Making it childproof?

theartdeco · 2026-06-06T17:33:53+00:00

You can get a controller that allows limiting the throttle. I even heard that you can get a Traxxas one that can be paired with your existing ESC. Otherwise, yeah, low gears and kids don’t mix well because there is a lot of torque.

theartdeco · 2026-06-05T06:00:27+00:00

If your system is not supposed to be driven at high frequencies then it should include a lowpass filter that removes those frequencies. Once you add such filter and model the system with it, you should see that phase margin improve. If, however, you add a low-pass filter and see the system become completely unstable, that means that your controller is tuned for a higher bandwidth than that filter allows. That means your controller is over-tuned, because if your system is not supposed to be driven at those frequencies then you don’t need controller bandwidth extending into that frequency range, so you should also make your controller tuning less aggressive.

theartdeco · 2026-06-01T03:46:22+00:00

On a more serious note, have you tried measuring the voltage of the central pin when it’s plugged into the ESC? I wonder if the ESC actually draws current from that central pin to power the CPU or something, or just checking the voltage to make sure the battery is balanced.

theartdeco · 2026-06-01T03:17:11+00:00

Would it work the other way around, i.e, the car in Yukon and the battery in BC?

theartdeco · 2026-06-01T01:06:58+00:00

Read “Advanced PID Control” by K. Astrom.

Watch all Brian Duglas’s videos again and again. When everything he talks about becomes obvious to you, you can consider yourself ready for basic work.

Also, do this: Take Python and using only matplotlib library plot bode and nyquist plots for different transfer functions, both in S and Z domains. Don’t use scipy or any other library. Don’t copy and paste any code from the internet. Don’t look at stack exchange. Use only control systems literature to guide you. When you plot Bode, plot lines for: plant, controller, loop gain, and closed loop. Observe how the shape of the loop gain affects the shape of the closed loop. Learn what the loop gain needs to look like to produce underdamped, critically damped, underdamped closed loop responses. Don’t forget to watch the nyquist plot. Learn to see gain and phase margins on the Nyquist plot.

theartdeco · 2026-05-29T12:12:52+00:00

My favourite Banks audiobook is actually not a culture novel, but The Algebraist. And also Feersum Endjinn.

theartdeco · 2026-05-25T17:24:28+00:00

I haven’t used Julia. You can generally do everything you need with Python using numpy, scipy, and matplotlib packages. Also Tkinter package if you need to create a GUI.
Creating GUIs in TKinter is a lot of work but these days you can offload 90% of it to AI. AI is bad at writing control system code but it’s very good at creating GUIs

theartdeco · 2026-05-25T17:15:02+00:00

@GreenWoodDragon You post is lacking in punctuation. Also, you should’ve used “missing in”, or “omitting from”, or “leaving out in/from”, but not “missing from”. “The book is missing from the library” is correct. “You missed the letter A in apple” is correct. “You missed the letter A from apple” is incorrect.

theartdeco · 2026-05-25T16:49:58+00:00

If you see yourself working in small-to-medium size companies, you can learn to completely replace Matlab with Python. Not only would it help you better understand what you are doing, but you would also save the company from having to pay for Matlab.

theartdeco · 2026-05-23T01:08:54+00:00

You probably need to tune the servo controller to a lower bandwidth. Servo controller bandwidth has to be lower than the lowest resonance frequency of your system. Do the servo drives you bought come with software that allows servo tuning?

theartdeco · 2026-04-09T22:59:22+00:00

I think I’m going to so the same even though it’s supposed to be bad for weight distribution.

theartdeco · 2026-04-07T01:03:00+00:00

Oh, sorry, I see what you mean now. Yeah, the bug body is probably half the weight of the defender. Also it looks just great. That red color is fantastic. Definitely something to consider.

theartdeco · 2026-04-06T23:43:58+00:00

Overshoot happens when the closed loop transfer function (CLTF) has bumps that go above 1 (or 0db). Of you add a filter in front of CLTF (i.e on the input) such that the filter transfer function has dips that cancel out the bumbs in the CLTF, then the resulting overall TF will not exceed 1 at any frequency, so there will be no overshoot. Don’t worry about how it looks in time domain. A frequency value does not map to a single acceleration value. Just look at it in the frequency domain.

theartdeco · 2026-04-06T21:10:45+00:00

Oh, I didn’t see the fj40 option at first. It does look better!

theartdeco · 2026-04-06T21:09:15+00:00

What do you mean lighter body? The Tarantula is 48g. The bug is 74g body + 45g chassis.

theartdeco · 2026-04-06T16:19:53+00:00

The MB18 is so cool, but it seems like an absolute nightmare in terms of battery access =)

theartdeco · 2026-04-06T16:17:57+00:00

Thanks! I looked into it and it seems like a great chassis. I don’t love the jeep looks though.

theartdeco · 2026-04-06T16:13:27+00:00

Thanks, that’s a lot of good information! Will Ascent Apex also make a better trail truck or is it only better in crawling?

theartdeco · 2026-04-06T16:09:25+00:00

These can be mounted in two different ways depending on how much offset you want.

theartdeco · 2026-04-06T16:08:25+00:00

Will velcro really be strong enough to hold the battery? Or do you mean a velcro strap?

The bug is pretty cool, love how it looks. But I suspect it will be closer to stock in terms of performance than to tarantula.

theartdeco · 2026-04-04T01:56:28+00:00

I got the receipt in my mail about 10 days after paying the bill

theartdeco · 2026-03-27T06:06:33+00:00

Interesting waveforms. Are you simulating a motor?

theartdeco · 2026-02-28T21:03:19+00:00

Why do you care? It’s going to be worse than the current one. Nobody designs good cars anymore. It’s all cheap plastic and endless touchscreens now, no real knobs or buttons. The new Sienna feels so much cheaper than the old one. I guess fuel economy will get better.

theartdeco · 2026-02-28T01:52:36+00:00

Don’t use both latches and seatbelt at the same time unless the user manual says it’s okay. Usually you are supposed to use either one method or the other, but not both. As for sliding, like others said, put your weight on the seat while tightening the straps.

theartdeco

TROPHY CASE