Hi, I'm pretty new at this (pardon the stupid questions!)....have bought this but w/o the gear and steering motor.
This has a bluetooth remote control (white in 1st pic) - that has forward/reverse and left/right.

Forward/reverse button controls the gear motor, and left/right button controls the steering motor. (see 2nd pic)
The steering motor is a similar single dc motor as per the gear where it turn clockwise/anti-clockwise i.e. same forward/reverse.

What I wanted to do is to use this without the steering motor for left/right turn - so wanted it to turn the gear motor in reverse direction e.g. to turn right, one gear turn forward and the other reverse.

I tried to join up the wires over to the gear motor instead (see 3rd pic) - thinking that it will just work the same way with the steering motor to rotate it.
But then I saw a spark and something burnt

Wondering if there is a way to wire this thing up so that the remote control works in rotating one motor gear forward and the other reverse to achieve a turning effect?

I'm trying to use this system to build a motorised wheelchair for my 6 years old daughter where she can control it using the remote.

 

Welcome to AAC!

But then I saw a spark and something burnt

The way you connected things probably applied conflicting voltages to the motors and fried one or more of the transistors used in the receiver to drive the motors. Have you opened up the receiver to check for any obviously burnt components?

 

Yup I did, and there is a burnt component near to the steering motor socket.
Actually I don't mind getting another receiver as they are not expensive. But I'm wondering if it is possible at all to wire them in a way that I can fully use the remote for left/right turning using the gear motor.

Will it help to post a photo of the board here?

Welcome to AAC!

The way you connected things probably applied conflicting voltages to the motors and fried one or more of the transistors used in the receiver to drive the motors. Have you opened up the receiver to check for any obviously burnt components?

 

I am making the following assumptions about the way the steering motor and it's control switch works. I think the steering switch is a three position switch biased to the centre off position. I think the steering motor is a permanent magnet motor so the polarity is reversed to drive it in each direction and it has limit switches built in so it is not stalled at the end of travel. If these assumptions are correct then I suggest connecting the wires that would go to it to two relays each via a diode so that one position of the switch operates one relay and the other position of the switch operates the other relay. The contacts on the relay could be used to either reverse one motor of break the feed to it. I think this method of steering would make it difficult to control.

Les.