How to Convert Your Power Wheels to Radio Control
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- This video shows how I took a Power Wheels style vehicle and converted it to a large scale RC vehicle.
All of the items I used in this build are listed below with links to purchase.
Hummer HX - www.amazon.com...
Linear Actuator -
www.amazon.com...
Actuator Control Board -
www.amazon.com...
LiPo Battery -
www.ebay.com/i...
Hobbywing ESC -
www.ebay.com/i...
Brushed-Waterproof-Speed-Controller-ESC-30105400/232448853518
Transmitter/Receiver -
www.ebay.com/i...
Cool/Funny Shirts: www.etsy.com/s...
Many years later and you still have the best possible setup.
SO COOL! So many ride-on cars out there but few (quality) remote control cars available!
I’ve been watching this video over and over.. how the heck did you get the linear actuator to return to center when letting go of the receiver ? It’s killing me 😂
Good evening,
Long shot but I got everything exactly as shown in video. I’ve wired it up according to your information as well as manufacturers recommendations. Still having trouble with it self centering, it only goes to one extreme of actuator
Have you figured this out?
Great vid. Can I ask how long the 4s LIPO’s last before needing to be recharged with a kid in car? Am I right in saying with a heavier load the motors would create more amps and the batteries would discharge quicker?
Usually the LiPo lasts about 20-30 minutes. That really depends on the mAh and discharge rate. Otherwise, you are correct that the heavier the load the faster the battery will discharge.
Not sure why you’d go to the trouble of the incredibly slow actuator instead of using servos. They move in an arc like the steering arm so no geometry issues, and can move as fast as you can turn the wheel on the controller. use longer arms to get as much throw as you need. Multiply the torque by doing 3+ servos linked in series and you should have plenty of power and no need for special controllers, just standard readily available rc stuff
Thanks Emerson. Post a link to your build when you're done.
Can you link me to some Servos that might work? I'm in the middle of a build myself and Id love to use a servo instead of linear actuator
ACTUATOR ISSUES
Many people are having trouble with the wiring for the actuator. The solution is to GO TO YOUR SELLERS WEBSITE AND FIND THE COLOR OF THE FEED BACK WIRE TO "YOUR" ACTUATOR. All feed back actuators have the same 5 colors but the blue, white, and yellow wires have different signals for each seller. My Servo City actuator has a blue feed back wire. Actuonix I believe has a yellow feed back wire. I was stumped due to the fact that none of the videos or pictures I found on line had the blue wire going into the correct pin (for my actuator). Regardless of what color it is make certain it goes into pin 2 of the X4 wiring section.
Working on doing this for my daughter, having issues with the actuators.
It’s not turning the wheels
Could it be bad, and how can I test it
Apply power to the black and red wires, the actuator should retract and extend depending on polarity.
can you convert it back by just hooking the original connections back in or are there steps i didn't see that would keep that from happening? also, can you leave the battery connections in and still hook up the RC so that both can control it?
Yes, just replace the original connections for the child to drive. I don't think you can connect both at the same time...maybe. I never tried that.
I'm a newbie to RC and Linear actuators in general. Could someone please point me in the direction of a tutorial on how to "set" the center point of the linear actuator? I was going to use a FIRGELLI AUTOMATIONS FA-PO-35-12-4'' (5:1) 12VDC STROKE ACTUATOR with a built-in potentiometer. But before I mount it I wanted to understand how to set the "center point". Do I need to measure the midpoint between the 2 limits before physically mounting the actuator or is it programmable somewhere? I will be using an Actuonix Linear Actuator Control Board with my RC controller.
jhawk1977 - Awesome setup. Im looking to do a similar setup although im looking to wire the ESC straight to the foot pedal. Is this possible?
I'm sure it's possible, I'm just not sure how. The ESC operates on channels. Channel 2 is setup to move the motor forward or backwards, so I don't know how pressing the pedal would work to control that.
Sick bro! Mad props!! Is there a kit to buy ot have to buy all separate?
You have to buy it all separately. I'm sure better parts are available now...maybe cheaper too.
congratulations for the nice video, but how can you use both the radio control and the accelerator pedal? thanks
How long would something like this last? Our son has a disability and we keep wearing his regular RC ride-ons out within about a year. You're right, the ones you can buy already attached to RC are low quality. If we had a good quality ride-on, like the Hummer you used, would this last more than a year do you think? We use it at least five days a week when the weather permits.
Yes, it will last for more than a year. It durable enough for sure.
Does that LiPo pack have an internal Low Voltage Protection or is that built into the ESC? Cool video 😀
It's built into the ESC. You can do it either way though.
The linear actuator the link sends me to has a 2 inch stroke is that right???
Do you need to have the switch on the control board? What size actuator did you use? And how would you wire a 4 wire actuator?
I'm not sure what you're asking..."switch on the control board?"...not sure what that means. The actuator I used is linked in the description, so you can clearly see the specs. I don't know how I would wire a 4 wire actuator as I only know what I did in the video. Sorry.
What kind of resistance does the actuator make on the steering when the child wants to drive on their own? Im thinking of installing this but am worried that I may render the actual steering useless for my kid. Thanks in advance.
I'm actually not sure. My kids didn't drive it. My nephew (age 2) sat in it, while I drove it remotely, but no one ever drove it after the conversion. Sorry I couldn't answer that one.
Imagine your kid thinking being in there thinking they are driving and then you do all stunts and scare them
Did you have to make any adjustments on the lac board to get that actuator to work? I bought the same one and cant seem to get mine to do anything.
No. I didn't make any adjustments on the board, but the wiring they suggested was not correct for me. I had to try multiple wiring setups to get it to finally work. My wiring diagram shows my actual setup laid over the one they provided, which did NOT work.
I'm wanting to get a list of what you used. Some of the items aren't showing up. Can you help please?
What are you missing?
@@jhawk1977 nothing now. I guess I should've watched your video all the way through😂
Proper linear actuator on the description? I do not want the 2 wire
This makes manual steering not an option for a kid then, is that correct?
Correct
Do you have product info on box that holds LAC? Thanks.
I'm looking at your picture of the lac control board and wondering how you connected the servo extension cable to it. It looks like you trimmed the connection to get it to mate up!
Not sure where in the video you're referring to, but at 15:27 I show the board and the servo extension cable...it was not trimmed at all. It was directly plugged in, no trimming or modification required.
@@jhawk1977 15:25 the servo extension is plugged in. 15:34 shows it unplugged. The servo extension plug does not fit due to the metal piece underneath the 3 prongs in the board that you can see at 15:34.
At 15:34 it's not plugged in, but the 3 prongs on the left side are where it plugs in. Again, it was not trimmed at all. It was directly plugged in, no trimming or modification required.
@@jhawk1977 I realized I was trying to connect the female end, lol. I figured it out...thanks!
When I plugged in the linear actuator it goes full left and that's where it parks. How do I make park the center of the stroke?
I want to do this with my power wheels but it's 6V powered. What components will I need to change in order to get it working?
You'd need a new battery and possibly a new motor/gears. Sometimes when you increase the power being provided, it will overstress the gearing system, so you have to be careful.
I'll have a video up on how to do a 6v build with a servo for the steering wheel on my girls mini copper
Aaron Brown any progress on this ?
I can’t seem to get the actuator to get centered, I tried using the trim on the radio and it doesn’t seem to do much, any suggestions??
The actuator should self center from the factory regardless of use or setup. If it's not doing that, I would troubleshoot with the seller.
jhawk1977 I turned back the accuracy pot on the board and seemed to get a better result. Is this something you had to do?
@@thesilentcircus Ahhhh, yes, now I remember. You do have to make that adjustment to get it centered. Sorry.
Is there a link i can get for all these items purchased? Not the powerwheels itself. Just the amazon items?
Sorry, there isn't. A lot of this stuff wasn't from Amazon. You can check Amazon, eBay and Google, in general. You should be able to find everything you need.
@@jhawk1977 i don't care where i get it from i just want to make sure i get the right stuff the 1st time. So you don't have the links for it?
@@anthonybennett3002 Did you read the video description or just jump down and start writing comments? There is a FULL list of everything I used in the video description.
Watched the whole video. It helps but the 860 esc was on amazon for $125 so that didn't line up. Theres a 1060 for $38 that seems like it'd work. Also, having hard time finding LAC. And was having issue finding 40lb 4" one but i think i got that now
I am now working on doing one of these conversions and cannot figure out this LAC. If I take the red and black wires from the linear actuator to the battery it extends and retracts flawlessly when switching polarity. If I leave the actuator in it's retracted position, it will extend once connected to the LAC and do nothing else. I have it connected to channel one on my receiver and as suggested by @CKCgarage cut the center lead of the servo extension wire. The LED on the LAC will brighten or dim depending on which way i turn the wheel on the remote. But the actuator does nothing. I've tried White Black Red Blue Yellow, White Black Red Yellow Blue, Blue Black Red Yellow White, Blue Black Red White Yellow, Yellow Black Red White Blue and Yellow Black Red Blue White and the actuator will not actuate. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
did you find a solution to this? having the same issue.
did you ever figure this out? I'm literally in the same position right now
could you just make it fast by changing the gear ratio assume it geared down for a small child swap the gears should fly
how did you wire the LAC to the Progressive actuator. Mine doesn't work
I tried to be as clear as I could at 15:25 and 15:36. There is a clear diagram of how I wired the LAC to the actuator.
ACTUATOR ISSUES
Many people are having trouble with the wiring for the actuator. The solution is to GO TO YOUR SELLERS WEBSITE AND FIND THE COLOR OF THE FEED BACK WIRE TO "YOUR" ACTUATOR. All feed back actuators have the same 5 colors but the blue, white, and yellow wires have different signals for each seller. My Servo City actuator has a blue feed back wire. Actuonix I believe has a yellow feed back wire. I was stumped due to the fact that none of the videos or pictures I found on line had the blue wire going into the correct pin (for my actuator). Regardless of what color it is make certain it goes into pin 2 of the X4 wiring section.
nice mod, can a switch be installed to go from full RC, to regular mode for kid to drive?
Yes, you can install a switch to engage/disengage the pedal, however, steering may be a little stiff with the actuator attached.
@@jhawk1977 umm now I wonder what's the setup manufactures use on power wheels that includes the remote, I thought it was the same setup you have
They use a very simple Bluetooth module. Range is about 20 feet.
@@jhawk1977 ohh, and for turning they use a servo type motor? That would enable kids to also turn with ease.
What balance charger do you have/use?
A simple B6 LiPo charger
Are you stil active sir?
Active? On YT, yes. Army, no.
I'm thinking about doing this to my boys power wheel tank but it has electric steering
Should still work...steering will just be faster!
@@jhawk1977 its a 24 volt im worried about frying the esc without downgrading the battery and loosing its top speed
Where did you purchase your LAC board case?
The same place I purchased the LAC board. PM me I have an extra I'll send you.
@@jhawk1977 Thank you so much i appreciate it.
@@jhawk1977 do you have a part number for the case. I am having trouble finding them.
Does the steering self centern?
This is answered and demonstrated at 16:00
Awesome video... Looking to do the same and instructions are clear. Thank you!!
2 questions:
Linear actuators available are only of 2 wire type in my area
I can't get any actuator control boards in my area
Do I need the actuator control board or is there something else I can use instead of the control board?
I suppose with the 2 wire actuator I can only turn sharp all the way to the left or right. No in between??
I know you're saying you can't these items in your area...why? I ordered from the internet, eBay, etc...are you not able to do the same thing?
@@jhawk1977 I live in South Africa and ordering these units are either very expensive (The price of a new ride on car) or not available to deliver to South Africa.
You can also use a quarter scale/ 1/5 scale / high torque servo. They are also faster than actuators
@@Hollis.Hopper12 would I need to get the positional Servo
Good j9b I'm next to do this let's see how it goes
Cool! Let me know if you have questions.
jhawk1977 thank you yea I really need to do this for my son r8. The controller is to weak it hold only 12v no more then that the car is heavy have a lot of weight so need more volt to run it .
So I got the receiver the controller ESC my other question the power Wheel I have have a DC motor for steering do I need the actuator control board to steer cuz that's just an In-N-Out but the remote control that comes with it I want to know if I could control and jump it into the ESC I guess I got to try I don't want to purchase the actuator knowing that the motor DC that I have to control the steering is actually left and right to do the same thing as a actuator just got to get up board I got to play with it
If there is a motor for steering you should be able to connect it to the ESC.
jhawk1977 okay cool I'm not trying to do that now I'm working on it but I will need a control module bored to steer correct or just connect negative from positive until the ESC let me try thank you
I like the video but I’m trying to follow, I’m more then a little competent about doing stuff like this, but you keep changing stuff around too much. I want to do this to a car but I don’t want it for crazy speeds
I just want the basics, what’s my move
Just follow the video, but get a lower power battery or just dial down the proportions on the throttle.
Put a cooler in the seat area. Drive your beer around town.
I sold it to a guy that did that. He uses it to get his fishing gear and beer down to the lake so he doesn't have to carry it all.
So I'm using the same things you are using, but I'm using the factory battery to run everything and I'm having some issues. Can you give me some help?
Yes. What issues are you having?
Are you still responding to comments I have a few questions
Sure. What's your question?
🤣
Hi, I am sorry to bother, I Can't afford the part, would you ind to give me some eft over part i could use for this project, pleqase my son like to have his power wheels converted to a remote controled, he has been trying evering, please let me please, we foud this power wheel in a crash can and he wanted it coonverted into a rc car, please let me knwo by replyinh.