Hi everybody,
When I started the development of the BREmote - about 2 years ago, this really was a project for myself that I had no idea would reach so many people.
What started out as a “proof of concept” now transformed to a quite capable solution for eFoil and tow-boogie.
However, there are some points I would like to improve, therefore creating a BREmote V2.
Some of the current plans are:
Connection with 858Mhz for underwater and generally better range
Dedicated output on the receiver for 2 motors (tow)
Binding procedure for Rx&Tx (not fixed adresses like now)
WLAN/BT on the receiver
Possibly: GPS and logging, display via vetr.at
Possibly: Edit VESC parameters and profiles from app (as with the metr module)
An open question is the compatibility between old and new gear (e.g. old Tx, new Rx) which will be hard to maintain when selecting a new wireless protocol…
The display concept will likely stay the way it is, as the 7-segment display has big advantages regarding waterproofing, easyness of reading on the water, etc.
I would like to take the opportunity to gather some inputs and wishes from the community, which features do you think are helpful / important / missing at the moment? Leave them down below.
I would love to have a gps in both transmitter and receiver. That would open up the possibility for follow mode in a tow boogie.
On the same note having the trigger centered for both right and left hand operation and moving the selection trigger so it can be operated by your thumb in a left-to-right motion would make steering the tow boogie more intuitive.
My goal is to move to the Toto-Design or similar, which has the throttle in the center and the selector on the side
GPS+Follow me is a nice feature indeed! I can make a provision for GPS in the Tx, but I don’t think I will manage to implement a satisfactory/reliable follow-me function in code soon.
I think one major drawback with the toto-design is that the selector is on the side and not easily reached while riding. Especially if you’re holding it in the “wrong” hand. I would much prefer a solution where the selector is on the back of the transmitter where you can easily control it with your thumb whether you hold it in your right or left hand.
For wireless protocols, one of the things I was looking at a year or two ago was expresslrs: https://www.expresslrs.org/
Works on 868/900/2.4G, a whole bunch of receivers (some for pretty cheap). Lots and lots of people using it for drones, so lots of testing has been done. I’m not sure what all it supports now, but was looking good 2 years ago when I was first digging into it.
It would be able to easily handle the 2 motors.
Solid binding procedure.
I thought there was some display ability already built in the TX side.
Protocol is great with lots of options, between fast/more robust longer range communication.
Yes, I use ELRS for my drones too.
For the remote I need low level access to the communication interface, which results in basically rewriting the ELRS code. The module I plan to use in the future is similar to the ELRS ones, but will be already integrated into the BREmote code.
Otherwise the user needs 2 tools to configure, ELRS configurator and Arduino for all the other settings in the remote, which lowers the ease of use.
They are hard to get waterproof in a diy 3d-printed case, even for the commercial remotes this is usually the part that fails first due to water ingress…
The BREmote needs to be able to be built by diy-ers at home, with as little tools as possible at all skill levels. A TFT would add too much complexity and possibility of damage in my opinion.
I copied many elements of your design but used an OLED display and ESP32 for controller and as5600s for the magnetic sensors. I have waterproofed it with clear UV resin.
To steer the tow boogie. I also often change hands while riding since I ride both switch and normal on my board. I think your design look great but it’s not very good for a tow boogie.
Gonna rephrase this to Maytech
On the truly commercial side, the Lift, Fliteboard etc aren’t failing on the screens but more around the other seals.
I do think provision for a better screen is a massive element that would make this remote even better. To waterproof a screen isn’t hard at all, but would just come down to the design and who is going to take it on.
Of course there is always the option where others can redesign the case for a different screen and update the code themselves…
Btw, there already is a provision in the current remote for that.
However, going the route of customizing a part like this will mean that also updates to the code, etc. will need to be customized again by the person doing this.
So my goal is to create a baseline that is good enough 95% of the users as is.
The Bremote was never intended to be the most fancy remote on the market, rather easy to build, maintain and cost-effective while providing the needed basic features.
I would even argue between adapting a custom LCD to a BREmote and just buying a Maytech V3, the second option will be more reasonable.
