Novak Pit Wizard User Manual

PIT WIZARD
instruction manual
CONTENTS
Introduction............................................................. 3
What’s Included ....................................................... 3
About The Pit Wizard .............................................. 4
Adjustable Parameters........................................ 5-12
Hardware Connection ........................................... 13
Precautions ............................................................ 14
Acquiring Default Parameters............................... 14
Monitoring Transmitter Trigger............................ 15
Uploading Parameters From Cyclone .............. 16-17
Editing Parameters ........................................... 18-20
Saving Parameters................................................. 23
Reading Parameters .............................................. 24
Trouble-Shooting Guide........................................ 25
Product Warranty .................................................. 25
Service Procedures ................................................ 26
Service Return Sheet ............................................. 27
Sample Profile Data............................................... 33
2 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL

INTRODUCTION

When designing an electronic speed control, the Novak engineers are put to the task of setting design parameters such as how wide the Deadband should be, what percentage of Full Drive should be applied with the first pulse of transmitter information, or what Brake and Drive Frequencies to use. In the past, our engineers would determine the best possible compromise for these parameters based on different vehicles and driving styles. While these fixed designs were perfect for some applications and some drivers, they were not right for others. It became clear that a speed control was needed that allowed the driver to modify several of the design parameters to fit their differing applications and needs.
During testing, our engineers found that different vehicles required different parameter values, just as each individual driver required different parameters to obtain the type of feel that they desired.
With this criteria in mind, Novak Electronics proudly brings you the Cyclone Programmable Speed Control (Part #1765) and the Pit Wizard Hand-Held Programmer (Part #1035).

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• PIT WIZARD
Comes complete and ready to program your Cyclone speed control right at the track where you need it most. Just add batteries, connect the D•LINK to speed control, and program. Also comes with sample Profiles to start you on the right track.
• PROFILE SOFTWARE
The same customized profiling software that comes with the Novak DataLink is already inside the Pit Wizard. Allowing you to customize the adjustable parameters of the Novak Cyclone Electronic Speed Control, including Deadband width, Minimum Drive percentage, Drive & Brake PWM Frequencies, and more.
3 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL

ABOUT THE PIT WIZARD

Novak’s exclusive ESC Profile Software allows you to modify
2 Line/16 Character LCD displays menu position and options for easy navigation.
{UP} & {DOWN} buttons let you scroll thru the main menu sub-screens and the user-adjustable parameter values.
the design parameters of your Cyclone and store ten different racing Profiles.
{MODE} button takes you through the available main menu selections.
{ENTER} button makes your selection once the menu mode or parameter value you want is displayed.
This button {•} is for future growth and is not currently used.
Ergonomic design fits comfortably in your hand and sturdy nylon case stands up to tough environments.
D•LINK harness for communicating with Cyclone ESC.
Molded-in loop for adding a neck or wrist strap.
Label shows main menu items and lists all of the user-adjustable Cyclone parameters.
4 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL

ADJUSTABLE PARAMETERS

The Pit Wizard’s Profile Software accesses the Cyclone speed control’ s previously hidden fourth Profile. The user-programmable fourth Profile gives you the ability to customize several design parameters of the speed control. This adjustability will allow you to custom tailor the speed control’s response and feel to your preference for different applications. This section lists the user-
adjustable parameters, their descriptions, and applications:
• NEUTRAL
Measured in microseconds (µs).Position at which the speed control is at rest, with no Drive or
Brake being applied.
–Initial value is taken from the transmitter, as recorded in the
One-Touch Set-Up memory of the speed control.
• FULL THROTTLE
Measured in microseconds (µs).Trigger position at which speed control reaches Full Drive.Initial value is taken from the transmitter, as recorded in the
One-Touch Set-Up memory of the speed control.
• FULL BRAKE
Measured in microseconds (µs).Trigger position at which speed control reaches Full Brake.Initial value is taken from the transmitter, as recorded in the
One-Touch Set-Up memory of the speed control.
100
100
Full
50
20 10
% FULL DRIVE
50
20 10
% FULL BRAKE
TRIGGER POSITION
Full Brake
DEADBAND
Neutral
Throttle
drive or brake applied at a given trigger position.
5 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL
ADJUSTABLE PARAMETERS (CONT.)
• DEADBAND
Measured as percentage (%) of Full Throttle trigger position.Space between Minimum Brake and Minimum Drive, with
Neutral located at the center of this space (Figure 2).
–Changing the Deadband value will change the point at which
forward Drive begins with respect to Neutral.
Increasing Deadband will require more trigger movement away
from Neutral to reach both the first pulse of Drive and the first pulse of Brake. Example: Adding 10% to the value of Deadband
will in turn add 5% Deadband in the Full Throttle trigger direction, and 5% Deadband in the Full Brake trigger dir ection.
Decreasing Deadband will require less trigger movement to
reach the first pulses of Drive and Brake.
100%18%
Full
100
50
20 10
% FULL DRIVE
100
50
20 10
% FULL BRAKE
TRIGGER POSITION
Minimum
Brake
DEADBAND
18%
Neutral
Minimum Drive
Throttle
Figure 2: Deadband graphically displayed as a percentage of the Full Throttle
trigger position, which is measured in microseconds.
6 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL
ADJUSTABLE PARAMETERS (CONT.)
• DRIVE PWM FREQUENCY
Measured in Hertz (Hz).Frequency at which the duty cycle information is being sent
from speed control to motor (How many times per second the motor is being cycled on and off to control it’s speed).
–Drive PWM Frequency controls acceleration characteristics of
your vehicle with respect to trigger movement in the Full Throttle direction (Figure 3). By changing the value of Drive PWM Frequency you change the manner in which the vehicle responds to transmitter trigger input.
Increasing Drive PWM Frequency requires more initial trigger
movement to obtain the same given speed. Light vehicles feel more controllable / Heavy vehicle more sluggish.
Decreasing Drive PWM Frequency requires less initial trigger
movement to obtain the same given speed. Light vehicles are harder to control at the low end (possibly spinning the rear wheels) / Heavy vehicles are more reactive.
This parameter can be used as a valuable tuning asset for different types of motors and track conditions.
100
50
20 10
% FULL BRAKE
Full Brake
TRIGGER POSITION
DEADBAND
Neutral
DRIVE PWM FREQUENCY
Throttle
Full
Figure 3: Graphical location of area affected by Drive PWM Frequency.
100
50
20 10
% FULL DRIVE
7 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL
ADJUSTABLE PARAMETERS (CONT.)
• MINIMUM DRIVE
Measured as percentage (%) of the Drive value.Amount of Drive applied with the first pulse of transmitter
throttle information (Figure 4).
Increasing the Minimum Drive will make the speed control
begin at a greater percentage of Full Drive. This is useful for tracks with good traction and for heavier vehicles to eliminate ‘dead’ trigger movement before the motor can actually move the vehicle (and will increase the vehicle’ s minimum rolling speed).
Decreasing the Minimum Drive will make the speed control
start at a smaller percentage of Full Drive. This is useful for tracks with low-bite and lighter vehicles where lower initial power will give more controllability. This parameter is also a valuable tuning asset for different types of motors.
100
256 DISCRETE BRAKE STEPS
50
20 10
% FULL BRAKE
TRIGGER POSITION
Minimum
Brake
[20%]
DEADBAND
256 DISCRETE FORWARD STEPS
Minimum Drive
[10%]
100
50
20 10
% FULL DRIVE
Figure 4: Graphical representation of Minimum Drive and Minimum Brake as
percentage of Full Drive and Full Brake, respectively.
8 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL
ADJUSTABLE PARAMETERS (CONT.)
• BRAKE PWM FREQUENCY
Measured in Hertz (Hz).Frequency at which the duty cycle information is being sent
from speed control to motor for braking.
–Brake PWM Frequency controls deceleration characteristics of
your vehicle with respect to trigger movement in the Full Brake direction (Figure 5). Changing Brake PWM Frequency allows you to change the manner in which the vehicle responds to brake trigger input.
Increasing the Brake PWM Frequency will require more initial
trigger movement to obtain a given amount of braking. Light vehicles brake more controllably under initial braking / Heavy vehicles brake less reactively.
Decreasing the Brake PWM Frequency will require less initial
trigger movement to obtain a given amount of braking. Light vehicles are harder to control under initial braking (possibly locking up the wheels) / Heavier vehicle are more reactive to initial braking efforts.
100
50
BRAKE PWM FREQUENCY
20 10
% FULL BRAKE
Full Brake
TRIGGER POSITION
DEADBAND
Neutral
Full
Throttle
Figure 5: Graphical location of area affected by Brake PWM Frequency.
100
50
20 10
% FULL DRIVE
9 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL
ADJUSTABLE PARAMETERS (CONT.)
• DRAG BRAKE VALUE
Measured as percentage (%) of Full Brake value.Adjusts amount of Drag Brake applied within the Deadband
when throttle trigger is in the Neutral position (Figure 6).
When the Drag Brake value is greater than zero, Drag Braking
is applied in the Deadband area. When the throttle trigger is returned to Neutral, braking information is sent to the motor . This can be used to obtain Drag Brakes without shifting the Neutral position of the transmitter with the throttle trim, and will in turn eliminate the Deadband (now ‘dead’ trigger) space that has also been shifted toward the Full Throttle side of the trigger movement before Drive can be applied.
When the Drag Brake Toggle is set to ON position, the Brake
Pot on the Cyclone adjusts the Drag Brake V alue. Drag Brakes during Neutral/Deadband are now set at the same level as Minimum Brake. With Drag Brake Toggle ON, the Drag Brake
V alue can NOT be set with the Pit Wizard, only with the Brake Pot on the Cyclone.
When Drag Brake T oggle is OFF, the Brake Pot on the Cyclone
adjusts only the Minimum Brake value. Drag Brake Value can now be set above zero with the Pit Wizard to obtain Drag Brakes. Minimum Brake value can now be independently set higher or lower than the Drag Braking (Figure 8).
100
100
50
Drag Brake Value
30 20 10
% FULL BRAKE
Figure 6:
Graphical representation of Drag Brake Value as a percentage of Full Brake.
[30%]
TRIGGER POSITION
Minimum
Brake
[20%]
DEADBAND
10 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL
50
20 10
% FULL DRIVE
ADJUSTABLE PARAMETERS (CONT.)
• DRAG BRAKE TOGGLE
Switches Brake Pot of the Cyclone ESC from Minimum Brake
adjustment to Drag Brake V alue & Minimum Brake adjustment.
When Drag Brake T oggle is ON, Drag Braking is applied in the
Neutral/Deadband area at the same frequency as Brake PWM Frequency is set (Figure 7). When the trigger is returned to the Neutral position, braking information is sent to the motor .
100
100
50
30
10
% FULL BRAKE
Drag Brake Value equals
Minimum Brake
TRIGGER POSITION
DEADBAND
= [30%]
50
10
% FULL DRIVE
Figure 7: Drag Brake Toggle ON––Drag Brake Value = Minimum Brake (Both are
set with Brake Pot). Drag Brake Frequency = Brake PWM Frequency (Both are set with Brake PWM Frequency adjustment).
100
50
Drag Brake Value
30 20 10
% FULL BRAKE
TRIGGER POSITION
[30%]
Minimum
Brake
DEADBAND
[20%]
100
50
20 10
% FULL DRIVE
Figure 8: Drag Brake Toggle OFF––Independent adjustment of Minimum Brake
via Brake Pot, and Drag Brake Value, Brake PWM Frequency, and Drag Brake Frequency with Pit Wizard.
11 PIT WIZARD INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Loading...
+ 23 hidden pages