I am looking to control a linear actuator with the cytron motor controller and an rc remote. I am wondering if it is as simple as hooking up the 12v supply and actuator to one end of the cytron controller and my rc receiver to the PWM input side. Or do I need a board such as arduino?
Unfortunately not. If you look at page 3 of the manual, it specifies
You need one which accepts RC PWM input.
Ex: robotshop.com/en/sabertooth- … river.html
Keep in mind that some of these provide 5V to the receiver via onboard BEC (your receiver does not need its own separate power supply).
Aside from any minor configurations / settings, these are fairly plug and play. Note however that if your linear actuator does not have position feedback, you’ll just be able to control speed and direction, not position.