Controller upgrade - tutorial?

[eflyguy]

Charger arrived, hooked up 7th battery.

Oh, my. :D

The hill I mentioned is no longer a strain, although we probably won't go down there too much.



Question - can the programming be done while the cart is running (stationary, of course)? I'd like to hook a laptop up and play with the settings to see what effect they have. I am definitely wanting to lower the top speed - there are too many places where you could get in trouble (some people won't drive up our main driveway)..
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[scottyb]

Yes the program is a free download from alltraxinc.com. Speed can be limited as well as amperage and throttle rate. Glad you are happy.

42v PDS rocks

[eflyguy]

Thank you, Scott.

My driveway is 1/4 mile and very steep in sections. Add to that a run down the back driveway (level) and around the house, I'm thinking three runs up/down and around the property equates to a couple of miles - would that be 25% of capacity? If I do that a couple of times a day, full recharge in-between, the batteries should be broken in nicely, you think?
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[cgtech]

I believe the "speed" setting in an alltrax reduces motor max voltage to limit speed. This may negate some of the benefit added by switching to 42v. Although, the increased amp rating will still be a benefit. If this is not correct, i apologize.

[JohnnieB]

CG, you've got it pretty close.

The "Top Speed" slider adjusts how the controller interprets the throttle pedal position. When set to 75%, it sees a wide open throttle as a 3/4 throttle and a half way open throttle as a 3/8 throttle.

Technically, the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) output of the controller switches between zero and full battery pack voltage, so the voltage of the pulsed DC would be 6V higher with a 42V battery pack than it is with a 36V battery pack, regardless of the "Top Speed" slider setting.

The throttle position determines the Duty Cycle of the PWM, but when measured with a DVM set on a DC scale, the average of the pulsed voltage being applied is read and the voltage appears to vary while the length of time the voltage is being applied is actually what is varying.

In other words, the cart's low end performance with a 42V pack and the slider set to 86% should be better than with a 36V pack and the slider set to 100%, however the top speed should be about the same.

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

CG, you've got it pretty close.

The "Top Speed" slider adjusts how the controller interprets the throttle pedal position. When set to 75%, it sees a wide open throttle as a 3/4 throttle and a half way open throttle as a 3/8 throttle.

Technically, the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) output of the controller switches between zero and full battery pack voltage, so the voltage of the pulsed DC would be 6V higher with a 42V battery pack than it is with a 36V battery pack, regardless of the "Top Speed" slider setting.

The throttle position determines the Duty Cycle of the PWM, but when measured with a DVM set on a DC scale, the average of the pulsed voltage being applied is read and the voltage appears to vary while the length of time the voltage is being applied is actually what is varying.

In other words, the cart's low end performance with a 42V pack and the slider set to 86% should be better than with a 36V pack and the slider set to 100%, however the top speed should be about the same.

My thoughts exactly, Albert.

[eflyguy]

Yup - I know all about PWM from electric RC. :) The top speed isn't necessary, I just wanted more power (as opposed to acceleration) and capacity/duration.

Still wondering if I can have the laptop hooked up while it's running?

The fact that there is a "Monitor" screen has me believe that will be fine, but I want to be sure.
Thx!
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[cgtech]

Yes! And it can be very helpful finding throttle problems, and weak batts/ crummy cables.
But, dont have the charger plugged in while laptop plugged into cart.

[yurtle]

Originally Posted by cgtech

But, dont have the charger plugged in while laptop plugged into cart.

Why? My buggy is always plugged into my DPI charger when it's not moving, and I've hooked up mine at least a dozen times. It's just a serial connection. Is there something I'm missing?

Is it the possibility of the Reed switch killing power to the controller? I have a series. Maybe sepex is different?

[mike777]

[QUOTE=yurtle;924460]Why? My buggy is always plugged into my DPI charger when it's not moving, and I've hooked up mine at least a dozen times. It's just a serial connection. Is there something I'm missing?

Is it the possibility of the Reed switch killing power to the controller? I have a series. Maybe sepex is different?[/QUOTE