MisterCreators Custom MOCs

Hello Everyone, I've got an update regarding the RC Box Mini: All the functions I wanted are now included. There now is a low voltage cut-off and the option of combining an RC Box Mini with a second Mini as a slave (without receiver) and accessing all 16 channels. I am also working on expansion modules that can be used to convert the servo ports into PF ports, as well as light modules. Best regards Adrian

Hello, I'm not quite ready to share all this information. The AFHDS2A Protocol is a FlySky Protocol. It stands for Automatic Frequency Hopping Digital System (2A or 3 has to something with the Version) and it is not open, so It's really hard to find any information, how it really works. That's why the only ready-made component I use is the receiver. The "Bind" Button is located on the Bottom of the RC Box. All of this is outdated and is not going to be used anymore. The PowerFunctions Connectors in the middle have the 2 extra golden contacts. These are 5V and signal contacts So you had the VCC and GND of the PF connector which was 12V and 10A and then one of the extra pins was +5V to the GND of the PF Connector so noting to special. The adapter then had the same contacts on the underside and a small PCB inside that then led the contacts out to the front. So when you put the Adapter to one of this special ports you could hook up a Servo to the Adapter as shown in the video. If you hook it up to one of the dual channels, then nothing would happen, since there is no 5V available. But as I already said, this is really outdated since it was hard to manufacture for me and generally really impractical to use. So all the following RC Boxes (including the RC Box Mini) will have the Servo ports exposed on the top or somewhere else without the need of any adapter.

Hello Everyone, last weekend I was able to test my RC boxes on an Exhibition in our Area. I had one RC Box running continuously for almost three exhibition days and two others running sporadically without any major problems. Nevertheless, I sadly found another tiny problem that I'm currently still working on which caused the PF motors to have slightly more power in one direction, than the other. I'm pretty sure that I was able to identify the source of the problem and that I'm able to solve it. Currently, I'm waiting on new PCBs with an upgraded chip and even more functionality, these should also be able to solve the motor problem. If they work as intended, and I don't find any more problems, I will start to take pre-Orders for testing, hopefully in the next few weeks. But there will be another post about that when the time comes. So it remains exciting... Stay tuned for further updates. Best regards, Adrian

I used all these basic components (and H Bridges) to make the motor Controller. I wrote the code to decode the Signal from the Receiver as well as the code that runs the motor controllers and tells them when and how to accelerate/reverse That seems to be a problem with the "basic" pistol remotes. With more advanced ones (even Pistol ones) you can choose which input it mapped to which channel. E.g. I got an Absima cr4t Ultimate (4ch pistol remote) which cost about 120 € where you can select which channel is mapped to the steering wheel, or even copy the signal to more channels. My other remotes that I use for scale models all support that channel mapping. I'm extremely limited by the space. So sadly it's not possible to add all the channels as servo channels.

Hi, the PF ports are not physically reversible as this won't work with the size of this box, furthermore it would destroy LEGO Servos as soon as they are plugged in the wrong way around. So I rely on the fact that most decent remotes should be able to reverse the ports on the transmitter end. Yes the PF Ports are separately controlled, so you have 8 independent Channels you can use. That should be no problem if the controller is an AFHDS2A controller, but you will not be able to use the 4 Servo ports since they are CH 5-8 and this is not configurable. I probably expressed that incorrectly, the receiver is contained in the RC Box, but the binding button can be accessed from the bottom. When I'm going to sell these (small batch production) you will be able to choose which version you get. So you can choose to get the AFHDS3 version, then you will get the RC Box which is configured for the AFHDS3 protocol (that means, that the AFHDS3 reiceiver is installed in the Box, as well as the telemetry). For now the AFHDS2A Version will not support telemetry, but I'm currently working on that. Yes, this can be used, but you won't be able to use the full potential of the 8 channels. So you will lose the Servo channel 7 & 8, I don't know if I get the question right. I designed the Motor controllers myself, but the Motor Controller itself consists of normal off the shelf parts (capacitors, microcontrollers, resistors...) Yes, the receiver is the separate, but soldered to the main pcb. So it is not possible to change the receiver (thats why you get the option to choose between the two different protocols). Maybe in the next few days, since I'm currently not at home. By the Fact that you are using a pistol remote I would guess, that you are mostly building cars and fast models (I checked on your YouTube :)). Keep in mind, that the Buggy motors don't really like 3S (the RC Box can do 2s as well as 3s). I did notice, that the Buwizz motors don't have a problem with 3s, while all other Buggy Motors just tend to thermal shut down every few minutes. For that use case, the separate brake function of the RC Box also might come in handy, since you can enable the brake function for the driving motor(s).

I edited the post so that it now includes the images. Thanks for the Suggestion, I choose to use my own website instead :)

Hello everyone, it's been a long time since the last update on my RC Box, so I want to share the newest progress with you. I worked on the RC Box Ultimate until May and tested it at an exhibition in our area. In doing so, I discovered serious problems, which I spent several weeks trying to find and fix. I realized that this would not be possible without a complete redesign of the box. So I took some of the suggestions on board and first focused on the smaller version, which I redesigned from scratch, changing everything and making it better. Which then led to the RC Box Mini: The RC Box Mini measures 5x4x3 studs (LxWxH) and has 4 PF and 4 servo channels, i.e. 8 in total. It has inverted studs on the bottom so that it can be attached to a plate, and 3 pin holes on each end, which are (unfortunately) only 0.5 studs deep, so half and third pins can be used there. The bottom also provides access to the bind button and the receiver's status LEDs. An AFHDS3 receiver with telemetry or an AFHDS2A receiver without telemetry can be used. The AFHDS2A protocol is also supported by the multi-protocol or the more affordable Flysky radio, for example. The battery connection (XT30 plug), PF ports, and servo ports are located on the top. There is no longer a switch - as soon as a battery is connected, the box is on. The 4 PF ports can each handle 10 A peak and can also operate original LEGO servos (so they are not dual ports). Geekservos or other equipment like light Modules (still in planning) can be connected directly via the 4 servo ports. The 4 ports share 4 A between them. All of this is now possible because, for the first time, I didn't use off-the-shelf components for this box, but developed everything myself except for the receivers. So I have my own motor controllers with my own software and new PCBs. All of my own circuits are now designed so that they can be scaled as required and then installed in a new RC Box Ultimate if necessary. I have now built a few more of these boxes and will soon be stress testing them at the Modell Hobby Spiel trade fair in Leipzig (Germany). For the first time, there is now also one that has the AFHDS2A receiver installed. Yesterday, I was able to successfully test that it also works in practice (I used a Jumper T18 pro with EdgeTX), as everything had been purely theoretical up to that point. One of the boxes still has an old board (which will be replaced) and I still have to print a case for one of them, then I'll be ready for the exhibitions. The next version will include a few other features. For example, you will be able to activate a brake function separately for all PF channels using a switch inside. There will also be a slave port to which you can connect a slimmed-down slave box, giving you 8 PF and 8 servo channels. A detailed video will be available soon. If everything works well after the exhibitions and there is interest, I would then take pre-orders. The price will be around €100.

oh yes, I meant the smaller version of course. The power module can deliver 75A continuously. I'm pretty sure that this is enough, but all motor controllers combined can theoretically deliver 64A peak when all ports are under full load.

Hello Guys, thank you very much for the positive Feedback :) Originally I planned to send out the first few test samples last year, but due to some tiny errors and assembling difficulties it had to delay that and only finished one Box for the video. I have to make some tiny adjustments and reorder the PCBs until I'm ready to sell the Handmade batches. But I really hope, that it won't take long. I'm going to be really busy in January, but I'm confident that I can start selling afterward. If you are really interested, just e-mail me at info@mistercreator.de. The planned things like lighting Modules and Brushless Modules are independent of the Box and can be added separately if needed. Yes, the Servo did not rotate full 90 degrees, but I think this is only a setting in the transmitter regarding the servo signal and this should be fixed easily. I will take a look at that problem later I will sell the Box if possible, but I won't sell the transmitter or batteries with it. For the transmitter it should be your choice to pick, but for now the Box only supports AFHDS3 remotes, which will stick you to the Paladin. But even there the "cheap" one starts at €250 while the high end one is priced at €1000 so you have to decide for yourself. Otherwise, you can buy a AFHDS3 expansion module and stick it in the expansion slot of an opentx remote or another remote you might already have. For the battery, you have to make sure that it fits your model, so I won't sell a generic battery which most people wouldn't use because it doesn't fit. Also, there would be the problems that @Mr Jos already mentioned. No, for now there is no RC Box planned which already houses the battery. Maybe I will think about this in the future. The good thing is, that the Box is (nearly) fully modular, so makeing another powermodule which houses XT plugs will not be a big deal (but not sure if a XT60 will fit the dimensions, maybe it would be a XT90 then). Having the PWM ports as they are, will not be an option for now because the ports on the RC Box provide 5V as well as 12V and some of my planned modules will require one or the other. So having an normal PWM Port which only supplies 5V BEC is not possible. It maybe makes the Box a bit more complicated because you need an extra adapter, but it also makes the Box a lot more versatile. best regards Adrian

Hello Guys, after 6 months without a single post, I want to share with you the progress I made on the RC Box. I now have 10+2 channels in the same box size as before. 10 normal Power functions ports (2 with finally working servo support) and 4 dual channels. Additionally there are two PWM channels which can be used to hook up non power functions components such as Geekservos, lighting modules (WIP) and Brushless motors (WIP) bringing the maximum motor count to twelve. I made a new video which shows everything: Best Regards Adrian

Hello technic friends, I have some interesting new information about the RC Box. After I tested some different electronic speed controllers, I was able to get proportional servo control to work properly. So There will be an improved or fully working Version of the 10 Ch RC Box very soon, As well as the versions with different channel amounts.

I've now hooked up my multimeter to the Buwizz ports and as I already expected, the Buwizz does not output an PWM Signal, it outputs proportional voltage. That means: to get the servo turning just a little bit you need 1,6V from C1 to C2. The more voltage there is between C1 and C2 the more the servo will turn. As the PWM Signal always provides full voltage, the servo will always turn 100%. I hope this is understandable for everyone and clarifies any open questions.

I now tested everything again and built a small testing rig, to make sure that it's nothing wrong with my RC Box. But same as before, the servo still only turns all the way to the left or to the right, no proportional steering possible. I used an 2S lipo to make sure that I'm not overvolting my servo.

It was a original LEGO Servo which was tested on Buwizz to work properly.

My servo outpouts are fully wired up, so they do have 0V, 9V, C1 and C2 thats why they are not labeled as a dual channel. But even with that, I had no luck getting the servo to turn proportionally, no matter how less PWM I applied it always went 100% left or right, that's why I thought that they might need proportional voltage input and not PWM input. So I was able to turn the servo and the connections were ok, but the servo was not able to decode the signal correct for proportional turning. I will try some more things this weekend

Yes, same cable PF is using, Well thank you very much for that, then I have to take a closer look into my servo control

I went with the same ribbon cable that is used in the motors and extensions.

Yes I did, but the servos don't understand the PWM signal the ESCs put out. So for now servos can not be controlled proportional, but they can be controlled left or right (-90°, 0°, 90° only these 3 positions and nothing in between)

These are ESCs with PWM output, and they are dual ones. Thank you very much :) The ones in the middle are wired up normally for Servo support, but while testing I discovered that LEGO servos don't take a PWM signal, so there is no promotional control yet. You can only steer fully or not, but I'm already trying to find a solution for that.

Yes the remote is quite expensive, but there will be ways to use other remotes. For now you also could get an opentx remote and an AFHDS3 module and it should work fine together- Not quite sure about that but probably somewhere around 200-300€ depending on the number of channels (no guarantee for that at this time XD) Can confirm it's so high because i needed space for all the components. At first there is the receiver, then there are 10 motor controllers that output the different PWM Signals, then there is telemetry to transmit the battery voltage to the remote and there are wires in there. And they are not small. A peak current of 50A must be able to flow and need to be turned of and on. And 50A cannot be switched via the small switch, so a corresponding transistor is installed which is controlled via the switch. I still hope that i can reduce the height 1 Stud, but I'm not sure about that at the moment. Also, I'm not ready to present the internals, since there are wires everywhere and it does not look good XD

That is right, but you can get the Paladin in the Basic variant for €250. Otherwise you can get an AFHDS3 Extension Module which should work with every remote that has an extension slot for about €100 I've looked into this, and it will be possible to support the AFHDS2A as well. But maybe we should continue the conversation at the RC Box thread

I'm very sorry for that and didn't mean to do that. I thought that these topics are very related, and so I just posted here. But now I created my own thread about the RC Box :)

Hello technic community, I want to share some of my thoughts and my progress designing my RC Box. I'm recently working on something very similar to @NoEXIST The concept is an RC box with (up to) 16 channels. The receiver, associated telemetry and the power functions outputs are integrated in the box, while a battery must be connected externally in the form of a 2-3S lipo. As a proof of concept, I am currently working on a 10 channel version, which has 2 full size ports for servos and motors and 8 dual channel ports for motors only (Size: 4x9x5 Studs). The Dual Channel configuration allows to control two motors separately over one PowerFunctions Connector. Goal of this project is being used for complex models with many motors and functions (therefore up to 16 channels) while using an RC-grade remote (long range, fast response time) and a strong lipo to get longer running times. My current high-end model (Pistenbully 600W Polar) has 14 Motors and requires 3 Buwizz 2.0 Units to work. Even with them, the runtime in snow is only about 10 minutes. When using an 3S Lipo I would be able to get even better performance out of the motors as well as a longer runtime (if the lipo capacity is bigger). This is the first Dual Channel test i've done: After two months of work, I now can proudly present my first handmade prototype of my 10 channel RC Box. There is very much work to be done, I have to change my connectors for better contact and for tighter fit. Also, I have to look for another way to address lego servos for proportional control since they don't use PWM. But have a look by your self: Feedback and thoughts are appreciated :) Best regards Adrian

Thank You :) Remote is an FlySky PL18 Paladin EV featuring up to 18 channels with telemetry using the AFHDS3 protocol. The receiver is a corresponding FlySky Receiver. Currently, all AFHDS3 Remotes are compatible and for other remotes you can get a AFHDS3 extension module for about 100€, then opentx remotes and every remote that has an extension port will work.

After two months of work, I now can proudly present my first handmade prototype of my 10 channel RC Box. There is very much work to be done, I have to change my connectors for better contact and for tighter fit. Also, I have to look for another way to address lego servos for proportional control since they don't use PWM. But have a look by your self: Feedback is appreciated :)