Turtle B User manual

TurtleRC Turtle Brain Model B
Instruction Manual
V2.0
WARNINGS
Keep your hands off the control sticks when powering on the Brain or Transmitter
Always use a functioning killswitch if someone will be riding on your prop
PRACTICE driving your prop in a safe area away from people until you understand how it
moves and reacts
CHANGELOG FOR MODEL B
Model B does away with the fuse and power switch present on Model A, and instead employs a 50A
thermal circuit breaker. This provides the same protection as Model A but does not require a supply of
50A fuses. f a stall or other fault occurs once and the breaker trips, simply reset the breaker to activate
power. f the breaker keeps tripping, something is causing an over current issue that needs to be
corrected.

Turtle Brain Kit Contents
TEM DESCR PT ON QUANT TY
Turtle Brain
The Turtle Brain is the star of the show. Your
battery, motors and kill switch will use the wires
and accessories that come with this kit to connect
to the Brain.
1
Motor Pigtail
The Motor Pigtails feature 45A Powerwerx
connectors on each end. One end will plug in to
the Brain's M1 or M2 connector, and the other
will plug in to the motor. You may have to cut one
end off and use wire nuts to make the connection
to your motor.
2
Battery Pigtail
The Battery Pigtail features a Powerwerx 45A
connector on one end and red/black ring terminals
on the other. Assuming your battery will
accommodate the ring terminals on the pigtail,
simply attach the RED ring terminal to the
positive block of the battery, and the BLACK ring
terminal to the negative block of the battery. f the
ring terminals won't work with your battery, you'll
have to cut them off and use a connector that will
work.
1

Motor nverter
The small Motor nverter cable is included to help
solve out-of-phase motor problems. Visit the
MOVEMENT section of the Troubleshooting
section to understand when and how to use the
Motor nverter.
1
Killswitch Bypass
f no one will be riding your prop, or you're in the
testing phase, the Killswitch Bypass is handy to
use if you haven't mounted your killswitch yet.
Do not use the bypass in place of the actual
killswitch if someone will be riding on the prop
1
Killswitch
WARNING: Included killswitch is only rated
for 12V systems
We provide an ATV style killswitch for use when
someone will be riding on the prop. Securely
install the base to the prop, and connect the wires
to the K LL port on the Turtle Brain. Test that the
switch is in good working order periodically and
before shows.
1

How to Use This Guide:
Congratulations on your purchase of a Turtle Brain! Although the Brain is super easy to use, we hope
you'll read through these instructions for some important usage and safety tips.
Requirements:
n order to make something move, you'll need three thing in addition to the Turtle Brain
1. Motors and Wheels
Acknowledging that our Turtle Brain is just that, a 'brain', we need to have something to control. n this
case, the 'brain' is controlling 1 or 2 brushed DC motors. Most configurations will have 2 motors in a
'differential drive' format – the motors spin separately which allows whatever you are driving to change
direction by varying rotation of the motors, instead of relying on any kind of steering mechanism.
Motor S ecs:
Specification Amperage (A)
Continuous Output Current 32A
Peak Output Current 50A Breaker
Typically, the motors and wheels used in electric wheelchairs work extremely well with the Turtle
Brain. These motors are quiet, robust, capable of carrying heavy loads, and fit within the specifications
of the Brain. Additionally, several of the wheelchair motor options already share the same connectors
used on the Brain. f you need help locating good used motors, visit the FAQ section of turtlerc.com.
One additional benefit of using wheelchair motors is they typically come with wheels in addition to the
motors themselves. Otherwise you'll need to find wheels that will work with your prop and motors.
2. Battery (and necessary charging equipment)
n order to power the Brain and the motors, you'll need some kind of portable power source. We'll get
the technical specs out of the way first:
Specification Min Voltage (V) Typical Voltage (V) Maximum Voltage (V)
nput Voltage (Battery
Voltage)
6 12 or 24124
Marine or powered wheelchair batteries are great options for powering the Brain and the motors, and
typically come in a 12V format. Visit the FAQ section of turtlerc.com to view recommendations on
tested battery styles and brands. n addition to the battery itself, you'll need some means of charging it.
Select a charger sufficient for the voltage of the battery you've selected, and one that will maintain the
health of the battery over several charge/discharge cycles.
1WARNING: The included killswitch is only rated at 12V. f you need 24V input, you must supply a properly rated
killswitch.

3. Something to Move
Of course you didn't just buy a Turtle Brain to admire it (although we wouldn't blame you). You need to
combine the Turtle with some kind of cool stage prop or item you want mobilized and remote
controlled. Mount each of the motors and wheels from step 1 in a similar fashion (motors oriented the
same with respect to each other) to avoid any out-of-phase issues, create a sheltered spot for the Brain
and the battery to sit (preferably with some airflow and easy access for charging and to the power
switch), securely mount your kill switch (if someone will be riding on your platform), and you're good
to go!
Turtle Setu :
Step 1 Mount Turtle
This step will vary depending on how and where you decide to attach your Turtle Brain to your prop.
Heavy duty velcro or mounting tape is the preferred mounting strategy for the Brain. Make sure you
leave plenty of room for the various wires to plug in and double check that the Brain is secure.
Step 2 Mount & Install Killswitch (or Bypass)
We highly recommend that if someone will be riding on your prop that you use the killswitch option . f
the pull cord is removed, power to the Turtle will be deactivated, immediately bringing the prop to a
stop. This is a precaution in case the rider(s) fall off the prop. Remember, the included killswitch is
only rated at 12V, so if you will be using a larger input voltage, you must supply a properly rated
killswitch.
Illustration 1: Port for
Killswitch is labeled 'KILL'

f you won't be having anyone ride on the prop and don't see any practical benefit from the killswitch,
we also provide a bypass loop that can be plugged directly into the K LL Port. This shorts the battery
directly into the Turtle motor controller, and will always remain closed. The bypass loop is also helpful
during testing of props that would normally be ridden but are unmanned during technical rehearsals.
Illustration 2:
Killswitch Bypass
Loop
Step 3 Plug in the Motors
How you attach the motors to the Turtle Brain will ultimately depend on the motors you've selected.
Lots of electric wheelchair motors use the same Powerwerx connectors that we use on our Motor
Pigtails, which will make connecting them straightforward. f your motors don't have Powerwerx
connectors, you will likely need to cut one end of our Motor Pigtail off, strip off some of the insulation
from the Pigtail and from the Motor wires, and use wire nuts to connect them.
Once you have your motors connected to the Pigtails, plug one of them into M1 and the other into M2.
f you later determine that the Turtle isn't responding how you would expect (left and right or forward
and back reversed) check the Troubleshooting section for how to correct the motor connections.
Having issues with connecting your otors? See the Troubleshooting section for problems with motors
not moving in the correct direction, or the FAQ at turtleRC.com if you're having problems getting your
motors connected.

Illustration 4: Motor inputs
labeled M1 and M2
Illustration 3: Powerwerx Connectors (Red and Black) are standard on so e otors

Step 4 Plug in the Battery
IMPORTANT: Whether you use the ring ter inals or other connectors, ensure that the POSITIVE
ter inal is connected to the wire leading to the RED Powerwerx connector and the NEGATIVE
ter inal is connected to the wire leading to the BLACK Powerwerx connector.
The Battery Pigtail we ship with the Turtle Brain has Powerwerx connectors on one end and ring
terminals on the other. These ring terminals will fit most marine deep-cycle or powered wheelchair
batteries. Similar to the motors, if our pigtail won't work with the battery you've selected, it will be up
to you to cut the ring terminals off and terminate them with a connector appropriate for your battery.
Visit the FAQ at turtleRC.com for help if needed.
Illustration 5: Battery Input Labeled
BATT
Step 5 Setup the Transmitter
The transmitter that ships with your Turtle Brain has been pre-bound to the Receiver inside the Brain.
nstall the batteries included with the Transmitter and power it on to ensure the batteries are working
and installed correctly. f you ever have trouble with the Transmitter not sending a signal to the
receiver, follow the B ND instructions in the Troubleshooting section. Under normal usage this should
not be needed.
NOTE: We reco end using new, non-rechargeable batteries in the trans itter.

Basic Usage
Getting the Turtle up and running once it's set up the first time is straightforward.
Step 1 Turn on the Transmitter after installing batteries (included)
WARNING: DO NOT TOUCH THE CONTROL STICKS WHILE
POWERING ON THE BRAIN OR THE TRANSMITTER DOING SO
MAY CAUSE SUDDEN UNCONTROLLED MOTION OF THE PROP
Illustration 6: Push the POWER button on the
trans itter to the RIGHT to turn it on
Step 2 Turn on the Turtle Brain
Flip the yellow RESET lever up into the breaker to energize the Brain. Make sure the B ND switch is
off (flipped away from the word 'B ND') and the killswitch is closed. You should see the red LED
illuminate when power is applied. f you need to turn off the brain, press the RED button.
Illustration 7: Yellow RESET lever, RED
“OFF” button.

Step 3 Use your RC Prop!
That's it! Once everything is powered up and all the connections are configured properly, drive the prop
with the R GHT thumbstick on the transmitter. Be careful here, depending on the style and mounting
locations of the motors, it may not take much stick movement at all to make big movements with your
prop.
BE SURE TO PRACTICE DRIVING YOUR PROP! This step is very important. While we've made
every attempt available to us to make the Turtle a safe product, the responsibility for US NG it safely
rests in your hands.