Hello. I’m working on a film about an Olympic rowing team in the 30’s, the actors can’t steer the boat correctly so I’ve been tasked with steering the boat with RC. I’m a complete novice in this field so apologies if I’m not using correct terms, etc.
I’ve got a Spektrum DS6 transmitter with relevant receiver. To turn the rudder on the boat we need to use a linear actuator at 24vdc.
My questions are, what can I use so that the actuator goes back to a central determined position when I release the rudder joystick? Do I need an encoder on the actuator? What dc brushed motor (up to 30amps) driver should I look into?
@CDawSFX Welcome to the RobotShop Community! Cool project. Assuming all electronics can be kept dry, yes, you would need a linear actuator with feedback (normally a “potentiometer” rather than an “encoder”. Examples include:
To make this controllable via RC, the "Linear Actuator Control Board (LAC) is perfect:
However, take note that although it’s “general purpose”, it does have a maximum current capability, so be sure that your actuator won’t consume more current than it can handle. You set the LAC to "RC mode (read through the entire manual of course), and since your RC joystick has auto-centering, the linear actuator will get that position command as well and re-center.
The LAC CANNOT handle 30A. Aside from that, we’re not aware of any “all in one” controllers like the LAC, which seems perfect for what you need. Most standard DC motor controllers with feedback use the feedback to make the RPM uniform, which is not what you want here (since you’re measuring angle, not rotation speed).
Hey, thank you for the options, do you think the LAC board would drive other linear actuators? We’re after something a bit faster, maybe 1.5”/s. I think 30A is far too much, but I just want to over spec slightly.
Indeed, it’s not actuator specific, but you do need to ensure the actuator’s specs are within what the LAC can drive (voltage and current).
From the manual it can be used with a 5-24V DC, 4A max (peak current at 10% duty cycle) linear actuator with potentiometer feedback. https://www.robotshop.com/content/ZIP/documentation-lac.zip
