Solenoid works,Cart don't

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Sorry if I missed it - did we get a full throttle signal test up and down? Assuming alltrax DCX is the LED light going orange at full pedal?

He got 8.6V pedal up and 5.2V pedal down.

I asked him to unplug the cable to the pedal box (J4) at the PDS to DCX adapter and he got 14V and he called Alltrax to confirm that was the correct open circuit voltage with an Alltrax controller in ITS mode.

Never asked him to check if the LED turned orange when pedal was on floor, but I doubt if it is. Discounting the up and down ITS voltages being low on both ends, the spread is only about 85% of normal. (3.4V vs 4.0V)

I suspect he has a bad ITS sensor or bad wires/connections between controller and ITS sensor.

[scottyb]

Roger that, those are bad ITS readings but the connector is a know troublemaker or the pedal box could be wet, thanks for keeping me up to speed

[devybob]

Good morning and happy Thanksgiving. I opened my the pedal box and took some readings. Everything on,in gear, measured pin 1 to white on sensor and got .014 then I measured pin 2 to black wire. My DVM was moving all around before I connected pin 2 to black wire but when I made a connection the meter showed a steady .000,kept trying to get a reading but never could. Sound like a wire or a sensor problem?

[JohnnieB]

Those reading don't look bad.

Disconnect the plug on top of the DCX controller and the black and white from the ITS Sensor in the pedal box. Measure the resistance between the black and white wires with an Ohmmeter.

You should read an open (infinite Ohms).

If you get less than a Meg-Ohm (1,000,000Ω), there is a partial short between the black and white wires, which will mess up the throttle signal to the controller.

There is an in-line connector between the cable coming out of the pedal box and the carts wiring harness that is typically located in from of the battery pack where the wires go through the frame. That is a source for a lot of ITS issues.

If not the wires or in-line connector, it is probably the ITS sensor.

[devybob]

JohnnyB, I,m not quite sure how you want me to measure the resistance between the black and white wires. Hook up what to what, if you just want me to probe each end of the black and white wires I cannot get a reading from either of my meters.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by devybob

JohnnyB, I,m not quite sure how you want me to measure the resistance between the black and white wires. Hook up what to what, if you just want me to probe each end of the black and white wires I cannot get a reading from either of my meters.

I want the wires disconnected from both the ITS Sensor and the controller.
Then measure between the two open ended wires with an Ohmmeter.

There should be no continuity between the two wires.

If there is, that resistance is in parallel with the ITS Sensor and will draw more current than what the ITS Sensor normally does, which in turn would lower the voltage between Pins 1 & 2 and send a bad throttle signal to the controller.

You are getting 8.6V pedal up and 5.2V pedal down, instead of 10V and 6V, and the voltage without the ITS sensor connected is 14V, which according to Alltrax is normal. That tells me either the ITS Sensor, or the wiring, is drawing more current than it should.

(Technically, I believe Alltrax feeds the ITS Sensor with a constant current power supply, so the voltage is reduced to when the same current is pumped through a lower impedance. A partial short is the wiring lowers the total impedance seen by the controller.)

If the wires and in-line connector check out okay, the ITS Sensor is bad.

Getting the ITS voltage between Pins 1 & 2 may not solve, or entirely solve, the reduced top speed problem, but it is a step in the right direction.

[devybob]

Ordered a new sensor,thank God I,m made of money!

[devybob]

Installed new sensor yesterday but had no change in results or readings. Got my hands on a very slightly used alltrax 400 DCX (175 bucks if I get it to work)although it not for a 42 volt cart I hooked it up and the cart ran beautifully. Called alltrax and was told I have to change the field map to FM4 from FM3. I downloaded the instructions and it seems pretty simple to do, however I can't seem to get the serial to usb cable to be recognized by either of my 2 laptops or even my PC. I might just take the controller and send it to alltrax and have them change the settings and use the old controller temporally until I get it back.

[JohnnieB]

Not all USB to Serial adapter drivers work. Get one of the adapter brands listed on Alltrax's website and have the computer search the internet for the driver instead of using the one on the CD.

[scottyb]

brand X serial to usb cable I got at radio shack years ago. Be sure to get one that has a disc or readily available driver download from the interweb

So, sounds like your control was dead?