You may have seen people at the park flying a model of an airplane, a replica of a blimp or a small boat sailing serenely across a pond. It does not matter which Radio Controlled toy you are going to buy, all follow the same basic principle on how they work. It is their mechanics which sets them apart from each other. Just as a radio-controlled car cannot fly like a radio-controlled aeroplane or a radio-controlled helicopter cannot float on a pond like a radio-controlled boat. In this article, you will learn about radio control and how it is implemented in toys.
To make a radio control toy work properly, they should have few necessary parts or components like a transmitter, a receiver, one or more motors (depending upon the toy) and a power source. The first component is the transmitter that the user holds in their hand. This transmitter sends a signal (radio waves) to a receiver (a circuit board with an antenna) installed inside the toy. The transmitter has buttons attached to them which sends specific signals to the receiver like turning right or turning left. The transmitter has its own power source usually in the form of a 9-volt battery because, without the battery, the transmitter will not be able to send the radio waves to the receiver. As soon as the signal is received from the transmitter, it activates the motor inside the toy to perform various operations like to turn the wheels or to operate the propellers and various other tasks. This happens when one presses a button on the transmitter to make the radio-controlled toy go backwards or forwards, a pair of electrical wires or plates touches each other. Once these electrical plates or wires touch each other, the circuit gets complete. That circuit is then connected to the specific pin, and specific electrical pulses are sent out to control the toy. The circuit board installed inside the radio-controlled toy translates the number of electrical pulses into action. The key component of an RC toy is the power supply that is a battery, which is fitted inside the toy and another inside the transmitter.
In most of the Radio Controlled toys, the radio controlled motor provides guidance while the other provides locomotion. Like, a model of an aeroplane has a small gas-powered engine to rotate the propeller and the Radio Controlled motor controls the flaps.
So if you want to make a radio-controlled toy for yourself you will need five main components for that.
- Transmitter: The remote controller that one holds in the hand contains a radio transmitter that operates at a particular frequency.
- Receiver: The receiver is fixed within the car which receives signals from the transmitter.
- Power Source: Any radio controlled device needs a power source to send or receive signals and to rotate the electric motors.
- Circuit board and motors: Circuit board to translate the signals and the motor to rotate the components like wheels, propeller etc.
Visit BYJU’S online forums for students to collaborate and learn from millions of tech freaks like you. Who have the thirst to learn and the curiosity to make the world a safe place to work and live.
Subscribe to BYJU’S YouTube channel and study using interactive videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUDJge4fbiA
