At the end you thank all the others video makers, which was very classy. But yours stands in a class all on its on. I love your meticulous work. Well done, very well done.
Brilliant. Well done! I didn't have the access to the tools you have and ended up buying a 22" robot mower for $3k. I would suggest yours is better by far. one additional feature that would have been superb would be a deck height adjustment.
Hi Cayrick, thanks for the compliment. The deck height does adjust, it uses the stock hardware that came with the mower. Only down side is the batteries are mounted to mower deck so raising and lowering is chore, it is heavy. I was using it today and wish I had included an actuator to raise and lower the deck. $3k is not a bad price, I am probably around the same outlay.
Very clean and tidy. I’ve been toying with the idea of building something bigger, based on a 50-60” tow behind mower. Would also want FPV camera/transmitter on a pan/tilt. Love your filtered air ventilation.
Mr Giter Bilt voila that was the problem i switched the input to the elechawk and everything works as it should i cant thank you enough for all the help you are a genious and now i have a great machine
Absolutely the best design mower also the wire loom is clean and tidy. I wanted ask about the second motor driver. Is the sabertooth 2x32 for the rear and the other motor driver for the front drive ?. That air cleaner breather is a great idea. Please make more videos about your design, I loved every minute. Just looked at your drawings, it’s incredible people like yourself that make UA-cam so much more interesting.
Thanks for the compliment! The small motor driver is for the linear actuator for the front toolbar. The Sabertooth left and right motor control channels each drive two motors. The 2x32 has been replaced with a 2x60. See the “Mow Power” video on my channel.
Are you using Cytron dual 30 controllers to connect to four motors? I was planning on connecting all four motors to a single Cytron dual 30 controller. Not sure if it can handle the load.
Hello, good afternoon, I would like to know if the motors are connected in series or in parallel? The controller only has input for two motors, are the 4 placed together? thanks for your support. greetings.
The motors are connected parallel. Each Sabertooth channel controls two motors. The control signal from a receiver channel is assigned to controller channel. S1 and S2 each drive two motors. Watch “Mow Power” on my channel for an explanation on how this is wired. There is hyperlink in the description to the wiring diagram.
Mr. Giter Bilt just an update on my build i did find some carlisle tires but i had to get the 13x4x6 because the wheels i got from harbor freight were the flat free tires and two piece wheels. also i got the no spst solenoid and we replaced it with no change the switch 6 still dose not kill the machine and it continues to run wild if the key switch is enabled prior to the transmitter being turned on. it is frustrating but the machine seems to work fine other than than i appreciate your continued ihelp
Hi Danny, when you turn the key on there should be absolutely no power to the sabertooth. Try this, remove + and - wires from the solenoid that go to the elechawk. In this configuration, there should not be any power to the sabertooth. The solenoid will be in state where the 24V positive from the battery connection to solenoid can not switch power to the opposite terminal. This is the normally open state. This will leave the other two wires , one for the battery 24v positive on one pole and the opposite pole is wired to B+ on the sabertooth. There should be the only one wire connected to B+ on the Sabertooth. With the key on or the key off the sabertooth can not turn on. Also make sure there are no wires connected to 5V on the signal side of the controller. Let me know what happens and we can go from there.
Can you please give more information about the alternator? I'm building a 24 volt mower. How big is the alternator? What did it come from? Does it bog the engine down much?
Very impressive!! Thanks for sharing. Is the second receiver for the operation of the front arm and the trimmer? Can you operate both controllers on the same transmitter?
Yes the second controller is for the for arm. There is no controller function for the hedgtrimmer. Both motor controllers operate from the same transmitter receiver. Thanks for the compliment.
Thank you for sharing this incredible video! Quick question- how did you go about sizing the alternator? I’m assuming the motors don’t take anywhere near max draw for most usage?
My criteria was a single belt pulley, single wire system, 24V and cheap. I have an explanation of the alternator performance in the comments for the “End of mowing season review video”.
I am working on another project, but it is going to be a riding mower. I have 2 of the actuators that you have to run the deck up and down. Can you share the way you wired so it is controlled by the remote? A video would be great or even schematics on how you accomplished this.
Hey Robert, the actuators are just dc motors with a limit switch and should only have a + and - wire. The wiring will be the same as motor connections on a motor controller. I am controlling my single actuator using a separate motor controller set/wired to channel 4 on the RC transmitter/receiver (left joystick auto return to center). If you are using a one motor controller this will be easy. If you are using a two channel motor controller and want to use one stick movement to control two channels you can setup channel mixing on the transmitter. Lots of good UA-cam videos on channel mixing. I almost forgot the 3rd choice, using RC pigtails, one receiver output channel to two motor controller channels.
@@paulburroughs1313 Hi Paul, the small motor controller is for the front toolbar actuator. On the sabertooth controller two motors on one side are run off of one channel.
Greeting. I made a lawnmower with 2x24v motors, I use Sabertooth 2x32 A, so I'm wondering which alternator do you use 12v or something else to charge the battery?! Ina will make a good video and how to make a lawnmower.
Hy, I'm currently working on similar projects. 4x invacare, sabertooth, Chinese RC controller..... One question, Is it possible to remove the batteries and powered the whole system with the alternator. 24V on 50 amps is 1.2 kw off power. Are batteries needed at all??
Hypothetically it would be possible. Using a Sabertooth controller you will still need a small 24VDC battery source because of regenerative braking. You would also risk damaging the controller when pushing the mower without power. See controller to battery diode requirement in video and schematic diagram. I have the larger 24V batteries because my 65A alternator alone will not provide the 120A needed if the 2x60 controller is drawing 60A per motor channel. My mower engine would not have enough horse power to drive a 120A Alternator. Watch my video on the upgrade to the Sabertooth 2x60. It illustrates my screwup when sizing the motor controller.
Fantastic video! I am still wondering on something. What did you do with the engines? Is there a chain or axle on axle? If you could help me I would appreciate it, building my own 4wd rover but with 1000 w brushed engines.
Sir, with the connections in your last email when the key is turned on the left side wheels still spin out of control. That is with the elechawk plugged back into receiver
I took the low tech route for the shut down. Once I removed the shut down cable from the from the shut down lever, I threaded a zip tie through the hole where the cable was attached. I closed the zip tie to form a loop and slid the zip tie trough the slot on the cable bracket. I adjusted the zip tie loop to the point where it engaged the shut down switch. When I need start the mower I slip the zip tie loop through the slot on the the cable attachment. When I need to shut down the mower I slide the zip out of the cable bracket.
Wow... what a clean job! I think this is the cleanest mechanical+electronics work I've seen in my whole life so far. Respect... I can totally see you are no 'regular builder' at all. So sad the first half of the video doesn't have audio on it. I'm sure that's possibly the main reason why the video has so few likes/views so far. If I were to have such a clean machine, I'll be like one of those proud show-quality truck owners who work their truck 1 day and then spends 2 days cleaning and polishing it back 😅😁 This is me having such a lawn mower: someone ask me can you mow my grass? And I be, well, it depends, which brand of fertilizer do you use, does it leaves residues? Do you have any grass that might leave stains while cutting? 🧐 Because You know.. there's this lawnmower-show I need to be at and... 😂 One thing that would be cool to have, in my opinion, would be the BOM list as part of the video description if you are kind enough to share it?
Thanks for the kind comment. I,m sort of anal when it comes to building things ...except when it comes to paperwork. Unfortunately I do not have a BOM for this build.
That's the average cost for this project. Very well structured and engineered. I love the RC box control. I am trying to improve the speed of the motors, I'd like for my project more speed. How was your experience with the alternator? could you give me the tips to make it works?
Hi Teo, the alternator works great. When I finish mowing the battery voltage level is higher than what I started with. I have yet to charge the batteries. The 24V alternator I used is available on Amazon. It is called a one wire alternator, but you you have to use two wires. The positive and negative are wired straight to the battery's. I am running mine in reverse rotation (not sucking in air) to minimize dust and sand from being forced into the alternator. I checked the alternator temp after an hour of use and it was around 180 degrees. This is about the same temperature it would experience in a car. As far as increasing speed, a dc motor will have a max rpm at full power . If your motor controller is not capable of providing enough amperage to the motors it may not go any faster. As a rule of thumb, your motor controller should be sized at 6 times the running wattage. The formula is power in watts/voltage=amperage x 6. A 200 watt motor/24 volts= 8.3 amps. Multiply 8.33 times 6=49.99 Amps. This is the peak current the per channel that the motor controller could need for high torque start or when it is put under max load. Also wiring size and circuit breakers should be sized accordingly. My mower goes around 10mph + on a flat surface, but controller is not powerful enough in certain situations. I thought I could get away with a smaller controller, so I will be upgrading to a larger controller and wiring setup soon. Hope this helps.
Most alternators need to spin above 2000 RPM. If your mower pulley is larger than the alternator pulley you should have no problem. Most small gas engines rpm is around 3400-3600. When searching for an alternator, look at the spec sheet to see what the rpm requirement needed.
Very nice build. Im building a similar rc mower. Could you confirm if that mower is the same as Toro smartstow 21445 on Ace hardware's site? There is similar models such as the 21442. Would like to get the same mower for my build so I dont run into any issues with the alternator mounting etc. Thanks!!
Mr. Giter Bilt we;; i disconnected the + ans - wires from the solenoid and nothing moved at all. when we reconnected the elechawk the wheels again spun full speed backward the one battery 24v pos is on one pole the opposite pole is wired to B+ on the sabertooth. there is only one wire on the B+ and there are no wires connected to the 5V on the signal side of the controller. to ensure that the elechawk was not the problem we connected a new one exactly like the one in your machine and noted the with the transmitter off and when the key was turned on the wheel again spin and a blue light flashes quickly in the elechawk. when the transmitter and key are both on the blue light is not on and when the channel 6 switch is activated the blue light turns on.
Well we’re getting somewhere. Unplug the electhawk rc connection to the receiver. The elechawk has power in +(red), two black ground wires, and a power out +(red). The power in + should go to battery 24v + key on. One black wire goes to battery -, the other black wire goes to relay for closing the contacts (energizing). The power out + red wire should go to opposite energizer pole. With the key on the elechawk is in the Normally Open state, the led will flash blue, and the relay is in the Normally Open state. Motors should not turn because there is no power to the motor controller. There is an updated sabertooth diagram.dxf that shows the key switch wiring on the google drive. Let me know the outcome and we will go from there.
Mr Giter Bilt when i was testing the input on the elechawk for 24v i noticed that the red + wire appeared to be on the output side of the switch i am wondering if this could be the issue? Possibly i hooked the power for the switch to the wrong side. Any thoughts?
@@giterbilt5146 What was your thought process when deciding to purchase a dual motor driver vs single for the actuator? Was there a suitable single driver controller for a RC setup?
@@H_Learns I got the dual for future need for implements attached to the tool bar that might need 2 axis movement. Cytron makes a single motor controller for RC.
I had thought about it. Weight, run time, price and the ability to cut taller thicker grass was the consideration for my choice for using a gas engine.
Hello, I wired the signal wires from my Cytron driver to my RC receiver which has the same 5v supply as yours but for some reason the signal to the motor controls doesn’t work. I am curious if i missed something in your video. I have tested the receiver and controller independently and they both work. Any thoughts? By the way. Great build.
I have built something similar, ryobi 40v push mower and have the sabertooth 2x32. I am having an issue with it cutting off and the need to reset the system to get it to cut back on. However, after doing this for quit a while, now it will only run for about 2 minutes then stop. I looked at my motors and realized that I have 24v by 75amp motors. What is the amperage of your motors? I have ordered (2) single 60amp controllers with a surge max of 100amp. Does this sound like my problem to you?
Hi Robert, I was having the same issue. My motors each have a 50amp max, two per channel for 100amp max. The 2x32 would not provide enough current to run the this set up and was would shut itself down to protect the controller. See my video on upgrading to the 2x60 which explains my screwup on determining the motor controller size. I also had to limit the power output to the 2x60 controller using setting on the RC transmitter. See my video on two speed operation. Having the 100amp controller for each motor will hopefully solve your problem.
Hi wondering you can can share a video on the attachment of the wheels to the motors. Have seen some others commenting along these lines . Been trying to work out is there's an additional metal plate added , I realise the motor comes with a plate with 5 studs. Looks like the wheel has 4 bolts holes and something is attached to them and then there's 5 bolt holes for the motor. Can't quite work out the wheel axle and what that bolt is. Thanks.
Hi Michael, unfortunately I did not video the modifications I made to the rims for the bolt pattern on the 5 bolt wheel chair motor hubs. The rims I used were split rims with four holes that bolted the halves together. I used a milling machine and a rotary table to drill the five holes to match bolt pattern of the wheel chair motor hubs. I have two videos from others that show what is required. For measuring the wheel chair motor hub pattern ua-cam.com/users/shorts73c_wgt4vpM?si=G9qIVdy5Dxn8_kVs. And what is involved in drilling the new pattern on the rims ua-cam.com/video/pPp61MqjOds/v-deo.htmlsi=gpH6QTfnx_RtGPbC. If you do not have the equipment to do this, a local machine shop can handle this for you.
Probably could, you would have to design a radio remote control interface that mimicked the input control of a joy stick. If you run across such a design, please post a link, I would be interested in such a design. The sabertooth motor controller that I used is the simplest way to implement RC control you can use.
How's the skid steer on the turf? Just curious. I built my first electric riding mower prototype, but wasn't strong enough for steep hills. So I'm actually considering going with a remote control system. But unsure about skid steer.
It isn’t hard on the turf if you navigate with out sharp turns. I mow laterally on a hill so I do a kind of a side ways z pattern when I am at the end of mowing swath. I backup at an increasing angle until I am in position again, move forward to catch the grass not cut while backing up, then begin mowing the next strip. If it were not for the traction of these tires I would not be able to mow the areas I built the mower for.
Mr. Giter Bilt i hired an electronics tech to check out the wiring on my machine with the info you provided and each item checked out. that being said the wheels still spin at a high rate backwards whenever i turn the key on without first turning of the flysky transmitter. there dosent appear to have any voltage at the b+ or B-. altho this does happen the machine seems to work as expected when the flysky transmitter is first activated then the key turned on. one more question i also have issues with the smaller run flat tires so i ordered the carlisle tires you have but the harbor freight dosent seem to have any pneumatic tires and wheel that will fit these tires any help again is appreciated i hope im not being a pest but i love this mower
I don’t believe harbor freight still sells the rims I have. I used 8 wheels to make the four wheels that I used. I only needed the rim half that did not have the bearing. I put the 2 non bearing half’s together, and used an inner tube sized for the tire in use. The harbor freight four bolt pattern would not work so I drilled new bolt pattern to match the motor hubs of the wheel chair motors. I did this using a rotary and my milling machine.
good day, i tried to power my 24v relay with rc relay switch but i could not power to on and off the 24v relay. sir, is it possible if you could help with this matter? thank you so much
I used an Elechawk 8A remote control switch to open and close the 24V Contactor. Power to Elechawk switch is directly supplied by the 24V batteries. The Elechawk is turned on by a RC channel, which then supplies 24V to the contactor activation circuit, which then turns on the contactor to 24v power to the motor controller. If you have the same confirmation, and it does not work, test the 24V relay. Also ensure that the RC receiver is powered by a independent 5V circuit and not the 5V power from the motor controller.
You are amazing! I would like to find someone to build a remote control device to pull a three-quarter inch waterline to irrigate 2 1/2 acres. Please contact me if you're interested.
No, it is just a tool that I created to make maintaining my yard a safer chore. I created the mower videos to help others contemplating a four wheel drive mower build.
I bought them on eBay. I do not recommend these motors because of the difficulty duplicating the motor mounting pattern. Look for something that has a set of mounting holes that are symmetrical.
Mr giter Bilt I have finished the build of this mower and i have a couple issues i hope you might help me with when i turn on the key switch without first powering up the rc transmitter the left side wheels spin backwards very fast if i first power up the rc transmitter this dosent happen also i moved channel 6 to swiitch b and it dosent have any effect on the mower in either on or off position i think this may be due to something wired wrong on the elechawk switch please help thanks
I updated the 2x60 wiring diagram to show more detail for the electhawk (From your comment posted in another video). To troubleshoot disconnect the motor controller B+ and remover the plug from the electhawk going to the receiver. Turn on the key, using a voltmeter, check POWER IN and GND it should read 24V. Check GND to POWER OUT it should read 0V. If it shows any voltage it is bad. If it is 0V, plug back in the receiver connection. Check GND to POWER OUT, it should show 0V. If not bad electhawk or a bad receiver channel. To test if it is the receiver energizing to elechawk remove plug for 5V +- going to BEC. If the voltage between POWER out and GND is 0V, then the receiver is causing the electhawk to energize. Also check relay wiring to ensure that POWER OUT and GND are on the correct pins. Hope this helps.
@@giterbilt5146 Hello sir, i tried all the suggestions you made and all were in compliance, however; still when i turn the key switch on without first powering up the flysky transmitter the left side wheels spin out of control rearward. if i first power on the flysky then they remain in stop position but the B switch has no effect on the operation of the robot. i thought the B switch would power off the robot in the event of a runaway. i have changed the flysky receiver; the 24v actuator and the elechawk switch but nothing changed. although the machine works fine im not sure this is how it is supposed to work thanks for any help
Hey Danny, the only way that the wheels can spin is if the motor controller has power. Somewhere you are supplying power to the motor controller. Remove all receiver connectors to the motor controller and electhawk. Step 1. With the key on or off there should be 0V between motor controller B+ and B-. Any thing else something is wrong. The purpose of the contactor/relay is to supply motor controller B+ with 24v when it is energized via the elechawk. If you turn the key on and you hear a click from the contactor/relay, it is being energized. With the key on the only the BEC (24v in 5v out) to receiver 5v and it is on, and the electhawk power + 24v in should have indicated voltage. Elechawk power + out to gnd should be 0v. The one leg of the contactor /relay should only have 24v, and should come from battery 24v positive. The other leg of the contactor/relay goes to motor controller B+ should be 0V. The the two lugs on the contactor/relay that turn it on, should have 0V between them. Be sure that one lug goes to the electhawk GND and the other to electhawk power out +. Do not proceed to next step if all voltages are not as described. If this is not as it should be, find the problem (recheck wiring and test each component separately). Everything good, proceed. Step 2. Turn off key and plug in electhawk rc cable to receiver Channel 6. Turn on transmitter then receiver(key on). Recheck all voltages in step 1. If they are not the same and motor controller B+ to B- is 24v, somehow channel 6 is turned on and energizing the electhawk to contactor/relay and supplying 24v to motor controller B+. Check transmitter setup for switch used to turn off and on channel 6. Until you get a switch working correctly on channel 6, you have defeated the purpose of using elechawk/contactor safety circuit for turning on and off the motor controller power. This is how I would trouble shoot the problem (this was also my component setup testing procedure). Good luck.
Danny, the description of the relay should be on Amazon where you bought it. Normally Open single pole single throw (NO SPST) is what is needed. If you put a link in the comments, if will take a look at if for you.
The wiring for the alternator is negative wire to negative 24 battery terminal, positive wire to positive 24v battery terminal. The two 12v batteries are wired in-series. When I get a chance, I will do a battery/alternator schematic, and video. If you subscribe to my channel you will get an email when I upload the video.
Hi Gullapalli, There is a single wire for each M+ and M- controller channel to the each motor bank. Each wire is split at the connectors shown near the end of the video. The wire for M+ is split connecting to the front motor + and the rear motor -. The M- is split and goes to the front motor - and the rear motor +. The reversal of the + and - connections on the rear motor is because it’s normal rotation is opposite of the front because it is mounted backwards. I am currently working on an upgrade to a Sabertooth 2x60, and heavier gauge wiring. Hopefully I will be finished soon and will post a video on the upgrade. I will include a wiring diagram showing the upgraded wiring configuration.
Good day Mr.Giter Bilt, Many thanks for your explanation of motor connection.appreciate if you can share the wiring diagram of the 4 motors to the sabertooth.Your mower looks great with new tyres.I wish you good health and happiness. Regards: G.K.Rao
@@ben212-i5w Hi Beniplatt, there is a link in the description to a wiring diagram for a single motor controller to the motors. The actuator are just electric motors, and are controlled by a separate controller which is not shown on the diagram. Read the comments for all my mower videos, they contain a wealth of information about the mower construction and wiring. Good luck with your project.
This is fantastic!!!!! And your explanation of the work done is wonderful. Well done sir!
At the end you thank all the others video makers, which was very classy. But yours stands in a class all on its on. I love your meticulous work. Well done, very well done.
@@tedbastwock3810 Thank you!
mine looks so ugly compared to this one. i appreciate the explanations throughout the video. I am going to have to upgrade some things on mine now.
Brilliant. Well done! I didn't have the access to the tools you have and ended up buying a 22" robot mower for $3k. I would suggest yours is better by far. one additional feature that would have been superb would be a deck height adjustment.
Hi Cayrick, thanks for the compliment. The deck height does adjust, it uses the stock hardware that came with the mower. Only down side is the batteries are mounted to mower deck so raising and lowering is chore, it is heavy. I was using it today and wish I had included an actuator to raise and lower the deck. $3k is not a bad price, I am probably around the same outlay.
Very clean and tidy. I’ve been toying with the idea of building something bigger, based on a 50-60” tow behind mower. Would also want FPV camera/transmitter on a pan/tilt. Love your filtered air ventilation.
Outstanding work on this one by far the coolest one for diy build on the tube !
Mr Giter Bilt voila that was the problem i switched the input to the elechawk and everything works as it should i cant thank you enough for all the help you are a genious and now i have a great machine
You’re welcome. I’m glad it’s working now.
Excellent! Thanks for sharing your inventiveness and hard work!!!
This is great, I like the details and the cad files. I really appreciate you sharing all this information
Here's the best compliment I can think of. I want one!!! Nice work. Great job explaining the process also.
Lovely tidy job - well done.
Thank you
I've ALWAYS wanted to do something like this. Great build!
Great video. Thank you.
I have two 12v batteries wired for 24v output which is charged by a 24v alternator.
Can’t wait to see if you would build a snowblower. 👍🙏👍🙏
Very good design sir.Regards: GK. Rao
Absolutely the best design mower also the wire loom is clean and tidy. I wanted ask about the second motor driver.
Is the sabertooth 2x32 for the rear and the other motor driver for the front drive ?. That air cleaner breather is a great idea.
Please make more videos about your design, I loved every minute.
Just looked at your drawings, it’s incredible people like yourself that make UA-cam so much more interesting.
Thanks for the compliment! The small motor driver is for the linear actuator for the front toolbar. The Sabertooth left and right motor control channels each drive two motors. The 2x32 has been replaced with a 2x60. See the “Mow Power” video on my channel.
This is the BEST video I have ever seen, AWESOME
Hey Mr. Absolluty thank you for this vídeo, i want build this machine in my country, COLOMBIA
UN ABRAZO GRANDE, MUCHAS GRACIAS
Gracias a ti
Very well done. Best of all, it does not look like a home built. What is the function of the Cytron 10A dual RC installed on the machine for? Thanks.
Hi JB, thanks for the compliment. The Cytron 10 dual RC is for the linear actuator that moves the front toolbar.
Now convert it to drive autonomously by slappin a Pixhawk AKA Ardupilot on it!
I've had good luck with the Cytron dual 30a controllers
Are you using Cytron dual 30 controllers to connect to four motors? I was planning on connecting all four motors to a single Cytron dual 30 controller. Not sure if it can handle the load.
hi handsome. thank you for your channel and support. could you design a T1000?
Really great work and detailed video
Hello, good afternoon, I would like to know if the motors are connected in series or in parallel? The controller only has input for two motors, are the 4 placed together? thanks for your support. greetings.
The motors are connected parallel. Each Sabertooth channel controls two motors. The control signal from a receiver channel is assigned to controller channel. S1 and S2 each drive two motors. Watch “Mow Power” on my channel for an explanation on how this is wired. There is hyperlink in the description to the wiring diagram.
Excellent job!!
Thank you
If I had to take a guess, that 24v alternator is for a CUCV from the 1980s. Probably the easiest way to get a 24v one at least.
Gulp. Wow. Didn't catch all the spoken details, but its genius.
Thanks Terrence. Closed captioning does a decent job of translating a southern dialect. I have to do this on other dialects of English. 😊
Mr. Giter Bilt just an update on my build i did find some carlisle tires but i had to get the 13x4x6 because the wheels i got from harbor freight were the flat free tires and two piece wheels. also i got the no spst solenoid and we replaced it with no change the switch 6 still dose not kill the machine and it continues to run wild if the key switch is enabled prior to the transmitter being turned on. it is frustrating but the machine seems to work fine other than than i appreciate your continued ihelp
Hi Danny, when you turn the key on there should be absolutely no power to the sabertooth. Try this, remove + and - wires from the solenoid that go to the elechawk. In this configuration, there should not be any power to the sabertooth. The solenoid will be in state where the 24V positive from the battery connection to solenoid can not switch power to the opposite terminal. This is the normally open state. This will leave the other two wires , one for the battery 24v positive on one pole and the opposite pole is wired to B+ on the sabertooth. There should be the only one wire connected to B+ on the Sabertooth. With the key on or the key off the sabertooth can not turn on. Also make sure there are no wires connected to 5V on the signal side of the controller. Let me know what happens and we can go from there.
COOL MOWER
Le doy la en hora buena por el canal, un proyecto espectacular
Can you please give more information about the alternator? I'm building a 24 volt mower. How big is the alternator? What did it come from? Does it bog the engine down much?
Hi Karl, the information you seek is in a response to jmoore3613 in the comments.
y un sensor de obstáculos o o dos, o cuatro de estos de infrarojos de los que se ponen en los robot de lucha?
Lo mismo podria rodear arboles el solo.
Very impressive!! Thanks for sharing.
Is the second receiver for the operation of the front arm and the trimmer? Can you operate both controllers on the same transmitter?
Yes the second controller is for the for arm. There is no controller function for the hedgtrimmer. Both motor controllers operate from the same transmitter receiver. Thanks for the compliment.
Thank you for sharing this incredible video! Quick question- how did you go about sizing the alternator? I’m assuming the motors don’t take anywhere near max draw for most usage?
My criteria was a single belt pulley, single wire system, 24V and cheap. I have an explanation of the alternator performance in the comments for the “End of mowing season review video”.
@@giterbilt5146 thank you for the reply. I found that comment thread and asked a question there
I am working on another project, but it is going to be a riding mower. I have 2 of the actuators that you have to run the deck up and down. Can you share the way you wired so it is controlled by the remote? A video would be great or even schematics on how you accomplished this.
Hey Robert, the actuators are just dc motors with a limit switch and should only have a + and - wire. The wiring will be the same as motor connections on a motor controller. I am controlling my single actuator using a separate motor controller set/wired to channel 4 on the RC transmitter/receiver (left joystick auto return to center). If you are using a one motor controller this will be easy. If you are using a two channel motor controller and want to use one stick movement to control two channels you can setup channel mixing on the transmitter. Lots of good UA-cam videos on channel mixing. I almost forgot the 3rd choice, using RC pigtails, one receiver output channel to two motor controller channels.
Why did you use two motor controllers? One for front and one for rear motors?
@@paulburroughs1313 Hi Paul, the small motor controller is for the front toolbar actuator. On the sabertooth controller two motors on one side are run off of one channel.
They need to make 1 of these for carpet cleaning and 1 grout cleaning
Greeting. I made a lawnmower with 2x24v motors, I use Sabertooth 2x32 A, so I'm wondering which alternator do you use 12v or something else to charge the battery?! Ina will make a good video and how to make a lawnmower.
Please le me know if you are planning to sell one of these units
Hy,
I'm currently working on similar projects. 4x invacare, sabertooth, Chinese RC controller.....
One question, Is it possible to remove the batteries and powered the whole system with the alternator.
24V on 50 amps is 1.2 kw off power.
Are batteries needed at all??
Hypothetically it would be possible. Using a Sabertooth controller you will still need a small 24VDC battery source because of regenerative braking. You would also risk damaging the controller when pushing the mower without power. See controller to battery diode requirement in video and schematic diagram. I have the larger 24V batteries because my 65A alternator alone will not provide the 120A needed if the 2x60 controller is drawing 60A per motor channel. My mower engine would not have enough horse power to drive a 120A Alternator. Watch my video on the upgrade to the Sabertooth 2x60. It illustrates my screwup when sizing the motor controller.
The gigawatt energy intimidates me from attempting this.
Fantastic video! I am still wondering on something. What did you do with the engines? Is there a chain or axle on axle? If you could help me I would appreciate it, building my own 4wd rover but with 1000 w brushed engines.
The mower has 4 wheel chair motors with attached wheels.
it seems that as soon as the key is turned on the elechawk is activated even without the transmitter turned on im not sure why this happens
Hi. Great work. Could you tell me where did you get wheels and tyres especially. They look great and have great grip.
Wheel rims and original tires Harbor Freight (discontinued). Carlisle tire upgrade from Amazon.
Sir, with the connections in your last email when the key is turned on the left side wheels still spin out of control. That is with the elechawk plugged back into receiver
mr gator do you have any info on how you dealt with the mower shutdown cable thank you
I took the low tech route for the shut down. Once I removed the shut down cable from the from the shut down lever, I threaded a zip tie through the hole where the cable was attached. I closed the zip tie to form a loop and slid the zip tie trough the slot on the cable bracket. I adjusted the zip tie loop to the point where it engaged the shut down switch. When I need start the mower I slip the zip tie loop through the slot on the the cable attachment. When I need to shut down the mower I slide the zip out of the cable bracket.
How much do you think you have invested in this? I’m wanting to do this bad
I have approximately $2000 invested in this mower.
Wow... what a clean job! I think this is the cleanest mechanical+electronics work I've seen in my whole life so far. Respect... I can totally see you are no 'regular builder' at all. So sad the first half of the video doesn't have audio on it. I'm sure that's possibly the main reason why the video has so few likes/views so far.
If I were to have such a clean machine, I'll be like one of those proud show-quality truck owners who work their truck 1 day and then spends 2 days cleaning and polishing it back 😅😁 This is me having such a lawn mower: someone ask me can you mow my grass? And I be, well, it depends, which brand of fertilizer do you use, does it leaves residues? Do you have any grass that might leave stains while cutting? 🧐 Because You know.. there's this lawnmower-show I need to be at and... 😂
One thing that would be cool to have, in my opinion, would be the BOM list as part of the video description if you are kind enough to share it?
Thanks for the kind comment. I,m sort of anal when it comes to building things ...except when it comes to paperwork. Unfortunately I do not have a BOM for this build.
That's the average cost for this project. Very well structured and engineered. I love the RC box control. I am trying to improve the speed of the motors, I'd like for my project more speed. How was your experience with the alternator? could you give me the tips to make it works?
Hi Teo, the alternator works great. When I finish mowing the battery voltage level is higher than what I started with. I have yet to charge the batteries. The 24V alternator I used is available on Amazon. It is called a one wire alternator, but you you have to use two wires. The positive and negative are wired straight to the battery's. I am running mine in reverse rotation (not sucking in air) to minimize dust and sand from being forced into the alternator. I checked the alternator temp after an hour of use and it was around 180 degrees. This is about the same temperature it would experience in a car. As far as increasing speed, a dc motor will have a max rpm at full power . If your motor controller is not capable of providing enough amperage to the motors it may not go any faster. As a rule of thumb, your motor controller should be sized at 6 times the running wattage. The formula is power in watts/voltage=amperage x 6. A 200 watt motor/24 volts= 8.3 amps. Multiply 8.33 times 6=49.99 Amps. This is the peak current the per channel that the motor controller could need for high torque start or when it is put under max load. Also wiring size and circuit breakers should be sized accordingly. My mower goes around 10mph + on a flat surface, but controller is not powerful enough in certain situations. I thought I could get away with a smaller controller, so I will be upgrading to a larger controller and wiring setup soon. Hope this helps.
@@giterbilt5146 thanks
@@giterbilt5146 I have another question related the Alternator, how many RPM do I need to make the Alternator works?
Most alternators need to spin above 2000 RPM. If your mower pulley is larger than the alternator pulley you should have no problem. Most small gas engines rpm is around 3400-3600. When searching for an alternator, look at the spec sheet to see what the rpm requirement needed.
@@giterbilt5146 Thank your reply.
I would need a hand to make a similar machine, but not to cut the grass.
would you help me?
Very nice build. Im building a similar rc mower. Could you confirm if that mower is the same as Toro smartstow 21445 on Ace hardware's site? There is similar models such as the 21442. Would like to get the same mower for my build so I dont run into any issues with the alternator mounting etc. Thanks!!
Thank for the comment! The mower I used is discontinued. The specs are similar to the 21442. Good luck with your project.
Mr. Giter Bilt we;; i disconnected the + ans - wires from the solenoid and nothing moved at all. when we reconnected the elechawk the wheels again spun full speed backward the one battery 24v pos is on one pole the opposite pole is wired to B+ on the sabertooth. there is only one wire on the B+ and there are no wires connected to the 5V on the signal side of the controller. to ensure that the elechawk was not the problem we connected a new one exactly like the one in your machine and noted the with the transmitter off and when the key was turned on the wheel again spin and a blue light flashes quickly in the elechawk. when the transmitter and key are both on the blue light is not on and when the channel 6 switch is activated the blue light turns on.
Well we’re getting somewhere. Unplug the electhawk rc connection to the receiver. The elechawk has power in +(red), two black ground wires, and a power out +(red). The power in + should go to battery 24v + key on. One black wire goes to battery -, the other black wire goes to relay for closing the contacts (energizing). The power out + red wire should go to opposite energizer pole. With the key on the elechawk is in the Normally Open state, the led will flash blue, and the relay is in the Normally Open state. Motors should not turn because there is no power to the motor controller. There is an updated sabertooth diagram.dxf that shows the key switch wiring on the google drive. Let me know the outcome and we will go from there.
Mr Giter Bilt when i was testing the input on the elechawk for 24v i noticed that the red + wire appeared to be on the output side of the switch i am wondering if this could be the issue? Possibly i hooked the power for the switch to the wrong side. Any thoughts?
Is the linear actuator for the tool bar powered/controlled by the cytron 10 amp dual motor controller?
Yes it is.
@@giterbilt5146 What was your thought process when deciding to purchase a dual motor driver vs single for the actuator? Was there a suitable single driver controller for a RC setup?
@@H_Learns I got the dual for future need for implements attached to the tool bar that might need 2 axis movement. Cytron makes a single motor controller for RC.
Awsome work.. why did you choose a gas mower over an electric model?
I had thought about it. Weight, run time, price and the ability to cut taller thicker grass was the consideration for my choice for using a gas engine.
Hello sir, you are doing great job!! I would like to do it. Would you guide me?
Hello, I wired the signal wires from my Cytron driver to my RC receiver which has the same 5v supply as yours but for some reason the signal to the motor controls doesn’t work. I am curious if i missed something in your video. I have tested the receiver and controller independently and they both work. Any thoughts?
By the way. Great build.
Hi John, you can try using both the ground and the signal wires from the receiver channels. This is the only thing I can think of.
@@giterbilt5146 can’t thank you enough. The ground wire resolved the issue.
Chérie j'ai rétréci les enfants ❤😂❤👍
I have built something similar, ryobi 40v push mower and have the sabertooth 2x32. I am having an issue with it cutting off and the need to reset the system to get it to cut back on. However, after doing this for quit a while, now it will only run for about 2 minutes then stop. I looked at my motors and realized that I have 24v by 75amp motors. What is the amperage of your motors? I have ordered (2) single 60amp controllers with a surge max of 100amp. Does this sound like my problem to you?
Hi Robert, I was having the same issue. My motors each have a 50amp max, two per channel for 100amp max. The 2x32 would not provide enough current to run the this set up and was would shut itself down to protect the controller. See my video on upgrading to the 2x60 which explains my screwup on determining the motor controller size. I also had to limit the power output to the 2x60 controller using setting on the RC transmitter. See my video on two speed operation. Having the 100amp controller for each motor will hopefully solve your problem.
Hi wondering you can can share a video on the attachment of the wheels to the motors. Have seen some others commenting along these lines . Been trying to work out is there's an additional metal plate added , I realise the motor comes with a plate with 5 studs. Looks like the wheel has 4 bolts holes and something is attached to them and then there's 5 bolt holes for the motor. Can't quite work out the wheel axle and what that bolt is. Thanks.
Hi Michael, unfortunately I did not video the modifications I made to the rims for the bolt pattern on the 5 bolt wheel chair motor hubs. The rims I used were split rims with four holes that bolted the halves together. I used a milling machine and a rotary table to drill the five holes to match bolt pattern of the wheel chair motor hubs. I have two videos from others that show what is required. For measuring the wheel chair motor hub pattern ua-cam.com/users/shorts73c_wgt4vpM?si=G9qIVdy5Dxn8_kVs. And what is involved in drilling the new pattern on the rims ua-cam.com/video/pPp61MqjOds/v-deo.htmlsi=gpH6QTfnx_RtGPbC. If you do not have the equipment to do this, a local machine shop can handle this for you.
Thank you
Is it not possible to use the motor controller from the wheelchair
Probably could, you would have to design a radio remote control interface that mimicked the input control of a joy stick. If you run across such a design, please post a link, I would be interested in such a design. The sabertooth motor controller that I used is the simplest way to implement RC control you can use.
Easier to just use the servos to move the joystick with a slot plate.
How's the skid steer on the turf? Just curious. I built my first electric riding mower prototype, but wasn't strong enough for steep hills. So I'm actually considering going with a remote control system. But unsure about skid steer.
It isn’t hard on the turf if you navigate with out sharp turns. I mow laterally on a hill so I do a kind of a side ways z pattern when I am at the end of mowing swath. I backup at an increasing angle until I am in position again, move forward to catch the grass not cut while backing up, then begin mowing the next strip. If it were not for the traction of these tires I would not be able to mow the areas I built the mower for.
I forgot to mention that this reply refers to the tires shown in my other videos.
@@giterbilt5146 awesome, thanks! I might start this project soon. Still researching the differences between tracks and tire options.
Mr. Giter Bilt i hired an electronics tech to check out the wiring on my machine with the info you provided and each item checked out. that being said the wheels still spin at a high rate backwards whenever i turn the key on without first turning of the flysky transmitter. there dosent appear to have any voltage at the b+ or B-. altho this does happen the machine seems to work as expected when the flysky transmitter is first activated then the key turned on. one more question i also have issues with the smaller run flat tires so i ordered the carlisle tires you have but the harbor freight dosent seem to have any pneumatic tires and wheel that will fit these tires any help again is appreciated i hope im not being a pest but i love this mower
I don’t believe harbor freight still sells the rims I have. I used 8 wheels to make the four wheels that I used. I only needed the rim half that did not have the bearing. I put the 2 non bearing half’s together, and used an inner tube sized for the tire in use. The harbor freight four bolt pattern would not work so I drilled new bolt pattern to match the motor hubs of the wheel chair motors. I did this using a rotary and my milling machine.
Danny, what is the make and model of the relay you are using?
good day, i tried to power my 24v relay with rc relay switch but i could not power to on and off the 24v relay. sir, is it possible if you could help with this matter? thank you so much
I used an Elechawk 8A remote control switch to open and close the 24V Contactor. Power to Elechawk switch is directly supplied by the 24V batteries. The Elechawk is turned on by a RC channel, which then supplies 24V to the contactor activation circuit, which then turns on the contactor to 24v power to the motor controller. If you have the same confirmation, and it does not work, test the 24V relay. Also ensure that the RC receiver is powered by a independent 5V circuit and not the 5V power from the motor controller.
Hello. Can you tell me which battery are you using? How long to charge?
Weize 12V 35AH Battery Rechargeable SLA Deep Cycle AGM Replace 12 Volt 33AH 34AH 36AH 30AH, in Series 24V 36V 48V for Power Patrol SLA1156 Ritar RA12-33 Renogy PV Solar Panels Bat-Caddy X3R Golf Caddy a.co/d/hDJ6Ei0
Thank you so much 🤜🤛
By using the alternator setup it takes 15 minutes charge time per hour of use.
molto bene anche se molto meglio se guidato da gps con il cell per coprire tutto il prato e fare un lavoro completo e in autonomia
Sir, the relays i used and i tried two of them were purchased from amazon and they are from china there is no name or model number of either.
Are they normally opened relays?
You are amazing! I would like to find someone to build a remote control device to pull a three-quarter inch waterline to irrigate 2 1/2 acres. Please contact me if you're interested.
Thanks for the comment. I wish I had time to take on a project such as this, thanks for asking.
Are you able to mass product this product for north America sales?
No, it is just a tool that I created to make maintaining my yard a safer chore. I created the mower videos to help others contemplating a four wheel drive mower build.
Hello can you send me the links where you bought the electric motors?
I bought them on eBay. I do not recommend these motors because of the difficulty duplicating the motor mounting pattern. Look for something that has a set of mounting holes that are symmetrical.
Mr giter Bilt I have finished the build of this mower and i have a couple issues i hope you might help me with when i turn on the key switch without first powering up the rc transmitter the left side wheels spin backwards very fast if i first power up the rc transmitter this dosent happen also i moved channel 6 to swiitch b and it dosent have any effect on the mower in either on or off position i think this may be due to something wired wrong on the elechawk switch please help thanks
Hi Danny, have you corrected the problem?
I updated the 2x60 wiring diagram to show more detail for the electhawk (From your comment posted in another video). To troubleshoot disconnect the motor controller B+ and remover the plug from the electhawk going to the receiver. Turn on the key, using a voltmeter, check POWER IN and GND it should read 24V. Check GND to POWER OUT it should read 0V. If it shows any voltage it is bad. If it is 0V, plug back in the receiver connection. Check GND to POWER OUT, it should show 0V. If not bad electhawk or a bad receiver channel. To test if it is the receiver energizing to elechawk remove plug for 5V +- going to BEC. If the voltage between POWER out and GND is 0V, then the receiver is causing the electhawk to energize. Also check relay wiring to ensure that POWER OUT and GND are on the correct pins. Hope this helps.
@@giterbilt5146 Hello sir, i tried all the suggestions you made and all were in compliance, however; still when i turn the key switch on without first powering up the flysky transmitter the left side wheels spin out of control rearward. if i first power on the flysky then they remain in stop position but the B switch has no effect on the operation of the robot. i thought the B switch would power off the robot in the event of a runaway. i have changed the flysky receiver; the 24v actuator and the elechawk switch but nothing changed. although the machine works fine im not sure this is how it is supposed to work thanks for any help
Hey Danny, the only way that the wheels can spin is if the motor controller has power. Somewhere you are supplying power to the motor controller. Remove all receiver connectors to the motor controller and electhawk. Step 1. With the key on or off there should be 0V between motor controller B+ and B-. Any thing else something is wrong. The purpose of the contactor/relay is to supply motor controller B+ with 24v when it is energized via the elechawk. If you turn the key on and you hear a click from the contactor/relay, it is being energized. With the key on the only the BEC (24v in 5v out) to receiver 5v and it is on, and the electhawk power + 24v in should have indicated voltage. Elechawk power + out to gnd should be 0v. The one leg of the contactor /relay should only have 24v, and should come from battery 24v positive. The other leg of the contactor/relay goes to motor controller B+ should be 0V. The the two lugs on the contactor/relay that turn it on, should have 0V between them. Be sure that one lug goes to the electhawk GND and the other to electhawk power out +. Do not proceed to next step if all voltages are not as described. If this is not as it should be, find the problem (recheck wiring and test each component separately). Everything good, proceed. Step 2. Turn off key and plug in electhawk rc cable to receiver Channel 6. Turn on transmitter then receiver(key on). Recheck all voltages in step 1. If they are not the same and motor controller B+ to B- is 24v, somehow channel 6 is turned on and energizing the electhawk to contactor/relay and supplying 24v to motor controller B+. Check transmitter setup for switch used to turn off and on channel 6. Until you get a switch working correctly on channel 6, you have defeated the purpose of using elechawk/contactor safety circuit for turning on and off the motor controller power. This is how I would trouble shoot the problem (this was also my component setup testing procedure). Good luck.
Mr Giter Bilt im not certain if they are open how can i tell?
Danny, the description of the relay should be on Amazon where you bought it. Normally Open single pole single throw (NO SPST) is what is needed. If you put a link in the comments, if will take a look at if for you.
WHERE DID YOU GET THE PARTS MOTORS WHEELS MOTOR DRIVER AND WIFI
eBay, Amazon, and Harbor Freight
Hi.alternator wiring please...thanks
The wiring for the alternator is negative wire to negative 24 battery terminal, positive wire to positive 24v battery terminal. The two 12v batteries are wired in-series. When I get a chance, I will do a battery/alternator schematic, and video. If you subscribe to my channel you will get an email when I upload the video.
what rim did you use?
Wheel rims and original tires are from Harbor Freight (discontinued).
I want to buy it
I need a your project ? Tanks
$2100!!! that was alot of money, sir!!
That is nothing for the amount of work done here.. I'd gladly pay 2100 for this gentleman to produce this.. That is such a bargain!
@@christracy7970 you know i try to make this machine for my brother too. i just charge him only $750. but i am not sure it is enough or not
what is the operating weight?
It’s approximately 250 pounds.
@@giterbilt5146 Thanks for that also didn't catch what batteries you were using?
Weize 12V 35AH Battery Rechargeable SLA Deep Cycle AGM, got them on Amazon
@Giter Bilt Thank You for Your Work
Would you consider building me one for a price ?
The labor costs for a build such as this would make it cost prohibitive to reproduce. Thanks for asking.
Los vendes?
No
Has nasa not phoned you yet
Can I have your email I’d please.
If you have a question, I can respond via the comments.
@@giterbilt5146 can you share the wiring diagram of 4 motors to the sabertooth controller .
Hi Gullapalli, There is a single wire for each M+ and M- controller channel to the each motor bank. Each wire is split at the connectors shown near the end of the video. The wire for M+ is split connecting to the front motor + and the rear motor -. The M- is split and goes to the front motor - and the rear motor +. The reversal of the + and - connections on the rear motor is because it’s normal rotation is opposite of the front because it is mounted backwards. I am currently working on an upgrade to a Sabertooth 2x60, and heavier gauge wiring. Hopefully I will be finished soon and will post a video on the upgrade. I will include a wiring diagram showing the upgraded wiring configuration.
Good day Mr.Giter Bilt,
Many thanks for your explanation of motor connection.appreciate if you can share the wiring diagram of the 4 motors to the sabertooth.Your mower looks great with new tyres.I wish you good health and happiness. Regards: G.K.Rao
I have added a link in the description to a Google drive folder that has the wiring diagram.@@gullapallisujatha424
Can we chat on email?
@@ben212-i5w I would be happy to answer any questions you might have here in the comments.
@@giterbilt5146 thanks,
How did you wire the motors and the linear actuator to the motor controllers?
@@ben212-i5w Hi Beniplatt, there is a link in the description to a wiring diagram for a single motor controller to the motors. The actuator are just electric motors, and are controlled by a separate controller which is not shown on the diagram. Read the comments for all my mower videos, they contain a wealth of information about the mower construction and wiring. Good luck with your project.
Thanks, do I connect both motor controllers to the Receiver?
Would be great for a wiring diagram of everything..
Alternator and everything