How do you control winches on RC crawlers?

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Blarfnort

RCTalk Rookie
Messages
23
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24
Location
Mobile - Everywhere and Nowhere
RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
  2. Crawling
I've been watching videos of crawling competitions, and I'm wondering how you control your winch? Is it just one of the channels on the transmitter? It seems like you'd need a transmitter with the right button setup to control it... like, say, the Channel 3 up/down momentary on a Spektrum SLT3 or DX3. I'm thinking in terms of the classes where you can't use dig or 4WS, so it's just throttle/steer and one more (winch). Am I right?

BUT, turns out the guy I'm watching (West Desert Wheeler) is using a Flysky GT5 (which I have), but he doesn't say how his winch is setup, if he's using the controller.

So... educate me please?
icon_smile.gif
 
I've been watching videos of crawling competitions, and I'm wondering how you control your winch? Is it just one of the channels on the transmitter? It seems like you'd need a transmitter with the right button setup to control it... like, say, the Channel 3 up/down momentary on a Spektrum SLT3 or DX3. I'm thinking in terms of the classes where you can't use dig or 4WS, so it's just throttle/steer and one more (winch). Am I right?

BUT, turns out the guy I'm watching (West Desert Wheeler) is using a Flysky GT5 (which I have), but he doesn't say how his winch is setup, if he's using the controller.

So... educate me please?
icon_smile.gif
This is one way to do it:
There are also other ways. You just need to do a google search for how to control a winch with a gt5.
 
Some also have their own remote. Some ebay ones and I think rc4wd have a small remote with 2 or 3 buttons. I havent bought one yet so I can't comment on setting one up with a radio.
 
The winches I have came with a separate remote but I don't use it. It's just my wife, my sister and her BF that crawl together so no reason for them actually besides looks.
 
I have a cheap radio I modified. It's a Turnigy TS4g, I bought it to use on my crawlers since I wasn't worried about a run away, but I was actually quite surprised how well this radio works. Unfortunately, they have been discontinued and I haven't been able to find any receivers for it anymore. Anyway, I removed the potentiometer and replaced it with self centering on/off/on micro toggle, now I can easily operate my winch from the radio.

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Mine came with it's own remote. I velcro the remote to the base of my Flysky tx.
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I thought crawler competitions just used a stick with a rope on it? I've seen videos of this method and thought that was the norm.
 
Anyone have a good way to control an internally spooled servo winch, like a Holmes Torquemaster, with a remote control. I am using a Traxxas radio, without a dedicated channel. It seems most of the wireless winch controllers only work with the lower voltage, scale, bumper mounted units.
 
The simple answer is, while some (usually inexpensive) winch services come with their own remote, the rest are controlled via the Tx. Of the servo winches controlled via TX, some have built-in containers, while others require an external controller (personally, I prefer those with a built-in controller.

As for actually controlling the winch, you can use any available channel on your Tx. Obviously, that means you need to be using a Tx with at least 3 channels (while I have a FS GT3C, that is specifically for some boats...any crawlers are all in either the Futaba 7PX (7 channels), or FS Noble NB4 (12 channels)). Additionally, you don't want to use (and, really, shouldn't be using) a 'button' on the Tx...you should be using a 'switch' - specifically, a 3-way switch, so that centered is 'of', and (for example) Up is 'out' & Down is 'in'. Alternately, you can use a dial, program the "step" value to 100, and use the dial similarly to a 3-way switch.

As for how, specifically, to program the setup, I can't help you. Each Tx has different programming. Even Txs from the same brand can have different programming. For programming steps, either consult your owner's manual, or someone who has the same Tx as you. FYI, the step for programming a Tx to control a winch servo aren't that different from the steps to programming controlling other accessories (such as LEDs). The biggest (and, in many cases, the only) difference is that you're seeing up a3-way switch, or dial, as opposed to a button.
 
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