The Bat-Beacon can be installed in the model at any point after issue 3 when the stock beacon and roll bar are supplied. The following instructions detail how to remove the stock parts if you have already installed them.

1. Unscrew the 4 x AM screws that fix the roll bar cover (03B) to the roll bar (03A) and remove the plastic cover. Gently feed the cable from the stock LED back through the square hole in the cover piece.
2. Remove the 2 x AM screws from the black beacon cover (03F) and set these pieces to one side.
3. Remove the LED and chrome Beacon LED bracket (03I) from the roll bar.
4. Remove the LED from the bracket. You will no longer need this LED.
5. Remove the 2 x ACM screws that hold down the roll bar light bracket (03P) and gently lift the bar away from the roll bar. The four roll bar lenses may drop out at this stage so be careful not to lose them or their chrome surrounds as they need to be refitted.

You are now ready to start installing the Bat-Beacon components.

1. Gently remove the flexible PCB from the antistatic bag, being very careful not to tear the PCB or knock off any of the LEDs.

2. Place the roll bar upside down on a stable work surface.
3. Place the flexible Bat-Beacon PCB, face up, into the roll bar so that the two holes in the rectangular end sit over the screw holes in the roll bar next to where the side lenses will be installed.
4. Very carefully place the stock roll bar lenses back into the roll bar as per the original magazine instructions.
5. With the roll bar lenses in place, re-install the roll bar light bracket and secure with the original screws. This will secure the Flexible PCB in place.

6. Remove the Bat-Beacon controller from the antistatic bag and gently open the grey clip in the socket for the Flexible PCB. This should open to approx. 90 degrees.

7. Remove the backing from the 3M tape on the back of the Bat-Beacon Controller PCB.

8. Slightly lift the flexible circuit board away from the roll bar and and gently insert the connection tab into the open socket on the controller, being careful not to let the 3M tape touch the roll bar yet!

9. Ensure the connection tab is fully inserted and square to the controller and then carefully place the controller into position onto the roll bar as per the picture, being very careful not to tear the Flexible PCB.
10. Close the grey tab to secure it into place.

11. Once you have the Controller PCB in place with the Flexible PCB connected, gently place the round end of the Flexible PCB into the hole for the beacon. It may not sit flat at this stage but that is ok.

12. Gently place the chrome beacon bracket (03I) back into the beacon hole in the roll bar, this will sit over the Flexible PCB and hold it in place. Then cover with the emergency bat-turn lever bracket (03F) and secure with the original 2 x AM screws.

13. Holding the controller securely in place, carefully connect the Bat-Beacon communication cable as shown, being very careful not move the controller or flexible circuit board in the process. Allowing the board to move could tear the flexible circuit board.

14. Gently route the Bat-Beacon controller cable along the edge of the roll bar and tape in place as per the picture, using the provided black vinyl strip. Bending the cable and taping into place in this specific orientation will help protect the Bat-Beacon controller from being pulled out and potentially damaged.

15. Re-attach the original roll-bar bottom cover (03B) using the original 4 x AM screws.

To the stock PCB

To connect the Bat-Beacon to the stock PCB you will need three cables and the supplied break-out board. Connect these together as follows:

To Mike Lane Bat-Circuit

To connect the Bat-Beacon to the Mike Lane Bat-Circuit, no additional cables or break-out board are required. Simply connect the black cable from the Bat-Beacon to the socket labelled ‘Bat-Beacon’ on the Bat-Circuit.

1. Connect the black communication cable from the Bat-Beacon to the small right-angled socket on the end of the Mike Lane break-out board, being careful not to pull the Bat-Beacon cable as it could damage it or cause it to come out of the controller within the roll bar.
2. Connect the Yellow / Black cable to the socket labelled ‘1’ on the Mike Lane break-out board.
3. Connect the Red / Black cable to the socket labelled ‘PWR’ on the Mike Lane break-out board.

4. Disconnect the battery box from socket ‘B’ on the stock PCB and connect it to the y-splitter lead.
5. Connect the other end of the Red / Black cable coming from the Mike Lane breakout board to the one remaining vacant socket on the supplied y-splitter.
6. Connect the other end of the Yellow / Black cable coming from the Mike Lane breakout board to the socket labelled ‘L’ on the stock PCB.
7. Finally, connect the plug from the y-splitter to socket ‘B’ on the stock PCB.
8. If you intend to keep and use the stock PCB instead of the Mike Lane Bat-Circuit, the small breakout board will live in the void beside the stock PCB.

Note: The roll bar and Beacon are not installed into the car until near the very end of the build, so it is advised to unplug the Bat-Beacon and store the completed assembly away to avoid damage until the roll bar is installed.

With the stock PCB

To operate the Bat-Beacon via the stock PCB you will need to have installed the stock PCB from issue 55, the battery box from issue 53 and have assembled the stock remote control from issue 56. Without these components or the Mike Lane Bat-Circuit, it is not possible to turn the Bat-Beacon on.

With the Mike Lane Bat-Circuit

If you have the Mike Lane Bat-Circuit installed the Bat-Beacon can be tested using the supplied Mike Lane remote controller. See the Bat-Circuit user guide for more information.

1. With the stock electronic components installed, slide the stock power switch to the ‘ON’ position. Press the Power button on the stock remote and then press the button with the Beacon icon. Each press of the Beacon button will cycle the Bat-Beacon to the next mode.
2. Pressing the power button or sliding the power switch to the ‘OFF’ position will also turn off the Bat-Beacon. Please note that due to the design of the models original stock electronics, sliding the stock power switch does not actually cut power to the stock PCB or the Bat-Beacon. Therefore, if you intend to leave the car off for any length of time, it is advised to remove the batteries to prevent them from draining.
3. Alternatively, the Mike Lane Bat-Circuit will allow you to use USB-C to power your entire model and avoid the use of batteries altogether.
4. We have also noticed that the stock remote control has an unusually high battery consumption even when not being used. The Mike Lane Bat-Circuit includes a replacement remote that solves this issue as well as adding many cool new features to your model.

Each press of the beacon button on the stock remote activates the following modes:

1. Presentation mode – Cycles though all modes every 20 seconds.
2. OFF
3. Rotating mode with side strobes – Realistic rotating beacon with added side strobes flashing, matching the first time we see the side strobes in the Classic Batman series.
4. OFF
5. Pulsing mode with side strobes – Pulsing beacon with added side strobes flashing, matching the first time we see the side strobes in the Classic Batman series.
6. OFF
7. Rotating mode – Matching the beacon used in the first series with realistic rotating action and precision light animation.
8. OFF
9. Pulsing mode – Matching the beacon used in later episodes from series two.
10. OFF