i want to control 1 motor to go forward and backward. is that possible using this thruster commander. also can i connect the potentiometer to the tether on the topside and have the thruster commander on the bottom side without experiencing any malfunctions. will the voltage drop be a problem. if that’s the case then can i connect a raspberry pi or an arduino to it to control it?
Yes, you can control one motor to go forward and backward with the Thruster Commander.
You should be able to use it in the arrangement you described, with the Commander in the vehicle and the potentiometer on the topside. Note that you should probably send all three wires up from the vehicle over the tether (+5 V, signal, and ground) rather than using power and ground from the topside. Also, should you choose to use a second potentiometer on the topside, you can re-use the +5 V and ground lines from the other potentiometer.
Note that because you will be dealing with analog voltages in your signal wires, they will be susceptible to electromagnetic noise, especially from the power lines to your vehicle. If there is a sudden change in current in those power lines (i.e. from abruptly starting/stopping thrusters), it may have a momentary effect on the analog voltages carried from the potentiometers through the tether. This effect should be negligible if your potentiometer tether wires are not directly next to the power cables (i.e. not in the same cable; it should be fine if they’re in a separate cable bundled to the power cables).
that’s really awesome!!! is it possible to connect them to a raspberry pi or arduino. this is because in the even that using a potentiometer does not work, i would control it using a raspberry pi and control it over Ethernet
Hi @jjabraham,
If you’re already using a Raspberry Pi or an Arduino in your control system, you do not need a Thruster Commander. Those controllers will already output the PWM signals necessary to directly operate an ESC.
-Adam
true dat