Can the brake button on a VX3 be used to control a servo for steering? I know it would only be 1 direction, but I’m building a single engine tow boogie and I’d like to be able to steer it using a servo for a rudder.
Any thoughts?
Can the brake button on a VX3 be used to control a servo for steering? I know it would only be 1 direction, but I’m building a single engine tow boogie and I’d like to be able to steer it using a servo for a rudder.
Any thoughts?
I am not sure what you intend to use the steering for?
But I am pretty sure it will make no sense to have it with a VX3 remote, if it could be done.
I thought about the same thing before I finished my build and used it.
Turns out as long as you are being towed behind there is zero need for onboard-boogie-steering!
When you are right of the centerline of the boogie it will go left and vice versa.
I have a small rigid “tail” attached to the boogie, which amplifies this effect (you are basically ‘pulling the nose of the board in a direction’ compared to the motor-attachment point.)
This type of steering is very accurate and I can go around my boogie in a circle with it being dead-stopped in one spot if I want to - or exit and pull away at any angle inbetween.
I can do tight “figure 8s” between 2 bouyes - there is no path that a steered boogie could take that I could not follow exactly on my non-steered boogie.
The only reason to have onboard steering on the boogie itself is when you are separated from the board - eg. to bring it back to you after you have ridden a wave.
And then you have the issue that the VX3 remote does not reach far at all:
anything more than 10-20 meters and the receiver ignores you ![]()
The real use of onboard steering would come when you have proper electronics controlling the steering e.g. a GPS-connected circuit where you can program in a “safe spot” outside of the breaking wave zone that the boogie returns to on it’s own. (like the ZeroTow: Boogie – zerotow )
But I would be worried that it runs over another surfer/swimmer on it’s autonomous path, unless you are all on your own in a spot. (and the ZeroTow even has a fully open prop that could cause serious harm) Detecting a swimmer in the water in front would require a camera and serious image processing…
The thing I have been dreaming about would be a “Return to Transmitter” function, that makes it go to / follow the remote (VX3-Plus) to within 10m and then stops (so it doesn’t run YOU over) Then you could use it to pull you out on a lake until you reach the wake of some boat, and the boogie follows you while you ride it … until you fall and it will pull you up on foil again…
And you are always nearby to stop it from running some else over.
Certainly doable for someone like rctestflight on YouTube: maybe we should suggest it to him! ![]()
The steering would be to return to me when I want the boogie to come back, seems pretty obvious, right?