help with radio question

[gsmall]

looking at getting a moa crawler and want a radio that i can control each motor seperately i want to run a dig how many chanels do i need and what type of radio would you suggest

[Charlie-III]

Ummm....you seem to be stating similar/contradicting thoughts.

On a MOA, you either run a single ESC & use a dig, or, you run 2 ESC's and no dig.

In 98% of cases, you will need at least 3 channels (steering, throttle, dig or multi ESC proportional).

If you do 2 ESC's, you should really do 4 channels unless you can grab a WannAmix for a 3 channel radio.

I run a 2.2 Bully MOA with a single ESC & a servo dig.

[JeremyH]

If you run dual ESCs and you want the most proportional control out of any radio, then you need to use a twin stick radio (like the Spektrum DX6). If you are ok with having indexed control of each motor (dialing in percentage of motor input), then a radio like the Nomadio React or Futaba 4PL should work quite well. With any of these setups, you can easily assign a switch to operate dig (apply 0% power to one motor).

[punkfan]

I currently run the 4pl and dual esc's i really like the set-up. Twin sticks for me was hard to run.

[gsmall]

If you want to run a twin stick for moa to control each motor then do you need to run one esc or do you need two? Sorry if this is second nature to you im trying to learn as much as i can for my first build with out making mistakes and hurting my budget.

[JeremyH]

Originally Posted by gsmall

If you want to run a twin stick for moa to control each motor then do you need to run one esc or do you need two? Sorry if this is second nature to you im trying to learn as much as i can for my first build with out making mistakes and hurting my budget.

For complete independent control of each motor you need dual ESCs. Whether that is with the twin stick or pistol grip radio...

An electronic dig unit (used with a single ESC and controlled with most 3 channel radios) will simply allow you cut power to one motor or the other.

No worries asking questions....that is what this forum is for.

[gsmall]

Originally Posted by JeremyH

For complete independent control of each motor you need dual ESCs. Whether that is with the twin stick or pistol grip radio...

An electronic dig unit (used with a single ESC and controlled with most 3 channel radios) will simply allow you cut power to one motor or the other.

No worries asking questions....that is what this forum is for.

Thanks for the info but now you raised another question how do you run independent control on a pistol grip

[zjguy721]

Originally Posted by gsmall

Thanks for the info but now you raised another question how do you run independent control on a pistol grip

A lot of it depends on the radio. The nice thing about the 4PL is that dual ESC is already programmed into the firmware. You can assign one of the DTs for dig, another for your proportional control on the rear motor (I used the Harley method of 10% increments).

[Bad Attitude]

Originally Posted by gsmall

Thanks for the info but now you raised another question how do you run independent control on a pistol grip

Check out Harley's 4pl or 4pk threads, he explains it best!
I run a bully moa, and I went from a 3pmx with a punk dig to trying out a 4pl with dual esc's...
It was like night and day, the 4pl gives much smoother throttle and being able to dial down the rear motor was a big plus for me.
I ended up going with the 4pks simply because it felt more comfortable, and I had rx's that are compatable.

[losikid]

Originally Posted by gsmall

Thanks for the info but now you raised another question how do you run independent control on a pistol grip

No production pistol radios are truly independent and user friendly...yes they can be independent with like a 3 way switch, poteometer, rotary encoder, etc. But that doesn't give ideal control for a true independent setup, like a stick radio can offer.

The 4pl, 4pk(s), and the dx3c offers mixing which can assign another switch/knob to adjust the mix rate, or provide proportional control. By proportional control i mean you can slow down or speed speed up one motor compared to the other by a percentage, the percentage is selected by using a switch/knob. So 1 click up it increases 10% another click bumps it up 10% more, etc, to get back to neutral you have to down click the same times you up clicked, because it will decrease the mix rate by 10% for each down click.

Radios such as the Dx3r and 3pmx don't offer this ability, however i do make adapters for the rx side. Which will accomplish the same thing as the 4pl,4pk, and dx3c can.

Having this proportional control is a great advantage over a normal dig, but is more costly...If you want to run just a single esc and dig you will need a electronic dig switch such as the punk dig , or heyok makes a dig switch as well. Or i believe novak has a esc that offers the advantages of dual esc's, but i haven't heard much about it.

[JeremyH]

Originally Posted by gsmall

Thanks for the info but now you raised another question how do you run independent control on a pistol grip

You'll need a radio that can mix those channels and has a switch or two that can control them.

[gsmall]

Thanks guys that info really helped me out