What are the benefits/disadvantages of a valve with integrated electronics?
The benefit of valves with on-board electronics is that the drivers are already integrated with the valve, which eliminates the need to externally mount the driver. The disadvantage is that the electronic driver is specific to that valve, and cannot be used to drive other valves. A P-Q Valve Drive Board, however, can be adjusted (in-field) to drive virtually any valve on the market. Thus, a customer can easily swap to a different valve (or replace a defective one) without having to buy new electronics to drive the new valve. It is also worth noting that on-board electronics limits the customer in his options for a command source (since not all joystick companies produce joysticks that meet the input requirements of certain on-board drivers). Using a P-Q Valve Drive Board guarantees a compatible marriage to our controls.
