Guys, I’ve been thinking a lot about esk8 remotes and how they’re still one of the biggest bottlenecks in the DIY space. There are very few options, and most are limited in reliability, responsiveness, telemetry, or customization.
Because of that, I started designing my own remote about two years ago to meet my personal requirements:
Recently I’ve also been getting into esk8 racing, and after seeing so many puck-style mods, it got me thinking: instead of only finished remotes, I could turn this into a DIY-friendly platform.
users would add their own battery, enclosure, and throttle (hall sensor or potentiometer)
but still benefit from a proven, robust RF link and telemetry system
Basically: a solid core platform that people can mod however they want — puck, gun style, custom shapes, etc — without worrying about communication reliability.
Before I go deep into this, I’d like to know:
Would you guys be interested in a DIY remote platform like this? Or maybe designing the whole racing remote and build it as a tank?!
Just threw all components from dual throttle and arranged a pcb just to show how the idea would be. Could be much smaller if placing the components on both sides
I think it’s a great idea! One very important feature is reliability when many of the the same remotes are next to each other. For example the GT2B fell short in this. Normally the radio connection of it is very robust, but at esk8con when many people use the same remote it can have issues for some people.
Another important thing, that’s quite subjective, is ergonomics. Your aproach to this would be a great solution. But to race with a remote it needs to be ergonomical and needs your preferred throttle type. Single trigger seems to be the most common within the fastest racers.
Given that this PCB is easy to design around, I’d be happy to design my own single trigger casing around it. From my perspective this is small enough, no need to go smaller by increasing cost (components on one side is easier and cheaper).
I think having the option to connect the screen onto the remote would be nice, yes we don’t look at it on track, but for example seeing accurate voltage readings for the board battery or ESC/ motor temperatures immediately when coming off the track would be nice.
I can definitely add an LCD connection header on the PCB.
Regarding reliability: the BLE stack I’m using is about as solid as it gets — it’s a lightweight protocol over BLE with the amazing frequency hopping, so connection shouldn’t be an issue even with many devices nearby.
I think I’ll move forward with the modular PCB design and offer it in my store. Really looking forward to seeing riders test it on the track.
Both firmware and hardware will be fully open-source — excited to see what mechanical solutions the community comes up with around the project.
The mt12 by radiometer has some really nice features for racing. Including the ability to change expo and or throttle curves directly from the remote. This is really nice when running RC tech like MAX ESC’s from hobbywing. Other than the fragility of having big screen, the mt12 works pretty dang well and is rebuildable if you crash.
Just noting a few features of one of the popular remotes for racing.
I’ll order one and see how I like it. I did try a full MT12 in hand, I remember I wasn’t impressed by the ergonomics of it, but maybe the trigger could still be good, that I don’t remember. My favourite so far is GT2E trigger. It’s potentiometer but a very reliable one at that.
When the wheel is still on it, it’s incredibly uncomfortable for your right hand since it’s meant to be held in your left as it comes. (User uses right hand to steer RC car). I couldn’t use it at all with the wheel on, real crampy on your hand.
It wasn’t my MT12 and only had some brief first impressions on it an year ago. But I think my ergonomics issues were kinda like the GT2B ones. Maybe with wheel delete I wouldn’t have them, not sure.
I actually don’t like the ergonomics of the GT2B either. GT2E I find way more comfortable.
The wheel itself doesn’t get in the way on that but the plastic around the wheel does and it’s very bad for right hand.
The first issue isn’t there due to the wheel housing being recessed, the second issue isn’t there because the trigger sticks out further thus my finger doesn’t actually hit the housing at all. Also the B has shorter brake travel with stronger brake spring. The E has longer brake travel with the same stiffness spring as throttle travel on either. The E just feels better in hand.
), I now have two remote products in presale and already selling here: Store - GB Engineering | GB Engineering
