ALLTRAX XCT500 and D&D 170-502-0001

[runninrebel]

Guys, I hope yall can help. I'm gonna try to be descriptive here, with the hope that some of you can offer assistance or recommendations.

I have a 2007 EZGO PDS (36v, lifted w/ 21"tires), bought it new/modified, so it's 10 years old. When purchased, it came with an ALLTRAX DCX 400 and the motor was an Advanced (DE2-4007). The DCX400 was running Field Map #4. I was always happy with this setup. Speed was good (25-27 mph) and decent torque.....biggest thing, I WAS HAPPY WITH IT.

Six weeks ago, I replaced my batteries (they were due). It was the original batteries that came with cart, so I can't complain, I feel like I got my monies worth. They were 10 years old (Trojan T-105s). Put brand new T-105s back in it. Two weeks after replacing batteries, the motor burnt up while we were at the beach.

After thinking about it for a couple of weeks, and doing some looking around on the internet. I decided I wanted to upgrade my controller to a XCT500 and get a motor that would trade 2-3 mph in speed for one with a little more torque. We live in upstate South Carolina, and our neighborhood has some pretty good hills in it. I got a D&D 170-502-0001 motor. I also upgraded the solenoid too (SW-180). The controller came loaded with a field map
(i.e. 502-V7).

Last weekend I swapped everything out, taking my time (I'm not an expert). When it was all done, I got 4-green flashes...which was good! I charged up, and the moment of truth came, and I was extremely disappointed. Not only does it feel slower, but feels like it has less torque going up hills than what I had before.

I'm going to attach some pictures for yall to look at, just to make sure everything looks correct (especially around the solenoid wiring, and pictures of what my computer shows reading from the controller)

Is there something I can do, to help this thing to be like I want. Change field maps, adjust setting, does it look wired correctly? I'm very disappointed right now, after spending $1100 on a new motor and controller.

[SWFLrunner]

Disclaimer I'm no expert but you can take a look at my recent thread 42 volt limited top speed. I notice you do not have enable speed limit set. Try setting a speed limit in your controller settings. Set it to the max safe RPM for your motor and see what happens. I think the program safe modes and limits RPM and associated tourque when there is no speed limit set.

[jhop869986]

I am no expert at all, but I have been through the upgrade process

1. What is your pack voltage?
2. What are the individual battery voltages?
3. Have you had 10-20 cycles on the batteries? New batteries are not at their full potential right off the bat.
4. Hard to tell from the pic but what gauge cables are you using on the batteries, recommended to use at least 4 gauge.
See ScottyB's battery faq
http://www.cartsunlimited.net/battery-break-in-.html

I also don't have the resistor on the small terminals on mine.

The experts should be on here before long.

[runninrebel]

Jhop, I haven't checked any voltages. I'm not 100% sure how many cycle are on the new batteries. I would think at least 10 or right at it, but probably not 20. I have 4 gauge wire all through the cart (see pic of batteries). Another pic I attached to this reply shows the controller reading 37.7 volts...at least that's what the program shows.

Also, do I not need the resistor on the small terminals? The drawing shows it on there, but then it also says it's not required on XCT units? I put it on there anyway. Does it make a difference on performance with it on?

SWFL, the settings that I showed in the pics is how the controller came. I haven't changed anything on the controller yet. I wanted to get feedback and suggestions on here first.

[SWFLrunner]

Not running a speed limit in a hilly area is asking for trouble. You could overspeed the motor on a down hill. No matter what I would enable a speed limit as a first step. Check enable speed limit, set the max RPM and hit the set button. The button will turn blue then back to gray once the new setting is written to the controller.

I am running a different field map than you are, my tests were on my field map.

Recommended for a stock motor is 6000 rpm, some would say 6500. I can run 6200 max flat out on a flat so I'm set at a max that let's it it the 6200 number. I'll take my chances and there's no hills here. My field map holds the speed limit about 400 RPM under the max speed limit set also. If I set with no speed limit enabeled it holds the cart to 5300 max rpms no matter what.

Test on flat ground until you sort it out.

My Alltrax literature states that if manufactured after Feb 2017 you dont need the resistor. Don't know the effect of having it on.

I would run and save a log file so you can post it here and the experts can look at it later and you can see what the system is doing.

[scottyb]

37.7 is not a full charge. What does it drop to when you floor it uphill?
Can you log a file save and post it here

[Gregorio]

You didn't happen to swap your forward and reverse switch wires to fix the problem of the motor turing in the wrong direction? The XCT wiring instructions are wrong when it comes to the field wiring. Quick check would be to turn up the reverse % and see if it livens up.

[runninrebel]

Gregorio, I'm not sure if I really understand what you are saying about the wiring. When I installed everything, I wired it up per the drawing, and also reviewed pictures I took before I took the DCX 400 controller out. I labeled all wires with tape before removing. I put everything back like I had it. The first time I went to test the cart, when I put the switch in forward, it went forward, and when I put in reverse, it went in reverse. I haven't had to switch any wires, nor have I made any attempt to do so. The only thing I wasn't 100% sure of was how I had the wiring around the solenoid (i.e. the resistor/diode). I attached a picture in first post, and asked folks to look and make sure it looked right.

Scottyb, I will try to do a log file save, sometime today, and I will post back here for everyone to see. As far as the voltage, that 37.7 volts, is what was showing on the "monitor" tab, of the Alltrax toolkit program, when the cart was just sitting, and I had the cable hooked up to the controller.

[JohnnieB]

1. I'm not all that familiar with the SW-180 solenoid, so I don't know if there ought to be a resistor between the small terminal or not. There are two diodes are required for an XCT controller, one on small terminals and one on the large terminals.

2. The keyswitch isn't on, no direction is selected and the solenoid is not activated, so the battery voltage reading shown on the monitor screen is the pre-charge on the filter capacitors and will be about 0.5V, or more, less than the actual battery voltage. To get a true battery pack voltage on the monitor screen, turn on key, select a direction and press peddle just far enough to make solenoid click.

3. Turn speed limit on and set max RPM to 6500. The controller will not allow the motor to reach its max RPM for the applied voltage unless the speed limit is turn on. Also, the motor's amp draw at low RPM (Motor amps = Torque) is less when speed limit is turned off.

4. The motor you have selected appears to be standard speed with 40% greater torque, so you ought to be getting about the same speed as you did with the stock motor, maybe a bit more.

5. If the cart go forward in F and backwards in R, the F1/F2 wires are correctly connected. The early XCT schematics/instructions had them reversed. The attached schematic is the correct one.

6. To post the log files, you have to Zip them. (You can't attach a *.csv file to a post on this forum, but you can attach a *.zip file. )

[Gregorio]

Originally Posted by runninrebel

Gregorio, I'm not sure if I really understand what you are saying about the wiring. When I installed everything, I wired it up per the drawing, and also reviewed pictures I took before I took the DCX 400 controller out. I labeled all wires with tape before removing. I put everything back like I had it. The first time I went to test the cart, when I put the switch in forward, it went forward, and when I put in reverse, it went in reverse. I haven't had to switch any wires, nor have I made any attempt to do so. The only thing I wasn't 100% sure of was how I had the wiring around the solenoid (i.e. the resistor/diode). I attached a picture in first post, and asked folks to look and make sure it looked right

Almost every version of the Alltrax instructions have the field wires backwards. The cart will be going in reverse when the switch is in forward and vice versa. If you corrected the symptom by flipping the wires at the reverse switch, as I did, you will have corrected the directional issue but will still have half speed forward and full speed reverse.