Castle Creations Pixie-7 User manual

Pixie-7™
By CastleCreations™
Sub Micro Digital Motor Control
Pixie-7™User Guide Page 1of 2Rev 8-dated 04/17/00
This document, Pixie-7 software, and Pixie-7 PCB layout are all Copyright 2000 by Patrick del Castillo and CastleCreations™. All Rights Reserved.
1.0 Features of the Pixie-7:
•Microprocessor controlled
•Low Resistance (.009 ohms)
•High rate (2800 Hz) switching (PWM)
•Up to 7 Amps continuous current (with proper air flow)
•High Output (1.2amp) Battery Eliminator Circuit (BEC)
provides power to receiver and servos - eliminates
separate receiver battery
•Three to six cells with three micro servos
•Up to eight cells with two micro servos
•Eighteen cells MAX with BEC disabled
•Automatic throttle adjustment – self-adjusts to any
transmitter
•Safe “power on” arming program ensures motor will not
accidentally turn on
•Low torque “soft start” prevents damage to fragile
gearboxes
•Auto shut down when signal is lost or radio interference
becomes severe
•Rugged surface mount construction
2.0 Wiring Your Pixie-7:
Tools required:
Wire cutters
Wire strippers (optional)
Soldering Iron (25-40 watts - Do not use a soldering “gun”)
Parts required:
Solder (rosin core “electronic” solder - do not use acid core “plumbers” solder)
Battery connector
2.1 Adding the Battery Connector
The battery connector is attached to the side of the controller with black and red wires. Cut the wires to the
length you require on the battery side. Strip off of the wire insulation to expose just enough wire to attach
the battery connector. (Note: if you do not have a pair of wire strippers, you can use a modeling knife to
carefully cut through the insulation around the wire. Then the insulation should easily pull off the wire.)
Attach the battery connector to the wires ENSURING THAT THE POLARITY (red wire to battery red
wire, black wire to battery black wire) IS CORRECT, following the instructions for the battery connector.
2.2 Attaching the Motor Leads
The motor is connected to the side of the controller with red and white wires. Cut the wires to the length
you require on the motor side. Strip the wire insulation to expose just enough wire to solder the wires to the
motor terminals. (Note: If you do not have a pair of wire strippers, you can use a modeling knife to
carefully cut through the insulation around the wire. Then the insulation should easily pull off the wire).
There should be a ‘+’ symbol or a RED DOT on the end of your motor which indicates which terminal
must be connected to the RED wire. Connect the other terminal to the white wire. A fuse (5-10 amps) may
be connected inline in either the white or red power wire. A fuse is recommended for the safest operation.
DO NOT PLACE A FUSE IN THE CIRCUIT BETWEEN THE BATTERY AND SPEED
CONTROL. YOU COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE MODEL.
Align the wires carefully and solder to the motor terminals. Ensure that all connections (battery and motor)
are correctly polarized.
IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU MUST BE SURE THAT ALL CONNECTIONS ARE CORRECT WHEN
CONNECTING THE SPEED CONTROL. Incorrectly connecting the speed control could cause
permanent damage to the controller.
Battery Connector Pixie-7 Fuse* Motor
Fig 1: System power wiring diagram * Suggested 5-10 Amp (if installed)
2.3 Connecting the Receiver
Connect the receiver lead (the three color wires with a connector on the end) to the throttle channel on your
receiver (usually channel 3). Do not connect a battery to the receiver, as the Pixie-7 will supply power to
the receiver and servos through the receiver connector. If you are using more than eight cells, you will need
to use a separate receiver battery. See the section 4.0 (under the heading BEC) for instructions on disabling
the BEC to use a separate receiver battery.
ALWAYS PERFORM A RANGE CHECK BEFORE FLYING WITH ANY NEW SPEED
CONTROLLER! PERFORM YOUR RANGE CHECK AT FULL THROTTLE, HALF
THROTTLE AND NO THROTTLE.
Pixie-7
←Batt Motor→

Pixie-7™
By CastleCreations™
Sub Micro Digital Motor Control
Pixie-7™User Guide Page 2of 2Rev 8-dated 04/17/00
This document, Pixie-7 software, and Pixie-7 PCB layout are all Copyright 2000 by Patrick del Castillo and CastleCreations™. All Rights Reserved.
3.0 Flying with Your Pixie-7:
Initialization sequence:
1. Connect the speed controller receiver connector to the proper channel on your receiver (usually channel
3)
2. Turn on your transmitter.
3. Connect the main power battery to the speed controller. The motor will emit a single beep.
4. The speed controller will remain disarmed (will not operate) until it sees more than 1 1/2 seconds of
“OFF” throttle. Move the throttle arm to the lowest position on your transmitter, wait at least 1 1/2
seconds. The motor will emit two beeps when armed. Test the controller to make sure that the throttle
operates.
5. Go fly!
6. If the BEC cutoff occurs before you land, you may restart the motor and use low throttle if necessary by
moving the throttle stick all the way down (to the off position) and then throttling back up. BEC cutoff
will occur again if the voltage drops too low.
4.0 Using the Features of Your Pixie-7
BEC - The BEC power is supplied to the receiver and servos through the receiver connector wires. If you
wish to disable the BEC and use a separate receiver battery (required for more than eight cells), you must
first cut the red wire in the trio of receiver wires. Simply use a pair of wire cutters to remove a short section
of the red wire near the receiver connector, and be sure to insulate the cut wire with a bit of electrical tape.
Or remove the pin from the connector (pry the retaining tab up, remove the pin, and insulate the pin with
electrical tape.) Then you may safely use a battery with your receiver.
Cutoff - The motor cutoff will occur when the input battery voltage drops below 2.5V for more than one
half second. Once motor cutoff has occurred, moving the throttle to the full off position can rearm the
controller. This will allow restart of the motor at low throttle after cutoff has occurred.
WARNING! Restarting of the motor may drain the battery to the point where the radio receiver
will stop operating, resulting in a loss of control of the model.
Loss of Transmitter Signal, or excessive radio noise cutoff - Motor cutoff will also occur if the signal
from the transmitter is lost, or if the radio noise becomes excessive. After radio connection has been
reestablished, the motor can be restarted by moving the throttle to the braking position (full off).
Safe Power Up - The Safe Power up feature is a “finger saver”, designed to prevent the motor from
starting accidentally on power up. To arm the controller, the transmitter stick must be held in the “OFF”
position (all the way down) for at least one and a half seconds. Until the controller is armed, it will not
provide any power to the motor, regardless of where the throttle stick on your transmitter is positioned.
Before flying your model, be sure to “blip” the throttle to ensure that the controller is armed.
5.0 Troubleshooting
Everything is hooked up correctly, the BEC (receiver and servos) works, but the throttle does not
work.
The controller is not seeing the one and a half seconds of “dead space” (low throttle) and is not arming.
Try moving your throttle stick all the way down, and moving the trim all the way down. Wait for a couple
of seconds and try the throttle again. If it still does not arm, you may need to reverse the throttle control on
your transmitter (see your radio documentation). You may also check to make sure that your endpoint
adjustments on your radio (if it has them) are set all the way open.
Every time I throttle all the way up, the controller “cuts off” after a few seconds, even with fresh
charged batteries.
The controller will automatically shut down the motor if the battery voltage falls below 2.5 volts for more
than a half second. This prevents loss of control caused by low voltage at the receiver. If the cutoff is
kicking in with freshly charged batteries, it means that the voltage is dropping very quickly. This is usually
an indication of a motor that is drawing too much current for the batteries to handle. Try using a smaller
prop on the motor, or using batteries with a higher rating (for example, if you are using 600 AE cells, you
might try going to 800 AR cells.)
It is also possible that the microprocessor on the Pixie-7 is being overwhelmed by noise from the motor.
This can occur if the motor has no capacitors installed. In most cases the Pixie-7 does not require capacitors
to be installed on the motor. However, some motors are extremely noisy electrically, and need to have
capacitors installed. If this is the case, add a capacitor across the motor terminals, or even better, add three
capacitors: one across the motor terminals, and one from each terminal to the motor case. Capacitors can
be purchased from Radio Shack. Be sure to get “ceramic disk” capacitors, in the range of .01uF and .1uf
(.047uF being the best choice.) Do not use electrolytic (can style) or tantalum capacitors with a high-rate
control.
Nothing seems to work, receiver and servos are dead, and the throttle is dead.
Check all connections to ensure that they are correct, and that the polarity (+/-) connections are correct.
Ensure that the battery is not connected to the motor side of the speed controller. If everything is correctly
connected, and the receiver and servos still do not work, contact the dealer where you purchased your Pixie-
7 or contact CastleCreationsdirectly. (See info below)
6.0 Contact/Warranty Information
Your Pixie-7 is warranted for 90 days from date of purchase to be free from manufacturing and component
defects. This warranty does not cover abuse, neglect, or damage due to misuse, incorrect wiring, over
voltage, or overloading. If you have any questions, comments, or wish to return your Pixie-7 for warranty
or after warranty repair/replacement contact CastleCreations™at:
CastleCreations™ Tel: [phone]
18773 W 117th Street Fax: [phone]
Olathe, KS 66061 http://www.castlerc.com
Email: [email protected]