Navitas 600A RXV Solenoid Questions

[Imapled]

Originally Posted by DB Cooper

I need to spend some more time with it, for peace of mind I'm putting the MZJ-400A in this weekend, then I'll dial up amperage.

When you up the Battery Discharge Limit from the default 200a to anything higher be warned that it will stress your lead acid batteries and shorten their life span. You can go up to 400a on that setting for fun. Do it all the time but, you shouldn't run the cart that high all the time.

There are three main settings to mess with:

Forward Speed Limit
Maximum Acceleration
Battery Discharge Limit

If you are on Golf Carts Modified (on Facebook) you can find some recommended settings for RXV setups there.

Originally Posted by DB Cooper

I probably would've been perfectly fine with the 440A controller in all honesty, but I can tell you there are large swaths of people on this large Facebook group that have the 600A and do wheelies and all sorts of crazy things and they sing the praises.

Golf Carts Modified being that forum. One member has a 80v setup on an RXV who used to post here too that does ungodly and unsafe speeds.

Originally Posted by DB Cooper

I'd love to get a tuned Curtis 350A though, if I see one on sale or one of those famous guys here selling one, I'll definitely pick one up and be able to really comment; it will be hard to give up OTF though! If you don't have access to a tuned Curtis or need to lock down settings for different driver profiles, then these are no brainers in my opinion.

If you really want to do it to the max put a SME Smartmotion ACM1 500a 80v in and get your hands on the TAU OEM software and program it up. It is the cream of the crop AC Inverter to be frank. SME also makes a rear shafted 5kw motor Dana 19 spline that you can configure a crazy Warner Electric motor brake that makes the "stock" RXV brake look silly. Will fit on the axle no problem.

TAU OEM software makes Curtis 1314 look silly to use. Its amazing software and way better all round. So many more options on SME controllers than any other on the market. But, "golf carts" are not their target market. SME ACX1-l is what Netgain sells to drive the Hyper9 (which from the looks of the pics looks like a SME motor to me as well).

Its not a "drop-in" kit per-say but, if you are going for the ultimate setup that is it. Its not cheap either. Takes some know-how to get it going. Navitas TAC2 is the best bang-for-buck, do-it-yourself and configure-it-yourself after market drop in controller for an RXV.

The Curtis 350a is not the absolute best controller for an RXV. (If people want to talk in absolutes.) The SME ACM1 is no drop in though and not in the same "ease of install" as Navitas or even the Curtis stuff.

Cheers,
Greg

[DB Cooper]

Originally Posted by rhyno911

I just experienced the same scenario yesterday except I did not have a mallet handy to bang on the solenoid so my cart is stuck on driveway. Additionally mine was the stock 36V so I am sure that is even more problematic. I am wondering if upgrading the solenoid removed this issue? I just ordered the MZJ-400 with the hopes I can get it moving again. I am curious to hear how your story endsed.

Zero problems since I upgraded the solenoid!

[DB Cooper]

I attached some pics of my solenoid install.

NOTE that the 400A HD solenoid has a different lug size than the controller/battery. The solenoid has a 3/8 lug vs a 5/16 common to the controller and batteries. Fortunately, I found off the shelf "marine" cables that have 3/8 and 5/16 on each side. Apparently this is a common issue on boats. With two of those cables in hand, life was made easy.

For those who need them, it seems I can't post a direct link to Amazon, but just search for this on Amazon and find them in various sizes, "2 AWG 2 Gauge Single Red 18 inches w/ 5/16" + 3/8" Lugs Pure Copper PowerFlex Battery Inverter Cables for Solar, RV, Auto, Marine Car, Boat"

The cables was the major win here for simplifying install. While I couldn't mount the solenoid to the Trombetta cage, I literally took the solenoid into Lowes, bought 2 L-Brackets, 2 bolts, 4 self-tapping screws, 4 washers and 4 crush-nylon/lock nuts and for less than $2 made an easy adaptation.

[DB Cooper]

Originally Posted by superlubricity

DB Cooper, you mentioned you cranked up the brake gain; can you share what values you used for the brake settings in the Navitas app?

I'm trying to get mine right.

Sorry for the delayed response, basically you need to start tweaking the "Analog Brake Gain". I'm at 2.0 now, I can't recall the starting factor, but it was much lower. I'd suggest starting with 0.1 or 0.25 increments (up/positive) and doing test runs (do it alone, passengers will not understand what you're trying to do). The gain is significant with these adjustments so take your time and test accordingly.

I spoke to Navitas; they informed me that people felt the Curtis brake gain was "twitchy" and "extra sensitive" so they set the controller to make the brake more car like. I found the Navitas to require A LOT of brake input to get the cart to slow. Knowing how the emergency brake system works, that scared me, so I wanted to go back to the more "twitchy" Curtis like braking I was accustom to. I was running 2.25 at one point, but settled on 2.0. I've also got my regen kicked up a bit so I almost don't use the brake pedal as I drive quite conservatively.

For me the big issue was the dramatic change, now that I've been rolling on the Navitas for 4+ months, I don't even think about it, but I remember it being a HUGE adjustment at first.

Screenshot of config attached.

[DB Cooper]

Originally Posted by Imapled

When you up the Battery Discharge Limit from the default 200a to anything higher be warned that it will stress your lead acid batteries and shorten their life span. You can go up to 400a on that setting for fun. Do it all the time but, you shouldn't run the cart that high all the time.

There are three main settings to mess with:

Forward Speed Limit
Maximum Acceleration
Battery Discharge Limit

If you are on Golf Carts Modified (on Facebook) you can find some recommended settings for RXV setups there.



Golf Carts Modified being that forum. One member has a 80v setup on an RXV who used to post here too that does ungodly and unsafe speeds.



If you really want to do it to the max put a SME Smartmotion ACM1 500a 80v in and get your hands on the TAU OEM software and program it up. It is the cream of the crop AC Inverter to be frank. SME also makes a rear shafted 5kw motor Dana 19 spline that you can configure a crazy Warner Electric motor brake that makes the "stock" RXV brake look silly. Will fit on the axle no problem.

TAU OEM software makes Curtis 1314 look silly to use. Its amazing software and way better all round. So many more options on SME controllers than any other on the market. But, "golf carts" are not their target market. SME ACX1-l is what Netgain sells to drive the Hyper9 (which from the looks of the pics looks like a SME motor to me as well).

Its not a "drop-in" kit per-say but, if you are going for the ultimate setup that is it. Its not cheap either. Takes some know-how to get it going. Navitas TAC2 is the best bang-for-buck, do-it-yourself and configure-it-yourself after market drop in controller for an RXV.

The Curtis 350a is not the absolute best controller for an RXV. (If people want to talk in absolutes.) The SME ACM1 is no drop in though and not in the same "ease of install" as Navitas or even the Curtis stuff.

Cheers,
Greg

4 month update here. I've yet to go above the default 200A setting. I'm not interest in popping wheelies, I drive conservatively in a neighborhood community usually shuttling my family to/from school and/or friends' homes. At 200A the cart can still peel a bit of the massive gripping 23" rubber. I rarely find myself mashing it and drive it more like a normal car with smooth acceleration.

With 23s, while I've tested to 35 mph, I have my top speed set at 31mph and OTF at 90%, regen at 15%. This basically makes my top speed 28, but almost all roads I'm on have a 25mph speed limit. If I have a car closing in on me, I quickly tap the OTF to 100% and honestly, 31 is well above the speed limit here. Much beyond 27-28mph, stability on my 6"/23" lifted cart with ONLY regen brakes becomes borderline stupid for my neighborhood which has a lot of bends, tons of pedestrians, bikers, kids playing.

While I hit 35 once in testing, and I know it had way more to give, I bought this for the reliability and tuning. I have no doubts I could do wheelies by upping the discharge limit and acceleration OTF, I just have no need to do that. I'm the fastest cart in the hood at present, and my entire goal was to "blend in with automobiles" and safely transport my family to/from 2-3 miles jaunts (4-6 round trip).

I really couldn't be happier with the setup, being able to OTF dial down to 17-18 mph before lending the lifted cart to a friend/neighbor gives me a lot of peace of mind.

I bought this controller on eBay, installed it and the controller and wiring myself without being an expert. As I needed a Curtis 350A controller plus a tune and the hassle of shipping, this was an absolute NO BRAINER for me with zero regrets. Navitas support has also been world class.

That said, if I was on 20" wheels/tires and had access to someone who could program the stock Curtis and keep my stock and cleanly mounted Trombetta for ~$100, obviously that's completely the right choice. For me, with 23s and a lot of hills and bends, this was "PLUG AND PLAY" and the retrofit for the solenoid was easy (I spent $1.88 on bulk hardware/brackets at Lowes) combined with OTF flexibility and Navitas support available at seemingly 24/7, I have zero regrets spending the $1,000 for Navitas + 400A HD Solenoid + Cables + Mounting hardware. I'd have easily been at the same price (if not more) with more heartache if I went 350A Curtis and shipping back and forth for programming, etc.

[Billybobjr]

Thank you for this thread. I have learned so much.

[Billybobjr]

Was your solenoid replacement a 36 or 48 volt mzj-400a hd. Your opinion on installing lithium batteries with the new navitas controller. My cart is a 2010 rxv 48v with the Danaher controller. Flt model and would like to model this conversion.

[DB Cooper]

Originally Posted by Billybobjr

Was your solenoid replacement a 36 or 48 volt mzj-400a hd. Your opinion on installing lithium batteries with the new navitas controller. My cart is a 2010 rxv 48v with the Danaher controller. Flt model and would like to model this conversion.

It's the 48V version.

I don't have a strong opinion on lithium. My cart is too lifted for me to consider it, I think the less weight would make an already top heavy cart more so. I've seen some people with Navitas and Lithium have some issues if they really crank the controller up, so I'd consult with some owners and make sure you find the right settings. 200A stock discharge rate would be fine, but I know if you crank it to 400 or higher, there have been some people reporting issues with Lithium batteries.

[JRB55OC]

Awesome info. I just installed a navitas Tac2 in my RXV, with 2g wires, and got the “weld” fault with a quick reverse brake, forward exchange. Tapped on factory solenoid add it released. Turned the regen way down and have been ok. I purchased the 400a solenoid to replace like yours.
A couple questions. Why didn’t you installed the resistor and diode which came with the solenoid? Could I drill out the battery cable contacts? And any suggestion on where you installed your wires? A pic of the small terminals would be cool. I’m going to attempt a similar mount location as you. Looks like the resistor wire will be too short. What did you replace yours with?

Thanks!!!!

[Monstermaker]

After much research I found that if you want lower gears to reduce the stress from your bigger tires, the diff gears from a Jacobsen Eclipse hybrid greens mower are supposed to fit.
I managed to score a set from eBay but haven’t yet installed them because I’m still on stock 18” tires.
They’re 19.6 as opposed to the stock 16.99 gears.