Torro IR Receiver Mods

[Spitz@24]

Was curious if anyone has tried modifying their Torro IR receivers to block frontal shots like for a TD or 45 degree corner shots similar to what some aftermarket Heng long receivers are offering And if so what’s your approach?

[RichJohnson]

Blocking the front of an IR reciever is not allowed in most clubs, It started with Tamiya TDs because of the physics of how they work and that Tamiya tanks still received hits at closer ranges and slowed down when hit.
there is no way to make that compatible with Hl style tanks that don’t slow down and use other brands of ir receivers so blocking the front is basically not allowed at all any more,

Most people use Lego dei recievers for henglong type tanks. The 360 shade is always recommended because no matter what angle it’s installed it works and takes hits.
If a person uses a 45 degree shade they MUST orient the receiver so that one IR receptor is facing forward and the colored LEDs face the 45 deg corners of their tank. Otherwise if they face colored led forward they basically can’t be shot at a distance and they are cheating.

So it’s best to use a 360 deg shade.

As far as I am aware, Torro/taigen systems do not IR battle with henglong and Tamiya type tanks.

[Rubicon99]

Was curious if anyone has tried modifying their Torro IR receivers to block frontal shots like for a TD or 45 degree corner shots similar to what some aftermarket Heng long receivers are offering And if so what’s your approach?

Are you trying to mimic an armor type? Are those you are or might be battling going to be aware of the changes to your tanks hit characteristics? If not that is considered "cheating" by most clubs.

The overall general rule is that all tank receivers be able to take hits from 360 degrees with in 20-25 feet. Specialty receivers with modified "hit angles" are used for specific purposes and usually in situations were the skill levels of those playing is more advanced.

The fact that you are using a Torro IR receiver still would indicate you are not yet at the more advanced level. Not trying to be a buzz kill or arrogant just stating general IR game battling guide lines used by the majority of clubs.

Now yes there is a simple way to block frontal hits on your current receiver but for other reading this it is not something widely accepted and you will be considered cheating to use it. Ok here it is. Simply block the front of the receiver with black electrical tape. This will largely block frontal IR beams from reaching the IR receiver bulb.

Blocking the front of an IR receiver to mimic WW2 type German or Russian tank destroyers heavy armor ONLY works for tank equipment with proper "damage slowing" = speed/maneuverability reductions and proper limitation on rate of fire = 1 shot every 9 seconds. Since Torro, HL and TD control systems do not have these additional battle limitations the "blocking" of the IR receiver becomes an "over match" for other tanks and only creates an element of unbalanced play. It also only works if you are doing a theme WW2 battle and not a mixed battle ( most common type of IR battle) with WW2, Cold War and Modern tanks all playing together. Any Cold War or Modern tank would have equal frontal armor strength and guns that would easily punch through the armor of ANY WW2 tank. So as you can see using the blocked receiver is problematic.

[tank_me]

As far as I am aware, Torro/taigen systems do not IR battle with henglong and Tamiya type tanks.

I've tested it with my Torro Sturmtiger using the Torro IR protocol converter connected to a V3 board and it does work against Tamiya, HL and the LegoDEI IR tester. It will give and take hits simply by installing the converter. I didn't do any distance testing though and the newer Torro apple is a 360 variety.

[RichJohnson]

Oh that is new. I was unaware they now offered an Ir converter that is good news.

[tank_me]

Oh that is new. I was unaware they now offered an Ir converter that is good news.

I will eventually change out the IR emitter in favor of the Vishay TSAL6100 IR LED emitter I typically use and put it in a tube with a proper 9-10mm set back. I also want to change the RX mount to use a LegoDEI apple, but since the tank was new and it was last battle of the year I just used it as is for that battle day.

[Spitz@24]

Appreciate the feedback and insight everyone, unfortunately I lack the skill and time at this point to get into building Tamiya tanks but I greatly appreciate the detail they provide and the labor of love it is for those who build and paint them and would have gladly bought them as RTR if I could as I love the idea of tank class system and reload times baked into their battle system.

That all said I did buy 2 Heng Long pros to start but wasn’t impressed with their durability so jumped in on Torro’s with all the extra features I’m well over 4K into this hobby and only 4 weeks into it and I’m loving every moment of it so far, already upgrading those awful stock exhaust smokers in the Torros and switching out sound cards to match the actual tank instead of ever tank sounding the same.

My goal is just to have friends and neighbors come over in the yard and run some courses, elimination battles , capture the flag etc I