RoboteQ AX3500 Instruction manual

AX3500
Dual Channel
High Power
Digital Motor
Controller
Quick Start Manual
v1.7, February 1, 2005
visit www.roboteq.com to download the latest revision of this manual
©Copyright 2003-2005 Roboteq, Inc.

AX3500Motor Controller User’s Manual2
SECTION 1 AX3500
Quick Start
This section will give you the basic information needed to quickly install, setup and run your AX3500
controller in a minimal configuration.
Important Safety Warnings
The AX3500 is a high power electronics device. Serious damage, including fire,
may occur to the unit, motors, wiring and batteries as a result of its misuse.
Transistors may explode and require the use of safety glasses when operated
in direct view. Please review the User’s Manual for added precautions prior to
applying full battery or full load power.
This product is intended for use with
rechargeable batteries.
Unless special precautions are taken, damage to the controller and/or power
supply may occur if operated with a power supply alone. See“Power Regener-
ation Considerations” on page 31 of the Users Manual.
What you will need
For a minimal installation, gather the following components
•One AX3500 Controller and its provided cables
•12V to 40V high capacity, high current battery
•One or two brushed DC motors
•One R/C to DB15 connector (provided)
•Miscellaneous wires, connectors, fuses and switch

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Locating Switches and Connectors
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the controller’s switches and connector.
The front side (shown in Figure 1) contains the buttons and display needed to operate and
monitor the controller. The 15-pin connector provides the connection to the R/C or micro-
computer, as well as connections to optional switches and sensors.
At the back of the controller (shown in the figure below) are located all the Fast-on tabs
that must be connected to the batteries and the motors.
Connector to Receiver/Controls
and sensors
Operating Status
and Program LED Display
Controller Configuration
buttons
FIGURE 1. Controller Front View
Connector to
Optical Encoders
RC Outputs
connectors
VMot
Motor 2 Motor 1
M2+ M1+ M1- VMotM2- 3 x Gnd
Pwr
Ctrl
FIGURE 2. Controller Rear View
Note:
Both VMot tabs are con-
nected to each other in
the board and must be
wired to the same volt-
age.

AX3500Motor Controller User’s Manual4
Connecting to the Batteries and Motors
Connecting to the Batteries and Motors
Connection to the batteries and motors is shown in the figure below and is done by con-
necting wires to the Fast-on tabs on the controller.
1- Connect two of the three Ground tabsto the minus (-) terminal of the battery that will be
used to power the motors. Connect the two VMot tabsto the plus (+) terminal of the bat-
tery. The motor battery may be of 12 to 40 Volts. There is no need to insert a switch on
Motor Power cables, although one is suggested.
The two VMot tabs are connected to each other inside the controller. The same is
true for the Ground tabs. You should wire each pair together as shown in the dia-
gram above.
2- You may leave the Power control tab unconnected, or you may connect it to a power
switch.
Refer to the chapter “Connecting Power and Motors to the Controller”on page 25 for
more information about batteries and other connection options.
3- Connect each motor to one of the two output tabs pair. Make sure to respect the polar-
ity, otherwise the motor(s) may spin in the opposite direction than expected
Important Warning
12V to 40V
Motor Battery
Optional
Power on/off
switch
Motor
Cables
Battery
Power Cables
Power Control
Wire
-
-
+
+
Motor1
Motor2
Controller
Fuse
Notes:
- The Battery Power connection are doubled in order to provide the maximum current to the controller. If
only one motor is used, only one set of motor power cables needs to be connected
- Typically, 1, 2 or 3 x 12V batteries are connected in series to reach 12, 24 or 36V respectively
- The Power Control wire may be used to turn On and Off the controller, or to provide a separate and sta-
ble supply to the controller’s logic (See discussion below)
FIGURE 3. Electrical Power Wiring Diagram

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The controller includes large capacitors. When connecting the Motor Power Cables,
a spark will be generated at the connection point. This is a normal occurrence and
should be expected.
Using the Power Control Tab
The AX3500 includes a DC/DC converter that will generate a 12V internal supply from the
main +12 to +40V battery. As a result, the controller will turn On as soon as the Vmot and
Ground tabs are connected to the battery.
In order to turn On and Off the controller without the need for a bulky and expensive
switch or relay on the high current wires, the AX3500 uses a Power Control input to enable
or disable the internal DC/DC converter. When left unconnected, the DC/DC converter is
On. When grounded, the DC/DC converter is Off.
The Power Control tab can also be used to feed a separate supply to the controller so that
it will continue to operate if and when the main batteries’voltage dips below 12V. The table
below shows the various functions of the Power Control input. See “Connecting Power”
on page 25 for more details on the use and operation of the Power Control signal.
Connecting the R/C Radio
Connect the R/C adapter cables to the controller on one side and to two or three channels
on the R/C receiver on the other side. The third channel is for activating the accessory out-
puts and is optional. Note: the channel 3 RC input is not yet implemented in the AX3500.
When operating the controller in “Separate”mode, the wire labelled Ch1 controls Motor1,
and the wire labelled Ch2 controls Motor2.
When operating the controller in “Mixed”mode, Ch1 is used to set the robot’s speed and
direction, while Ch2 is used for steering.
See “R/C Operation”on page 69 of the User’s Manual for a more complete discussion on
R/C commands, calibration and other options.
TABLE 1. Use of Power Control wire
Power Control input connected to Action
Floating Controller is On
Ground Controller is Off
Separate 12V to 40V supply Controller is On. Controller will draw power from
the Power Control tab if main battery voltage dips
below 12V.

AX3500Motor Controller User’s Manual6
Powering On the Controller
This wiring - with the wire loop uncut - assumes hat the R/C radio will be powered by the
AX3500 controller. Other wiring options are described in “R/C Operation”on page 69 of
the User’s Manual.
Important Warning
Do not connect a battery to the radio when the wire loop is uncut. The RC battery
voltage will flow directly into the controller and cause permanent damage if its volt-
age is higher than 5.5V.
Powering On the Controller
Important reminder: There is no On-Off switch on the controller. You must insert a switch
on the controller’s power tab as described in section“Connecting to the Batteries and
Motors”on page 13.
To power the controller, center the joystick and trims on the R/C transmitter. Then turn on
the switch that you have placed on the Battery Power wire or on the Power Control wire.
If the R/C transmitter and/or receiver is powered off, the display on the controller will alter-
nate the letters spelling “no ctrl”to indicate that it is On but is not receiving a control sig-
nal.
8
9
15
Pin 1
Channel 1
Wire loop bringing power from
controller to RC radio and
to optical isolators
Channel 2 3: Channel 1 Command Pulses
4: Channel 2 Command Pulses
6: Radio battery (-) Ground
7: Radio battery (+)
8: Channel 3 Command Pulses
Channel 3
FIGURE 4. R/C connector wiring for 3 channels and battery elimination (BEC)

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Turn the R/C transmitter On. The “no ctrl”scrolling message will disappear and the display
will show steady patterns depending on the motors’selected direction.
Move the joystick on the transmitter to activate the motors to the desired speed and direc-
tion.
See “R/C Operation”on page 69 of the User’s Manual for a detailed description of the
many features and options available in the R/C mode.
Button Operation
The AX3500 has three buttons: Set, Program and Reset. These buttons are not needed
for normal operation, as the controller is immediately operational upon power up.
The Reset button will restart the controller. This button is recessed and you will need a
paper clip to press it. Reset is also accomplished by turning the controller’s power Off and
back On.
The Set and Program buttons have the following functions depending how and when they
are pressed:
TABLE 2. AX3500 Buttons Function
Prog and Set button status Function
Press and hold Program alone during reset or power up Enter the Programming Mode.
Press and hold Set alone during reset of power up Enter Self-Test mode. See “Self-Test
Mode”on page 47 of the User’s Manual
Press and hold Program and Set together during reset or
power up
Reset configuration parameters to factory
default
Press Program while Programming Mode Accept previous parameter change and
select next parameter
Press Set while in Programming mode Change value of selected parameter
Press Program pressed alone during normal operation No effect
Press Set alone during normal operation No effect
Press Program and Set together during normal operation Emergency stop
FIGURE 5. “no control”scroll message indicates no valid R/C signal is present

AX3500Motor Controller User’s Manual8
Default Controller Configuration
Default Controller Configuration
Version 1.7 of the AX3500 software is configured with the factory defaults shown in the
table below. Although Roboteq strives to keep the same parameters and values from one
version to the next, changes may occur from one revision to the next. Make sure that you
have the matching manual and software versions. These may be retrieved from the
Roboteq web site. See “Configuring the Controller using the Switches”on page 159 of the
User Manual for a complete configuration parameter list and their possible values.
Checking and Changing Configurations
Any one of the parameters listed in Table 3, and others not listed, can easily be changed
either using the controller’s buttons or your PC with the Roboteq Configuration Utility.
The example below shows how to use the buttons to select and change the Motor Control
mode from “separate”to “mixed”. See “Configuring the Controller using the Switches”on
page 159 of the User’s Manual for a complete list of all the AX3500’s parameters and their
meanings.
TABLE 3. AX3500 Default Settings
Parameter Default Values Letter
Input Command mode: (0) = R/C Radio mode I
Motor Control mode (0) = Separate A, B, speed control, open loop C
Amp limit (5) = 52.5A A
Acceleration (2) = medium-slow S
Input switch function (3) = no action U
Brake/Coast (0) = brake when idle b
Joystick Deadband (2) = 16% d
Exponentiation on channel 1 (0) = Linear (no exponentiation) E
Exponentiation on channel 2 (0) = Linear (no exponentiation) F
Left / Right Adjust (7) = no adjustment L
Restart
Press & hold Prog
Press and hold the Prog button for 10 seconds while
resetting or powering on the controller
After 10 seconds, the controller will enter the program-
ming mode and flash alternatively the current parame-
ter (I= Input Mode) and its value (0= R/C mode).
Program mode entered
after 10 seconds

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Connecting the controller to your PC using Roborun
Connecting the controller to your PC is not necessary for basic R/C operation. However, it
is a very simple procedure that is useful for the following purposes:
•to Read and Set the programmable parameters with a user-friendly graphical inter-
face
•to obtain the controller’s software revision and date
•to send precise commands to the motors
•to read and plot real-time current consumption value
•Save captured parameters onto disk for later analysis
•to update the controller’s software
Press the Prog button to move to the next parameter
(C= Motor Control Mode) and its value (0= Separate)
Press Prog to select
next parameter
Press the Set button to change the parameter’s value
(1= Combined)
Press Set to select
next value for parameter
Press the Prog button record the change and move to
the next parameter (A= Amps limit) and it’s value (2=
75A)
Press the Reset button or power off/on the control to
restart the controller using the new parameters.
Press Prog to store change
and select next parameter
Reset controller
to exit

AX3500Motor Controller User’s Manual10
Obtaining the Controller’s Software Revision Number
To connect the controller to your PC, use the provided cable. Connect the 15-pin connector
to the controller. Connect the 9-pin connector to your PC’s available port (typically COM1).
Apply power to the controller to turn it on.
Load your CD or download the latest revision of Roborun software from
www.Roboteq.com, install it on your PC and launch the program. The software will auto-
matically establish communication with the controller, retrieve the software revision num-
ber and present a series of buttons and tabs to enable its various possibilities.
The intuitive Graphical User Interface will let you view and change any of the controller’s
parameters. The “Run”tab will present a number of buttons, dials and charts that are used
for operating and monitoring the motors.
Obtaining the Controller’s Software Revision Number
One of the unique features of the AX3500 is the ability to easily update the controller’s
operating software with new revisions downloaded from Roboteq’s web site at
www.roboteq.com. This is useful for adding features and/or improving existing ones.
FIGURE 6. Roborun Utility screen layout

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Each software version is identified with a unique number. Obtaining this number can be
done using the PC connection discussed previously.
It is also possible to get the controller to display the software version number by following
these simple steps
•Disconnect the power from the motor batteries
•Press and hold the Set button while powering or resetting the controller
The LED will display a sequence of two numerical digits and an optional letter separated by
dashes as shown in the examples below.
After these digits are displayed, the controller will attempt to power the motors as part of
the self test mode (see “Self-Test Mode”on page 47 of the User’s Manual for a more
detailed explanation). This is why the motor’s battery must be disconnected. After about
30 seconds, the software revision number will be displayed every 30 seconds.
You will need to reset, or power down and up, the controller to exit and resume normal
operations.
Now that you know your controller’s software version number, you will be able to see if a
new version is available for download and installation from Roboteq’s web site, and which
features have been added or improved.
Installing new software is a simple and secure procedure, fully described in “Operating the
AX3500 over a Wired or Wireless LAN”on page 178 of the User’s Manual.
Exploring further
By following this quick-start section, you should have managed to get your controller to
operate in its basic modes within minutes of unpacking.
Each of the features mentioned thus far has numerous options which are discussed further
in the complete User’s Manual, including:
•Self test mode
•Emergency stop condition
•Joystick calibration
•Using Inputs/Outputs
•Current limiting
•Closed Loop Operation
•Software updating
•and much more
= Software version 1.7
FIGURE 7. Press and hold “Set”to display version number and enter self-test