RC Robot Car - RC Controls and Arduino

Learn how Radio Controllers work, see how we can add an Arduino to the picture, and then build a radio-controlled robot car!
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Today, we will be using a Flysky FS-I6X, a very popular and inexpensive radio remote control transmitter with receiver.
I’ll show you the principles of this control, which is pretty well the same as any inexpensive 2.4 GHz unit. We’ll then hook it up to a few servo motors to see how it operates on its own.
But the real fun comes with attaching an Arduino to the receiver, and I’ll show you two ways of doing that.
The first way is to connect each channel's output to an Arduino Uno and read the pulses generated by the receiver in response to the transmitter. It’s pretty simple, and it gets the job done.
But another way of doing this is to use the iBus serial interface. This lets us use only one wire to get all the data from the receiver.
We’ll then take what we have learned and build a cool little radio-controlled robot car! This little toy has two modes, normal driving mode and a “spin” mode as well.
Here is the table of contents for today's video:
00:00 - Introduction
01:57 - How RC Controls Work
06:12 - Flysky FS-I6X
10:17 - Using a controller on its own
13:42 - Using a controller with Arduino
23:49 - Using iBus Output
29:23 - Build a Radio-Controlled Car
45:05 - Conclusion
As always, there is a corresponding article on the DroneBot Workshop website, where you can get all the code plus more information about using the Flysky FS-I6X with an Arduino.
Hope you enjoy the video!

[@Dronebotworkshop]

Hi everyone - It's come to my attention that there has been someone masquerading as myself, responding to some comments here with a link to a Telegram chat to win a prize from me. THIS IS A SCAM, I am not holding a contest, nor do I have a Telegram account. PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THESE MESSAGES!! It's happening on a lot of my videos, I'm taking steps to remove them manually, but as I have 162 videos, it will take some time. If you do run across a suspicious comment, I would appreciate you letting me know at [e-mail]. Thanks! Bill (The real one!)

[@matthewzannini5504]

I don’t usually comment on videos but this is amazing. First channel on this kind of stuff that has left me feeling empowered and capable instead of confused and discouraged. Thank you for your amazing videos and keep up the great work.

[@JeremyFieldingSr]

It looks like fun stuff coming in the future. Thanks for the video!

[@azyfloof]

Good to see you here! Huge fan 🥰

[@roseelectronics4582]

I'm a big fan of you, Jeremy.

[@whitneydesignlabs8738]

I love Jeremy's work.

[@priesthoodiii]

Hey what a small world!

[@BinuMadhav.NetWork]

I havent ever seen such a clear and comprehensive narration with the perfect pitch! You are simply amazing Sir!

[@steelyspielbergo]

I'm trying to learn enough to build an RC lawnmower. This is what I've been looking and waiting for.

[@nixo0077]

I also want to make RC lawnmower, or better FLYSKY lawnmower.

[@marc4687]

Thats a really cool project

[@fadelfarae6019]

When being lazy empowers your creativity. Lol

[@cryptohippo6008]

Bro same, did you ever get the mower goin?

[@steelyspielbergo]

@@cryptohippo6008 No. I'm ashamed, but I changed my mind. I wanted to build a really good one. ...good motors, wheels/tires, frame, pov camera, etc. I'd also need some tools, like a welder. IIRC, I figured I would spend $1300, not including the mower. So my Arduino kit has been collecting dust.

[@madlogik]

Bill, I'm in AWE ! Great video again! You have such a way of explaining things that makes it a breeze to watch 47 minutes of content! Thanks again.

[@sarojdebnath740]

Hello Bill, You are doing such an amazing job that my few words can not describe. I love your workshops.

[@jahidul_islam_60]

You are one of the best robotics teachers that I've ever seen on YT. THANK YOU SIR. Respect from Bangladesh 🇧🇩

[@scienceoftheuniverse9155]

Thank you so much Bill for such amazing tutorial. We really appreciate your effort

[@ianbertenshaw4350]

Fantastic video Bill ! Very comprehensive, easy to understand and fun to watch - thank you !

[@dannyng2048]

Hi! Bill, thank you for sharing and I really appreciate for you showing us how to work with RC flysky which is something I am currently also working on to get a bot tank working. Your video for today really helps a lot. Thank you.

[@MzunguMjinga]

My son and I did this project with the Devastator robot kit. He absolutely loved it.

[@mickeyfilmer5551]

I just bought a flysky a couple of months ago so this is brilliant. Thanks Bill.

[@TimCurry04]

I'm on Amazon right buying this and a few more gizmos! This is a must have, thx man.

[@chaozhang2342]

I just bought a radio controller for my son, this video is well introduced and helps us a lot. Thank you!

[@ChrisSmith-il5qe]

Thank you so much for putting the input values for each channel!

[@freedomfighter1419]

This was a fun project, thank you very much Bill.

[@333cgs333]

Hello Bill, what a great tutorial. Inspiring us. Thanks for all the good videos. Just got the rc controller to replicate what you taught us. Thanks again

[@tubeDude48]

Another great project, Bill.

[@TheUnofficialMaker]

This was excellent! I've got to build it. Again, thanks for the well made well explained videos you produce, you put alot of work into them and quality is amazing.

[@R2D2inAustralia]

By far ; the best tutorial I’ve watched this year, perfect alternative to the expensive proprietary boards I’ve been using in my R2D2 drive system

[@puggaming9109]

THIS YEAR?? THIS IS THE BEST OF ALL MY YEARS

[@jbflores01]

I ALWAYS enjoy watching your very well presented videos! Very detailed, made easy to follow, and comprehensive. Thank you for the hard work you definitely put into them!

[@Rhybos]

This is excellent!! The organization, the information, I can't believe I haven't heard of this channel before. Subscribed in the first 20 seconds XD

[@petermolnar6017]

As always, great stuff! Thank you!

[@rayleblanc7209]

I remote controlled a 10 hp Craftsman steerable track drive snow blower using an Arduino and all 10 channels on a Flysky RC controller. I wired and programmed the receiver the same way you do in the beginning and didn't use the I-Bus method. It took me a while being a novice with Arduino but got it all working. 8 servos ( 4 12 volt 180 kg and 4 6.7 volt 20 kg ) 1 12 volt geared motor along with 2 linear actuators. I can remotely start, control the choke, primer and throttle. I can engage and disengage the auger and the drive system. Shift into any forward or reverse gear as well as steer, lift-lower and rotate the chute. I added the linear actuators to lift the front when reversing or transport mode.

[@ReedTex]

You sir, inspire me! Thank you.

[@mor8266]

Another excellent simple video. Great learnings, thank you so much

[@haneen3731]

Thanks for this video. Exactly what I needed, great content!

[@sumantakumardutta986]

Wow!! Such an interesting topic!! Thanks for this!!!😀😀🎉🎉

[@SENAPATIENTERTAINMENT]

Most informative video ever, for those stuck with an UNO instead of a MEGA like me, do connect the ibus pin to the RX0 serial port in your UNO. 👍

[@brucefox6580]

I have ordered my Flysky FS-i6X RC Transmitter :)

[@gregorymccoy6797]

Well I learned a lot about RC xmitters. Thank you!

[@skylabby]

Had my robot sitting idle, will get a flysky and put this to work.. thank you for this information.

[@davedeline1590]

Thank you for this video! I was struggling and this has completely solved all of my issues. THANK YOU!

[@myidahohomestead.7123]

Just found this channel. Really looks good. Im building an eq mount for my telescope. Im good with the mechanical engineering part. The controlling part is giving me a hard time. This channel will help a lot.

[@abdulrazak_alnajjar596]

as always, unique and extremely useful video. thank you very much

[@Darkk6969]

Great use of the Arduino MEGA which I have sitting on the shelf. Now have to order more parts. lol :)

[@thorntontarr2894]

Bill, a very excellent video. Quite informative for sure.

[@mohammedk.h.f3016]

I love your work and your explanation, you are great.

[@chamluck]

Thank for explaination and demonstration. It's very useful for me to understand how it work with Arduino.

[@JohnAldred]

You must've known I was thinking about getting back into RC. Amazon literally just dropped off the FS-i6X along with the FS-iA6B and FS-iA10B receivers to me today! Took me ages to figure out how to read the signal from the receivers on the Arduino before finding this (haven't messed with servos before). I didn't think it'd be as much of a pain as it was. :)

[@electrohardik8497]

Wow that's really stupendous sir!

[@glensharp3275]

Another great video. I think I will get one of these remote controllers and use it for a Christmas tree project

[@thisoldjeepcj5]

At 26:10 and 37:30 always a good idea to comment the numbering changes in the code. Helps if you come back months later. Nice project.

[@jerredshifflett6287]

Great video with excellent content again. I would love another video based around this project using the pi pico and micropython.

[@pgabrieli]

very interesting as always. if I may suggest a future video, I would LOVE to learn how to get an arduino (or similar) to GENERATE the RC signals to talk to the RC receiver, instead of the radio. it would allow you to control off the shelf drones, for example! 😊 thanks again

[@fangameempire]

You can use the serial mode on an Arduino Uno if you're willing to disconnect the receiver from the Arduino's TX/RX every time you want to program it.

[@bassman2162]

Excellent video. I hope to get to build such a RC car for experience.

[@ivankarlwandag7398]

Very informative video! Thank you for making videos like this. Two thumbs up for you, sir.

[@n0madfernan257]

thank you, i plan for this kind of project

[@vatsalagrawal7832]

Sir you make great videos. THanks

[@DIYTech21]

Love your setup/Lab

[@bds1092]

Thank you for the good lecture.

[@syntaxerrohit]

A new cool intro 👍🏾 awesome !!

[@benjii5272]

Great video! Thank you very much.

[@x1roboticxs]

Thank you so much man I was looking for this kind of video for my homemade rc car

[@whitneydesignlabs8738]

I am excited to hear more about the robot project. I am currently designing a 6x6 bogie-rocker Mars rover style robot based on 6 wheel chair motors and wheel chair wheels. (Skid steer only, no steering motors yet; maybe will add later) I just ordered the radio and receiver that Bill demonstrates. (Amazon)

[@Victorggm]

This is the tutorías i was looking for!

[@MrJohnGuthrie]

Fantastic tutorial! I wish it didn't lean so heavily on the iBusBM library. iBus is developed by Flysky which rules out a bunch of other popular radios. I understand that there is more latency with the 'lots of wires' version where each channel on the receiver is wired to the arduino but it would have been nice to see that implementation and measure the latency and understand how it was introduced and see the tradeoffs. Maybe it's not even noticeable on a two wheel robot! Subscribed to your channel after seeing this video, hopefully we'll see more RC controlled robot platforms (love to see a 4wd outdoor robot tutorial!)

[@tahirqureshitgq7892]

Excellent, thanks.

[@mahfuoz63solidworks3]

Thank you very much for this excellent and short explanation شكرا جزيلاً

[@werneckpaiva]

I was watching your video to know if you were doing something different than me and then I noticed you are using my code. :) That's so funny. Awesome video. I'm glad I gave a tiny contribution to it.

[@youssefmohammed6126]

where is the code plz

[@PhG1961]

Great vidoe Bill !

[@jenskapmeyer2579]

This setup is exactly what I need to convert my autonomous lawn mower, of which the PCB is broken, into to an RC controlled one. That will be fun!

[@addaghsh]

Great work, thanks a lot sir .

[@funnyworld5482]

Hello Bill, Maybe one day you can do a video about just a few of the vast number of FlySky Receivers that are available. Also, Improvement modifications such as replacing antennas on the Transmitter for improved performance.

[@WildLifeBackyardCamera]

love it !! thanks you sir

[@Willis3DDruck]

Great Video Top!👍

[@amrishhirani6096]

Very good video thanks 👍

[@brianmoore5454]

Excellent video

[@wizzardofwizzards]

Outstanding value with this one! Lots of flexibility with the Arduino approach. The addition of an inexpensive PCA9685 module for further experiments could complement this? In any case, thanks again for such an insightful post!

[@wilsonperez-i7m]

Te amamos, saludos desde Colombia

[@joska9744]

super video!!! thanks!

[@mouhsinebenmbarek1978]

this is an amazing channel thank you sir!

[@sanderromer6490]

Nice. Thank you.

[@patbisson7338]

great video i just bought a mega instead of my uno and same speed controler instead of mu 298n to make this exact setup !

[@AChi__]

Excellent vid. I thank you with my sub. Subbed.

[@nixo0077]

SUPER, as usually

[@electronic7979]

Nice project

[@priesthoodiii]

great Video!

[@Bianchi77]

Nice video, thanks :)

[@VADYMSAVRII]

Thank you friends. You video very good to de people.

[@gapyearkisu.6661]

Thanks you my teacher. ❤❤❤

[@teocerda5367]

Thank you!

[@michaelzajac5284]

I'm glad you help me, I don't know how to robot. I really battle robot.

[@adambeedle]

So cool 👍

[@PerryLovewhistle]

The fs-i6 family is so much power for the money that I recommend everyone in RC, robotics, or even just hacking stuff get one. I have 3.

[@yuvrajkukreja9727]

awesome 👍

[@JonathanDeWitt1988]

This was another great video Bill. I'm not a big fan of the line of sight requirement for the controller. But the packaging of the controls is certainly appealing (enough that I want to go out and buy one and build a car like this). I've used HC-12 modules to send signals long distance and it doesn't require line of sight. I'm wondering what the disadvantages of that over this method are. Obviously having to build the controls into a microcontroller package that uses the HC-12 is required in that setup versus this. These controls are already pre-packaged. So that would be more time consuming. I'm wondering if there is also a speed of communication factor. Thank you for making and sharing this video and the accompanying article. I appreciate how much hard work you put into this.

[@oussamafetoui2186]

Thank you sir

[@For_the-love_of_physics]

All in one robot PCB

[@PakshiMedia]

Thank You

[@williamrodrigues6384]

Hi Bill!!! How are you? Greetings from Brazil!! I really like your videos with very explanatory content. Congratulations on your commitment!! If possible, I would like you to show us a replacement of the L298 with two BTS7960 drives which are very robust for larger motors. I hope your KZbin channel enthusiasts will support me in this request. Hugs from a fan and friend.

[@a7omar753]

I want it... Brilliant

[@qwkimball]

Every time a notification appears for one of your videos, my immediate question to myself is, "Is it my birthday?!"

[@marathivyakaranchannel3913]

Hey man I just gave my neet exam for which I studied 2 years without my hobbies... So now I want to give time to my hobbies i recommend you some videos please make viDeo if possible coz no one explains better than you.. Tesla coil real working Continue making a real robot series Long range rc control with fpv Line follower robot Arduino basics Raspberry pi robots Etc..Please make at least 1 video out of these in 2 weeks..

[@Automation28]

Nice!

[@markday3145]

Some 3.3V microcontrollers have 5V tolerant GPIOs. They can only output 3.3V, but can handle 5V inputs. Many STM32 GPIO pins are 5V tolerant, including on the "blue pill" and "black pill" boards.

[@mrwpwpunyawang6700]

Useful

[@user-mj3qg6cc2z]

Thanks for everything. But If you have the time can you make video explaining the PID for drones using arduino And thanks again