Alternative tx controls?

[Sam Hough]

Hi,

I'm struggling to map all the toys on the tank to a normal RC TX. What have others tried?

I was wondering about something that looks like:

With pistol grip on both sides for index fingers to control each track. Then one thumb for turret/elevation/fire and the other hull mg...

Thanks

Sam

[Christoffer Ahlfors]

I tried separate track controls in the beginning, but found it very difficult to just drive straight. Turning is easier. With one stick control, the situation is reversed, which is favorable. Moving straight should be easy. It also frees up one hand, which is handy (excuse the pun... ).
If you have an advanced radio, you might be able to switch between the two control modes easily to find what suits you best - there is nothing like personal experience!

[Gerhard Michel]

I'm also flying airplanes beneath steering tanks and don't like handheld transmitters; therefore I use a 'normal' TX (Graupner MC 32) with 16 functions (channels) featuring also horn, light, machine guns, 'radio messages' and so on. I prefer using 2 sticks for driving (one for forward / reverse and the other for steering), which is named 'mode 4'. The remaining 2 channels on the sticks serve the turret and the gun. Each stick has a push-button switch for main gun and machine gun.

The Graupner receivers may be reprogrammed for 'slow' transmission and so should also be suitable for Armortek control equipment. I have none and can only suppose that, but the 'Bigtanks Board' (a full option module for 1/6 scale tanks) also needs 'slow' transmission and is functionable with my receivers.

[Steen Vøler]

Hi all

I am using the Graupner MX-20 and have tried both the 2 stick steering and 1 stick steering - personally I find the 1 stick steering much more comfortable as it frees up the other hand for coffee and movie/picture taking with the mobile phone while driving

also I have had the experience with the 2 stick control, that I without actually noticing have turned the turret - This is not possible with the 1 stick control as the turret and gun is on the other stick.

[Adrian Harris]

> it frees up the other hand for coffee

Does that constitute drinking and driving in Denmark

I too prefer single stick driving, though you do have to be careful with the mixing settings so that you don't limit the top speed of the tank/truck.

Adrian.

[Sam Hough]

I hadn't realised the coffee/beer drinking possibility of single stick.

I've only tried it on a Tamiya 1/16th and never got to like it. I was thinking single "trigger" like RC car tx for each track so would avoid moving turret.

Our model is a Tiger 1 so single stick would probably give more realistic driving but I have to do some unrealistic driving to get out of the garage

Many thanks

Sam

[Steen Vøler]

haha - it depends what you put in your coffee

[Gerhard Michel]

Two stick steering gives me some more steering accuracy, I mean (coming from airplanes). I use long sticks; thumb steering would be impossible according to the push-buttons on my sticks.

[Brian Ostlind]

I assumed everyone was using the two sticks for moving forward. Does this mode have a name? I am more used to the one stick mode. There any instructions how to set up the transmitter for one stick movement!?

Brian

[sean kerambrun]

Hi Brian,

I believe you can program it but i use a mixing unit if I don't use a ESC with mixing capability

http://www.robotmarketplace.com/products/0-imx1.html

Cheers

Sean

[Adrian Harris]

Oddly enough, driving with two sticks is usually referred to as "tank mode"

There are a couple of topics in the Knowledgebase about setting up single stick mode for Futaba and Spektrum.

The old style 4QD controller system also had a single stick mode built into the DMR203.

Adrian.

[Gerhard Michel]

The 4 known modes all come from steering airplanes with rudder (left - right), elevator (up - down), aileron (rolling left - right) and throttle control for speed. The modes simply rotate the 4 functions over the sticks. E.g. mode 4 describes throttle and aileron at the left stick and elevator and rudder at the right stick. For a tank this means moving the left stick forward the model moves forward. Moving this stick to the side the turret turns. Moving the right stick forward the main gun moves down, moving it to the side the tank turns.

This steering mode may seem a little strange, but for me it is the best compromise between steering tanks and planes, because my planes at the ground also move forward using the left stick and sidewards using the right stick (the rudder also moves the front wheel of the plane).

A mode using 2 seperate sticks for 'forward' (left track and right track) like a bulldozer is not defined for transmitters, which to 99 % are designed for airplanes.

Modern TX units don't need a seperate mixing unit or a mixing function in the ESC, because the have build-in mixing functions (programmable mixing curves, exponential functions and so on), which are much more flexible than seperate mixers. They also have electronic delay functions to prevent 'jumpy' driving by sudden moving of the sticks. This is very helpful when I follow my model in 'heavy grounds'. My throttle and steering always need at least 2.5 seconds from idle to full speed also when moving the sticks very fast. Therefore a little trembling with the sticks while going doesn't influence the driving of the model.

[Mark Heaps]

The 4 known modes all come from steering airplanes with rudder (left - right), elevator (up - down), aileron (rolling left - right) and throttle control for speed. The modes simply rotate the 4 functions over the sticks. E.g. mode 4 describes throttle and aileron at the left stick and elevator and rudder at the right stick. For a tank this means moving the left stick forward the model moves forward. Moving this stick to the side the turret turns. Moving the right stick forward the main gun moves down, moving it to the side the tank turns.

This is factually incorrect. The modes do not control the functions directly but rather which channels and therefore which servos or ESCs are controlled by the stick movements. You can change mode on the transmitter OR swap the channel connections on the receiver. Both can achieve the same result.

By swapping the connections on the reciever you can achieve end-results that Modes 1-4 will not give you. With four channels operated by the two sticks, each up/down left/right there are effectively 24 different combinations or "modes".

[Gerhard Michel]

Hi Mark,

that's right, of course a 4 stick's directional movement results in much more possibilities, but the so called modes 1 - 4 are determinations made by the TX manufacturers, according to steering habits of model pilots. You may check that in the TX handbooks. All other combinations of stick functions make little sense in steering model airplanes.

It's also right that you can choose all functions by applying the servos to all channel pins you want, but this also makes little sense in steering, because the build-in mixers (e.g. 'delta mixer', 'v-tail'), which are also useful for tank driving, can only work correctly when the servos (or the ESCs) are plugged in the right channels and the correct mode is chosen! Most of the cries for help 'my tank doesn't drive correctly with activated TX-mixers' are caused by neclecting these simple rules!

[Mark Heaps]

Hi Gerhard,
Modes 1-4 are only acepted norms in the flight world ( 4 is the reverse of 1, and 3 is the reverse of 2 both identical but switching from left-hand to right-hand use and are only applicable if the servos and ESCs are connected to the receiver as per the "flight norm".
Apart from Tx/ Rx, Armortek electronic compatibility problems, most problems have been caused by incorrect connections.