3rd party battery/remote sets

[wower]

Certain MK hubs can do (but for some reason not with MK servo, but with Lego servo). Not sure why that isn't more of a thing by now.. :-/ I also recently tried out cada receiver+ remote and for some reason Cada has not even prop acceleration (only on/off).. what a crap :-o

[Mikdun]

On 9/7/2022 at 12:18 AM, Toastie said:

It is not that straight forward (but surely not only doable, but out there) to having a device that precisely tells you where "0" is when powered up. The electronics is always fuzzy at that point; the hardware is somewhere, i.e. where you left it operating it the last time. One solution would be to "calibrate" for the HW position each time upon powering up. Customers need to know that though, as it would take time. Any interference would screw up the calibration over again.

If I understand correctly - to know absolute position after power-on? I have it in my dial caliper. It cost less than servo motor from LEGO.

I was too disappointed by the lack of proportional steering in all CADA (& similar) solutions.

Edited September 15, 2022 by Mikdun
Added info.

[Toastie]

3 hours ago, Mikdun said:

to know absolute position after power-on? I have it in my dial caliper. It cost less than servo motor from LEGO.

Reply: Yes. Sure. Of course. 

Yes: Knowing the absolute position after power down is an issue, when the actuator (or motor/sensor or whatever active device) is - by design - detachable from the power source (the hub) it needs to a) store the position information internally (doable, but ...) and b) needs to track any changes to this position when disconnected from the power source (doable, but ...) as someone may turn the axle manually. This is far less straight forward as compared to a device that is "powering down" with the actuator/sensor always attached, e.g., an electronic dial caliper (= sleep mode). There is always some remaining power available that does hold the position information in some sort of memory. And as said, there are also hardware solutions to that problem. But I guess this all does not make the devices any cheaper ...

Sure: See above, this is always doable when there is some minute power left to track and store data without having the device "fully turned on", i.e., with all the current hungry things.

Of course: Everything is more expensive from TLG. (This phrase generally does not make any sense, but in case of TLG it fully applies )

Best,
Thorsten

[Mikdun]

Did some testing and yes, you need some power to track the slider location.

Adding something rechargeable to the motor seem overkill. So I cannot blame them for not doit so. 

[Toastie]

12 minutes ago, Mikdun said:

Did some testing and yes, you need some power to track the slider location.

Thanks for testing! Appreciate that as I was just guessing.

Best,
Thorsten

[aFrInaTi0n]

@wower I was speaking about the 4ch. receiver + 4ch. transmitter.

I could create a little yt video showing how to couple channels with the shoulder buttons and also how to couple up to three boxes with the app.

[wower]

On 9/23/2022 at 12:53 AM, aFrInaTi0n said:

@wower I was speaking about the 4ch. receiver + 4ch. transmitter.

I could create a little yt video showing how to couple channels with the shoulder buttons and also how to couple up to three boxes with the app.

That would be much appreciated! :-)

[aFrInaTi0n]

@wower here we go:
 

 

[wower]

On 10/2/2022 at 5:21 PM, aFrInaTi0n said:

@wower here we go:
 

 

Do you know if that also works with the 6 channel MK receiver?

(i've decided to use my 6 port receiver now with my fastest models, as I connected that one to a 9.6v battery - more power but again this "bottleneck" of having 2 motors - exchanged the cheap buggie motors for buwizz now - on one channel)

[aFrInaTi0n]

5 minutes ago, wower said:

Do you know if that also works with the 6 channel MK receiver?

(i've decided to use my 6 port receiver now with my fastest models, as I connected that one to a 9.6v battery - more power but again this "bottleneck" of having 2 motors - exchanged the cheap buggie motors for buwizz now - on one channel)

It should, but I currently I have no 6channel system here to test - but I think back then I also tested the base functionality of one box being connected to the app. You need the correct app version though.. curacated the APKs here with details / differences: https://www.reum.it/mouldking/ Version to use is 2.1 then - also my general recommendation for now, 2.2 seems like a step back in some UI elements + the 6.0 System missing..

Edited December 3, 2022 by aFrInaTi0n

[wower]

3 minutes ago, aFrInaTi0n said:

It should, but I currently I have no 6channel system here to test - but I think back then I also tested the base functionality of one box being connected to the app. You need the correct app version though.. curacated the APKs here with details / differences: https://www.reum.it/mouldking/ Version to use is 2.1 then - also my general recommendation for now, 2.2 seems like a step back in some UI elements + the 6.0 System missing..

I never touched the MK app (since I really only bought it for the hardware remote), do I need it for the "2 outputs on 1 input (and change direction)" trick you think? In your video with the 4port box you have a different remote also compared to mine, I could never recreate it with mine (which is grey and bigger, not white like yours).

[aFrInaTi0n]

@wower you are speaking of this one: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/yLUAAOSw3wFgyXqL/s-l500.jpg? Never had that controller for the 4.0 system - there you should be at least able to change directions per channel - but not sure if the shoulder buttons' long-press will also bind them (Output B or C) to Input/Output A.

Edited December 3, 2022 by aFrInaTi0n

[wower]

15 minutes ago, aFrInaTi0n said:

@wower you are speaking of this one: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/yLUAAOSw3wFgyXqL/s-l500.jpg? Never had that controller for the 4.0 system - there you should be at least able to change directions per channel - but not sure if the shoulder buttons' long-press will also bind them (Output B or C) to Input/Output A.

yes that one (tried but the shoulder buttons only have their short function it seems, nothing permanent). seems weird that the supposedly newer remote (with analog stick, rather than on/off full throttle buttons) lost this trick? :-(

[aFrInaTi0n]

Yeah, seems unfortunate to have that functionality removed from the analog remotes..

[pow]

On 9/11/2022 at 10:40 PM, wower said:

Certain MK hubs can do (but for some reason not with MK servo, but with Lego servo). Not sure why that isn't more of a thing by now.. :-/ I also recently tried out cada receiver+ remote and for some reason Cada has not even prop acceleration (only on/off).. what a crap :-o

I haven't read all the posts now to be honest, so apologies if this has already been answered....
Mould King meanwhile produces a proportional servo. Since I have only tested it with MK boxes so far, I cannot say whether the servo is Lego PF compatible. But I assume that it is.

Cheers :)

[aFrInaTi0n]

On 12/4/2022 at 12:54 AM, pow said:

I haven't read all the posts now to be honest, so apologies if this has already been answered....
Mould King meanwhile produces a proportional servo. Since I have only tested it with MK boxes so far, I cannot say whether the servo is Lego PF compatible. But I assume that it is.

Cheers :)

Better called them stepped.. havent exactly in mind if it was two or three inbetween steps until 90° is reached.

Edited December 6, 2022 by aFrInaTi0n

[wower]

On 12/4/2022 at 12:54 AM, pow said:

I haven't read all the posts now to be honest, so apologies if this has already been answered....
Mould King meanwhile produces a proportional servo. Since I have only tested it with MK boxes so far, I cannot say whether the servo is Lego PF compatible. But I assume that it is.

Cheers :)

I've only managed it once to achieve proportional/stepped steering (with a MK receiver and a lego servo iirc). MK servo did not work (or worked only full left/full right - you know what I mean).

[FriedlS]

@aFrInaTi0n and @pow is this mk servo still available?? I thought it isn’t. 🤔

[aFrInaTi0n]

@FriedlS Think not, MK put them off market quite fast after some rumors of them not working properly came up.

I did some research back then and found one aliexpress shop which had one item explicitely stating that he sold the stepped ones -> ordered 3 of them back then (wasn't sure about fake of the offer, so didn't want to put too much money in, if it were regular servos..) - I can recheck but I think the shop / item is gone already.

 

Edit: The item is still there, but not the option for the proportional one...

Spoiler

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005002758414286.html

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by aFrInaTi0n

[pow]

@aFrInaTi0n first: I really like the videos you make. Producing content is not easy. And you even managed to create a unique style.

second: i have tested the stepped servo and it really has 3 or 4 steps between center position and max rotation (90°). The positions between 0° and 90° are also somehow weird. They don't follow any logical pattern.

Albeit that issues the servo is working properly. But you have to use the new MK (Black Logo) App, a newer Batterybox and the newest stepped Servo. I can imagine, that a lot of people tried the Stepped Servo with the old (Blue Logo) App(maybe) and/or an old Box? In my opinion MouldKing is not communicating very well what they are doing/planning.

Oh, i made a very(!) boring video while testing the servo...

If you're brave enough to watch germon dudes. The Steinchen-Werkstatt explanes the visual difference between the three generations of stepped servos from MK in this clip (Link with timestamp):

 

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by pow

[aFrInaTi0n]

@pow Haha thanks, seems my style is "minimalistic editing because I hate this". That MK Howto was just done because I was annoyed by repeatingly write the same explanations to answer questions of other ppl on fb groups.. 😅 Hope it fills a gap of missing information to help people (and saves me time in the long run 🙄).

I only started with the MK 4.0 system which was already being able to use proportional controls, so no experiences with their predecessors..

But you are right, they are not communicating very well (but I guess people are buying anyways, so no need for them to change anything I guess).
Also wondering why the 6.0 system is missing from the most recent app version (2.2).

[wower]

Trying to revive this thread, let's see if it works :-)

I found that guy to have combined Lego with real (radio) rc:

 

Some cheap remote + receiver from a toy seemed to have done the trick. Only downside is, it only has 3V or something (hence he had to solder additional motor controllers in place). Now if somewhere we found a cheap kids toy, that came with a set of remote+receiver+9V battery, which could be taken out (and combined with Lego Motors), that would be perfect, no?

Perhaps somebody has a tipp, on what to use and what potential pitfalls might still be in place?

[2GodBDGlory]

1 hour ago, wower said:

Trying to revive this thread, let's see if it works :-)

I found that guy to have combined Lego with real (radio) rc:

Some cheap remote + receiver from a toy seemed to have done the trick. Only downside is, it only has 3V or something (hence he had to solder additional motor controllers in place). Now if somewhere we found a cheap kids toy, that came with a set of remote+receiver+9V battery, which could be taken out (and combined with Lego Motors), that would be perfect, no?

Perhaps somebody has a tipp, on what to use and what potential pitfalls might still be in place?

Is that actual RC different than the 2.4 GHz system?

If 2.4GHz is all one needs, it's probably simpler and not much more expensive to buy generic Lego-clone PF remotes and receivers from Aliexpress, because those, unlike the original IR Lego ones, use 2.4 GHz, making for much better range, not dependent on lines of sight.

[Toastie]

14 minutes ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

If 2.4GHz is all one needs, it's probably simpler and not much more expensive to buy generic Lego-clone PF remotes and receivers from Aliexpress

Well, I believe this frequency range will not work well when the receiver is within ("under") water. 2.4 GHz won't make it into/through water, at least not far enough:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-controlled_submarine

You have to revert to 27 MHz (as in LEGO world: Cybermaster ) or maybe 40 MHz - but that is it. The military folks use very low frequencies ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_with_submarines

I believe something in the well below 100 MHz range is used in the above video. As 27/40 MHz transmitters are dead cheap and became fully legal decades ago (there was a time though, when you needed a "license" for running such totally dangerous electronic noise equipment - in Germany, that is why a bold eagle is present as silver/black sticker on the Cybermaster tower (and receiver ...). I still have a piece of "paper" officially declaring that I am allowed to use 40 MHz emitters - and then 10 pages follow, telling me that if I screw up, they'll - for sure - put me into prison. For long ...

2.4 GHz is also used in microwave ovens, as water absorbs that frequency quite nicely.

In other words: Using the PUp and clone PUp devices running at 2.4 GHz will essentially warm up the upper layers of water. 

All the best,
Thorsten

 

[2GodBDGlory]

1 hour ago, Toastie said:

Well, I believe this frequency range will not work well when the receiver is within ("under") water. 2.4 GHz won't make it into/through water, at least not far enough:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-controlled_submarine

You have to revert to 27 MHz (as in LEGO world: Cybermaster ) or maybe 40 MHz - but that is it. The military folks use very low frequencies ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_with_submarines

In other words: Using the PUp and clone PUp devices running at 2.4 GHz will essentially warm up the upper layers of water. 

All the best,
Thorsten

 

So, what I'm hearing, is that I just need to get a big enough transmitter to boil off all the water, and then I'll have perfect reception and no need for a complex submarine? Sounds good!