Onboard engine temp monitoring

[Steamdonkey]

I've been using an onboard MIP digital temp gauge on my Inferno for the past 15+ years and while it's served me well, it'd be nice to have something wireless. Has anyone tried something like the SKYRC Bluetooth Thermologger Duo TLD001? I don't have much interest in data logging, but real time temp info that doesn't require me to pick up the car to get a reading would be nice.

 

[CreepyQuarryCrawler]

I haven't used that exact product from SkyRC but I have a number of their wireless devices that use the RC Gears app. They work good, I assume this would be the same.

Having readings without touching anything is extremely handy. My Airtronics transmitter has telemetry, I use it on a few of my rigs. It's a handy feature and if your radio doesn't offer it, this app powered unit could be the ticket.

A phone mount for your radio and you'd be golden, pony boy!

 

[CertifiedMike]

On board temp monitoring sounds interesting! I wonder if I can get an NB4+ to work with a system like this...

Watching.

 

[WickedFog]

You can do this easily with a transmitter that has telemetry and compatible receiver. Then you just wrap a thermistor sensor around your engine head. Set it up in the radio, and there ya go.

A radio that would be great for this is the Radiomaster MT12.

https://a.co/d/i7exLVg

https://a.co/d/b0Pb2Fe

Temp sensor
https://a.co/d/bYqK0Te

Put the sensor in the fins of the head and hold in place with high temp zip tie.

Inside the receiver, on the bottom of the PCB, you solder one wire of the thermistor to the EXT-V pad, and the other to the GND. It doesnt3matter which wire goes where.

Make sure you shop around for best price.

 

[Steamdonkey]

Wow that's a lot more affordable than I expected. Is Radiomaster a trusted brand these days? I haven't shopped for a radio system in at least a decade. I'm currently running a Futaba T3PM which works great for my needs, except for the missing telemetry.

 

[WickedFog]

Wow that's a lot more affordable than I expected. Is Radiomaster a trusted brand these days? I haven't shopped for a radio system in at least a decade. I'm currently running a Futaba T3PM which works great for my needs, except for the missing telemetry.

The MT12 is a great radio. But there is a steep learning curve to setting it up. Fortunately, AI can help you do everything you need to do to setup a temp sensor.

And yes, Radiomaster is a good brand. If you were in the FPV Racing drone communities, you would see Radiomaster is the most used radios, if not, the most used.

 

[WickedFog]

I have the MT12, and when I opened the case and saw it for the first time, I was very impressed. The feel of the radio and buttons reminded me of the old Nakamichi head unit I had back in '89. Nothing else on the market came close to the quality of that car stereo. This MT12 is just like that. Very nice feel to it. And this radio can do so much stuff, it is insane it costs what it does.

 

[WickedFog]

Currently, this is the best price I have found on the MT12.
https://rc-wing.com/products/radiom...ybW9Fh353DxzNacTjfDQhAzOKaOiSYf7-5cPT5IPS7IMQ

I have never bought from them, but doing a little digging, folks on Reddit have good things to say about them. So just buy with PayPal to be sure.

The MT12 comes in two versions, which pertains to the built in module. If you want to use Radiomaster receivers, you need the ELRS version. If you want to use much cheaper Flysky receivers, grab the 4in1 version.

The 4in1 version has a module that works with almost any brand/model receiver. It is just like your standard radios. Really good range and latency depending on what receiver you use with it. I would only buy this if you have a lot of RC's you want to pair with this radio.

The ELRS version has RIDICULOUS range, and latency that compares and even beats most of the high end Sanwa radios. So if you want race quality features, grab the ELRS version. But you'll be buying Radiomaster receivers. They are cheap too, so no worries, as they are great receivers.

No matter which version you buy, you can add an external module to swap to the other version. So you can have both versions in one with an external module.

 

[Steamdonkey]

Looks like a great radio. I just need to decide between 4in1 or ELRS. Thanks for all the info!

 

[Steamdonkey]

Wickedfog- I'm confused about the connection of the thermistor. If solder one wire of the thermistor to the EXT-V pad, and the other to the GND, wouldn't the EXT-V input always be 0 volts? Is there an internal pull-up resistor on the EXT-V input? I was also curious how the voltage sensed at the RX is displayed at the TX. Does the OS have defined inputs for thermistors or do you define a lookup table to translate input volts to degrees?

 

[WickedFog]

Wickedfog- I'm confused about the connection of the thermistor. If solder one wire of the thermistor to the EXT-V pad, and the other to the GND, wouldn't the EXT-V input always be 0 volts? Is there an internal pull-up resistor on the EXT-V input? I was also curious how the voltage sensed at the RX is displayed at the TX. Does the OS have defined inputs for thermistors or do you define a lookup table to translate input volts to degrees?

Yes, the EXT-V pad is part of a circuit, should be around 3v. The thermistor completes the circuit, and the change in temp changes the resistance of the thermistor in the circuit.

From there you will go into the MT12 and setup the sensor. I have never done this before in the MT12, but reading into it, it's not hard. You go to the telemetry page and discover the sensor. Then change the sensor to display temp instead of volts. To calibrate it there should be two settings. Live and Ratio. Live is where you adjust the value until it reads your ambient temp. So you just need an accurate thermometer to know your ambient temp. Then adjust the offset setting until the reading matches your ambient temp. From there you will want to put the thermistor in boiling water, boiling at the upper end of your nitro engine's temp. Put the sensor in and adjust the Ratio setting until it matches the water temp. From there you should be good to go.

Or you could use an infrared thermometer and get your ambient and heated temps directly from your engine and adjust that way.

 

[Steamdonkey]

So what are people upgrading their MT12 to these days? Centurion v2.10.6 or Jolly Mon v2.11.4? I tried to search for differences, intended uses and all I end up finding is conversation fragments that lead to more questions than answers. I want what ever the most stable build is for use with ER series PWM RXs.