Thruster Commander

Have you ever wanted to put thrusters on a kayak, stand-up paddleboard, surfboard, or just wanted an easier way to get them up and running in the shop? If so, the Thruster Commander is the perfect tool to help with that.

The Thruster Commander comes with a small control unit that has inputs and outputs along with potentiometers, knobs, cables, and terminal blocks. The control unit is designed to be a flexible as possible and has the following features:

• 2 thruster output channels (but four outputs so you can double up each channel)
• Input channels for independent LEFT/RIGHT control
• Input channels for mixed SPEED/STEERING control
• Switch input for toggle switch or deadman switch (normally closed with a jumper)
• Power through ESC’s BEC if available or 7–20v through the included cable
• Anodized aluminum case with mounting holes

Using the independent inputs, you can control one or both of the thruster output channels separately. This is perfect for testing thrusters in the shop or running them in a permanent installation. We use this setup in our own thruster production process to quickly test thruster functionality. The mixed speed and steering inputs are perfect anytime you’re using two thrusters side-by-side on a vehicle and want control over combined speed as well as differential steering.

Please note that none of the components in the Thruster Commander are waterproof! They are meant to be integrated into a larger project. We recommend installing them in a waterproof case. The potentiometers are panel-mount style and include nuts to fasten them to a control panel.

There are a lot of neat things that you can do with the Thruster Commander, but we put together a video of one example using a stand-up paddleboard. Check it out!

For most applications, we recommend pairing the Thruster Commander with the T200 or T500 thrusters and Basic ESCs.