Well done Sir. I really appreciate the dedication to this transformation.
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For anyone who wants to add parts onto the Henglong Abrams but doesn't want to paint the whole tank, this is what I used. It is from Walmart.
SoCal RC Tank Club Facebook Group
Largest active RC Tank club in Southern California
Gathering 1-2x monthly/All Ages & Experience levels welcomeComment
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Hey, anyone know where to get those Heng Long red motors? I heard there are knockoffs that do not have the power. I want to get genuine ones that will not take a month to make it over to my house if possible.Comment
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/224355004408?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&srsltid=AfmBO oqOu0g8jgmmckv74Ey_kbo6SJOvQua8_grnXllSNW-t0G_8Dohj4YQ
The 390 motor is a knock-off of the Mabuchi 380 motor with an added internal cooling fan. So there is NO genuine Mabuchi 390. But there are better quality 390 which can be identified with the ball bearing axle. The Heng Long 390 is a good one. The Mxfans 390 is my favorite, but it does come with the motor pinion gear (10x, fitting one is very easy).
https://www.amazon.com/Mxfans-7-2V-8-4V-21000RPM-Copper-Electric/dp/B075RZLVSG/ref=sr_1_6?crid=F30WGESHUXVQ&keywords=390+motor&qi d=1706932852&sprefix=390+motor%2Caps%2C281&sr=8-6
The Taigen 390 is very good and it comes with the pinion gear.
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You seem very knowledgeable about motors. I have a some questions on the options you provided:
1. On the Leopard 2a6, it uses the bullet connectors. Does the Taigen also have a bullet connector version, or can I just solder the connector on myself?
2. Which motor is quieter, the Taigen 390, MxFans 390 or the Heng Long 390?
3. I am not sure if the pro version 7.0 Leopard 2a6 has the 4:1 gearbox or 3:1 gearbox. If I go with Taigen 390 Do you know which I should get?
4. I read Taigen 390 motors can get very hot, and that requires I spend more money on installing a fan. Since the Heng Long has built in fan, does that make them run cooler?
5. If I get the fans 390, is it easy to take the pinion gears off of the stock motors and put it on the new motors? Will it require glue, or how does it stay on?Comment
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Many of the questions you have about Heng Long tank motors were discussed in this long thread where you can find some of my 380/390 motor heat up test data.
Small motors like the 380/390 will unavoidably heat up. Higher quality motor with ball bearings and well balanced assembly will heat up less. Cooling fan is not necessary.
Heng Long uses only 39:1 gearbox ratio. Some manufacturer call it 4:1. I don't see the need for using other gear ratio. Typical 380 motor runs at 15000 rpm and 390 at 25000 rpm. 380 will give you good WW2 scale speed and 390 gets you modern tank scale speed.
The RC tank noise mostly comes from the gearbox. Upgrade to a ball bearing gearbox if you want to minimize noise. If the motor makes excessive noise, it is clear indication of a defective motor.
The pinion gear is pressure fitted onto the motor shaft. You need a motor gear puller to pull it off. Don't pull it off with a piler or other hand tool which will ruin the motor for sure. No glue was ever used.
I highly recommend that you get the Heng Long red motor from Toucan Hobby to avoid complication in your upgrade. If you have the original Heng Long sleeve bearing steel gearbox, you should consider upgrading to a ball bearing gearbox.
Some example of my motor, gearbox upgrade for the German Leopard 2A6
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I have not done the same investigations as Keilau. I can say though that since fitting red motors, and gearboxes with bearings, my Challenger is faster, quieter, has a lot more torque, and runs cooler that it did with the 380 motors. As an aside, one set of motors came with bullet connectors, and a second set came with plugs. These were replaced with with bullet connections by soldering on the old wires.Comment
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Ahhh soldering, just one of the many new skills I've had to pick up and am currently working to master. Simpler than I thought really, watched a few videos then went at it. Learned how to load the wire etc. My work may not be perfect yet but it already looks better than the bodge jobs done at the Heng Long factory...
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Soldering is under rated as a skillset. Flux while soldering is also lacking in a lot of vids. Flux makes it so much easier to solder. "Tip Tinner" is a God send when it comes to conditioning a new soldering tip. No more wasting tons of solder trying to get the tip tinned. Putting on crip on connectors also works, but not as good as soldering. I prefer soldering connectors so they don't pull out of the crip connectors.Comment
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The amount of soldering required on a 1:16 scale RC tank is fairly limited. I have a Radio Shack Digital Soldering Station (Parts 64-053) that served me very well for the last 15 years. A Google search found it and many similar unit for less than $40 which is a fraction of what I paid then.
The important factor in small spot soldering is to use 60/40 rosin-core solder. Soldering is easy if the solder flows easily.
https://www.amazon.com/RadioShack-Rosin-Core-Solder-0-050-Diameter/dp/B007Z7QFDM/ref=sr_1_8?crid=ETUTG0JEYDVM&keywords=60%2F40+rosi n+core+solder+.050+diameter&qid=1706999511&sprefix =60%2F40+rosin-core+solder%2Caps%2C290&sr=8-8
BTW, most of the Radio Shack Store have closed. I no longer shop there because they don't have many electronics parts anymore.
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I also solder PE (photo etch brass), do custom wiring for all my Clark boards, and I add heat inserts to 3D prints using a soldering iron so I use a soldering iron quite a lot on my tank projects.Comment
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I bought the red motors, but have to wait for a few weeks before they arrive. Is there any way to make the stock gearbox quieter, or add bearings to them? I see they have bushing installed, so I am not sure if I can just replace those with bearings.Many of the questions you have about Heng Long tank motors were discussed in this long thread where you can find some of my 380/390 motor heat up test data.
Small motors like the 380/390 will unavoidably heat up. Higher quality motor with ball bearings and well balanced assembly will heat up less. Cooling fan is not necessary.
Heng Long uses only 39:1 gearbox ratio. Some manufacturer call it 4:1. I don't see the need for using other gear ratio. Typical 380 motor runs at 15000 rpm and 390 at 25000 rpm. 380 will give you good WW2 scale speed and 390 gets you modern tank scale speed.
The RC tank noise mostly comes from the gearbox. Upgrade to a ball bearing gearbox if you want to minimize noise. If the motor makes excessive noise, it is clear indication of a defective motor.
The pinion gear is pressure fitted onto the motor shaft. You need a motor gear puller to pull it off. Don't pull it off with a piler or other hand tool which will ruin the motor for sure. No glue was ever used.
I highly recommend that you get the Heng Long red motor from Toucan Hobby to avoid complication in your upgrade. If you have the original Heng Long sleeve bearing steel gearbox, you should consider upgrading to a ball bearing gearbox.
Some example of my motor, gearbox upgrade for the German Leopard 2A6
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The Heng Xin ball bearing gearbox is your most cost effective upgrade.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/285287364427?hash=item426c73b74b:g:CVwAAOSw4rhkYuu k&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4J%2B3MbTdBaSncvkLibOcb3m pF voqWOXmtmfMwzyeMr%2F5g2ZCczJVv4pb4dLCCpGcCAb1Er5HA 6uOZ6ZvZduDencHmVwamqfaMf4%2BjzZwYZVKUQ4RUY%2BA9kh hJexYJSOESqHnugarFMyKqVmzbeEHX%2BJTAaJknDBQw5EFjLP OFxqZ44vp9OH3XUWdrFNKutcLqZoST%2BPZ9sDGCEeIV6MGLwO ScFlg2gncRjk7d0OSu94YxMcaU7B4g2xuAHwxGXa8Yow4wyOPB melg6sg7eVXWv9rlcPFrDDDMvLeF0Q57R2r%7Ctkp%3ABFBM_L idxa5j
You need a thick wall, precision machined gearbox shell to reduce noise. The HL sleeve bearing gearbox has too flimsy a outshell for that.
High quality ball bearings are very expensive in retail. It is not cost effective for you. The gearbox manufacturer in China get the ball bearings much cheaper in wholesale.
The Heng Xin gearbox I link above use a unique mounting method that requires 2 dimensional maneuver to install. It is super sturdy, but the installation is a little tricky. If you are mechanically inclined, it should not be a problem for you. The Leopard has plenty of room for it. I used to pay more than $80 each for these Heng Xin gearbox. I have 6 or them and love the performance.
Post #2 summarized my upgrade of the HL Leopard 2A6 from an upgraded version.
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