Item: Turnigy Receiver Controlled Switch Mfr: Turnigy Price: $6.63 each Available from: Hobby King Online Stock Photo from www.hobbyking.com It is no secret that I use Hobby King for ordering lots of neat items such as brushless motors, ESCs, LiPO batteries, etc. So when this little gem popped up during a random search, it immediately caught my attention! It is the Turnigy Receiver Controlled Switch, touted as a electronic switching circuit for turning lights and accessories on and off in RC cars and planes. Two things made me buy a few for testing. First, it is a Turnigy product. Although a Chinese company, Turnigy has a rapidly growing reputation in the USA for quality products. All the Turnigy products I have bought over the past couple years has worked well enough to risk the investment for testing the switches. The second thing was the price. At $6.63 each, the cost is a fraction of other switches on the market. If the Turnigy switch doesn't work out for model warship combat use, then I didn't lose too much trying it out. Two weeks later, they finally arrived. The first thing I noticed was it's small size ... about 30% smaller than a Delta switch and a whopping 60% smaller than a RAM switch. The servo lead to the receiver was pre-soldered on. Another noticeable item is the rather thick wiring on the switched side of the card to handle up to a 10 amp load at 30 volts. Rather robust looking! It also has two pairs of pins on one end with a jumper block on each pair. That was unusual, so I consulted the well written, small, single page manual that comes with the switch to see what they were for. As it turns out, the pins are used to set the switch on or of during a fail safe mode. That means if the radio signal is lost, then the switch will default to either on or off until the radio signal is restored. That could be handy in keeping a pump turned on in case of radio failure! Since the HMS Erin was under a partial refit at the time, three of the switches were installed to operate cannon solenoids. Another switch was potted in resin and wired into the FN Verite's pump switching system. The small manual included color wiring diagrams to make sure the switch is wired correctly. Like the Delta switches, the Turnigy is wired in series between the positive battery terminal and the load (solenoid, relay, etc). The instructions did not call for a diode, so none were installed. The Erin's switches were set to off when in fail safe. The Verite's switch on the pump was set to on during fail safe mode. Setting the fail safe is as easy as consulting the manual and removing one of the two jumpers from the side pins. Now I have to admit, the first test under power was not promising. The Turnigy switch turns on and off when the radio signal PASSES 50%. At neutral, the switch remains on it's last setting until the transmitter stick or button is pressed to change it. Basically, when I pushed a cannon button, the switch stayed on and sent power to the solenoid AFTER the button was released. To turn off the solenoid, I had to press the opposite button. Not good at all for operating cannon solenoids ... works great for pumps though. Heh. Realizing the switch needed an opposite radio signal to turn off, I moved the trim levers towards the off side of the channel. That worked! Now the switches turned off when the button was released. Later, I took advantage of the computerized radio's sub-trim function to electronically set the trim to the off position. Subsequent button mashing gave a consistent on-off action like the Delta and RAM switches did. The Turnigy switches were tested during intense battling over the Memorial Day weekend. They worked flawlessly the both ships all weekend, unlike the brushless ESCs and pumps that plagued the ships every sortie. Heh. So, to sum up ... Good: - 10 amp load capacity and thick wire can handle multiple solenoids with one switch - Switching speed is fast enough for the fastest button masher - On/Off settable fail safe feature - The $6.63 price is 1/3rd the cost of the next switch on the market - Turnigy is a reputable company Bad: - The 50% radio signal requirement forces transmitter trim adjustments to use the switches for cannon solenoids. - Turnigy is a Chinese company, so do not expect much from their customer service department Overall, I would recommend the Turnigy Receiver Controlled Switch for use in model warships. It has some nice features, clearly understandable instructions, handles a 10 amp load, and low cost. The transmitter trim adjustment may be tricky for older radios, but not insurmountable.
I'll toss in my two cents on this and comment that I use one of these to switch a pump on and off in my cargo ship and that it works well for me. I skotchkoted mine and tossed it into the ship with nary a problem.
Mike, most people might not want to set the failsafe postion to 'on' with a pump. When you sink, typically your radio loses signal if its a 2.4ghz, and you could end up running your pump underwater for an extended period. It only takes a minute or two of running the pump motor under muddy water to wear the brushes out. This doesn't apply to your test systems, of course. Ron Hunt
Totally right. We would like the pump to turn off if the ship sinks. That is one way the fail safe could be set.
Sorry to thread-necro this, but starting a new thread for on-topic discussion seems silly. Anyhow, I ordered some of these as replacement pump switches. I installed the first one last night with high hopes. it simply isn't working. I'm not sure what I am missing. My old pump switch was a servo with micro switch. I plugged it in, just like I had my micro switch, nothing. I can jump the two spade clips and the pump sings, so I know my wiring is right and I have power. I moved the switch around to other channels on the RX and verified that it's not a channel. I checked the rudder servo, and it's working properly, so I know the radio is synced properly. I tried all the configurations of jumpers, no dice. Is there any indicator on these switches I should be looking for? I just don't see /anything/ with it to indicate...anything. My first thought is, I got a lemon. I ordered 4 of them so I'm going to try another one, but meh. I kinda expected it to just work right. EDIT: Second switch doesn't work either. 1 bad switch I could accept, 2 I have a hard time believing. I must be doing something wrong, but no idea wtf it could possibly be.
The switches themselves are probably not suited to directly power a pump motor. I used them to power a relay which handles the actual pump circuit. Make sure to use a common ground on the switches. The receiver side of the switch must share a ground with the switched side of the switch. In my ships, the battery which powers the esc (which in turn supplies power to the receiver via the bec) shares a common ground with the switched side of the switch.
That might be it. I was using a receiver pack, because the ship presently has no ESC. My understanding was that it would simply close the circuit.
I am going to use a Stinger Motor to power my new pump. I would like to control it with an electronic switch. Can anyone recommend a relay. I am having trouble finding a 6V relay. Keith
Zettler AZ2100-1A-5DE They have a good track record in the hobby for controlling pumps with Stingers & Titan motors, plus they are sealed.
Very nice. I have been using Tyco but they are $4 for 5V and $7 for 6V. I have been looking for the type with blades for a while.
Thank you I have used MAG switches in the past. I am trying to get away from things that need to be in a water tight box. That is just what I was looking for.
