Reprogramming Alltrax controller in cart

StormH2Oguy

I just bought a hunting cart built using a 2009 Club Car Precedent about a week ago. I noticed that the cart didn't have much speed going up moderate hills so I took it back the shop since it is under warranty. When they built the cart for me I had a 6" lift kit, 22" Sahara Classic A/T tires, new Trojan batteries, 4 gauge battery and motor wires, upgraded solenoid and an Alltrax programmable DCX400 controller put in it. I picked it back up this evening and the guy said he made a few tweaks in the programming and it is working a little better. He said the biggest difference will come once the new batteries have gone through 8-10 discharge & recharge cycles to help them break in so I will wait and see if that also helps some more. I just recharged the pack and checked with a multimeter and it showed 53.1 volts. I will recheck it tomorrow to get the actual voltage. I will also be installing my new LED battery charge meter that I got from ScottyB later this weekend if time allows.

My question is in regards to reprogramming the controller while it is installed in the cart. Is it OK? I have read through Alltrax's website and programming documents and seen a few videos on YouTube but they all show the unit being programmed out of the cart. I did see one post from someone a while back about doing this in the cart but it didn't go into much detail.

If I buy the correct USB to RS232 serial adapter that works with Windows 7 is it just as simple as plugging into the serial port on the controller and changing the parameters on my laptop using their software? I would like to set the reverse speed to 1/2 since my kids may use the cart from time to time. When I unloaded it off the trailer it took off and surprised me. I hate to haul this thing another hour back to the shop if I can do this on my own. I would also like to play with the throttle settings some since it seems to be a tad jerky during initial acceleration.

Thanks in advance for any and all input.

StormH2Oguy

BGW

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jakesnake27

Yes, I have never done it, but you can get a USB cable that connects to the controller and hooks to your laptop. You can then change the settings right there in the cart. Someone who has done it and knows more about this can elaborate...

You will love the Scottyb meter
And yes, you will see improved performance once the battery pack gets broken in.

scottyb

The controller LED light must be lit BEFORE you open up the controller pro program. If you fail to do this you will get the 'failed to locate control' error. Once you have 'set' your changes. exit the program and then reopen it and double check to see your 'changes' took

Speedchaser

Like Scotty said. On my old Ds i had to step on the go pedal a little to engage the controller however on my 08 precedent just putting key on powers controller.

So, attach cable and computer, then key on, if controller powers up then open program.

i got my cable at Radio Shack for around $30. i havd heard some of the cheaper made cables dont work, but that doesn't mean you cant find a cheaper cable somewhere.

And yes you program the controller in the cart.

StormH2Oguy

Thanks guys for the responses. I bought the serial cable from RadioShack today and installed the driver on my laptop. I went out and hooked the cable up to the controller and turned the key on and downloaded the Controller Pro software from Alltrax's website. Everything worked perfectly and I was able to turn on the 1/2 speed reverse and modify a few other settings to my liking. I checked to make sure that the changes were saved and then unhooked the cable and went for a ride. The cart seems to be running good and I noticed that it appears to be pulling up the hills around my house a little better than when I first brought it home. That could be from the controller changes and the batteries breaking in. It's still not fast but it does seem better.

We took the cart to the hunt club yesterday for the first time and it worked great. It was nice to get all the way to the back of the property and the only sound I could hear was the tires rolling over the leaves. I did end up putting some felt pads under the rear flip seat since it rattled a few times on big bumps but I have that taken care of now as well.

Anyway, I just wanted to update this thread and thank those that responded.

StormHOguy