DX3E dig switch for BEAU

[Mic]

Originally Posted by coliver14

I just performed this mod using the normally closed radioshack switches [P/N:275-1548] and I'm having some weird operation. I used a servo in the 3rd channel to observe the control. When neither button is pressed, the servo jitters rapidly about the center position. When the red button is pressed the servo moves to the up position, when the red button is released, the servo returns to center position and jitters when its there. When I press the black button, the servo moves to the down position, but stays there even if I release the black button. It only returns to center when I press the red button again. My questions are: 1) Shouldn't the servo return to center upon releasing the black button? and 2) What is with the jitters? and 3) Will this jittering effect the punk Dig I plan on installing?

I'm thinking it might be best to use normally open switches (same as factory), any thoughts?

Electrical stuff is not my forte, so I'd appreciate any help with this. Thanks in advance.

-Chris

I had the same results when using normally closed switches, exactly as you discribed. Use the normally open swictchs and it will work like the stock switch, just in a better location.

[coliver14]

Originally Posted by Mic

I had the same results when using normally closed switches, exactly as you discribed. Use the normally open swictchs and it will work like the stock switch, just in a better location.

It's reassuring to here I'm not the only one. I figured using the N.O. switches might have to be the solution: factory operation but more convienent location - still making this mod way worth it.

[rustyrooster]

Jeepkid can you give some more detail to your setup? just soldering normally closed switches to the factory switch location will not give momentary dig front and rear. Have you soldered wires to a different location or are you only using front dig? is your switch in the 2p, 3p, or lin position? If you have true momentary dig you must have something setup different than those of us with the jitters.

I can't believe everyone has been using the dx3e with having to tap the opposite switch to release dig. I am going to figure this out even if it means building a little circuit to simulate the pushing of the other switch upon release.

[Hurricane]

Great info thanks for all the part No.s and pictures

[Jeepkid]

Originally Posted by rustyrooster

Jeepkid can you give some more detail to your setup? just soldering normally closed switches to the factory switch location will not give momentary dig front and rear. Have you soldered wires to a different location or are you only using front dig? is your switch in the 2p, 3p, or lin position? If you have true momentary dig you must have something setup different than those of us with the jitters.

I can't believe everyone has been using the dx3e with having to tap the opposite switch to release dig. I am going to figure this out even if it means building a little circuit to simulate the pushing of the other switch upon release.

Its normally open switches dude.

[rustyrooster]

Originally Posted by Jeepkid

Its normally open switches dude.

I know they are n.o. switches and I also have the exact n.c. switches you do. What I am saying is if you hold both of the factory switches in the closed position at the same time it represents your n.c. switch setup. If you then release one of those factory switches it is the same as you pushing your installed n.c. switch. That gives the results exactly as coliver described. If you are not getting those results that is super...but that means you have something set different than the rest of us. I was just hoping you would share your details. I don't know much about increment and decrament but I say that is what is happening. The microprocessor does not know where 'home' or center is. It follows a command from the switch and waits for the next command. The switches from factory or radio shack that we are talking about do not give the second command. That is why I am saying it needs another circuit to trick the micro. I will confess my knowledge is limited so I would welcome someone to prove me wrong. If there is a combination of switch settings, switch types, jumpers or
different location to solder new switches to, someone let me know because I am missing it. Switches that are n.c. momentary push button soldered to the existing n.o. switch leads don't get it done.

[wantAsummit]

Originally Posted by rustyrooster

If you then release one of those factory switches...That gives the results exactly as coliver described.

Agreed, this odd behaviour is normal and should be what everyone else sees while trying exactly what you tried.

Here is my theory: I am guessing that those who have had success are probably using a punk dig or similar on CH3 rather than a servo on CH3. What you see as jitter near the center on a servo probably just gets interpreted as 4WD by a punk dig. And of course the other 2 positions work normally anyways.

[rustyrooster]

I have a punk dig but hooked up a servo after reading some earlier posts. The servo has the jitters because it is like the two closed signals always fighting against each other. The punk dig will stay green (it does not blink back and forth to a different light repeatedly), but it is still getting the two signals just the same and that is why it does not have true momentary dig in all positions with only n.c. switches when wired to the location of the n.o. switches.

[wantAsummit]

Originally Posted by rustyrooster

I have a punk dig but hooked up a servo after reading some earlier posts. The servo has the jitters because it is like the two closed signals always fighting against each other. The punk dig will stay green (it does not blink back and forth to a different light repeatedly), but it is still getting the two signals just the same and that is why it does not have true momentary dig in all positions with only n.c. switches when wired to the location of the n.o. switches.

Just for my learning, how does the punk dig act for these conditions?

• no buttons pressed
• one button pressed
• (and then released)
• the other button pressed
• (and then released)
• both buttons pressed

[nitrojeff]

cool, so has anyone figured out how to make the dx3r buttons true momentary? I really don't like having to turn off dig. I did a button mod, but releasing the button does not center the channel.



did a dx3 that works perfectly

[T3rry]

I went to a shop looking for buttons, or maybe a momentary rocker, but they didn't have anything small enough, or something i thought i could make appear original, so i ended up buying a black momentary toggle that slides in from the outside and is fastened on the inside, i think it will look very original when i'm done. I'll post a pic of the switch later if anybody is interested, i cant find a picture online, but it;'s a flat, toggle/rocker hybrid looking thing that's momentary on off on.

edit: it looks kind of like this, but it's got a screw fastener instead f the panel mount clips, and the switch is a little longer, with no light

[rustyrooster]

Originally Posted by wantAsummit

Just for my learning, how does the punk dig act for these conditions?

I am going from memory here and assuming we are talking normally closed switches in the 3pos setting starting from green (center or 4wd)

• no buttons pressed constant green light (this is the same positions as colivers servo centered and jittering)
• one button pressed red. that is me just picking a color (direction) to start
• (and then released) green....pretty sure green potentially could have went through green to blue. I am a little fuzzy after trying so many combinations
• the other button pressed blue
• (and then released) stays blue
• both buttons pressed this probably depends if you are starting where you left off (blue)and how you time your simultanious press. Most likely you will stay at blue but may jump to green. basically if you could get to green with both buttons pushed you would stay at green and colivers servo would no longer have the jitters

see orange type above

[Jeepkid]

Originally Posted by rustyrooster

I know they are n.o. switches and I also have the exact n.c. switches you do. What I am saying is if you hold both of the factory switches in the closed position at the same time it represents your n.c. switch setup. If you then release one of those factory switches it is the same as you pushing your installed n.c. switch. That gives the results exactly as coliver described. If you are not getting those results that is super...but that means you have something set different than the rest of us. I was just hoping you would share your details. I don't know much about increment and decrament but I say that is what is happening. The microprocessor does not know where 'home' or center is. It follows a command from the switch and waits for the next command. The switches from factory or radio shack that we are talking about do not give the second command. That is why I am saying it needs another circuit to trick the micro. I will confess my knowledge is limited so I would welcome someone to prove me wrong. If there is a combination of switch settings, switch types, jumpers or
different location to solder new switches to, someone let me know because I am missing it. Switches that are n.c. momentary push button soldered to the existing n.o. switch leads don't get it done.

I dont know what else to say. Got it hooked up the way the writeup link shows. I'm running a CC sidewinder, punkdig, CC bec, futaba S9157 servo, spectrum3500 RX. I dont know what issues you guys are having, I didnt have anything like that going on with mine.

[wantAsummit]

Originally Posted by rustyrooster

see orange type above

Wish I could help more. I know much more about my mod than this one.

The behaviour you are seeing is the reason I didn't jumper my toggle switch to the original buttons. They are not set up as typical buttons as everyone would imagine, they create a voltage divider through different value resistors instead. Probe them with a DMM while pressing them to see what I mean.

[rustyrooster]

Interesting. I have the standard receiver and a HH esc. I can’t imagine either of those having an effect. What position is your 2/3/lin switch in? Are your end points maxed out or minimized. When you bound your receiver was it set as green for your failsafe mode? When I originally bound my receiver I did not have dig and paid no attention to the location of the 2/3/lin switch. It was in 2pos so even though I had it in 3pos after hooking up the dig it would always go blue when I turned off my radio. I had to rebind in 3pos to default to green. I am pretty encouraged that you have this working.

If you turn on your rig with the radio off, what color is the led?
When you turn on your radio what color is it?
When you turn off your radio what color is it?

Summit, I know what you are saying I don’t remember now if it is normally 0V and a push is 3.xx V or if it is normally 3.xxV and a push is 0V. Regardless, the only way I see it happening is the other switch needs to receive the opposite signal at the time of release of the initial switch pushed. A friend at work is going to help me build a little circuit so when I release a switch it signals the other switch. That would be the same as me pushing the other switch, except much faster and I don’t have to do the work of pushing, only releasing. Fortunately for me I have access to guys that can build circuits and write programs but I am guessing a lot of guys do not have this luxury. I have built a lot of stuff for these guys but never made a program yet. If we can’t figure out what jeepkid has going on that the rest of us are missing, it looks like I will be learning to write programs. I will post all my findings and the components I used and details of the program, but I am not going to get into doing the work or selling of stuff so lets hope jeepkid can fill us in on the differences he has compared to the rest of us.

[wantAsummit]

Originally Posted by rustyrooster

Summit, I know what you are saying I don’t remember now if it is normally 0V and a push is 3.xx V or if it is normally 3.xxV and a push is 0V.

That is part of the issue. Each button has 0 on one side and 3.3 on the other when measured with a DMM. Push each switch individually, and they will go to different voltages (neither pulled all the way high or low). I believe the common point is through the 3.3 with a some value of R before it. Each switch has a different R value inline with it to ground which creates these different voltages. It has been a while since I checked on this, so I am going on memory.

In any case, I stopped looking into it because my mod can already handle a punk dig from a momentary toggle (along with proportional dual ESC or Novak M2). I was just hoping to help as much as I could here base on what I have seen.

[Jeepkid]

Originally Posted by rustyrooster

Interesting. I have the standard receiver and a HH esc. I can’t imagine either of those having an effect. What position is your 2/3/lin switch in? Are your end points maxed out or minimized. When you bound your receiver was it set as green for your failsafe mode? When I originally bound my receiver I did not have dig and paid no attention to the location of the 2/3/lin switch. It was in 2pos so even though I had it in 3pos after hooking up the dig it would always go blue when I turned off my radio. I had to rebind in 3pos to default to green. I am pretty encouraged that you have this working.

If you turn on your rig with the radio off, what color is the led?
When you turn on your radio what color is it?
When you turn off your radio what color is it?

Summit, I know what you are saying I don’t remember now if it is normally 0V and a push is 3.xx V or if it is normally 3.xxV and a push is 0V. Regardless, the only way I see it happening is the other switch needs to receive the opposite signal at the time of release of the initial switch pushed. A friend at work is going to help me build a little circuit so when I release a switch it signals the other switch. That would be the same as me pushing the other switch, except much faster and I don’t have to do the work of pushing, only releasing. Fortunately for me I have access to guys that can build circuits and write programs but I am guessing a lot of guys do not have this luxury. I have built a lot of stuff for these guys but never made a program yet. If we can’t figure out what jeepkid has going on that the rest of us are missing, it looks like I will be learning to write programs. I will post all my findings and the components I used and details of the program, but I am not going to get into doing the work or selling of stuff so lets hope jeepkid can fill us in on the differences he has compared to the rest of us.

I was in 3pos before binding. My end points on channel3 are turned down almost to the point where the dig dosent engage, if you know what I'm saying. I dont know if the 3rd channel pos. selection before binding for failsafes would have any affect. It sounds like some ppl are getting the circiutboard too hot when tinning. IDK.

[romulus22]

Ok so I just did this to my radio. I used the NC switches.

The rear dig works when I hold the button in and when I release it returns to 4WD.

The front locks in with a push of the switch and I have to hit the rear to unlock the front and it returns to 4WD.

Not sure why it turned out that way but those are my results and I can live with that. I don't use the front too much anyways.

[nitrojeff]

I'm confused how a NC switch put in place of a NO switch could work.
I tried pushing both button and holding them, the punk dig only made a single move when released. it never self centers

I know when I put NC switches in a losi radio, it melted the board

[generalee7]

Just did this to my radio last night, crossing my fingers it works when I get the XR10 built