What's an easy to use, yet reliable, RC receiver and transmitter pair?
I have a pretty good idea about how to make a remote control using an Arduino, but I have no idea about the RC part.
There's a few options now and none of them are expensive. What kind of data do you need to send? Do you need 2-way communication?
(shopping on aliexpress)
1. there are cheap single-channel rf setups that have a 4-button remote, and a receiving unit board. usually 315 mhz, cost = $3, range is maybe ~50 feet line of sight
2. there are cheap single-channel "arduino" board modules there too, that just use TTL input to transmit "pulses" from the transmitter to the receiver board. One-way only and you must write the system to tell what the pulses mean. 315 or 433mhz, cost is ~$60 cents a set (xmit + recv boards)
3. there are NRF24L01 2.4ghz radio modules there for ~75 cents each. These are SPI devices but they support 2-way communication plus a bunch of other stuff. The PCB antenna ones have a range around 200+ feet line-of-sight.
4. you can also get the NRF24L01 modules with an external antenna that kicks the range up to 400-500 feet. Cost is maybe $3 each. For an RC toy, this is the best overall, IMO.
5. there are also ESP8266 modules. These are ~2.4Ghz, you can get them with PCB or external antennas, and they support TCP/IP connections so that you can connect to a web browser on a phone or PC. Cost is $2-$4 each, they are somewhat more hassle to use tho.
-----
A common problem with any of the NRF24L01 or ESP8266 modules is that they only need 3.3 volts but they can draw a lot of current when transmitting--500 milliamps or more.
Many people seem to underestimate the current draw and have problems as a result.
>>993242
BIKECAT
Xbee or NRFL24L01
>>993269
I'm making a remote controller, and I'm planning to connect the receiver to a PLC system. It's only one-way communication, but I need many channels (around 10 would be a safe bet).
Preferably, it has to be somewhat robust so that it could potentially be used for industrial applications.
Thanks for the recommendations, everybody. I'll check them all one by one.
>>993242
That's one qt catter.
>>993435
If you are going by line-of-sight, you can probably get away with an IR system.
To get multiple channels, just encode the channel number before the data, eg, '4;27' (Or, if you want, just send a channel ID byte and then a command byte)
That way, the system knows that remote number 4 sent the number 27...
