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Old 06-05-2025, 06:35 PM
dremu dremu is offline
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Default Re: ~1:12 Miller Century M100 Rotator wrecker

Even with modified firmware, a traditional TX just won't have enough knobs & switches to control a beast like this. I opted, then, to graft an ESP32 and an array of switches and rotary encoders onto the back of my TX:





Left dial is for light mode, with two traffic directors (left-to-right and right-to-left, natch), a gentle orange hazard blink, and a seizure-inducing white and orange rapid strobe pattern. Clicking it changes brightness from attention-getting to truly blidning.

Right dial selects which legs will be moved in/out, the yellow LED's above indicating by quadrant. Clicking it resets to the default of all four legs. The red LED up top turns green depending on crane position, discussed later.

Like the 1:1, winch controls are color coded, because it's easy to get turned around when the crane is turned one way and the operator another. Is "left" "left", or "right"? This way the blue control moves the blue hook, can't get it wrong. You'll hear the operators say "Out on blue a bit", this sort of thing.

The other controls should be self-explanatory, save that I couldn't find a nice way to fit the word "Outriggers" on there and had to settle for "Legs." Which, again, she know how to use them, thank you Billy F. Gibbons.

Finally, said addition to the TX has one or two wires on it.



Since it's basically a metric butt-load of switches, the ESP has to rely on a coupla I2C expanders and there's just too many connections for me to even try and make a PCB for it. I just jumped point-to-point, but at least they're color-coded so I know what's what.
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I mean, how hard can it be?

Last edited by dremu; 06-05-2025 at 09:31 PM.
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