TruTrainer SmartLoad User manual

December 2020 Page 1 of 9
TruTrainer
Premium Cycling Rollers
SmartLoad Manual
CAUTION:
Read all precautions and instructions
before using this product.

December 2020 Page 2 of 9
Overview
The SmartLoad option will allow you to control the amount of load the rollers absorb via
your smartphone by pairing with our Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio. It also will
allow connection via an ANT+ channel or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio through an
internet connection to a 3rd party bicycle training simulation software. The ANT+ radio
uses the Fitness Equipment Control (FEC) protocol and the BLE radio uses the Fitness
Machine Service for 3rd party connectivity. Third party providers typically charge a
monthly fee to use their system.
Please visit the Apple Store or Google Store to download the TruTrainer SmartLoad app
for your IPhone or Android device. Our app can be downloaded free of charge and
there is no monthly service fee.
ALERT: Using Dark Mode on later versions of iPhone causes loss of functionality on
our app. We are working to eliminate this. Please use a do not use Dark Mode with our
SmartLoad app.
ALERT: Our app allows you to simultaneously establish a BLE and ANT+ connection;
we have programmed the SmartLoad device to not respond to ANT+ commands from
the 3rd party provider if you are connected to the SmartLoad device via a BLE
connection.
The ANT+ connection is established through an ANT+ dongle attached to a USB cable
attached to your personal computer. You will require an ANT+ dongle and compatible
cable to connect to a computer with internet connection. These can be purchased
separately from our online store and are available from many electronics dealers.
When using a 3rd party provider, you can use your bike’s power meter as the power
source and the SmartLoad roller as the control device.

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Cautions:
•Do not poke anything through the slots in the endcaps. Tempting we know, but
don’t do it.
•Do not drop the rollers, they will last a long time if you obey this command. If you
drop the roller, you will likely damage the bearings which support the internal
flywheel.
•Do not get the roller wet, there are electronics inside and they work best when
dry and will likely be damaged if they get wet.
•Do not obstruct the slots in either endcap. We need all the cooling flow we can
get to maximize the amount of power we can absorb. If you restrict the cooling
flow, the device will not perform up to its potential. It is thermally protected so no
damage will be done, but clean inlets will allow the device to operate properly.
•Do not allow foreign objects to enter the slots on the endcaps. There is high
speed rotating equipment inside and foreign objects will cause damage.
•Do not continue to ride the rollers if you hear loud noises (scraping, clanking) or
experience excessive vibration. These are signs of foreign object damage.

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Set-Up
The SmartLoad roller is ready to use out of the box and is a drop in replacement for our
Classic rear roller assembly. Follow the instructions in our User Manual or refer to our
roller assembly instructions to build up or switch out the rear roller assembly. Both of
these documents are available on our website www.trutrainer.com.
For best BLE signal strength, please install the SmartLoad roller so that the transceiver
chip (highlighted by dashed circle) is visible above the roller frame as shown below in
the right hand figure. To help you with this, the flat on the shafts are timed with the
chip. Rotate the shaft so that the transceiver chip is at the 12:00 o’clock position; and
use a sharpie or marker to put on mark on the flat to identify the top side. If the black
mark fades with time, use a sharpie to re-establish the top position.
If you plan to ride with a 3rd party provider via the ANT+ radio, place the ANT+ dongle
adjacent to the rear roller as shown in the following picture. This will provide the most
reliable communication link between the dongle and your personal computer. We find
that taping the dongle to the top of the rail near the rear roller provides the best
connectivity.

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SmartLoad Operation
The electronics of the SmartLoad roller is self-powered by an internal generator that will allow
the unit to function properly for approximately 15 minutes after you stop riding. This allows
you a period of non-riding time before you will lose your workout session connection to your
smartphone, ANT+ or BLE 3rd party provider. The generator starts charging the internal
power supply shortly after you begin pedaling and the unit will reach full charge in
approximately 3 minutes. We enable wireless control after the rollers have reached 8 mph
and disable wireless control when bike speed goes below 6 MPH.
Our SmartLoad app provides basic setup and user control schemes. A video explaining
use and operation of our app is available at https://youtu.be/aCWYMNWFVrE
•Settings
Used to change rider weight, bike type and course composition. These
parameters are required to do wind and grade load calculations. We make
them available to 3rd party providers, but not all providers use this data. This
screen also allows you to put our device into bootloader mode for a software
update.
•Manual mode
Used to control the amount of load above the parasitic loads present in the
rollers at a given speed. Allows the user to select between 0 and 100% of the
allowable auxiliary load at a speed.
•Constant power mode
Will automatically adjust load to maintain a requested power independent of
bike speed or rider pedaling cadence.
•Wind and Grade mode
Adjusts load based on bike speed to simulate riding into a head wind or on a
grade. User selects head wind and grade.
•Spin Down Calibration
Procedure that allows the SmartLoad device to calculate the parasitic load
present in the rollers. Parasitic load is the load that exists with the
SmartLoad device in the no load position.
The SmartLoad roller is shipped with a default spin down coefficient that will not likely match
your setup. You should perform a spin down calibration to achieve the best accuracy. During
the first 50 hours of use, you should regularly conduct a spin down calibration as the parasitic
load will change as the system settles. The rollers will stabilize after this period, but tire
pressure and ambient temperature influence parasitic load and you may need to regularly
perform a spin down calibration to realize maximum system accuracy. The spin down calibration