I've been racing with an Alltrax for about a year and a half but i feel i don't take advantage of it. I run 36v and run a high voltage around 42v, a low around 28v. I put it at full speed and 30% max amps. Ive only changed it once and it was when we went from 72v to 36v.
How do other teams program theirs. Are there ways to program mine better for short tracks?
South Forsyth HS said
Feb 27, 2016
We would also be interested in what people have to say about this. We have a AXE programmable controller but do not know what we would set it on if we took it off the default settings.
ProEV said
Feb 29, 2016
Hi Ryan,
What is the strategy behind the 30% setting?
On the other settings...
I would try throttle up rate and throttle down rate at 15 (fastest). You want the controller to react when the driver tells it to do something.
I think under voltage will shut the controller down when you reach it, so it should be set as low as possible because the batteries can sag pretty low under hard acceleration. Some controllers limit current when you hit low voltage which allows you to keep running at less speed. I do not think this is the case with Alltrax but I do not know.
Over voltage does not matter.
Top speed should be full unless you are using it to limit your top speed for efficiency reasons. I believe the Turbo check box should be off. I think it has to do with field weaking which might give more speed at the expense of efficiency.
On the throttle response tab, the linear response gives the driver the most even control. I would start there. Some drivers prefer progressive.
The Monitor tab is where you can set the program to allow you to monitor throttle, current and voltage. If you check log to file and can fit a lap top in the car, you have a way to run tests and compare power usage. The log files can be read in Excel and Watts per hour can be calculated.
Nitoragro said
Mar 1, 2016
There really was no strategy to 30%, at the time we really didn't know what it means, we programmed it before our first race this season, the first time we ever re-programmed it. Thanks for your help!
ProEV said
Mar 1, 2016
A quick check of the Alltrax website says that the Turbo button does not do anything on the AXE model, so you can ignore it.
You are limiting your power to 30% of full rated power. Check your model number on this page http://www.alltraxinc.com/Products_AXE.html to see what that is. So if you have a 400 amps model, you are limiting to about 133 amps at full throttle. That does not mean that your motor will draw 400 amps if you change the setting, it just means that your controller is now limited to 133 amps and is capable of delivering more.
The advantage to going with a higher percentage is that the driver will have more power when wanted. The disadvantage is less fine control. For most teams running a 24 volt system and optima batteries, I think the average current needs to be around 35 amps to finish the race. At 36 volts, what is your target? 25 amps? At 133 amps limit, a 1% change in throttle positions is 1.3 amps. At 400 amps, 4.0 amps.
So you might find, you can run closer to your target current by limiting your power to an even lower percent. The downside is if you have a flat tire or mechanical problem, you might not be able to run as much power as you want the rest of the race.
What is the strategy behind the 30% setting?
On the other settings...
I would try throttle up rate and throttle down rate at 15 (fastest). You want the controller to react when the driver tells it to do something.
I think under voltage will shut the controller down when you reach it, so it should be set as low as possible because the batteries can sag pretty low under hard acceleration. Some controllers limit current when you hit low voltage which allows you to keep running at less speed. I do not think this is the case with Alltrax but I do not know.
Over voltage does not matter.
Top speed should be full unless you are using it to limit your top speed for efficiency reasons. I believe the Turbo check box should be off. I think it has to do with field weaking which might give more speed at the expense of efficiency.
On the throttle response tab, the linear response gives the driver the most even control. I would start there. Some drivers prefer progressive.
The Monitor tab is where you can set the program to allow you to monitor throttle, current and voltage. If you check log to file and can fit a lap top in the car, you have a way to run tests and compare power usage. The log files can be read in Excel and Watts per hour can be calculated.
A quick check of the Alltrax website says that the Turbo button does not do anything on the AXE model, so you can ignore it.
You are limiting your power to 30% of full rated power. Check your model number on this page http://www.alltraxinc.com/Products_AXE.html to see what that is. So if you have a 400 amps model, you are limiting to about 133 amps at full throttle. That does not mean that your motor will draw 400 amps if you change the setting, it just means that your controller is now limited to 133 amps and is capable of delivering more.
The advantage to going with a higher percentage is that the driver will have more power when wanted. The disadvantage is less fine control. For most teams running a 24 volt system and optima batteries, I think the average current needs to be around 35 amps to finish the race. At 36 volts, what is your target? 25 amps? At 133 amps limit, a 1% change in throttle positions is 1.3 amps. At 400 amps, 4.0 amps.
So you might find, you can run closer to your target current by limiting your power to an even lower percent. The downside is if you have a flat tire or mechanical problem, you might not be able to run as much power as you want the rest of the race.