Benedini’s TBS Mini V2.

This is an amazing piece of technology. I know it seems pretty sided to start a review like this, but I would be lying if I started it in any other way.

This does so many things that I find quite hard to start talking about the functions… I don’t even know where to begin! So I guess I will start talking about what the board is not able to do:
– It does not work as a speed controller (ESC) for your model.
– For those who might need it, it does not have a built in infrared battle system.

Ok, this part of the review is done.

So what does it do? The rest of things you can expect to have in any RC model, and that is:
– Up to 6 fully configurable light outputs. Yes, fully configurable. You can program this board to use the 6 outputs as headlights, (short and long beam), working combined rear and brake lights, indicators, blinkers, rotating beacons, boat and aircraft lights, or even machine gun and cannon fire combined with sounds! It should cover most, if not all of your needs.
– Smoke output, for your smoke machine.
– Servo controls for the moving parts in your model. (Opening doors, hatches, barrel recoil…)
– It ~~gives sound~~ brings life to your model. It plays any motor sound you may need in your model, like starting engine, idling, rev up, rev down, proportional and throttle responsive driving sound, shutting down… And my favorite part: Up to 16 extra user sounds! You can fit any user sound in the designated slots, and synchronize them with lights if needed. That is a must in the case of wanting to install machine guns, cannon fire and so on.

The board has a flash memory of 128 Mbit, big enough for fitting around 28 minutes of sound on it. In my case, I usually fit a horn, a couple of diverse weapon sounds, vehicle commander orders and several pieces of music, marches and/or ambient sounds.

– 3W amplifier, enough to make your ears bleed, but with the possibility of adjusting the volume at your will with your radio, or with the built-in SMD knob.

This board can be used in any RC model. Cars, planes, tanks, boats… You have sound sets ready available for free downloading at the Benedini’s website, so in a matter of seconds you can swap the sounds from a vintage truck to a WW2 warbird or a boat. Of course nothing stops you from flashing your own sounds on it. Limit is only your imagination… and those 28 minutes of sounds, of course. But considering the board’s size, (55x28x10mm and only 6 grams!!!) I’d say that limit is way more than adequate.

If you are in this website it means you have some interest in 1/16 RC tanks, and you might be wondering if you can use this little board in your tank. The answer is, YES, and IMHO it is light years ahead than any Tamiya System. (Sorry, Tamiya fanatics). Not everybody is interested on infrared battles, but if you do, there are several alternatives, like fitting it in the Open Panzer TCB or connecting a Mako board from RC tanks Australia. But of course, and as mentioned above, you will need speed controllers for your motors.

If you are ordering the board, do not forget to order a programmer cable, which for me, it is a basic need. If you are skinflint and if you have enough skills, you can make your own programmer cable, like I did, but it is always easier to get the original programmer from the Benedini website, and as I said, I consider it a must. It is needed if you want to save your own sounds on it or for configuring the lights outputs, and you can also use it in the TBS Micro.

The software, which current version for the TBS Mini is the 4.0, is very intuitive and with little effort you should be able to have your model running, at least with the basic motor sounds.

It has three main windows, the first one is where you place the sounds files in and adjust other secondary things like the volume, loops, if it mutes the main engine or not and more.

The second window is where you can match the sounds with the lights and other functions, useful for example for simulating machine guns.

The third window is where you teach the board to recognize the radio signal you are sending.

The advanced functions require more time experimenting with the software and especially with your radio. Benedini recommended back in the day the use of a 12 position encoder, but times have changed and instead of that and with some radio programming involved you can set the radio for splitting a channel in the 17 required steps. 16 of those steps will trigger a function and the 17th will be the neutral position. So flick an switch, and the function will be immediately triggered.

I must also say the board requires an unusual low amount of channels. I mean, for the functions it has, usually it would take even more than the usual 8 channels, but this board has been designed so good that with just one channel you can do everything. That is truly unbelievable, and shows the board has been designed in a very clever way. Don’t be scared! If you only want motor sounds you won’t need even need to fight with your radio and it will be pretty much plug and play.

But not everything is perfect. This Benedini product have, in my humble opinion, his own shades too. The first one is the price tag. I am an extreme cheapskate, but at least for me, the board is very expensive. Anyway, I must say it might be well worth it, because at this very moment it is the best option available in the small models market.

Another drawback is that it is very complicated for some users, especially the rookies in the hobby, and the manual does not help too much. But I am well aware that Benedini himself is always there listening to any question you might have, and always wanting to help you in any problem you may have.

I really do believe with a better manual, maybe some video tutorials on his website, and a more friendly price, this could sell like hot cakes and Thomas Benedini could be rich. Honestly, I see no reason for people paying 300 Euros for obsolete and crappy Tamiya units, when this, for 1/3 the price and 1/20 the size this does much, much more and much, much better.

If you need some help while trying to program it, take a look here.

So in summary, this is indeed an amazing board, and I am glad I own one. Years later after getting my first one, this is still the board that I use in most of my vehicles. I absolutely love it. Thanks, Thomas, for sending me one. I hope this truly honest review brings you loads of more sales.

Uops! I almost forgot it! If you, dear reader, want one board, you can order them directly at www.benedini.de