Operating a Linear Actuator with RC Controls using a LAC Board and ESC

Link to Actuonix's LAC Board tutorial: • Linear Actuator Contro...
In this video you will see the steps needed to operate a linear actuator with an RC transmitter using a LAC Board and Electronic Speed Controller (ESC).
Below are links to the items I used:
For a heavy duty actuator use: www.progressiv...
Actuonix Linear Actuator with Feedback- P16 series 100mm
www.actuonix.c...
Linear Actuator Control Board:
www.actuonix.c...
12 Volt (5 amp) Battery:
amzn.to/3iH10Yo
RC Transmitter and Receiver:
amzn.to/3BGaJ9K
Remember when selecting an ESC you need to make sure it is compatible with your motor. i.e. make sure that it is either for Brushed or Brushless motors.

[@as_7867]

Thank you for the information sir 🙏🏻🙏🏻 because I plan to use this LAC board for a remote-controlled my lawn mower.

[@as_7867]

At which online shop can I buy and get the LAC board ? Is it for sale at Shopee or Tokopedia Olshop ? If you wish, please include the purchase link for the shop, sir 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@DadHacks]

@as_7867 I got my board here: www.actuonix.com/lac

[@Reanimationed.]

@DadHacks - Any link for your ESC?

[@juniorrojas3016]

Looking to make a small custom cart and am trying to apply your setup. My question is being able to have it traveling from 3-8mph varying on the throttle. Is there a certain amp rating for the ESC you’d recommend? Or will the remote throttle drive well. Just trying to prevent a hard launch with the throttle

[@DadHacks]

A 60amp rated ESC should be plenty. The remote throttle should prevent a hard launch

[@cmanzan21]

Hi will my son still be able to manually drive the car? For example if he wants to drive it himself while i use the controller if he ever goes in the middle of the street i can use the rc to steer him away from incoming cars

[@DadHacks]

No, I wouldn’t recommend that setup. The issue is that if he steers onto the street, the force of the actuator won’t be great enough to overpower his manual steering. However, you may not need the steering control if he is old enough to steer. If you are controlling the throttle and you see him start to steer into the street, you could just release the throttle to stop him

[@cmanzan21]

@@DadHacks hes a 3 year old still not able to understand the danger of incoming vehicles, but he is able to drive it no problem. I have the weelye rx 30 im trying to have it converted to radio rc with an actuator but having trouble trying to combine the manual pedal driving along with the rc functions.

[@DadHacks]

Do you think a remote kill switch would be helpful? If you see him start to steer in the wrong direction, you could just kill the power to the car.

[@aerorecondrones3830]

Hi, im having a small challenge. Everything is wired up exactly and working quiet well aside from the fact that the linear actuator is failing to hold position. After moving it one direction or the other, it'll move all the way to the extreme all on its own depending on the side thats shortest this makes it impossible to hold a center position. This doesnt happen when i bypass the actuator controllers so its clear thats the fault but i cant figure out how to solve it even after tinkering with the settings on the controller. Any idea how to solve this?

[@DadHacks]

Check your remote control “steering trim” setting. Mess around with it to see if it changes anything. Also check the control board. If that doesn’t work, look at the 2 blue boxes on the control board, try turning them a little, that will change the length it goes in and out

[@dancearoundtheworld5360]

i got a WLTOYS wheelloader with the steering system failure was wondering if this kit would work to steer my circuit board doesnt show any power going to it but ive only lost steering

[@DadHacks]

It would be a lot easier just to replace the circuit board with something like this: a.co/d/fg870Te

[@dancearoundtheworld5360]

@@DadHacks so like a ride toy style, i see, and my rc uses a 7.4v battery should i just throw a 12v at it or keep it at 7.4. just gut it all and connect everything into that board

[@DadHacks]

@@dancearoundtheworld5360 sorry, I had sent the wrong replacement board. Have you searched WL Toys website for replacement boards? www.wl-toys.com/Wltoys-20402-Spare-Parts-38-0655-Circuit-board-Receiver-board-Wltoys-20402-Rc-Car-racing-car-Spare-Parts-Replacement-Accessories-On-Road-Drift-Racing-Truck-Car-Parts-29902.html

[@dancearoundtheworld5360]

@@DadHacks yep there website only sold the speaker and that board in the link doesnt match motor works when i put direct 9v to it 😁😁😁 really fun the brand, like no product testing was done

[@PeterSiekiera]

Hey. How reliable this set up has been ? Any ESC issues since it’s been on 12V battery ???

[@DadHacks]

No issues with the ESC. One thing to consider is how much the actuator will be used and if it’s going to be used on grass vs pavement. If it’s constantly moving in and out, it will burn out. And using it on grass will put more pressure on it than on pavement, which is easier to push the wheels

[@PeterSiekiera]

@@DadHacks going to go a the heavy duty one. Pavement only. We got other power wheels to go off road with

[@PeterSiekiera]

@@DadHacks I also noticed your convo w another member. And the brand you used was the bottom trim actuator. I was thinking same brand but higher output because they are cheaper than the heavy duty one you shared the link to but I don’t want to just throw 100 bucks out the window to learn it didn’t last

[@PeterSiekiera]

Hey mate Thank you so very much for this video. I got inspired and going to copy this set up. Please let me know if this actuator is the right for a big power wheel vehicle or should I go with something that is slightly quicker ? Thanks much

[@DadHacks]

I’d go with a little more heavy duty actuator, which means the speed is actually a little slower. Something with specs similar to this: www.progressiveautomations.com/products/linear-actuator-with-potentiometer?variant=18277322555459

[@PeterSiekiera]

@@DadHacks ok thanks much And would you know the answer to this question Can I run the same brushed ESC in conjunction with 18V set up or 36V ? I want the car to be still remote operated. I got a 775 motor set up with a soft start, and brake module. I would like to operate off of one battery but if I have to have two batteries of different voltage so be it. You let me know if this is even feasible for my application. If no - then what needs to be done ? I am guessing , I am stuck with a 12V set up only ??? Thanks much - you are great

[@PeterSiekiera]

@@DadHackshow many max lbs is the one you put in your kid’s Audi? Just curious - I emailed the supplier and awaiting their answer. I need anything around 35lbs + . The more robust feedback actuators are too slow. Let me know thanks again!

[@DadHacks]

@@PeterSiekiera the one I used was 100mm/ 22:1 gearing ratio that allows for a max force of 50 newtons.

[@PeterSiekiera]

@@DadHacks thanks for the info. 50 newtons equals roughly 12 lbs - thanks for the reference ! I also found another video where you recommended using buck step down converter - I think that is the last piece of equation for me. Going to have one for the ESC and the linear actuator as I am planning on running drill batteries of 36V combined. Thanks again

[@angelnieves4929]

Instead of using 2 different batteries would it be possible to just add a voltage regulator and lower the voltage for that specific piece ?

[@DadHacks]

Yes. You would want a step-down buck converter

[@redrighthandarts]

I'm building the same thing ❤

[@redrighthandarts]

Can I strap my 4s batteries to it or do I need to drop them down to 12v?

[@DadHacks]

It depends what what the motor voltage is rated for. The actuator will need to be on 6 or 12 volts (also depends on what its rated for)

[@redrighthandarts]

@@DadHacks hey so i got all my stuff in and its a diffrent actuator than you have and its not working like its suposed to. i set it up as its suposed to and it just extends the arm out and stayes there. any sugestions?

[@DadHacks]

@redrighthandarts I’m assuming the actuator just has 2 wires? Try playing around with the steering trim on your RC transmitter and then obviously turn the steering wheel on the transmitter to test it

[@redrighthandarts]

@DadHacks naw, it's got 5 wires it's supposed to work with this board but it's just not responding to any rc signals being put in

[@DadHacks]

When the arm extends out, are you doing anything to it from the RC transmitter? Or once you turn the power on, it automatically just extends?

[@sebastiancortes2118]

Hi, are you able to run 2 actuators off of one LAC board? Or are 2 boards needed and if so is it possible to run both boards off of one Remote? Thanks

[@DadHacks]

I haven’t tried to run 2 off one board, but I don’t think it’s possible (the description of the board says that it “controls 1 linear actuator”). I think you could run 2 actuators off 1 remote. You would need to buy a 3 way servo cable that plugs into channel 1 of the RC receiver. Then from there, each servo cable could be connected to the two boards. Here’s a link of a 3 way servo wire: www.amazon.com/dp/B07WCGX531/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_0S122XCZNHZMAPAX6HCD

[@sebastiancortes2118]

@@DadHacks Ok I see! Thanks for the promt response I really do appreciate!

[@sebastiancortes2118]

@@motomike2252 Thanks, order 2 actuators and got 2 lac for free!

[@deankay4434]

Instead of a 12 Vdc 5 amp battery, use a motorcycle battery instead. The terminals can be adapted to anything. I just diagnosed and fixed vehicles at dealers & shops for decades, but after a period of time at a motorcycle shop, I had already owned 7 different bikes, rode them, fixed them and sold those or traded in. Just thinking out loud as I don’t know the price. ASE Master Tech since 78.

[@Boyhariini]

dimana beli alat nya bang?

[@kelvinalmeda5999]

How did you get the actuator to return to center ? Is this something you had to program through usb with the lac board utility ? Thanks

[@DadHacks]

The actuator I’m using has position feedback. A simple way to tell if the actuator has position feedback is to see how many wires the servo cable has. If it only has a red and black or red/black/white then it does not. If it has 5 different color wires, then it does have position feedback

[@DadHacks]

Also, on the LAC board there are controls to limit how far or how short the actuator travels. But if it has position feedback, the it will return to the center

[@PeterSiekiera]

Can you tell us which steering model you actually used in this build ???? Please and thank you

[@DadHacks]

@user-vy4ko7ms3p by steering model, do you mean the actuator?

[@PeterSiekiera]

@@DadHacks yes, sir. Sorry about that. I think I know which one you used , now. Sorry for the trouble

[@ultimatums1]

you will need to increase the volume pitch. can barely hear you at normal volume level.

[@carloslabbe9675]

Hi! Can I use any linear actuator?

[@DadHacks]

The short answer is No. But there are different types you can use. The one I was using has “position feedback”, which returns the actuator to center when no steering input is received. Position feedback is a nice feature, but not a “must”. Other things to consider are: the Force of the actuator, how fast it moves and it’s voltage

[@Malfarius1]

So I have pretty much the same setup, however, I can't get the linear actuator to sit in a neutral position.

[@DadHacks]

Hmm, so it will go in and out, but it won’t return to the “neutral” set up? Can you check out many colors are on the actuator’s cord? Is it just red and black/ red, black and white or multiple colors?

[@Malfarius1]

@@DadHacks its red, black, white, yellow and blue

[@Malfarius1]

@@DadHacks yeah, when the wheel on the controller isn't touched it sits all the way out

[@DadHacks]

On the Remote (transmitter), what number is the “Steering Trim” set at?

[@Malfarius1]

@@DadHacks its set in the neutral position. No numbers

[@millzimatt]

is the motor attached to the LAC board ? Otherwise Howd you control it ?

[@DadHacks]

The LAC board is just for the linear actuator, you can control the motor without a LAC board. The LiPo battery connects to the ESC (electric speed control) unit. The ECS connects to the RC receiver via a servo cable.

[@shauntheoret8821]

Hi just wondering if you can use the 12 volt battery to power the esc, I would like to use a similar setup but to control a 12 volt motor to make a sawmill travel up and down its tracks, right now I'm using a 12 volt pwm but would like to add the rc remote so that the wheel can make it go up and down and the trigger go front and back on the tracks, thanks for any help

[@DadHacks]

Hi, Yes. You can use a 12v battery to power the ESC as long as the ESC is rated to handle “3s”; which just means 3 cells

[@Austin.44]

This linear actuator is not suitable for a power wheels conversion. After watching your videos and using this setup on my project, the linear actuator only lived for about 20 mins. It’s maximum force is 15lbs and puts a lot of stress on the actuator. After speaking with someone at Actuonix directly, they recommend their LAC board but a FA-PO-35-12-4 in place of their linear actuator.

[@DadHacks]

There are 3 different levels of power for this actuator. It sounds like you got the lowest level of force (50N or about 11 lbs). I’m using one with about 90n or 20lbs of force. There is also one that offers 300N or 67lbs of force. It looks like the one you linked has about 35 lbs of force.

[@theinmiller7]

​@@DadHackshey again, what stroke length did you end up using, 2 or 4 inches?

[@DadHacks]

@@theinmiller7 the 4 inch might be your best bet. You can control the min and max lengths on how far the actuator goes out (or in) by setting on the control board

[@rcmod642]

great job!! lac board in aliexpress?

[@DadHacks]

No, I haven’t seen any there. Actuonix has them for $40, or they are 50% off when you purchase an actuator www.actuonix.com/LAC-Board-p/lac.htm

[@rcmod642]

@@DadHacks thanks!!

[@actuonixmarketing205]

@@rcmod642 This is correct - Actuonix doesn't sell on Ali Express. LAC can be bought directly from their site, from RobotShop and a variety of other distributors.

[@ElectricScienceDad]

Think I care about control a tricycle with this setup

[@DadHacks]

I’m not sure how it would work on a tricycle. I’d recommend getting a tricycle that a parent can control like this one a.co/d/cuVhi3u