project: commando tank (updated 21 may, with vid!)

betty.k · Post by **betty.k** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 9:27 pm

lately i've been thinking about a new and improved camera tank and i came across a couple of perfect candidates. for $30us i scored 2 tanks, 1 assembled but never run and one still in the box.
they come with fully articulated tracks, crude but effective suspension, 280 size motors and gearboxes and a stupid switchbox thingy so it can be driven using servos and an rx.

it's much bigger than my old one which i like. i also like the top part, i would have removed a cannon if it had one as i intend it to be a camera tank again.
i've already cut out a viewhole and sorted out the camera mounting.

since taking those pics i've given it the camo treatment and i plan on using some cheap sunglasses as a window for the viewhole.
i've installed a 29mhz hitec rx and 2 x tamiya teu-101bk (stock) escs. i'm powering it with an old venom 1500mah nicad stick pack but i plan on using aa's or something else smaller to reduce the weight.
i modified an old hitec stick tx so the steering controller now moves up and down making controlling it less confusing

it runs really smooth now thanks to some tweaking of the design and has a reasonable top speed of about 8 - 10mph. only problems so far is the plastic tracks are not so grippy but i'll assemble the tracks from the new kit and maybe use rubber sticky pads or just glue (150!!) individual bits of rubber to eack track peice.

one good thing is there's still plenty of room inside the body for more electro gizmos, flamethrower, bird net cannon, water pistol, harpoon launcher, blah blah blah!

i'm also getting a nightvision scope soon, if i can work out how to hook it up to the camera.......

sg219 · Post by **sg219** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 9:49 pm

I like the new tank.

How about a lethal dart gun in it?

Now go find that cat of yours and track it down.

betty.k · Post by **betty.k** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 4:57 am

the cat's fuck'n HATE this thing!

hang on a minute.........CRIKEY!!!!!

have a look at this little beauty!!!!

here's the guts.

i need to lose some of the excess wiring but it's pretty compact as is. the escs sit nicely on the gearboxes and the rx sits in the middle. i've found tanks work best if the front is heavier so the batteries are up front. that's where the battery compartment was anyway. this kit was designed to use one of those 9.6v packs (8 x AA) but the escs are only meant to run on 6 cells so i'll have to look around at 6 AA batteries, i hope they have enough kick to run the motors.

here's the tx after some chopping and gluing, modified so both controllers move up and down. looks messy but works really well.

only things i got left to do are make a windscreen, sort out some other power source (maybe i might enter the world of lithium?) paint the tracks and make em grippier. i also want to seal all the little holes and make a cover for the rear vents so it can withstand a bit of rain.

this sure is one fun toy!

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Finks · Post by **Finks** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 11:02 pm

Man that looks cool. Great camo job betty and the hack job on the TX is pretty damn well done IMO. Now how to get that into a crowded bar and give us some panty shots.

ynad · Post by **ynad** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 11:37 pm

DAMN,that's cool

cool i say

Post by **CaboWabo** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 11:41 pm

yea well he just better not say he painted the camo or I'm gonna pay fat to light matches under his feet.
that's cool as shit, and he has on-board camera capability.
HACHI-RYOKU should have that mutha to help get the scoop on situations.

betty.k · Post by **betty.k** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 3:54 am

CaboWabo wrote:yea well he just better not say he painted the camo or I'm gonna pay fat to light matches under his feet.

oh yeah? well i painted that shit, how much we talking here. i might consider it

HACHI-RYOKU should have that mutha to help get the scoop on situations

i was thinking the other day, what happens when i tire of this one?

i'm thinking gps, satellite control, camera, then ima board a flight or a boat over to pimp city. crush a few ricers!!

the night vision scope i'm getting supposedly attaches to some cameras, which means any camera i get hold of!

betty.k · Post by **betty.k** » Sat May 20, 2006 7:52 pm

so a little while back i decided to iron out some issues with this thing.

the stock gear ratio was 10:1, too high for a crawler so i checked out the tamiya gearbox range. i settled on the "high power gearbox", can be set up as either 64.8:1 or 41.7:1. i went with the latter, i felt it would be low enough.

i needed 2 and they took quite a lot of modding to fit them in the chassis. in fact that back end took about a week to modify in order to accomodate the new gearboxes, it's pretty much rebuilt but you can't really tell by looking.

i bought an intellect 1200mah pack to run it, i estimate i'd get at least 30 mins of continuous run time from it, more than enough.
i also wanted the camera and it's battery mounted in the chassis with the rest of the guts.

it was also too low, kept getting caught on grass and the old gearboxes didn't have the grunt to get out of it and the plastic tracks offered no grip.
not very becoming of a tank!

i softened and bent the idler wheel axles and raised it a full inch.
then i set about cutting and glueing 152 little blocks of foam rubber to eack section of track (just as painful as you think it was!)

now it tears through any terrain within reason. the combination of grip, torque and clearance has made a night and day difference. i can crawl up a wall and flip on my back if i want now.

it's no speed demon, top speed is walking pace.

so i got it to walk the walk but it still needed to talk the talk! so a little weatherproofing was in order.

i bought a replacement lens for motorbike goggles (made from lexan!) and made a window for the camera. i screwed it onto some more foam rubber for a watertight seal.

the rear needed a cover and i made one from a maglite case, was the perfect size! sealed it the same as the window and it's easily removeable for hot weather.
i also plugged any holes in the lid and i just use a blob of blutac around the camera aerial and i'm happy to report it can withstand a heavy vertical downpour without a drop of water getting in! it can also go through puddles up to 1 inch deep without issue, 2 inches for short periods.

here's my favourite little hidey hole, i can drive it there without leaving my seat and it gives me a full view of the driveway and street.

so there ya go, probably a month's solid work from start to finish but worth every second to me.

Maxximum Attack · Post by **Maxximum Attack** » Sat May 20, 2006 9:48 pm

Betty, I think you need to post pictures of the finished tank. The chassis shots are good, but what's up with the random pics of grass and foliage

beanoman · Post by **beanoman** » Sun May 21, 2006 2:44 pm

Thats damn nice! I had my mini giant set up as a camera truck and it was tons of fun, lol.. I liked the higher speeds of the mini giant as opposed to the manuverability of a tank. Better for crossing roads i guess

.

How much range are you getting from the camera? I was able to get maybe 150 feet whilst sitting on my ass inside.

Seem to have misplaced the pictures from when that was in operation, at the moment it has no electronics

.

betty.k · Post by **betty.k** » Sun May 21, 2006 4:46 pm

i get around 150 ft of range with the current setup but that's because the camera reciever aerial is indoors. i get at least 300 ft out in the open.

edit: got some vid of me driving from my room to my hidey hole:
http://home.iprimus.com.au/trentheffer/spytank.wmv

crazydave · Post by **crazydave** » Mon May 22, 2006 8:58 am

That was really cool, but the only thing I might suggest, is maybe work out some kind of shock absorbing mount for the camera, it didn't seem to like the bumps.

I dig your window.

MotorGong · Post by **MotorGong** » Mon May 22, 2006 11:52 am

That's way cool!
For some reason, I pictured your hidey spot by the front door/yard near the street.
I suppose if someone pulls up in a vehicle into your driveway, you'd see 'em. What if they're on foot?

Maxximum Attack · Post by **Maxximum Attack** » Mon May 22, 2006 2:22 pm

When you went out the door, I felt like I landed on the moon. The view from inside the tank through that porthole is so COOL!!

Ditto on the camera shock. Eventhough the static for me added a kind of cinematic coolness

Maxx

evoraptor · Post by **evoraptor** » Mon May 22, 2006 4:31 pm

Maxximum Attack wrote:When you went out the door, I felt like I landed on the moon. The view from inside the tank through that porthole is so COOL!!
Ditto on the camera shock. Eventhough the static for me added a kind of cinematic coolness

Maxx

Dude I love this tank! I like how at the end you kinda drive through your "forest" just to get to the other side.. I want one!