Eagle tree systems Cdr-ecv User manual

http://www.eagletreesystems.com

Instruction Manual for the Data Recorder Electric Expander

Document Version 3.0

Model # CDR-ECV, CDR-ECV140, CDR-ECV300

Thank you for your purchase! This instruction manual will guide you through the installation and operation of your Data

Recorder Electric Expander. Please read the entire manual carefully before proceeding. If, after you read the manual

(including the Troubleshooting section!!), you have further questions or problems, see the Support page on

http://www.eagletreesystems.com for additional information, or email us at support@eagletreesystems.com.

If you have purchased a Secondary or Tertiary Electric Expander, allowing up to three Electric Expanders to be used

simultaneously, please refer to the Secondary Expander instructions for additional information, after reading the

instructions below.

WARNING: High Voltages can cause electric shock. Be extremely careful when working

with high voltage packs! Work with High Voltages at your own risk!

Packing List

Your package should include the following: Electric Expander (standard 100 amp, or larger 140 amp or 300 amp sensors), and a printed version of

this manual. Please check your box for printed addenda to this manual which may be included if changes were made after printing.

How the Electric Expander Works

The Electric Expander is compatible with our Flight Data Recorder V2/Pro, all Seagull systems, Car Data Recorder, and Boat Data Recorder

products. It is not compatible with our original Flight Data Recorder V1 product.

The Electric Expander works with your Data Recorder to

measure motor battery pack voltage and current. The Expander

measures current by means of a tiny, lightweight hall effects

current sensor ring. Battery pack voltage is measured by the

alligator clip attached to the expander. NOTE: a common

ground between your battery pack and the Recorder is required

for the voltage measurement to work correctly.

Connecting the Electric Expander to

the Recorder

Note: If you have a Secondary or Tertiary Electric Expander,

please refer to the Secondary Expander instructions for plugging

in your Expander to the Recorder.

Connect the polarized, 5 pin Electric Expander connector to the

recorder as shown in Figure 1a. NOTE: The plug is a tight fit

–slightly tilting the 5 pin connector back toward the center of

the Recorder can aid installation. If you still have problems

fitting it, you might need to lightly sand the top of the connector

(nearest the red wire) with sandpaper, but this should not be

necessary.

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: The

Electric Expander Connector **MUST** be connected correctly to your Recorder, or severe damage to the Recorder and

other equipment could occur, which will void the warranty. The Expander connects as shown in Figure 1A, to the right of

the USB connector, with the RED wire of the connector facing UP. If you are uncertain as to how to connect the expander,

don’t hesitate to email us at support@eagletreesystems.com!

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Connecting the Electric Expander to Your Battery

To measure current the hall effects current sensor ring can be installed around either the positive or negative wire leading from your battery to your

speed controller. It works through the wire’s insulation, and hence no cutting of the wire is necessary. It can be installed facing either direction, as it

is not polarized.

The alligator clip is for measuring battery pack voltage. It should be attached to an exposed part of the positive (normally red) battery wire or

terminal between the battery and the speed controller. It must be in direct electrical contact with the positive battery wire. Alternatively, the

alligator clip can be removed and soldered to the wire leading to the ESC for a more permanent installation.

If an easily removable installation is desired, one convenient way to do this is to have a removable wire “section” with Deansor other plugs on either

end (male/female). Both the current and voltage leads of the Electric Expander can attach to this wire section (the alligator clip is normally cut off

and the voltage wire soldered), and the section can be removed easily from the model when electric measurement is not desired.

ESCs with isolation between BEC/Throttle ground and Main Battery Ground

Note that there must be electrical conductivity between the ground wire of your main battery and the Recorder’s internal ground, for voltage

measurement to work correctly. Normally, when the Recorder is connected to your receiver via one or more of the Recorder’s servo connections,

the ground wire of the ESC’s BEC/Throttle output results in the correct grounding.

However, some ESCs isolate battery ground

from the ESC/BEC throttle output ground.

The easiest way to tell if there is ground

isolation is, with everything disconnected

from your ESC, to measure the resistance

between the main battery negative input of

the ESC, and the BEC/Throttle ground wire.

If the resistance is greater than an ohm or

two, there is isolation.

In these cases, for the Recorder to measure

voltage correctly, the recorder’s ground

must be connected to the ground of the

battery to be measured.

There are two ways to do this:

a) RECOMMENDED: Disconnect

all connections between your

Receiver (including BEC/Throttle

output of the ESC) and your

Recorder, and power the recorder

from a separate small battery. Then, connect a small ground wire between one of the Recorder’s servo ground pins, and the negative lead

of the battery being measured, as shown in Figure 2. Note that the resulting connections should not bypass the ESC’s isolation between

the BEC/Throttle ground and the ground of the battery being measured, since the BEC/Throttle ground is NOT connected to the recorder.

Note that servo position logging will not be possible in this scenario.

b) If you want to continue to power the Recorder from the ESC’s BEC output or the battery you are using to power the Receiver (and to be

able to log servo positions), you will need to leave the servo connections from the Receiver to the Recorder connected, AND you will need

to connect the small wire between the between one of the Recorder’s servo ground pins, and the negative lead of the battery being

measured, as shown in Figure 2. CAUTION! This configuration causes the internal ESC isolation to be bypassed. While the vast

majority of the customers who have done this with our equipment have not reported any problems, we have had one report of two

different high powered ESC’s which may have been damaged by performing this connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend

contacting the ESC manufacturer or consulting the ESC manual to ensure that connecting the ground of the ESC’s throttle output

and the main battery ground together will not cause a problem with that particular ESC, before proceeding. Bypassing the ESC

isolation is done at your own risk!

If your ESC has isolation, and you don’t understand how to set up the recorder in this configuration, don’t hesitate to visit the “Support” page of our

website for information about how to contact us with your issue.

Configuring the Expander with the Recorder and the Application

If you have not already done so, install your Data Recorder in your model and set up the Recorder software as described in your instruction manual.

Zeroing the Current Sensor for First Time Use

Some ESCs, servos, etc., can draw a large constant current when the systems are powered up. Therefore, it is good to set the zero current reference

with your new Electric Expander. To do this, simply connect the Electric Expander to your Recorder, and connect the Recorder to USB, but make

sure there is no current draw through the ring current sensor (don’t connect a battery pack to the ESC). Then, in the Windows Application, click

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“Tools, Rezero current sensors” and follow the instructions on that page. Note that this only needs to be done once, but it’s not a bad idea to do it

once a year or so, to account for any slight current sensor drift over time.

Special Instructions for the High Voltage Sensor

If you ordered the High Voltage option with your Recorder, complete the following step:

•Connect the Recorder and click “Advanced, Custom Hardware Options” and click ON the option “My Recorder has the High Voltage

option.” Then, click “OK”.

Special Instructions for 140 Amp and 300 Amp Sensors

If you are using the 300 Amp Sensor, complete the following step:

•Connect the Recorder and click “Advanced, Custom Hardware Options” and click ON the option “I am using the 300 Amp Current

Sensor.”Then, click “OK”.

If you are using the 140 Amp Sensor, complete the following step:

•Connect the Recorder and click “Advanced, Custom Hardware Options” and click ON the option “I am using the 140 Amp Current

Sensor.” Then, click “OK”.

Recorder Logging Setup

If you desire to log current or voltage in the Recorder, connect the Recorder to your PC as described in the Recorder manual, and under Tools-

>Choose What to Log, choose Electric Motor Voltage and Electric Motor Current in the Optional Parameters section. Choose other parameters you

want to log as described in the Recorder manual.

To display the new parameters, under Tools->Choose What to Display, choose numeric and/or instrument display of Motor Voltage, Motor Current,

Motor Wattage, and/or cumulative amp-hours.

Seagull Dashboard Setup

If you are using the Seagull Wireless system, choose “Tools, Choose Parameters to Display on the Seagull Dashboard” and select the desired

Dashboard parameters to display, per the Seagull manual.

Playing Back Data after the Run

After your race, download data to your PC as described in the Recorder Manual. If you have selected to log and display motor voltage, current,

and/or RPM, these instruments and/or numerical readouts should appear in the application.

Troubleshooting

Below is a list of problems that may be encountered, and steps to remedy them. If your particular issue is not addressed by the below, see the

Support page on http://eagletreesystems.com or email [email protected]. Include a full description of your problem, your machine

configuration, brands/models of receivers, transmitters and servos, application and Recorder firmware version if possible (from Help->About in the

app) and any other relevant details.

Issue: I do not see motor voltage and/or current values changing after using the

Expander.

Solution:

•Make sure that you have selected logging of voltage and/or current in

the “Choose What to Log” dialog box under the Tools menu.

•If voltage measurement is not working, but current is working, see

the “ESC’s with isolation between BEC/Throttle ground and Main

Battery Ground” section above.

•If Current is not working correctly, please verify that the Ring sensor

is correctly installed on the Electric Expander harness. Please see

the figure below.

•Ensure that you have selected motor voltage and/or current in the

“Choose What to Display” dialog box under the Tools menu.

•Double check your connections to ensure that the Recorder is

connected correctly to the Electric Expander, and the battery.

•Ensure that you are operating within the ranges listed in the Specifications section below.

Issue: My Electric Expander seems to be out of calibration. The readings I receive for current and/or voltage are somewhat incorrect or differ

slightly from my favorite meter.

Solutions:

•If you have a “High Voltage” recorder, or a “High Current” (140 or 300 amp) Electric Expander, ensure you have made the “Custom

Hardware Options” settings as described above.

•If the current sensor appears to be reading incorrectly, make sure you’ve performed the steps in the “Zeroing the Current Sensor for First

Time Use” section above.

•ADVANCED: If current and/or voltage seem to be reading slightly incorrectly, or you wish to calibrate the readings to a particular meter

you use, click “Tools, Calibrate Pack Voltage and Amperage Readings” in the windows application, and follow the instructions.

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Electric Expander Specifications

Motor Voltage: 0 to 50V (70 volts with High Voltage recorder option)

Motor Current: (standard sensor) 0 to 100 amps, with approximately 50 mA resolution

(140 amp sensor) 0 to 140 amps, with approximately 70 mA resolution

(300 amp sensor) 0 to 300 amps, with approximately 150 mA resolution

Weight: (standard sensor and 140 amp sensor) approximately 0.3 ounces

(300 amp sensor) approximately 1 ounce

Inside Diameter of Sensor Ring: 100 amps: ~5mm

140 amps: ~7mm

300 amps: ~22 mm

Limited Warranty

Eagle Tree Systems, LLC, (ET) warrants to the original purchaser (the Purchaser) that the purchased product (the Product) will be free from defects

in materials and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of original purchase. This limited warranty is nontransferable.

This limited warranty does not cover problems that result from:

•External causes such as accident, abuse, misuse, or problems with electrical power

•Acts of God

•Commercial use

•Servicing not authorized by ET

•Product not purchased from an ET authorized dealer

•Usage that is not in accordance with the Product instructions

•Failure to follow the Product instructions

OTHER THAN THE EXPRESS WARRANTY DESCRIBED ABOVE, ET MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY

KIND, AND HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED

WARRANTIES OF NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE PURCHASER

ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HE OR SHE HAS DETERMINED THAT THE PRODUCT WILL SUITABLY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF

THE PURCHASER’S INTENDED USE.

Remedy of Purchaser

ET’s sole obligation and purchaser’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be that ET will replace or repair the Product, at our option. REPAIR OR

REPLACEMENT AS PROVIDED UNDER THIS WARRANTY IS THE PURCHASER’S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY.

Limitation of Liability

ET SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSS OF PROFITS OR

PRODUCTION OR COMMERCIAL LOSS IN ANY WAY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH CLAIM IS BASED IN WARRANTY,

CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY OR ANY OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY, EVEN IF ET HAS BEEN ADVISED

OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Further, in no event shall the ET’s liability exceed the retail sales price of the Product on which

liability is asserted.

As ET has no control over setup, use, assembly, modification or misuse of the Product, no liability shall be assumed nor accepted for any resulting

damage or injury. By the act of setup, use, or assembly, the user accepts all resulting liability. If the purchaser or user is not prepared to accept the

liability associated with the use of the Product, the purchaser is advised to return the Product immediately in new condition to the place of purchase.

Obtaining Warranty Service