Update on remote, here is a picture of the current design. This design is printing now, hopefully everything works on the first print. I have all the parts and code. Will add on/of switch and some LEDs, the remote is charged with a magnetic charger. Going to add a display on a later model, that will show battery left in the board.
stay tuned for new awesome remote!
// it is quite large to stay buoyant in the water.
Hi, I have a remote controller I designed to test an esc & direct propulsor I’m working on. It works well and has helped me blow up my esc repeatedly as I climb the bldc learning curve 
It’s a little different, it uses its incline to control throttle. There’s one button only and that’s GO, then you ‘twist’ the controller like twisting a knob, and throttle is 100% at 45’. I thought it was elegant compared to pots, hall effects, etc which require pentrating the case.
I’ve used Cypress BLE4 modules, one at each end of the link. The hand held end is the length and shape of a ballpoint pen, but more like 20mm wide. Inside is an AA battery (considering AAA), the bluetooth module, an inclinometer, and the IP67 button penetrates the case and plugs in (wired so it can be replaced, everything else coated/potted.) I haven’t actually finished a case, just using a piece of pvc pipe for now, but a 3D printed, two part and screw together with oring was the plan.
At the ‘wet’ end is an skinny IP68 connector that you’d mount to penetrate the board/mast/propulsor, then the mating cable running up to very similarly shaped ‘antenna’ case that sits clear of the water in fresh air being the receiving end of the link. It can hang loose, or be attached, or inside a foam board, etc.
Right now it’s coded I2C for my esc, but I’ve programmed these parts to drive off the shelf escs, not much work there. I would make the source and environment open so you could program gesture rec, different behaviours in to match your system; do what you want with it.
Because it’s regular Bluetooth LE 4 you can use your iPhone to control the ‘antenna’ end if you want, or shoot data back from the efoil to your iphone/laptop… ?
Its also pretty easy for me to add the Cypress USB bridge (miniprog) to the hardware so that you can just plug in USB and program from the development environment, similar to how you load an Arduino (main advantage you don’t need a tool to reprogram it, the tool is built in.) Psoc creator IDE is best in class and anyone who uses Arduino IDE can work it out IMO if you wanted to hack. It’s all in C and you are smart people.
The prototype works for me but needs updating and readying for other people to be able to reliably use. If enough people want one I can kickstart a hardware build over December, ship Jan/Feb, IMO US$150 for the pair before shipping - I’d have to work this out with some care if there’s interest.
The waterproof push buttons on a GoPro case are a good study in compactness. Sliding piston type with dual o-rings, most commonly found on waterproof housings for DSLRs for scuba diving. We duplicated this for the Flytronics F4 start and stop buttons. This allows for standard switches inside the housing, very hard to find truely waterproof switches that hold up.
Threaded connection, under o-ring seals the surface, spring loaded piston inside with two o-ring seals, silicone grease.
With a longer slide they could be also used for a trigger linear movement or at the end of a lever. 316 stainless steel is the construction material.
Another magnetic encoder type is rotary, sensing with good accuracy the spin of the magnet. We have done designs using this approach but have not incorporated it into a final design yet. For hydroflight jetpacks with a mounted throttle, a twist handle configuration is possible, hand held versions possibly could use a rotating thumbwheel to prevent fatigue with a deadman’s switch in the handle.
http://ams.com/eng/Products/Magnetic-Position-Sensors/Angle-Position-On-Axis/AS5048A
“The AS5048A is a 14-bit rotary position sensor (previously known as encoder) for absolute angular measurement and with a PWM (=pulse width modulation) output over a full turn of 360° based on contactless magnetic sensor technology. This device fits perfectly for on-axis applications where a simple 2-pole magnet rotates above or below the sensor IC and the zero position can be programmed into the device simply with a SPI command. The absolute magnet angular position is measured with a resolution of 14 bit = 16384 positions per revolution and it is provided as a digital value on the serial interface (SPI).”
@x-jets thanks for sharing! Smart solution to the waterproofing of buttons problem! Will order some of those today, also had a quick look at the datasheet of the sensor. Looks nice, I think I will use it in the next iteration remote!
3D print finished today, the trigger mechanism turned out quite good, only have to do some minor changes. The grip fits very nicely in the hand, but I will also add a small trigger guard to prevent the middle finger form getting in the way of the trigger.
Also added battery indicator with 4 LEDS 1=25% 2=50%… etc…
The I have a reed switch to turn it on and off, it works but I don’t like it at all.
I have done that with my GT2b Mad Munkey mod and the glove ripped. Just be careful. Water in the pot makes full throttle.
Joel
I’ve coated all my electronics with Corrosion X. My remote is just a cheap skateboard remote from eBay. So far, with no other waterproofing, the remote has been fine even though it has been submerged many times. Looking forward to getting a good truly waterproof remote, but in the meantime, the Corrosion X has really worked remarkably well. It would be good as a back-up for waterproofing any remote.
Even the pot works properly?
Yes, everything electronic that is coated with this stuff continues to works. I thought the video I posted was too good to be true…but it really works.
No hits so I’m not sure it’s a good idea, but here’s me showing off because I loves my cad.
No it doesn’t vibrate!
The grey’d out cylinders are aluminium tube, anodized a bright colour of course. The key thing is that there’s only three places water could penetrate, being the switch, the seal at the top and the seal at the bottom. The switch will be potted in, but you can leak through wires. A tiny pcb barrier will solve that. The top is 7/8" orings, silicone or buna I’m not sure yet. The bottom 1" orings of the same, all off the shelf and seamless. Two orings because shit breaks. When you get sand, or hair in the seam, you get a 2nd chance. Strictly the top only needs one, that’s more of a service entry and won’t get cycled.
AAA battery, bluetooth 4LE, incline’o’meter. The bottom has a cavity for a 5mm cord lanyard. Very buoyant. LED in the button to warn of low battery. about 29mm x 150mm. Just simple, one potting step & two adhesive steps, but no fasteners. I’m kinda certain you could run a truck over this design with no damage.
That’s ok. Look up at my prev post for complete details but u press button and the rotate the whole thing to set the throttle. It starts at idle (800rpm for me) and rotating 45deg gives you 4000rpm (full power for me.) You have good control in between.
Throttle control by incline. Bluetooth no wires, ip67 at least.
Early sketch concepts back in 2015 for a jetboard (hydroflight) remote. The throttle is a set-and-forget thumbwheel, easily dialed up and spun back down, but designed not to have constant attention. Handle has a deadman’s switch on the grip and a couple start and stop buttons for the engine. renders with knurl texture and rubber inlay.
Here are the initial Flytronics explorations with diecast and machined CNC body. Trigger is push-pull as backup and spring loaded as default. Body was to be anodize with laser etch lettering.
Yes they are. Have been in commercial and competition use. This is the production set. The brain box mounts inside the jet ski and the servo clamps around the throttle grip of the jet ski and actuates the manufacturers throttle trigger, this give the most off the shelf compatibility and because it mimics the human finger is the most foolproof.
Available here:
http://www.flytronics.com/product/wireless-remote-throttle-the-duck/
Price sounds me like a non-sense 
smiley:
Well, its a commercial quality product and quality is not normally cheap. For our project here its a little over the top I think, but im thinking of getting one for my seadoo and the jet boots! I did that in Florida last year its awesome, you feel like Ironman.
But awesome job X-Jets!!
