# remote control basics



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

I'm totally ignorant of remote control basics. I know there's a motor, and something you hold to tell the motor to do something...and a battery.

I'd like to learn though. 

Anyone want to go over the basics? Pretend like I don't know anything....which isn't very far from the truth. LOL


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## bw1 (Apr 12, 2008)

Wow that is a very vague and broad question Sickie. Do you want a wired remote control or a wireless remote contol? For a wireless you can start with a radio control transmitter and receiver that you can get at a hobby shop. You can get a 4 channel set up for around $100.00 and then you have a choice of serveos that you can get that are different sizes and torque. large selection at Servo City http://www.servocity.com/html/hitec_servos.html Wired remote is another story. Can you be a little more specific about what you want to control and how many different actions.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

No idea about different actions. Wireless is what I'm interested in. what is a radio control transmitter and receiver? is that the thing you hold in your hand? Told ya I know almost nothing! LOL


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

Unless you want to build a transmitter and reciever from scratch, all you need to know is included in the instructions that come with the transmitter and reciever you buy. The servos are hooked into the reciver/controller board. Put in your batteries and off you go. And oh yes, the transmitter is the remote control you hold in your hand it usually has two levers up/down and the other left/right.


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## bourno (Jan 21, 2006)

For RC car and airplane type controls. After some googling, these seemed decent

http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/radio-control-gear.html
http://www.rc-hobby-universe.com/rc-basics-start-here.html
http://www.mhsd.org/model/howto/rc.htm

Wanting to make that RC zombie????


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

I've got the transmitter w/crystal and the speed controls for the RC zombie... a sniper on ebay got the receiver out from under me but I'm watching another one (this time *I'll* be the one scoping from the tower muahahahah!)

I'm becoming interested in many things RC actually.

Has anyone perfected a big spider with fairly realistic leg motion yet or would that be a massively cutting-edge expensive thing to do? I'd love a great big spider or big nasty bug...


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

You know what would be cool is hacking a transmitter for computer control. Should be easy to open it up and wire the switches to a kit74 relay card and run a remote control prop un VSA..advantage is, of course no wires. Thoughts? Anyone done this?


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

Oh Duh, the levers on a remote tranmitter are variable whereas relays are not. Nevermind.


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## eanderso13 (Apr 10, 2008)

What about digital encoders? I've never opened a wireless transmitter (Why the heck not?!?! Hmmm....) so I don't know what the levers are controlling, but I imagine they are something similar to an encoder that has a value assigned to a each position...maybe there's a way to have a computer control the value of an encoder instead of the position of a lever...


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## bw1 (Apr 12, 2008)

The levers on the transmitter are connected to variable resistors usually 5K or 10K so you are varing a voltage that gets converted to a digital pulse that gets transmitted to the receiver


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## Spookineer (Aug 20, 2006)

To get back to your question Sickie...
Remote control can be wired or wireless, I will presume you want the latter. The most simple system would be your garage door opener. The system consists of a transmitter (transmits a radio signal) and a receiver (receives the signal). The output devices are connected to the receiver to perform whatever function you need. This can be in the form of a simple relay to turn things on or off (like the door opener), or a digital proportional servo for movement. 
If all you want is a wireless remote to turn things on or off, several are available. Here's a 4 channel. http://www.electronickits.com/remote_control/rf4.htm or if you can solder, here's a 10 channel. http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/elec/ck1618.htm
Then of course, there are IR (infrared) devices available like your TV remote. The problem is most are short range and line of sight dependant. 
Proportional control is what is used in Radio controlled models available from 2 to 10 channels. Consisting of the transmitter (the box you hold with the joy sticks) and the receiver (goes in the prop) to which the servos are connected to. If you were using a PC based prop control system, the receiver would be the same as the "servo controller", and the PC with appropriate software would be the transmitter. 
This stuff really isn't as complicated as it looks Sickie, and can open a whole new dimention to your prop building and haunt.


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## Gory Corey (Nov 17, 2006)

If you need a simple key-fob sender or circuit board sender units with remote receiver circuit board, I buy them in lots of 500.

Uber easy to hook up, to your doohickey, if you are looking for simple on/off.
This would be non-latching (device only stays on as long as you hold the button).
Range about 300' indoors, 1500' outdoors.
Has 144 changeable addresses (simple soldering).

This is the sort of thing I hook up to my trigger (be it a photo-reflective beam break, PIR sensor, mat switch, etc) so that when someone hits the trigger, the device runs.

For me that is for ankle ticklers, the Boomers items. If you want a duration, then you add either a timer circuit, or some controller device like a prop-1 or a boo-box.

Being vague, since the question is a bit vague.

Let us know what you want as a result, and we will all help you figure out what to work with.


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

Yea, you'd either need to bypass the variable resistors to directly access the transmitter or use servos to move the levers...but that would double the amount of servos to operate a prop, which isn't cost effective. sorry back on topic..


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

So the servos get plugged into the receiver then, and the receiver runs off a battery. The transmitter is what you hold in your hand and that also runs off a battery...am I close?

I'm guessing I'm interested in more of a turn in a certain direction and go up and down in a certain direction. Bourno- nothing as complicated as your crawling zombie...at least not yet. LOL give me time. 

More like the spitting rat I saw in a post a while back.


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## YardHaunt ATOM (Oct 13, 2007)

I race R/C cars from time to time..... sounds like a pretty simple Radio and Reciever.... You plug your servos into the receiver, the Radio sends your signals to the reciever inturn sends them to the servos. It can be fairly cheap to VERY expensive. It depends on how many channels... you would want or need. You could start at looking at different hobbie store links and work from there...

http://www.racers-haven.com/

http://secure.hobbyzone.com/catalog/HZ/catalog/catalog_radiosystems/


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## joshua17ss2 (Jan 10, 2008)

*Wireless relays*

They list some really nice relay board on ebay anything from 1 to 12 and there actually really cheap, i bought one to give manual control over my master board incase one of the lasers dont trip in time or if i want to set something off twice, i got 4 buttons and 4 props this year, im wanted to get in to a 3 axis skull with the wireless remote and a wireless mic with circuits to translate the sound to accurate jaw movements, but im on a limited budget but mabye in coming years. 
next year is a computer controlled greeter with fully animatronic arms and skull.


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