Looking for a way to remotely open/close a circut?

[Ditchrat]

I don’t participate much on this forum, as electronics is only a small portion of my hobbies, however I have done much reading and it has help immensely in my understanding. That being said, thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read or reply to this.

Here is my situation. I am trying to be clever about something but lack the knowledge to do so.

Currently I have a RC truck that uses an electronic speed controller with two separate settings. The settings are changed via a 2 pin jumper. With the jumper installed the truck uses a forward/brake/reverse function. To change the function to forward/reverse(with a drag brake) you simply remove the jumper. I check with my meter and it looks as though the only thing the jumper does in complete a circuit.

What I was thinking is I could put in a switch/relay(do not know what I am actually looking for, thus the post) that could be used in the place of the jumper. Either a NC or NO would work. I currently have a 3rd radio channel 2 position, available to operate the function.

I am not looking to energize the ESC, just something that would close a circuit, or open.

 

[Bluejets]

Servo mechanically linked to a switch.

 

[Jouellet]

what about a small uController (such as ATTiny85) that would "read" a standard servo signal and switch a relay accordingly ?!

 

[Ditchrat]

I was considering a micro servo and a mechanically actuated switch. However the end point adjustment would need to be fine and I was concerned about servo drift. I was also thinking small, as in a 1/4 inch or so.

Back in the day when I was a commercial washer repairmen, we used to replace icecube relays a lot on certain style machines. When energized they would create an electromagnet which would slam shut a contact that completed a separate circuit. I'm going back 20 years but I believe they where called a reed switch.

 

[Bluejets]

Seems simple enough to me to set up a microswitch with a lever arm contacted by the servo arm output.
None of the drawbacks you mention. Operate the switch somewhere on the servo arm arc.Doesn't have to be accurate, just on and off. Servo sweep full travel each way.
Used the same setup successfully plenty of times for on-board glow switch.