MOTOLYSER Build #114 User manual

User Guide
Build #114
Introduction
Thank you for your interest in the Motolyser. This tool is intended for testing brushless DC
motors and it's internal components. The performance of the motor is not only related to
the end-bell timing. It also depend on alignment and quality of internal parts such as
alignment of sensor elements and magnet symmetry. The Motolyser allows you to make
measurements of an assembled motor to find out about the performance before you put it
in your car and test it on the track.
Features
The measurements are made at no load with the regulated voltage of 3.7V or 7.4V
depending on the number of cells used for supplying the unit. It is intended for 1 or 2 cell
Li-Po supply. With the Motolyser you are able to test many aspects of your motor. The
Current Test runs your motor using the end-bell timing. This enables you to measure the
current draw when changing the end-bell timing. It also presents the true RMS current for
each motor phase. The Condition Test presents information about the End-bell timing
sensor condition such as Alignment Deviation and Sensor Element Angles as well as
Magnet Symmetry which is important for maximum motor efficiency.
Connection / Navigation
The Motolyser is navigated using the built-in touch panel consisting of four buttons and a
wheel. The buttons are used for navigating the menus while the wheel is unused at the
time of writing. All connections are easily accessed from the side with the upgrade button
located inside the small hole next to the USB port. The Motolyser is powered by 1 or 2-cell
Li-Po battery connected to the +/- respectively. In case of wrong polarity the LED on the
front panel will light up.
Figure 2: All the connectors to the Motolyser are located
on the side for easy access.
Figure 1: The
Motolyser front panel
with the touch button
functions explained

uick Start:
–Connect the sensor and phase cables to the motor (A B and C respectively). The
connection on the Motolyser side is shown in Figure 2.
–Connect the supply battery (1 or 2-cell Li-Po)
–Navigate to Motor Current or Condition Test by using the UP/DOWN touch buttons
–Push right touch button (ENTER) see figure 1
–When the test is completed step amongst the result screens with the UP/DOWN
buttons or EXIT to go back to main menu
Main Menu
To navigate in the menus and to start the motor the touch buttons are used. There are four
buttons integrated that are used for navigating the menus. Push ENTER to select an item
and EXIT to go back to main menu.
Current Test: Starts a quick test for measuring how the motor operates when
running with end-bell timing.
Condition Test: This is the Traditional Motolyser test for measuring sensor and
magnet condition.
Sensor Status: Shows the status of each sensor element to verifying sensor
function.
Supply Voltage: Show the voltage of the supply battery.
Firmware Upgrade: Enters the firmware upgrade mode for connection to the PC
upgrade application using the USB port.
System Info: Displays the hardware version manufacturing date and FW
build.
Sensor Status
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An easy method for finding out if the sensor is operating correctly is to use the Sensor
Status check. The test checks the signals from the sensor and indicates high and low in
the circles. Make sure all the signals toggle when you rotate the motor shaft with your
thumb.
Supply Voltage
To find the supply voltage this menu is useful. As you can see the connected battery is not
fully charged.
System Information
Serial: Serial number of the device.
Date: Production date.
Build: Current firmware build running in the device.
This information is important to provide in cases of contact with support or discussing
features with others.
Current Test
When the Current Test is started a splash screen is shown asking you to wait for the test to
complete. Then you will be automatically redirected to the results that display information
about the test. Step amongst the menu items with the UP/DOWN buttons.
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Motor Test Info
Supply: Battery supply voltage
Curr: Current drawn from the battery
RPM: Motor rotational speed
K/V: The speed to voltage ratio compensated for duty-cycle
Phase Currents
Display the true RMS current for each phase. A balanced motor will show similar values on
all three phases. If these values are off it may indicate that the stator is in bad shape or
something is causing the current not to flow the correct path conductive dirt etc.
Condition Test
When the motor is started a splash screen is shown while the system makes
measurements and collects information about your motor. As the test completes you will
be automatically redirected to the result screens displaying information about the test. Step
amongst the menu items with the UP/DOWN buttons.
Motor Timing
Direction: Indicates the rotating direction of the motor
End-Bell: The average timing advanced of the motor end-bell
Deviation: Sensor element deviation how well aligned the sensor elements are aligned.
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Sensor Angles
This menu show the actual timing for each of the three sensor elements. Smaller
difference between these values makes a good sensor. All motor manufacturers have
tolerances in the production and the resulting alignment depend on production batch and
how well the chip is aligned on the PCB. However this is not the whole story. It is also
important how the sensor board is mounted inside the motor since the trigger point is
dependent on the distance to the rotor.
Magnet Condition
The magnet asymmetry is the deviation from an ideal magnet with identical sized sectors
for magnet North and South poles. In the ideal case each pole occupy half the rotor
resulting in a sector of 180 degrees for each pole. However this is often not the case due
to manufacturing tolerances. A perfect magnet with ideal sectors would result in an
Asymmetry of 0.
Firmware upgrade
1. Locate a mini USB cable that will fit the USB port on the Motolyser and your PC
2. Download the Motolyser Feature Upgrade Tool and install as administrator
on your PC (Currently Windows only).
3. Download latest firmware from HERE.
4. Start the Feature Upgrade Tool
5. Select the downloaded “.mot” file using the menu choice File->Open
6. Connect USB cable to USB port on your PC.
7. If you are running build #114 or higher plug the USB cable in the Motolyser and
navigate to “Firmware Upgrade” in Main Menu and press ENTER jump to step 12.
Otherwise continue with step 8.
8. Place Motolyser on its side with connectors upwards and no cables attached.
9. Push the “upgrade” button on the Motolyser with a toothpick match or similar non
conductive gadget.
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10.While still holding the button attach USB cable to the USB port on the Motolyser.
11. Display should start flashing indicating it's ready to receive new firmware.
If back-light does not blink, please go back to step 7.
12.You may be prompted to install a driver for the Motolyser at this time.
Select appropriate choices in the wizards window to install driver automatically.
13.The Feature Upgrade Tool software should now indicate that the Motolyser has
been recognized [Device Detected in the bottom right corner of the status-bar]
14.Click the button” Upgrade Firmware”.
15.When the Motolyser restarts You are done!
Error Codes
Over Temperature:
The system is overheated. Please let it cool down for a while restart the motor. Please
note that for motors with less than 8.5 turn it is recommended to use 1-cell Li-Po supply.
Sensor Sync Error:
The sensor signal is out of sequence. This may be caused by a bad cable glitch or faulty
sensor. Please check the wires and connections.
Can not start the motor:
An error during motor start up. This can be caused by incorrect wiring of motor cables or
bad contact of the phase current cables. Check wiring and retry starting the motor.
Low Supply voltage:
Your battery is running low. Either your battery needs charging or there is a bad connection
to the battery causing a voltage drop in the wire connections
FA
Timing setting on the end-bell have no impact on motor RPM
If you are running build lower than #114 please upgrade to the latest firmware and run the
“Current Test”.
The Motolyser does not show the same K/V value as the manufacturer claims
The K/V value is dependent of many things related to the conditions under which the motor
is running. Factors such as timing advance strength of magnetic field and friction all play
an important role in the resulting K/V.
Contact
If you have any questions or recommendations please drop us a note at
[e-mail]. Also please frequently visit our homepage (www.motolyser.com)
where information about new features and user stories will be posted.
At our Motolyser User Suggestions portal you can make your voice heard.
This is where you can vote for new features post ideas or listen to what
other users think. In our Knowledge Base we post articles about how to get
the most out of our Motolyser.
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