Micron MR601a User manual

Uplands House, Castle Howard Road, Malton YO17 6NJ
www.micronradiocontrol.co.uk
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Micron MR601a Quick Start Guide
This guide is designed to get you started with MR601a as quickly as possible. More information can be
found in the user manual - http://micronrc.uk/mr601a.
MR601a receiver is 2.4GHz DSM2/DSMX receiver, with 1.2A max brushed speed controller, for use in
larger scale model rail locomotives and road vehicles. It is compatible with any Spektrum DSM2 or
DSMX transmitter including all of the Micron model rail transmitters. The voltage range is 5V to 20V.
If purchased with a transmitter, MR601a will be bound to the transmitter and is ready for use;
otherwise, it requires binding to your transmitter. Once bound, the transmitter should be switched on
before the MR601a. If the transmitter is not switched on, MR601a will automatically enter bind mode
10 seconds after switch on.
Usage
Do not bend the receiver circuit board
Connect the positive and negative input pads to a suitable battery or power supply, via a on/off
switch in the positive lead. A resettable fuse must be placed in the battery positive lead to
protect the battery in the event of a wiring or component fault.
Connect the 'M' pads to your vehicle motor, removing any connections to track pickups. If your
loco has suppression capacitors or chokes fitted, leave them in place. It is not usually necessary
to fit suppression components if your loco do not already have them. Contact Micron if you do
experience symptoms of motor noise interference.
Connect any auxiliary circuits to the F and P pads; the P pads are 3.3V pads when on and may be
used for powering auxiliary circuits with a maximum of 20mA per pad. F pads are switches, open
circuit when off and connected to negative when on.
Protect the receiver board before applying power for testing. It must not be allowed to touch
anything metal. If MR601a was purchased with the heatshink cover supplied loose, slide this over
the circuit board.
After switching on:
the LED will slow flash while MR601a is searching for its bound transmitter; if not already
bound, approx 10 seconds later the receiver will go into bind mode and the LED will show a
rapid flash; switch your transmitter on in bind mode and the LED flashing will slow while the
transmitter and receiver are synchronising and then light continuously. If the LED continues
rapid flashing or the slower flashing does not stop, try again with the transmitter slightly
further away from MR601a - for most transmitters, 50cm separation works well.
When bound:
the LED will be on to show receipt of good data from the transmitter,
the LED may flicker due to electrical (e.g motor) noise, signal fades caused by reflections,
interference from WiFi or Bluetooth signals, or overloading from the transmitter (this will
happen if the transmitter is too close)
the LED will show a slow repeated flash if the transmitter signal is lost - e.g. if the vehicle
has gone out of range for more than 1 second or you have switched the transmitter off
the LED will show a repeated double flash when MR601a is deselected (transmitter Selecta
switch is moved)
the CPU LED will show a repeated 5 flash if the low voltage cutoff has triggered
After testing, apply the heatshrink cover if not already fitted.
Fix the receiver in place and, an extended aerial is fitted, route this so that the last 30mm can
'see' the transmitter - e.g. by routing through a hole in the vehicle body. The aerial should not be
cut short or made longer as this will affect operation. It is important to perform a range check
after installation to ensure you have full control of your loco/vehicle at all positions around the
layout. Double sided foam-cored sticky tape is ideal for mounting the receiver.
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Connections
MR601a has solder pads for:
power input (positive & negative battery)
motor output
3.3V from the on-board regulator (max of 200mA)
an additional battery negative connection (0V) - useful for
wiring LEDs to P pads
L: used to monitor battery voltage when a booster module is
used, e.g. to raise a single LiPo cell to 12V.
P1..P3: these are logic level outputs, 0V when off and 3.3V
when on; they can be configured for on/off switching or to
output a servo signal
F1 & F2: these are FET switches capable of up to 1A; they are
open circuit when off and connected to battery negative when
on; a load should be wired between the F pad and battery
positive, or the 3.3V pad for low current loads; they are
labelled A & B on the receiver board and numbered 4 & 5 for
programming
The simplest use of MR601a requires connection to a battery (via an on/off switch and resettable fuse) and to
your loco/vehicle motor.
The default speed controller PWM frequency is 1kHz which works well for iron core motors. Operation with
coreless motors may benefit from a higher frequency (e.g. 8kHz or 16kHz) and this can be set by
programming MR601a.
LEDs on P pads should be connected between the pad and battery negative (0V) with a series resistor
appropriate to the required brightness.
Other connection diagrams (e.g. high current lights, sound card triggers) are available on the Micron MR601a
web page.
Take care when soldering wires to the battery, motor, P and F pads as these are easily damaged by
prolonged application of high temperature. A temperature controlled iron used with thin flux cored solder is
best. Also, if using stranded wire, ensure that none of the strands 'escape' to short across adjacent pads.
Binding
To bind:
1. with transmitter off, switch MR601a on
2. wait for the LED to flash fast
3. switch your transmitter on in bind mode
4. the LED flashing will slow for 2-5 seconds and then light continuously
5. MR601a is now bound to your transmitter
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