Adding other functions to cars, eg - lights/horns

[CurryKitten]

Hello,

Inbetween crashing my Tricopter, I decided to make a permanent FPV car as well out of my old Tamiya MadBull shell. It currently looks like this -


(screen mounted on the controller, until my Dominators finally get here)

I've only done a few tests, but aside from scarily quick to disappear video signal on 5.8, I wondered how I would go about adding other functions that I could control via the two spare receiver channels I have left.

Having managed to drive it into a bush which was only a 100m or so away from me, and having spent a good 3 scary minutes trying to find it - I'm thinking a horn or noisy thing I can trigger would be quite useful... as well as freaking people out as I drive past }:-)

I'd quite like to have some lights as well that I could flick on and off for a bit of night driving.

I'm not expecting anything specific to actually exist for these, but I guessed there might be something like a switch I could plug into the Rx to control a simple on/off or *something*

Can anyone give me some suggestions ?

[Bluestreak]

Yes there is
I have one of these escs that controls some infra red lights (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=6468) The good thing about this is you can use a knob on your controller to control the current/brightness.
Or for just a simple on/off switch there is this: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=8833
The only thing is that it will only switch the positive side of something that shares the same ground as the receiver it is plugged in to.

[paintz2007]

i use a brushed esc for my lighting applications, im sure you can do the same for a horn/buzzer, lowering the voltage "should" lower the pitch... gonna go play around now brb with my findings...

[CurryKitten]

Many thanks for the stuff so far guys. So a brushed ESC just puts out a variable DC voltage does it ? I can see how that's handy. Having some issues finding links to horns (google rc car and horn, and you get 1 gazillion servo horns) Lighting a bit better - see lots of LED ones, are they usable for FPV in the dark ?

[paintz2007]

umm it may work gotta find a buzzer that outputs a low frequency, mine is good at only 2 voltages about 6 and 12, both pitches are high but the 12v is higher obviously...

[paintz2007]

yea if you order through hobbyking get a bunch of led strip lights in various colors youll use them... and they are the cheapest around,
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...ing_Accs_.html
and yea those rc switches are overrated, and overpriced, you can get little brushed escs for nothing anymore...

[j45on]

I have a few of these , switches up to one amp http://www.dimensionengineering.com/products/picoswitch

this one does up to 10 amp http://www.dimensionengineering.com/...s/battleswitch

I may have to look into the link Bluestreak posted , it would be handy to dim my IR/night vision lights

[CurryKitten]

So, still having troubles finding anything resembling a horn that sounds like it could come from a car. In the meantime I ordered a few HobbyKing Discovery Buzzers (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=14521)

I plug it into my 9X Rx on my Tricopter, assign it to a spare channel and it beeps away. I'm using a HobbyKing TR6A Rx in the ca. Again, I plug the buzzer into channel 5, allocate a switch to it.... and nothing happens. The buzzer is fine, I tried it on the Tricopter - no problem.

Any ideas what the problem on the car could be. I suppose the main difference is that the power to the Rx comes from a dedicated battery connection instead of a bec from the ESC. Thinking it may be a voltage thing, I tried unplugging a few other channels, but I just can't get it to do anything. When I first turn the car on, there's a short beep from it, but nothing more.

I'm confused.

[paintz2007]

you can"t pull a load from the rx like that i dont believe... you need a esc to act as a switch, hook the buzzer up to the motor wires and the servo lead to the rx and the battery wires to the battery..

[Adrenalinrush]

Curry,

I would send this guy a message and see where he got his, its friggin LOUD


View this video on YouTube

Clay