Operation
Be sure that you’ve made all the proper connections from your robot to the R/C controller before power-up. When the
TETRIX MAX R/C Motor Controller is powered on, you should see the mode LED flash three times. This indicates that the
controller is initializing. The LED will then either stay on or go off depending on which mode the controller is in. After this is
complete, you can adjust the trimmer controls on your gamepad as desired.
Mode Switch
There are several ways to configure the R/C motor controller and gamepad. First, the R/C motor controller has two different
modes – independent channel mode (sometimes called tank-drive mode) and mix channel mode (sometimes called single-
stick mode). You can toggle between these modes by pressing the Mode button on the R/C motor controller. When the
LED near the Mode button is on, the controller is in mix channel mode. When the LED is off, the controller is in independent
channel mode. Each time the controller is powered up, it will remember which mode it was previously in and start in that
mode.
Independent Channel Mode (Tank Drive)
For independent channel mode, the mode LED on the controller must be off. In this mode, each motor is controlled
independently by two different joysticks on the gamepad. For a typical mobile robot, the up-and-down movement of the
left joystick controls forward and backward motion on the left motor. The up-and-down movement on the right joystick
controls forward and backward motion on the right motor. To move the robot forward, both joysticks are pushed forward at
the same rate. To turn, only one joystick is moved.
Mix Channel Mode (Single-Stick Drive)
For mix channel mode, the mode LED on the controller must be on. In this mode, some behind-the-scenes calculations
done by the controller allow a typical mobile robot to be controlled by a single joystick on the gamepad. Usually, a joystick’s
up-and-down movement controls the forward and backward motion while the joystick’s left and right movement causes
the robot to turn. This lets you drive a robot with one hand and frees up the other joystick for controlling other elements
such as servos.
Left Motor
Forward/Backward
Forward/Backward
Right Motor
Forward/Backward
Left/Right
