Another transmitter/4WS question

[Tucky]

I’m kinda stumped here but I’m hoping that someone can either point me in the right direction or show me where I am wrong. I have a 4WS Capra and I want a new transmitter but have a hang up. I want the rear servo to return to center like the front does when you let go of the wheel. I can’t find that so I figure the next best thing is to modify one. If I took the potentiometer for the front steer from an old transmitter and transplanted it in the place of one of the pots of like a FS GT5 would it be possible? I haven’t taken one apart and the front steer pot might be way too big to fit into the space.
My reason for this is I don’t like steering with my left thumb and would rather use my right hand for the front steer. Ideally I would just like a transmitter with two steering wheels on the right side, the front for the front steer/right hand and the rear for the rear/left thumb.

Or

Explain to me why this is a bad idea and why I should learn to steer with my left thumb better and just use the other pot for the rear steer.

 

[diezel666]

Some transmitters make this WAY more complicated than others. Sanwa and Radiomaster are pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I have no experience with Specktrum transmitters so I can't comment there.

I use Sanwa Transmitters (Specifically a MT-S), and I was always able to configure my Transmitter to operate the rear in sync with the front, and both would return to center without issue when the transmitter wheel was centered. Servo's operated on Separate Radio Channels, which gave me independent control of their Trim. So Center was true center and would drive straight.

In my case, Rear Steering Mode was shifted via configuration of "Switch 3", This allowed me to switch rear steer from:
Coordinated Phase: Think of this as Crab Walking, Both servo's would swing to the RIGHT, Respectively.
Opposite Phase: Front would turn right, rear would go Left which allowed the rear to follow the front and allow a tighter right turn.


Scroll down in this PDF to Crawler 4WS:

https://www.lrp.cc/fileadmin/Downloads/HP_Produkte/SanwaMT-S_QuickSetupSheet_EN.pdf

 

[Tucky]

Thanks for the link, I’ll study it up

 

[soze]

Get a Radiomaster MT12. It will make your life a lot easier for 4WS. I will make a video on it in the future.

 

[ferp420]

the gt5 is by far the easyest radio ive used for a rear steer set up but you cant controlethe front and rear separately unless you use the 3 position switch but then no precise control over rear steer its all or nothing
some people use twin stick radios for seperate throtle and steering for each axle
im not big on rear steer myself but ive set up a few rigs for others but notice most people dont use it anyway its like winches there really cool but do we ever use them i know i dont really use mine

 

[bgredjeep]

I built my 4ws Capra and made a thumb wheel for the vr knob on my radiolink tx. Full manual control. I wouldn't want self centering on a crawler. If you were wanting to 4ws a go fast(er) rig like a ryft it might be useful.

When I steer the rear on a crawler I want to place it where I want. Having it self center (spring loaded) could easily knock the tires off line if you released the wheel in the wrong place.

 

[Tucky]

I built my 4ws Capra and made a thumb wheel for the vr knob on my radiolink tx. Full manual control. I wouldn't want self centering on a crawler. If you were wanting to 4ws a go fast(er) rig like a ryft it might be useful.

When I steer the rear on a crawler I want to place it where I want. Having it self center (spring loaded) could easily knock the tires off line if you released the wheel in the wrong place.

I didn’t think of that but you are right. I think I’m gonna go with the GT5, the local shop sells them and can show me all the ins and outs with it.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

I didn’t think of that but you are right. I think I’m gonna go with the GT5, the local shop sells them and can show me all the ins and outs with it.

I don't think the GT5 is going to give you analog steering. It'll be a 3-position switch which means centered, full left or full right. That would be cumbersome for me.

 

[ferp420]

I don't think the GT5 is going to give you analog steering. It'll be a 3-position switch which means centered, full left or full right. That would be cumbersome for me.

with the gt5 you can change the steering modes with 1 click of a button
front steer ,rear steer ,crab steer or or 4 wheel steer or you can use the 3po switch thats my plan you can adjust the end points on the 3po so the rear isent as drastic or use the 4ws settings on the radio

 

[JatoTheRipper]

with the gt5 you can change the steering modes with 1 click of a button
front steer ,rear steer ,crab steer or or 4 wheel steer or you can use the 3po switch thats my plan you can adjust the end points on the 3po so the rear isent as drastic or use the 4ws settings on the radio

Yeah, but you can't make it analog unless it's tied to the front steering, correct? So it's full steer or centered only.

 

[ferp420]

Yeah, but you can't make it analog unless it's tied to the front steering, correct? So it's full steer or centered only.

ether tied to the front or on a 3 position switch i think you can fo it both ways

 

[Tucky]

What I am wanting is front and rear fully separate and independent but I wanted the rear to return to center when you let go of the knob like the front does.

 

[Col_Sanders]

Not sure there are any controllers with a second spring loaded wheel. The Flysky Noble NB4 has dials on the pistol grip where your thumb would rest and it gives an audible "center point" alert when you get to center, but they are not self centering. You can adjust the rate on the dials too. They are great radios with a lot of programming options.

The NB4+ is the newer version and has a brighter display.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

What I am wanting is front and rear fully separate and independent but I wanted the rear to return to center when you let go of the knob like the front does.

The monster truck guys would probably be able to help here...

 

[Tucky]

So I upgraded my servo’s to NSDRC RS800 front and rear and while setting the end points for the rear I found what I thought I was looking for. The instructions I found online were for a 3 position steering, center, full right and full left. The neat part is that when I release the button the wheels snap back to center. I’m using the factory Spektrum transmitter. My Radiomaster MT12 showed up today but I won’t use it on this truck until I upgrade the motor and transmission. The word is that the MT12 won’t bind to the stock Spektrum Furma 40A receiver/esc combo.
After using it this afternoon I don’t think I will keep it like this and would rather have finer control over the rear steering. I’ll get the new motor ordered next week sometime and see how it goes.

 

[Greatscott]

The MT12 is the PhD solution to your problem. It is a great radio and a REALLY good price, however its learning curve is steep, like El Capitan steep.

There are steering options in the DX5C and DX5R radios that work really well and are easy to set up. One of the BIG things I miss about my DX3 radio was that it had 5-positions available for channels, this make rear-steer fairly easy to use.

 

[Tucky]

I have heard that it’s a steep learning curve but my other hobby is rock climbing so I’m ok with El Cap steep . Really I have not other experience with programming a radio so I have no expectations for how it should go and there are plenty of videos on the YouTube’s

 

[Ncrooks89]

I just did the Kool thing RC mod on my GT5 and it works great. It does not have auto center but is still nice and easy to use.

 

[truublue]

I've got my 4WS Optic on FlySky with an NB4, it is really hilariously simple to use. As others have mentioned you can assign it to one of the side dials and have full manual control, or you can play with the mixing and get full proportional 4WS with centering and change mixing setups on the fly with a simple tap. I had no experience whatsoever and was able to figure it out just by fooling around with the menus for like 10 minutes. Check out the video here for more: