Black Beauty II - Pic Heavy

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by rlw

JohnnyB,

Where did you get that light bar?

RLW

http://store.tecscan.com/LiTESeasy-W...-Kits_c_9.html

Here's the view the other carts in the area usually see.

There is a wireless remote control that attaches to steering wheel for head/tail lights, turn signals, horn and has a auxiliary button also. An accelerometer is used to turn on brake-lights, so there's no switch to install on pedal.

I measured about 0.45A @12V with head/tail lights on. With nothing turned on, the black box draws 0.125A @12V.
The horn is definitely loud and draws about 2A.
I didn't measure the amp draw with the other things on, but based on what I did measure, the attached breakdown is reasonably accurate.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by sportcoupe

Seriously I didn't use a single c-clamp to hold the straight edges to the hubs. I had a couple spring clamps that did the job just fine. Here's the picture.

I added your picture to my stash.

Since the hubs rotate independently, how did you keep the straight edges level and parallel (vertical plane) with each other?

[sportcoupe]

It is a balancing act to keep the straight edges level. Being perfectly level isn't a requirment but they did fall from time to time. If you mark the exact center of the straight edge as a ref point it stays pretty level by itself on the hub.

[chriskent85]

need a ball joint separator like one of these.

[coosa]

To the surprise of no one, I don't happen to have a ball joint separator. I put a small jack under the spindle so I wouldn't bend anything, put a different nut even with the top of the bolt, and was able to tap it out with a hammer. But it won't work upside down with this lift kit. The tie rod hits that high steering riser that Jakes uses and limits the turning radius. It's not that big of a deal for me anyway. I've still got 2" more ground clearance at the front than the back.

I got my wife to help hold the tape and was able to set the toe in correctly. My eyeball job turned out to be 3/4" off. Took it for a ride and it drives much better - no more floating around at top speed. All that I have left to do now is install the winch and light when they arrive, and find a cable to connect a laptop to the controller and slow it down a little.

Thanks again to all for the help.

[coosa]

Black Beauty II is finished and ready for some serious testing before I take her to the farm to live out her life. I went ahead and bought 2 new tires for the front; figured the old ones would likely blow out at an inconvenient time so go ahead and replace them now. I just went with 2 low-pressure tires to match the rear ones. Since its gonna live on dirt, I think that will work ok.

I added a single led light and it really puts out the light. I chickened out on trying to run it on 36 volts after I realized how little current it uses. I've got it hooked to 24 volts and will use it so seldom that I don't think it will cause any serious issues. I did install an inline fuse holder and put a 10 amp fuse in it.

The 3000 lb winch sure was easy to install on the Jake's Winch Brush Guard. 2 bolts and wire it up and its ready to go. The mount that I fabricated for the other cart is probably stronger, but I've seen a video of a winch on this mount and they lifted the entire cart off the ground without an issue, so I don't expect any problems with it.

I put the gun rack that came with the cart back on, except I mounted it straight. The original job was pretty sloppy, even by my standards. You can see that my rattle-can paint job certainly contributes to my desire to make her so ugly that nobody will want to steal her. I have put several coats on the front body, but keep just making it worse. Obviously, I'm not much of a painter.



One question that I have about it - I still haven't bought a cable to hook the 500 amp Alltrax controller to my laptop and change the settings. I am really wondering if I even need to change from the defaults and wanted to get some opinions from the experts.

This cart runs 24 mph on pavement, and that's faster than its safe to run on my farm roads. I will occasionally have it on a county gravel road and could run it wide open there, but speed is really not much of an issue. On my other cart that I bought, it came with the same controller already set by the dealer. He said he had it set for maximum torque, but I'm not sure how much they really know about that controller. After talking to him again, I got the idea that mine is likely the first one they have ever installed.

There is no doubt that the bought cart is slower than Black Beauty; I'd guess it tops out about 20 mph but I haven't put the gps on it. It has plenty of torque to climb the steepest hills I have. The disadvantage of it is that its pretty jerky taking off, especially in reverse. Its hard to take off slowly with it, and I suspect that's due to them changing the controller settings. Black Beauty takes off as smooth as butter.

My question is this - will I really be increasing torque by changing the settings, or will I just slow down the cart? I've seen a lot of posts about this regarding the stock controller, but not much regarding this one. Can I really make the cart stronger for climbing hills, or will I just reduce the top speed?

The thing is that the hills at the farm aren't that steep. I'm thinking of taking it to the farm and seeing if it will climb the steepest hill, and if it will, just leave it on the default settings. It has the half reverse turned on, which I like, so I'm wondering if I ought to just leave it as is. Plus, I do think I'm capable of really messing it up when I start changing settings in the controller.

Thanks again to all you folks for all the help in creating BB II!

[DIRTPIT HC]

Not one thing wrong with that cart. She's a workhorse not a show pony. I will say be careful with her. You did too good a job and I don't believe a thief will pass her up.

[yurtle]

The only way to increase torque is to increase the amperage, assuming they have it set to less than 100%. By changing the pedal up and pedal down, you can calm down the rapid takeoff and change how fast it responds to letting off the pedal.

If you have a PDS or DCS, there may be other settings, like mapping, that may not be setup right.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by coosa

...........My question is this - will I really be increasing torque by changing the settings, or will I just slow down the cart? I've seen a lot of posts about this regarding the stock controller, but not much regarding this one. Can I really make the cart stronger for climbing hills, or will I just reduce the top speed?

The thing is that the hills at the farm aren't that steep. I'm thinking of taking it to the farm and seeing if it will climb the steepest hill, and if it will, just leave it on the default settings. It has the half reverse turned on, which I like, so I'm wondering if I ought to just leave it as is. Plus, I do think I'm capable of really messing it up when I start changing settings in the controller.................

If I have this correct, BB-II is a 2002 PDS and Wife's cart is a 2008 PDS. Both have DCX500 controllers, 36V battery packs, stock motors and tires taller than 18", however BB-II takes off smooth as butter and does about 24 MPH while the 2008 PDS jerks when it takes off and maxes out around 20 MPH.

Technically, both carts ought to run about the same, give or take a bit on the max speed due to differences in tire height and type, so the differences are most likely due to the controller settings.

Since whoever installed the controllers may not be up to speed on programming them, it would be a good idea to check what the settings are whether you decided to change them or not.

First and foremost, the Field Map installed has to match the motor installed. If both carts have stock PDS motors installed, it should be Field Map #4. If a different motor is installed, it may need a different Field Map, but not necessarily. (My D&D motor uses #4)

Yurtle is right about amps = torque and 500A is a bit much for a stock PDS motor, so it might be an idea to reduce the Max Output Current to about 80% (400A). The only times the motor will draw max amps is when starting from a standstill and when slowed almost to a stop on an exceptionally steep hill. If 400A won't generate enough torque for the hills you drive on, you need more motor, one that can handle more amps.

The bad thing about running a stock PDS motor at 500A is that when it goes, it will often take the controller with it.

Sounds like BB-II is running about the way you want it to, but check the settings.

On the 2008 PDS, I suspect "Turbo" isn't turned on. That will knock a few MPH off the top end.
If you don't need/want the speed with BB-II, turn the Turbo off. It doesn't change low end torque, but it generates more motor heat and cuts the range some.

To cure the jerking takeoffs, select the "Progressive" throttle profile and lower the "Throttle Up Rate". I run mine at "2", but I have small diameter turf tires and a ton of torque.

With the Throttle Profile and Up Rate you can adjust the cart's take off from a dragster that tries to do wheelies to a luxury sedan with a powerful engine, so play with it and you'll find the right setting.


Also, if changing the throttle profile and up rate doesn't cure it, check the ITS sensor and pedal switch alignment. If the plunger is too close to the ITS sensor when the pedal switch closes, the controller will see a partial throttle the moment the switch closes.

The Controller Pro manual covers all the user selectable/adjustable stuff pretty well, and if you have any questions, just yell.

[coosa]

Thanks for all the comments and info!

JohnnieB, you understand the situation correctly. Both are PDS carts, and the only problem with either of them is that the 2008 is kinda jerky if I try to take off slowly. The only time its really an issue is when backing it onto my 8' trailer. Its too long to haul it facing forward, so I have to haul it backward. I try to take it easy backing on, and it can be a little difficult at times. Its nothing major, but I think it could be improved.

Meanwhile, BBII, which is a 2002 PDS, takes off as smooth as a cart could ever run, no matter what the speed. I've put off until last messing with the controller, but I guess its time to deal with it. I've not even downloaded the manual; I only got the mini-manual with installation instructions when I bought it.

I am still confused about the settings I need, so I guess I really ought to read the manual before asking more dumb questions. The thing that concerns me most is getting either of them to that point where the cart is barely creeping along on the steepest hill and blowing the motor. I just can't understand how changing controller settings will provide more torque in that situation. Can it? From JohnnieB's response, it sounds like I need to limit the power to the motor in that situation so that I don't blow the motor.

The dealer that I bought the 2008 from indicated that they had it set for maximum torque, but I don't understand how controller settings could do that. I suspect they just limited the top end speed, which might be a good thing if 500 amps is more than the stock motor can handle. If the default settings allow 100% of power, then it looks like to me that the only way to increase torque is to put on smaller tires. Am I understanding it right?

Thanks for all the help. I'm thinking of taking it to a nearby mountain this afternoon and giving it a try.