T34. Fun stuff!

[Dug180]

I have 2 tanks that I play with my son, M4 Sherman TK6.1 and Tiger 1 TK7.0 , and I have converted to LegoDEI IR receiver

the Sherman machine gun is very powerful and pretty much work as OP described, but the Tiger 1 doesn't do that, the machine gun on the Tiger 1 doesn't seem to deal any damage to the Sherman at all. Our solution is to pretty much never use the machine gun for battles but my son often can't resist cheating :)

So I'm wondering is this problem fixed with the TK 7.0 board? is there any other way to fix it? setting back the IR emmiter 15mm the only thing we can do.

[Rubicon99]

I have 2 tanks that I play with my son, M4 Sherman TK6.1 and Tiger 1 TK7.0 , and I have converted to LegoDEI IR receiver

the Sherman machine gun is very powerful and pretty much work as OP described, but the Tiger 1 doesn't do that, the machine gun on the Tiger 1 doesn't seem to deal any damage to the Sherman at all. Our solution is to pretty much never use the machine gun for battles but my son often can't resist cheating :)

So I'm wondering is this problem fixed with the TK 7.0 board? is there any other way to fix it? setting back the IR emmiter 15mm the only thing we can do.

HL might have corrected the 7.0 not to shoot IR beams when the mg is fired. It was a complaint brought to them so it would not be a surprise if they changed the programming.

If so that is a good thing for those that like to club battle their tanks. Reduces the urge to cheat here and there.

Also a possibility if you only converted your Tiger to the Lego receiver and the Sherman is still stock that explains why you are easy to hit and him not so much. Stock receivers are totally unreliable with taking hits unless you are within a few feet. Legos will easily take hits out to and past 150 feet even in noon day sunlight.

[Dug180]

HL might have corrected the 7.0 not to shoot IR beams when the mg is fired. It was a complaint brought to them so it would not be a surprise if they changed the programming.

If so that is a good thing for those that like to club battle their tanks. Reduces the urge to cheat here and there.

Also a possibility if you only converted your Tiger to the Lego receiver and the Sherman is still stock that explains why you are easy to hit and him not so much. Stock receivers are totally unreliable with taking hits unless you are within a few feet. Legos will easily take hits out to and past 150 feet even in noon day sunlight.

thanks, I do have Legos on both tanks, real big improvement from the HL receiver, might be worth to upgrade the Sherman to TK 7.0 but I'm waiting for HL to release a better sound board for it to better match the Sherman, I think the 7.0 only comes with Tiger 1 and T90 sounds.

[Sappo]

I have 2 lego dei targets that I use for a bit of a tank biathlon, one is set out about 10 meters for the main gun and the second is about 2 meters for the mg. Works a treat so we don't mind the mg in this case

[Airtime43]

question for Dug180, i want to connect legoDei ir receiver to tk7.0,, but cannot find the wiring diagram.. can you help me.. the tk6.0 has 3 wires for ir receiver and the tk7.0 has only 2 wires.. so how did you connect the ir receiver is my question.. Thanks

[Rubicon99]

question for Dug180, i want to connect legoDei ir receiver to tk7.0,, but cannot find the wiring diagram.. can you help me.. the tk6.0 has 3 wires for ir receiver and the tk7.0 has only 2 wires.. so how did you connect the ir receiver is my question.. Thanks

You are looking at the IR bulb wires not the IR receiver wires. The LegoDEI does not fire IR beams it only receives them. The 7.0 uses the same three wire plug as 6.0. Your tank should have come with a diagram showing what port is associated with each plug.

[Airtime43]

You are looking at the IR bulb wires not the IR receiver wires. The LegoDEI does not fire IR beams it only receives them. The 7.0 uses the same three wire plug as 6.0. Your tank should have come with a diagram showing what port is associated with each plug.

ok.. after looking at the 7.0 board i see the 3 wire connection for the ir receiver.. should have used my glasses before i looked!! thank you so very much for your fast answer..

[Dug180]

I forgot what I did but I dismantle the original Henglong IR receiver, use the magnet and cable plug and solder it to the LegoDEI so I can remove it and mount it the same as the Henglong version, works great

[cpt.chaos canada]

I forgot what I did but I dismantle the original Henglong IR receiver, use the magnet and cable plug and solder it to the LegoDEI so I can remove it and mount it the same as the Henglong version, works great

Hello, thanks for sharing!
Does it activate the led's when receiving a hit as a visual hit confirmation?. (short blinking sequence)
-
CCC

[Dug180]

Hello, thanks for sharing!
Does it activate the led's when receiving a hit as a visual hit confirmation?. (short blinking sequence)
-
CCC

oh that's right, no it doesn't because the standard corrector is only 3 wires, would have to route it properly. Just work like when you use standard heng long receiver (tank shake when hit)

[cpt.chaos canada]

Thanks for clarifying that.
It is stil a very good solution for "local" battles.
-
CCC

[SoCalBobS]

Hello, thanks for sharing!
Does it activate the led's when receiving a hit as a visual hit confirmation?. (short blinking sequence)
-
CCC

You can make the Lego lights flash on a hit. Most of us route the two "LED" wires from the Lego receiver to the tail light socket on the HL board. You'll need to find an appropriate plug for this. If your tank has tail lights, you could then plug the tail light wires into the brake light socket if you want. The brake lights come on for about a second or two any time you let off on the throttle.

You could also splice the Lego wires into the headlights, I've done that a couple of times.