It’s my personal opinion that folks would prefer a USB-C even if it only charged and didn’t do firmware updates. People have cell phones everywhere and USB-C charge cables are everywhere. A proprietary or unusual charge port would suck.
4 Likes
speak for yourself… lol
No matter where I go, if my note 8 is low on juice I can guarantee no one will carry a cable that can help me 
2 Likes
This is a super valid point. The charging port is something I’ve been thinking through and don’t have a perfect solution for currently. At the moment I’m using a 5v1amp wallwart with a 2.1/5.5mm plug/jack. Powered from a 3000mAh 18650 battery, we should expect pretty long run time making the need to bring the charger with you less of an issue. But I think I’m leaning more towards USB-C.
Itd probably be about $10 added to the BOM cost for a separate custom USB-C board that handles the lipo charging as well as uart connection for firmware. Won’t happen on the first round prototypes but I could fit that in before the gen1 batch easily. Not much to it as it’ll basically be two TI reference designs on PCB to mount the USB-C port.
2 Likes
If you guys want to be able to use a slide puck with your remote hand and have a thumb throttle you could use the thumb throttle model and do what @fliess did here
2 Likes
Your friends are just not mainstream enough😎…
Lookin good with the throttle sensor! I used a similar one for a different application and from experience with then ( not sure whether it is the same brand): make sure thay use a stainless spring and cover the magnet completely in epoxy ( or else they rust), also they have an option to digitally output the knob position and also allow a supply voltage of 3 or 3.3 V not exactly sure on what their minimum was.
3 Likes
great idea
3 Likes
Thanks. Im hoping it works out in real life as well as it does in my head.
2 Likes
get someone to draw what’s in your head. I think I have a version of it in mine, but yours is surely more complete. being able to hit the ground and not have your remote impacted because the grunt of it is on the top of your hand and not in the palm of your hand is the type of idea that will have everyone saying “what the hell were they using before?” in 10 years. It will take m some iterations, like anything, but once nailed, i can see this really being the future. in the meantime, the 3 proposed designs effing rock. great work man
2 Likes
we will have to have some design sessions next time I’m down there
2 Likes
Hell yeah. Im down
2 Likes
I’m sure you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. What other industries have top of hand devices? deep sea diving (no idea, I hate diving, just spitballing here)? perhaps some design exists and only needs to be adapted
2 Likes
Some inventory guns have a Top Hand straps for watching your numbers as you count product
2 Likes
I think the biggest challenge here will be getting the throttle mounted just right, and also keep it sturdy enough to not defeat the purpose of moving the rest of the internals out of harm’s way.
I’ve done some previous work in HCI, but I’m all for leveraging what’s out there. I’ve got a long train ride back to Portland, looks like I’ll have to do some reading and drawing.
I think once the modular internals get dialed in we can really open up creativity with different designs and throttle styles. But it’s way too important to be so fragile as it stands.
3 Likes
This isn’t sleek but it’s a start and sums up the idea. Its just attacking the Throttle that’s gonna be work.
If it was detachable from the hand strap you could probably manage leaving it attached to your slide gloves. Maybe the throttle doesn’t have to be attached to the main part buy a solid piece? Could just be a coiled wire that somehow clips to the straps on the palm.
Best example i could find
4 Likes
Oh lawdy. 
3 Likes
Yeah it’s definitely a bad example it’s really just the cord part i wanted to show lol
This project is amazing @DerelictRobot
I’m definitely interested in picking one of these up. I’m sure you have loads of people testing already but if you need anymore, I’m down to pay for a kit when you get it worked out!
1 Like
Same. 10 char.
Thanks for linking that post!