Mixed RC Mode

General discussion of the MCP motion controller product line
Post Reply
Statoon
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:15 pm
Mixed RC Mode

Post by Statoon »

Hello,

Has anyone successfully configured a MCL for radio controlling 2 motors for driving/turning behavior?

I previously had a RoboClaw and the setup was straightforward, but I have a MCP236 now and am either missing something in the docs or the config, as I'm getting erratic behavior.

My setup:
- 2 motors, faced towards each other intending to drive 2 rear wheels for driving and turning
- MCP236
- Futaba 6ch radio/receiver
- DB15 connector with terminal screws for wires
- 12V battery

I have the signal wires of the pwm receiver hooked up to the P1 and P2 ports, and it is powered and grounded. I have enabled Pulse mode on those ports in Ion Studio and set them to control both motors. And Control Mixing is enabled as well. I see the position etc activity on the 2 ports, so I think those are correct.

What I think I'm missing is some method to link these together for mixed mode driving. Additionally since the motors are faced towards each other, I need a way to reverse one of their outputs. I didn't see that as an option either.

Thanks very much for any help or guidance here! :D

Matt
User avatar
Basicmicro Support
Posts: 1594
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:45 pm
Re: Mixed RC Mode

Post by Basicmicro Support »

1. Reverse the motor leads on the motor you need to reverse.
2. Setting the control micing check box should have linked the two channels. It sounds like everything else is set correctly. When you setup the control input ports did you properly set the min center and max settings? If not you will need to.
a. Move the stick to the minimum position, then click the "Set" button next to Min.
b. Move the stick to the maximum position, then click the "Set" button next to Max.
c. Move the stick to center and click the "Set" button next to Center.

Once you have done this you move the stick from min to max and look at the value for Position in the Status box on the screen. It should go from -32767 to +32767.

Repeat for the second channel. Let me know the results. If it still doesn't work I'll have to setup a unit to check. MCPs are much more complex than Roboclaw which is both a benefit and bane.
Statoon
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:15 pm
Re: Mixed RC Mode

Post by Statoon »

Hello,

Thanks very much for your reply!

1. Yes I realized this stupidly after posting. That works fine to reverse the motor, thanks.

2. I went back and reset the min/max settings as recommended, and used +/-32767 for the Position values. I still receive the same behavior:
- Left/Right input provides no output response. I do see valid values in the P2 debug output
- With Control Mixing enabled, only M1 operates, and only forward/reverse
- With Control Mixing disabled, both M1 and M2 operate, only forward/reverse

All other Px ports are disabled. I left default on the other ports.

Attached are screenshots of my P1 and P2 configurations, as well as a picture of my physical setup. Hopefully this is viewable by you, but let me know if you need a difference source. In my setup P1 is handling the forward/backward RC radio input, and P2 is (or rather should be) handling the left/right input.

I haven't tried resetting all settings and starting over, but let me know if you think its worth a shot. And if you need any more info, please let me know.

Thanks!
Matt
Attachments
setup2.JPG
setup2.JPG (249.72 KiB) Viewed 10360 times
P2.png
P2.png (83.28 KiB) Viewed 10360 times
P1.png
P1.png (74.55 KiB) Viewed 10360 times
User avatar
Basicmicro Support
Posts: 1594
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:45 pm
Re: Mixed RC Mode

Post by Basicmicro Support »

I see your problem. Each control input should still only have ONE motor activated(eg the control Motor # checkbox). Check motor 1 for one input and check motor 2 for the other input signal. The separate Mixing checking box on the right side of the screen tells the MCP to use the two motor control channels(as indicated by the check boxes for those inputs) and mixes them.

IIRC the channel setup for control motor 1 when mixing is enabled will control throttle response and the channel setup to control motor 2 will control steering of the mixed channels.
Statoon
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:15 pm
Re: Mixed RC Mode

Post by Statoon »

Yes, that was the problem! Thanks so much for your help! Works like a dream now :D
tor_g
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:08 am
Re: Mixed RC Mode

Post by tor_g »

Basicmicro Support wrote:1. Reverse the motor leads on the motor you need to reverse.
Sorry if I'm just being plain stupid now, but does this mean that forward/reverse control isn't an option. :| Or just that the motor's of the OP where running the opposite direction of control output? :o :lol:
User avatar
Basicmicro Support
Posts: 1594
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:45 pm
Re: Mixed RC Mode

Post by Basicmicro Support »

The motors of the OP were just wired backwards relative to the "forward" direction he wanted.

Yes, Forward/Reverse control is supported by MCP.

Post Reply