How can I do a twin engine tank control set up for a robot?

[Spikey]

Im looking to make a star wars prop robot and maybe later robot wars and looking for a tank like twin throttle twin motor set up p;us gadgets comming out. Can you advise please on how to do this and what kit would work as more transmitters and recieivers I see are only set up for one throttle and only forward as opposes to twon mnotors forward and reverse for robots tanks and boats

. Plus how would I make gadgets that can come out of spring hatches like a lightsabre tray so a good 25 cm or other and make a smoke machine button work

Thanks

 

[Piotrsko]

Depending on your radio. New stuff can mix 2 channels to use as steering and power like a V Tail on an airplane just need ESC for each motor. I have to use mixers on my 1960's vintage harxware.

 

[Spikey]

How would that be done. Talkign total nerbie clueless here. What is mixing or ESC

 

[FlyerInStyle]

How would that be done. Talkign total nerbie clueless here. What is mixing or ESC

ESC is electronics speed controller, you need the right one for your brushless motor, and then connect it to your receiver, to which your transmitter sends signals. A mix is where in your transmitter you combine two channels in some way, like when you move one stick in one direction, both motors spin to move foroward.

 

[FlyerInStyle]

Do you already have how you will build hte robot, and electronics? I reccomend you take a look at James Bruton on youtube, he does that kind of stuff often.

 

[JasonK]

Im looking to make a star wars prop robot and maybe later robot wars and looking for a tank like twin throttle twin motor set up p;us gadgets comming out. Can you advise please on how to do this and what kit would work as more transmitters and recieivers I see are only set up for one throttle and only forward as opposes to twon mnotors forward and reverse for robots tanks and boats

. Plus how would I make gadgets that can come out of spring hatches like a lightsabre tray so a good 25 cm or other and make a smoke machine button work

Thanks

• what scale are you looking at making at?
• how much pre-existing knowledge do you have for making something like this?
• what is your budget?
• are you willing to spend time learning or do you just want a "easy" solution?
• are you able to worth through the engineering/programming process of "keep breaking it down into smaller chunks until you get to something solvable" or is that something you need help with? [this is a big part of making complicated things, is to break it down into what small "solved" parts can be put together to make the bigger thing - and it sounds like your idea would fit with this]

for example there are kits that you can purchase that "just do it" - at least in part: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CZ4MG5P/?tag=lstir-20 (I can't speak to the quality of it, just saw it one day when looking for something else) but my experience with something similar, you don't really learn much from them [I got something similar for one of my kids, it wasn't much of learning experience, just a "plug a in to b" experience]

for an alternative, if you want to focus on learning, something like this: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/22230 might be a better idea as there is a whole learning program to go with it: https://experientialrobotics.org/


[both of those use DC brushed motors with H-Bridge controllers vs reversible ESCs as discussed above]

 

[JasonK]

this looks like it has a whole mess of useful info linked from it: https://www.robotsforroboticists.com/ [might assume some level of pre-existing knowledge, I just skimmed it]

another place with a bunch of kits: https://www.robotshop.com/collections/robot-kits

 

[JasonK]

for the robot wars stuff, then it depends on what size your going at - the bigger ones are using brushless motors and reversable ESCs. The really small stuff could be using motor setups like in the items I linked above.

for the brushless, setting up appropriate mixing on your TX could give you tank controls (along with your ESCs set in reversable mode), for brushed, the h-bridge gives you the ability to reverse and you need a micro-controller reading your inputs from your RX to convert into the inputs that the h-bridge/h-bridge controller wants [which is a mix of PWM for speed and direction - at least what I recall from the ones I have]