Great looking batteries. I don't know if I'm going to try my hand at them or not. My latest diiversion was adding the third pair of fuel tanks. I made backs for the other tanks and the gap behind the firewall just looked like missing teeth, well not that bad, but certainly the gaps bugged me.

Anyway, knowing you, you've probably already wired up the batteries, but just in case you haven't, this might help....here's a wiring diagram...


http://www.gjames.com.au/chris/t34/img/service-plate50-l.gif (fullsized image)
http://www.gjames.com.au/chris/t34/t34-service-5.html (on this page)

...and a general layout of the wiring...

http://colorado-artist.com/t34/images/Electrical.jpg[url]...from the Russian Motor Book...[url]http://www.armybook.com/summary.html?code=0103020ci5

By looking at the first diagram, I know the connections for the batteries are on the ends, like where you've drilled the holes. I also know the back pair are wired straight forwared to the front pair and there is a cable going from the plus side of the right pair to the "-" side of the left pair. So the batteries are wired in a series creating 24 volts for the starting circuit. I believe all of these cables would be big heavy ones like in this picture...


http://www.gjames.com.au/chris/t34/img/t34-39.jpg (fullsized image)
http://www.gjames.com.au/chris/t34/chris1.html (on this page)

On the front right-hand side battery, there is a cable going to ground. There's a second cable with a switch in there. It is my best guess the switch is the batteries switch, labeled "13" in the second diagram. I'm reasonably sure this is the little piece sticking out of the front of the kit's part D3. There is a wire going up from the switch to the trouble light if you want to follow that out.

On the left side things are a bit more interesting. Cables from both the "+" and "-" terminals would go up the the main fuse box, which is the indented part on the kit's piece E5, the firewall.

There's lot's hapening at that box, but something which might be worth showing is the cable going back to the starter. Actually it makes a stop at the starter relay first. The cable would go back behind the fuel and oil tanks, along the left side, and then at the rear, enter a proctective tube and then attach to the relay (part C7). Then there would be some cables going over to the starter's solenoid (part C21). Here's a picture of what's happening at the backend...


http://www.colorado-artist.com/t34/ians/ (on this page)

Here's a pic showing the protective tube and how the cables go behind the fuel tank....


http://tanxheaven.com/ludob/t34-85/PICT1242.JPG (fullsized image)
http://tanxheaven.com/ludob/t34-85/t34-85.htm (on this page)

There are also a couple of small wires attaching to the relay and going through the tube. These are for the starter button in the fighting compartment...the protrusion on the front of part D4.

Hope that helps.

Karl

Hi again Larry,

Right now I'm working on an 85, but I have a 76 kit and have been thinking about reworking the kit's 85 hull so it's more like a 76.

You identified the flat side panels below the turret. We've also discussed and found a picture of the exhaust fan which was on the 76's firewall. I read many of the 76s didn't have the vent handles on the fire walls. The vents were welded open and the handles removed.

What else have you found? Oh, and what are you using to sort out the radio wiring?

I have one small detail to add. It's really small, but I find it interesting and something I can add to the 85. You can leave off the itty-bitty part E10 on the left side plate, D4. I didn't know what it represented and it bugged me. After I went google mining and studied photos, I discovered it is a pull handle for quick-releasing the smoke cannisters. Actually there was a matching handle on the other side, so save that one and add it to your 85.

Here's a drawing of the cannisters and the release mechanism...


From the Russian Motor Book http://www.armybook.com/summary.html?code=0103020ci5

The quick-release is part of the kit's piece K1. The kit has it going in a hole next to a bolt on the back plate, P2, but it actually replaces the bolt. I suspect this was so they could use the same back plate for all versions. Here's a pic of a real one...


http://www.gjames.com.au/chris/t34/img/t34-57.jpg (fullsized image)
http://www.gjames.com.au/chris/t34/chris1.html (on this page with lots 'o other pics)

As for the cable routes, the best picture I found was this one. You can see the cables coming around the fuel tanks and are knotted in the bolt hole for the rear plate...


http://membres.lycos.fr/barkmann/document/red_army/images/rapport-t34/18Planche%20moteur.jpg (fullsized)
http://membres.lycos.fr/barkmann/document/red_army/t3485-ls.html (on this page)

Oh well, if you go to that last page, you can see how the handle should look, a "T" pull handle rather than the cylinder in a cylinder look of part E10....


http://membres.lycos.fr/barkmann/document/red_army/images/rapport-t34/24Larguage%201.jpg (fullsized image, on the same page as the last one)

Actually looking at that image I now realize I've come full circle. The bottom image was what started me looking for what the heck E10 was doing. At the time, I didn't know what the top image was. I now see it is a close up of the release mechanism. You can also see how the electrical cord is attached.

Oh well, that doesn't make much difference on the model, but I found it interesting in understanding the operation of the tank.

Karl

Wow....301 replies....15000 views. This is a record post. But....it's also a major database drain.

If anyone has feedback on these posts or would like to start up another topic on the Trumpteter kit, please do. This one is CLOSED.

Thanks,
Jim