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Competition Electronics, Inc Turbo35

1. 8 3 60 Cutoff Volts for discharge X XX with leading zeros 9 6 Number of cells One digit 10 Turbo35 Name 1 Always 9 chars User editable 11 Turbo35 Name 2 Always 9 chars Not user editable 12 1 Setup number digit 0 through 9 represents 1 through 10 13 174 Relative internal resistance XXX leading zeros included 14 23 9 Actual Internal resistance XX X leading zeros included 15 20 Discharge amps XX Leading zeros included Since the GFX can do fractions of an amp this parameter is rounded to the nearest 1 amp to maintain compatibility with the existing T35 machine option 16 1275 Charge Time Always XXXX Leading zeros included 17 06 87 Charge Peak Volts XX XX with leading zeros included 18 0120 Delay 1 XXXX leading zeros 19 0000 Delay 2 0000 Always all zeros as the GFX has no third peak 20 05 0 Charge 1 amps XX X with leading zeros 21 05 0 Charge 2 amps XX X with leading zeros 22 00 0 Charge 3 amps Always 00 0 with leading zeros as the GFX has no third peak 23 0 03 Peak 1 Detect X XX with leading zeros 24 0 03 Peak 2 Detect X XX with leading zeros 25 0 00 Peak 3 Detect Always 0 00 with leading zeros as the GFX has no third peak 26 1555 mAHrs XXXX with leading zeros 2i 013981 mWHrs XXXXXX with leading zeros 28 ON or OFF Turboflex 1 on off 3 digits ON or OFF 29 3 Turboflex
2. BALANCE PLUG COMPETITION ELECTRONICS CHARGER LIPO PACK CHARGE DISCHARGE LEADS In this case the sense leads are connected to the balance plug you will want to connect them to the pins which correspond to the outside of the pack that is those pins across which the entire pack voltage appears This gives the sense leads a direct and exclusive connection to the pack for the best voltage reading accuracy during charge and discharge In almost every case this will be the two pins located at the outsides of the connector you can check by measuring the voltage across the pins to see if it is the same as the voltage across the large current carrying leads Observe proper polarities In the case of a LiPo pack with bullet connectors connect the sense leads directly at the main bullet connectors by stripping back a small bit of insulation at the bullet connector then clipping the sense leads at these locations Important Using an External Balancer with the T35 GFX LiPo The first thing to be aware of when using an external balancer with the T35 GFX LiPo is that it is to be connected only during charging You must completely disconnect the balancer during discharge cycle or motor operations As already mentioned the Turbo35 GFX LiPo incorporates special voltage sense leads so that it can measure voltage with greater precision under all conditions However this does make achieving the proper connections more complex es
3. Discharge or Run Time This is simply the time it takes for the pack to reach the cutoff termination voltage at the discharge rate setpoint Use this to make pack comparisons Seen on the main discharge screen and on page 2 of 2 of the dat mode screens mAH mAH is a measure of the current that has been drawn out of the pack over time It should closely match the rating on the cell or pack when the cells are in good shape Later as the packs deteriorate or the matching gets out of sync mA Hrs delivered will decline Seen on page 2 of 2 of the dat mode screens and also on the main discharge screen mWH mWH is a measure of the power that has been drawn out of the pack See the section on Learning about Cells and Packs for R C Racing above for a more detailed explanation of this parameter Seen on page 2 of 2 of the dat mode screens Average Discharge Volts The T35 GFX periodically measures the voltage across the pack while it keeps a running total of the number of measurements made From this it calculates the average voltage for the discharge process A higher number 40 means that the pack consistently delivered more voltage over the course of the discharge process Seen on page 2 of 2 of the dat mode screens Average Discharge Volts at 1 Volt The same as above except the T35 GFX stops measuring when voltage per cell reaches 1 volt Seen on page 2 of 2 of the dat mode screens This parameter is not applicable to LiPo cel
4. 26 Charging LiPo Packs LiPo charging is a two stage process The GFX will supply constant current at the mAHr rate selected by the user until the pack reaches a voltage of 4 22V cell It then switches to a constant voltage of 4 22V cell and monitors the current until it reaches approximately 3 of the mAHr charge rate setting At this point the charge cycle is terminated This basic process cannot be altered by the user Firmware revisions before 3 00 cross over at 4 2V A firmware upgrade is available Figure 10 a LiPo Pack connected to the T35 Discharging LiPo Packs Discharge of a LiPo pack occurs at the user selected discharge ampere rate setpoint until the pack reaches a termination voltage of 3V cell at which time the discharge is terminated This basic process cannot be altered by the user As we have already stated individual cells vary widely both in output voltage and discharge or run time Cell matching companies go through many cases of batteries in order to separate out the best ones and match them into packs for top racers The lesser quality cells are also matched into packs but they are sold for less money Most matcher companies use the older CEI TurboMatcher 4 or the CEI TurboMatcher 8 a special charger discharger that is designed to grade 8 single cells at a time to test cells and match them At this point no matcher exists in the CEI product line for LiPo cells You can do the same thing with a T35 GFX the onl
5. Press Start Es ISS Quick Start Cycle Load a setup from the T35 GFX memory or use the currently loaded setup if appropriate Navigate to the cyc mode screen Make any adjustments that might differ from the stock factory setup Connect Power and Sense leads to the pack Press Start A cecil wa Quick Start Motor Run 1 Navigate to the mot mode screen There are no specific factory cycles for motor run although values are saved and included in all setups 2 Using the Page button go to the 1 of 1 motor parameter screen and select the motor voltage and run time 3 Connect Power and Sense leads to the motor 4 Press Start After you get up and running be sure to read the rest of the manual Do it while you re charging those high capacity packs you ll be glad you did Learning about Cells and Packs for R C Racing One of the hurdles for beginning R C racers is gaining a basic understanding of these power sources we call cells It turns out that the cells we use and how we treat them has a huge effect on racing performance The objective of this section is to give you that basic understanding The technology that makes R C racing possible is the advent of rechargeable cell types that are capable of sustained high rates of discharge It is probable that R C racing as we know it could not exist if this technology had not been discovered Types of Cells Used in R C Racing Ther
6. of Setups 10 Power Supply Requirements The power supply chosen for use with the T35 GFX should possess the following specifications Voltage Output 12 VDC 16 VDC Current 20 A DC 64 The current requirement is controlled by the maximum rate you intend to charge your packs at and the maximum current delivered to your motors while using the motor run feature If you normally use lower settings you can get away with a lower current power supply perhaps as low as 7 or 8 amps CEI does sell a small footprint power supply for use with the T35 GFX See our website http www competitionelectronics com for details Some supplies have a feature called foldback current limiting This form of current limiting reduces the voltage output current of the supply drastically when overloaded but then locks the voltage at some low level until the load is removed This is generally undesirable but you can use foldback limited power supplies as long as you are aware of the issue and don t exceed the power supply s foldback current limit rating When it Doesn t Work In spite of our best efforts sometimes a T35 GFX malfunctions in the field If this happens to you we ll do our best to get you up and running again as quickly and conveniently as possible Check the following sections for help solving your T35 GFX problem Common Problems and Questions Nonvolatile memory corruption This is uncommon but possi
7. 1 level 1 digit 30 ON or OFF Turboflex 2 on off 3 digits ON or OFF 31 3 TurboFlex 2 level 1 digit 32 OFF Turboflex 3 on off 3 digits Always OFF as the GFX has no third peak 33 0 TurboFlex 3 level 1 digit Always 0 as GFX has no third peak 34 End of data group inserted for compatibility with TurboMatcher 4 35 End of Packet Using the PC and Helper Programs By helper programs we mean programs that can be used with your T35 GFX to help you in collecting and formatting data from your T35 GFX The first thing you have to realize about using helper programs is that CEI can t teach you how to use Windows You will have to understand that learning the PC or Mac and its operating system is a prerequisite for getting the most out of helper programs used with the T35 GFX 55 You can obtain very good books on the Windows operating system at your local chain bookstore or computer store or on the Internet Videos are also available So there is no dearth of how to information about PC usage Take the time to learn your way around the computer That would include being able to locate files on your PC move them delete them rename them copy them etc Become familiar with the computer operating system interface it will pay big dividends down the road HyperTerminal HyperTerminal Quick Start HyperTerminal is a program included with the Windows operating systems starting with Windows 95 We mention i
8. C motors these days draw a lot of current so it takes a higher discharge rate to emulate these high currents The discharge function is the main tool that you use to compare cell performance You can discharge a cell or a pack to a defined cutoff voltage at a fixed current and observe the discharge voltage over time as a graph as well as time the discharge duration Obviously a rather simple application of this and one that is used most frequently is to run the identical discharge procedure on several similar packs and compare the results More run time is better of course but a higher output voltage is better as well Again when charging or discharging LiPo packs be sure to keep the rates low enough that maximum temps are not exceeded Refer to manufacturer s specifications for these temperatures Nimh NiCd Cell Matching and it s Effects For the best performance you ll want to obtain what is known as a matched pack This means that the cells in the pack have similar discharge profiles This is desirable because cells with similar discharge times and similar discharge profiles will tend to deliver similar output power over the same time period They will reach the end of their power output at the same time Matching prevents the condition where some cells in a pack are still delivering current to the load while others are fully discharged At the time of this writing LiPo manufacturers are providing balanced packs as a matter of course
9. Documents This will be confusing because Windows showed a complete path in the HyperTerminal window but here displays it only as My Documents Again there are good reasons for this but you have to understand more of how Windows works and its design philosophy in order for this to make sense However you can store it anywhere on the hard drive When you see the file displayed in the left hand window double left click on it if you have named your file with a txt extension a built in program called Windows Notepad will automatically open up and display the contents of the file P stringdata txt Notepad 5 x File Edit Format View Help 10 000 hn hwo 00 09 09 09 00 09 09 09 09 19 00 00 19 00 09 09 09 19 09 10 00 00 09 00 09 09 00 00 09 09 00 09 09 00 09 09 10 00 00 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Notice how your data has been captured in this file Left click File then Print Menu selections to print this data In order to store other data just repeat this process using a different file name 59 Tera Term HyperTerminal as mentioned previously is a bit clunky If you want an alternative Google the Internet for a program called Tera Term It s free and good Excel Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program with a lot of very nifty features Learn to use it and you ll not
10. E J 3 Floppy A Elmicrochip low dropout regulator Family pdF 65KB Adobe Acrobat Doc 2 7 2003 9 39 AM El Local Disk C microchip TC2XXX LDO regulator Family pdf 60KB Adobe Acrobat Doc 2 7 2003 9 43 AM SETUP T Elmspaso mixng assembler and C pdf 169KB Adobe Acrobat Doc 2 13 2003 4 51 PM El At VisualContact random jazz rock cbs 175KB Acoustica MP3CDB 8 18 2003 10 00 AM ACCUPAGE Rockford Institute doc 26KB Microsoft Word Doc 2 6 2003 7 26 PM E O aps Tslaa149 programming a MSP430 with JTAG interface pdf 429KB Adobe Acrobat Doc 1 7 2003 10 23 AM El ADT430 sorry Mr_ Franklin We re All Democrats Now htm 61KB HTML Document 1 31 2003 3 01 PM E APRO 6 OKB Text Document 9 19 2003 8 32 AM BCFHELP Press LDO regulator pdf 383KB Adobe Acrobat Doc 2 7 2003 9 16 AM El A cygwin Bi vindiciae pdf 1 397KB Adobe Acrobat Doc 12 24 2002 3 08 PM ES Cuntinua 4 4 H Start E Deleted Items Outlook 48 135 Direct HyperTerminal 3 My Documents Mtv Y 8 33am Now you will need to navigate by double left clicking on the folders in the left hand window until the right hand window displays the contents of the folder where you have previously told HyperTerminal to store the file 58 stringdata TXT Remember the path data in the small window in HyperTerminal This exactly corresponds to what you see graphically in this program window I stored my file in the folder My
11. Internet Then take an old pack and start to modify the settings and keep track of the changes in a notebook Log the charge settings 21 and the results when you discharge And don t forget to try it in your car That s where the rubber meets the road so to speak Look for a change in your personal performance Over time you ll find what works for you Useful Parameters for Measuring Performance The T35 GFX can make a number of useful measurements that will help you to evaluate your cells Here are some of the most useful Actual Internal Resistance The actual internal resistance measurement made by the T35 GFX conforms closely not exactly to the ANSI standard C18 2M 1997 for sealed rechargeable batteries It is a measure of the internal resistance of the pack or cells and will correspond to the packs ability to deliver power It is presented in units of milliohms 1 1000 of an ohm and it is measured during the discharge cycle A lower number is better There is no hard and fast rule concerning at what rate to discharge cells when making this measurement but in general to get the best comparison data it s a good idea to discharge packs at the same current rate It is good to keep in mind that this measurement will include resistance in the connections between cells etc Make sure that you test packs and cells under similar conditions For example use the same method of connecting to cells for all the packs or cells you w
12. LEADS Here the pack has a Dean s connector for the main power connections and a special pin and socket connector for the balance function The recommended connections for this pack are counterintuitive because in this case the charging occurs through the balance plug and the sense leads are connected to the Dean s plug Inside a pack such as this the balance and power connections go to exactly the same place and as long as we don t exceed the current carrying capacity of the balance connector and it s smaller wires this arrangement will work very well In this case the high current whatever the connector and balancer will allow since the GFX s charge rate capacity will almost certainly exceed the balancer s capability flows through the balance plug and that leaves the Dean s connector free to be used as a sense connection You should be aware of the fact that any connector connection can fail and cause inaccuracies or hazardous conditions to occur If proper principles are followed special harnesses can be constructed to make implementing these connections easy and convenient Contact Competition Electronics for details Final Notes About Balancers One should not assume that every balancer is compatible with the T35 GFX LiPo Be alert for possible errors induced by the balancer It is possible though unlikely that some balancers will not work correctly or at all with the T35 GFX LiPo due to incompatibility issues Balancing with
13. LEADS WITH LiPo PACKS If your pack has high current barrel connectors such as those mentioned above then it is best if you mate the sense leads with their respective polarity power leads directly at the barrel connector Crimp or solder both power and sense lead directly into the mating barrel connector Soldering is the the most foolproof method however soldering is not always necessary especially where the sense leads are concerned In any case always try to connect the sense leads as close to the actual cell contacts as possible and try to assure that current through the sense leads does not travel through any more connections than is necessary Making the Proper Connections when Charging or Discharging a LiPo Pack There are legitimate occasions when you may choose to forgo using a balancer during charging for example in order to charge at a higher rate In addition you may be running a high current discharge on your LiPo pack It is important to realize that improper use or connection of the sense leads during charge or discharge can result in damage to the pack or overcharge leading to the unpleasant surprise of disqualification when the pack is inspected by technical personnel at a race To avoid these unpleasant outcomes you need to apply the principals outlined above Here is the best way to connect the sense leads when charging or discharging a LiPo pack configured with the separate balance connector 22 GA VOLTAGE
14. a cycle However the actual measurement appears in page 1 of 2 of the data mode pages Cycling with the Turbo GFX LiPo Cycling in LiPo mode works as you would expect it first runs the LiPo charge and then the LiPo discharge functions Motor Run Mode You can use your T35 GFX to break in R C motors One of the most useful features of the T35 GFX for motors is its ability to deliver a full 20 amps of current to a motor The motor run feature uses the same output power MOSFETs as the charge feature and so has the same power limitations Therefore to protect the MOSFETs the motor cycle will be limited to a maximum power dissipation of 185 watts If the T35 GFX sees that the charge power MOSFETs are dissipating power in excess of 185 watts the T35 GFX will lower the voltage to bring power dissipation within safe limits That means that the output voltage will be limited to the maximum safe value and the motor voltage will drop below the setpoint When power limiting is in effect the display will indicate this by displaying the message POWER LIMIT ACTIVE 42 Setting up the Motor Run Cycle To set up your motor run cycle use the PAGE button to move to page 1 of 1 in the motor function mode Here you will find two settings Motor Volts Select the desired motor voltage here Run Time Minutes Select the run time in minutes here Using the GFX with a Commutator Lathe The T35 GFX is useful as the power source for a Co
15. damage to the cells or cause them to vent corrosive fluids To reduce the risk of injury ALWAYS WEAR SAFEY GLASSES when operating the T35 GFX Since the cells can and do become extremely hot be careful not to handle the cells until cooled Always make sure all the cells in the pack are in the same state of discharge before charging a pack Otherwise the cells that are partially charged before charging will get extremely hot and may be damaged or vent corrosive fluids LiPo packs may burst into flames or explode if charged or discharged improperly Check your battery pack occasionally for overheating If the cells are too hot to touch there is something wrong and the pack must be disconnected from the charger Competition Electronics Inc shall not be liable for any property damage or personal injury which may result from the failure to follow these instructions or other improper use of this product Special Considerations for LiPo Mode Use WARNING Please read before using your Turbo35 GFX LiPo charger discharger IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS e You must read these safety instructions and warnings before using the Turbo35 GFX LiPo battery charger e Lithium Polymer batteries are volatile Failure to read and follow the below instructions may result in fire personal injury and damage to property if charged or used improperly e Competition Electronics Inc its distributors or retailers assume no liability for failures to comp
16. does not make battery zappers and we want to advise you that they generate hazardous voltages CEI makes no recommendations concerning the use of cell zappers Do not under any circumstances attempt to zap a LiPo cell or pack Extreme NimH NiCd Discharge Equalizing Another technique that some racers are using especially oval racers is the technique of extreme discharge Using an equalizing battery tray they discharge their cells down to OV by leaving them in the tray for 15 minutes to several days Some racers then follow this by dead shorting the pack with a wire and storing their packs this way Allegedly this results in shorter run times but higher average voltage for the duration of the run time Another effect claimed is that the mAHr input that the pack will receive is increased if the pack undergoes extreme discharge Finally it is said that using an equalizing tray will help overcome the scatter effect Especially with NimH cells after a few charge discharge cycles the position of the individual cells in their discharge curves tend to scatter with relationship to one another and become desynchronized Equalizing tends to re synchronize the cells by entirely draining their charge In general one may notice that longer periods of extreme discharge result in higher voltages but shorter run times Your results may vary Extreme discharge may also result in increased false peaking All we can say is that if you re an avid s
17. is this Charging NiCd cells can cause crystalline deposits to build up inside them resulting in performance degradation Periodic discharge pulses delivered during a charge cycle can reduce these deposits thus improving performance Using the TurboFlex feature is not beneficial when actually charging for use in a car but rather should be regarded as a conditioning procedure Do not use TurboFlex when charging your cells for racing The T35 GFX is set up for variable adjustment of the TurboFlex feature The settings go from 1 to 9 with 1 resulting in the lowest ratio of discharge to charge time and 9 the highest In the case of the T35 GFX the TurboFlex discharge rate is fixed at 5 amps TurboFlex will not take place regardless of the setting if the charge current is lt 3A This is built into the T35 GFX Discharging The T35 GFX includes a discharging function that can discharge at rates of up to 35 amps With this feature you can test your cells and packs and measure their performance You can tell when the performance is falling off and you can extend the performance of your packs by re matching cells and combining similar cells into packs Discharge Rate and It s Relationship to Performance Over the years CEI has repeatedly increased the discharge rate of our charger dischargers This is because our customers demanded the higher rates One reason for this is the fact that cell capacities have increased Another reason is that R
18. or screen containing the parameter s you want to view or change In either case when you get to the last Mode or Page pushing the button again will go to the first Mode or Page of the series As you advance from page to page individual lines appear on each page Upon entry to a page the top line will be highlighted indicating it is the currently selected line To navigate to individual lines on a page use the large rotary dial just push it in to navigate to the next line on the display Some values are adjustable and some are simply informational and cannot be changed If you are on a line that can be adjusted in general rotating the dial CW or CCW will increase decrease the value WWW COMPETITI Figure 4 T35 GFX front panel controls Selection Screen The Mode Indicator Line After you select NimH or LiPo mode a scrolling message appears on the bottom line of the LCD screen to indicate what mode the GFX is in The purpose of this is to further prevent trying to use the GFX in the wrong mode such as trying to charge LiPo lacks when in NimH mode It replaces the former help information shown on this line in earlier versions of the T35 GFX Loading Factory Setups A lot of users have questions about how to set up their T35 GFX for different types of packs and motors In order to get you started the T35 GFX comes from the factory with a number of standard setups already in the unit The setups are good starting points for many
19. severe injuries may occur due to the LiPo pack s ability to supply massive amperage 7 A battery can still ignite even after 10 minutes 8 In the event of a crash avoid any charging or discharging of a LiPo battery until you have placed it in a safe open area away from any combustible material and observed it for approximately 15 minutes 9 Never store charge or discharge battery pack inside your car in extreme temperatures since extreme temperature could ignite fire 10 Monitor the condition of your LiPo packs and discontinue use when performance degrades or changes significantly 11 OBSERVE PROPER POLARITIES BETWEEN CHARGER AND PACK WITHOUT FAIL Charging Discharging Process Never charge discharge batteries unattended Charge or Discharge in an isolated area away from other flammable materials Let battery cool down to ambient temperature before charging Do not charge discharge battery packs in series Charge each battery pack individually Failure to do so may result in incorrect battery recognition and charging functions Overcharging may occur and fire may be the result 5 When selecting the cell count or voltage for charging purposes select the cell count and voltage as it appears on the battery label As a safety precaution confirm the information printed on the battery is correct 6 Selecting a cell count other than the one printed on the battery always confirm label is correct can cause fire 7 You must check
20. the CURSOR is positioned on a arameter rotating the Rotary Dial Switch clockwise increases the setting and rotating counter clockwise decreases the setting For parameters that require character at a time editing Figure 14 Typical selection screen showing the cursor line the START STOP switch advances to the next character as was stated above Reinitializing non volatile memory As mentioned earlier in this manual the T35 GFX comes from the factory initialized with ten different setups Over time you may modify these setups so much that you ve forgotten all the settings you changed and just want to get back to the default Or you might have encountered corruption in one or more of the stored setups In either case it s easy to reload the factory default settings Perform the following steps Disconnect the pack or cells from the T35 GFX Remove power from the T35 GFX at the DC side of the power supply Hold down the PAGE button While holding it down re connect DC power Continue holding it down until you see the SYSTEM INIT message appear on the display Then you can release the PAGE button in a few moments the charge screen will appear signifying that the T35 GFX is ready to use A Pen The re initialization is now complete NimH NiCd Charge Mode The T35 GFX can charge individual NimH NiCd cells as well as packs of 2 to 8 cells In order to charge 8 cell NimH NiCd packs the T35 GFX power source must be n
21. the START button to print AUTO settings will print automatically after the cycle is complete Note that the T35 GFX uses no hardware or software handshaking When it s time it just spits out the data with no regard for whatever it might be attached to 44 GRAPH MAN and GRAPH AUTO GRAPH MAN and GRAPH AUTO produce an ASCII drawn with characters graph of the discharge curve for the last discharge cycle At the top of the graph are additional measured and calculated parameters The ASCII graphs are designed to be sent directly to an ASCII printer However because the data is transmitted through a serial port a device known as a Serial to Parallel converter is necessary in order to make a direct connection between the printer and the T35 GFX Alternately the ASCII graph may be captured using a PC and then sent to the PC printer like any other document These features are discussed in more detail later in this manual COMP MAN and COMP AUTO COMP MAN and COMP AUTO are intended for PC interface for TurboLabel use We ll talk about TurboLabel a bit more in due time REAL TIME REAL TIME stands for real time data output Real time data output will give more data with a higher resolution smaller measurement time interval than the stored data feature mentioned above it is measured and output once per second as opposed to stored data that is collected once every 5 seconds For another thing real time data is output as it occurs and so
22. the racer was depending on the pack being charged Setup Mode The T35 GFX stores 10 program setups in nonvolatile memory for recall 5 for Nimh NiCd mode and 5 for LiPo mode Which are visible depends upon which battery chemistry is selected Here s how it works What Settings are Saved Recalled in a Setup The following parameters are saved in a setup General Machine Name Setup Name Comm Mode Beeper State Charge of Peaks 50 Trickle Status On Off Charge Cycle 1 Charge Amps Charge Cycle 1 TurboFlex Status On Off Charge Cycle 1 Delay Seconds Charge Cycle 1 Peak Detect Volts Charge Cycle 1 Turboflex Level Charge Cycle 2 Charge Amps Charge Cycle 2 TurboFlex Status On Off Charge Cycle 2 Delay Seconds Charge Cycle 2 Peak Detect Volts Charge Cycle 2 Turboflex Level LiPo mAHr charge setpoint LiPo of Cells LiPo max charge seconds Discharge Discharge Cycle Cell Count Discharge Cycle Cutoff Volts 1 Cell Discharge Cycle Cutoff Volts 2 Cell Discharge Cycle Cutoff Volts 3 Cell Discharge Cycle Cutoff Volts 4 Cell Discharge Cycle Cutoff Volts 5 Cell Discharge Cycle Cutoff Volts 6 Cell Discharge Cycle Cutoff Volts 7 Cell Discharge Cycle Cutoff Volts 8 Cell Discharge Cycle Discharge Amps Discharge Cycle Discharge Mode Actual Internal Resistance Status On Off LiPo Discharge Amps Cycle Cycle Cooldown Seconds Cycle Count Motor Motor Cycle Motor Run Seconds Motor Cycle Motor Volts Storing Retrieving Setu
23. the rated mA Hr in order to achieve full charge capacity How to determine Starting Points for Charge Rates Discharge Rates and Peak Detect Settings for Nimh NiCd Cells and Packs Fast Charge Charge Control required Voltage V 1 6 15 1 5 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Capacity Input Figure 9 1C charge profile for 3300 mAHr NimH Cell Charging So at what current should packs be charged For more normal applications not R C racing the manufacturer might recommend a 1C charge rate which should result in a life expectancy of gt 500 charge discharge cycles according to the data sheet For smaller capacity cells it s probably a good idea to stick to 1C charge rates but as the cell capacity gets larger the cell can handle higher rates For another there is some evidence to indicate that a higher charge rate will result in better performance on the track Racers routinely charge these cells at 5A 5000mA and better One racer likes to charge his high capacity NimH cells at 10A better than a 3C charge rate because he claims that it improves the performance Peak Detect Notice the little voltage hump at the 1C point in the graph above followed by the drop in voltage This is called peaking and this is the method used by many chargers including the T35 GFX to determine when the charge is finished When you set the peak detect voltage in the T35 GFX you are telling the T35 GFX to terminate the charge when th
24. the sense leads for any LiPo cycle In the case of NimH NiCd operations only you may choose not to use them during charging The readings will be slightly off but it will not affect the amount of charge delivered to the pack Sense leads should be connected as near as possible to the pack motor terminals If possible they should make their own connection directly at the device terminals In the case of LiPo packs where the terminals are not physically exposed connect the sense leads directly to the main pack terminals at the barrel connector and solder Figure 5 Motor Connections Quick Start Nixx or LiPo Select It is always necessary to select the chemistry at startup This is a safety feature to help you from making costly and dangerous mistakes Select the chemistry type with the rotary dial then press START Figure 6 Typical Nixx Sense and Power Lead Connections 17 Quick Start Charge Load a setup from the T35 GFX memory or use the currently loaded setup if appropriate Navigate to the chg mode screen Make any adjustments that might differ from the stock factory setup Connect Power and Sense leads to the pack Press Start De TE Quick Start Discharge Load a setup from the T35 GFX memory or use the currently loaded setup if appropriate Navigate to the dcg mode screen Make any adjustments that might differ from the stock factory setup Connect Power and Sense leads to the pack
25. there is no storage size limitation on real time data The T35 GFX data output will continue for as long as the charge or discharge lasts How you use this data is up to you you could import it into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and do fancy analysis on it you might also print a very nice color graph You might even write a program to use this data and a number of our customers have done exactly this The Serial Port The comm link to the outside world is a standard RS 232 format also known as E A232 using a DB 9 connector with female pins Figure 18 T35 GFX serial port connector Hardware Configuration Details The connector is intended for interface to an IBM compatible PC serial port and is wired for use with a standard PC serial cable if you are in the US you can get this cable at any Radio Shack as of the time of this writing As USB is becoming more and more popular on PC s some of our customers may not have a serial port on their computers In this case CEI recommends the purchase of a USB to Serial adapter device These can be had for between 20 00 Internet and 40 00 your local big box store Here is the schematic for those who do not have a Radio Shack at their disposal 45 PC DB 9 FEMALE CONNECTOR SCHEMATIC SERIAL CABLE TURBO3S TO PO SERIAL CABLESOH 120 Figure 19 PC Serial Cable for use with T35 GFX Communications Configuration Details The serial port on the T35 GFX is preco
26. these lead wires they must be soldered to obtain a good connection Alternately you may choose to install some other type of connector such as a Dean s connector for the power connections When soldering be sure to heat the conductors enough so that you get a nice shiny solder joint Use enough solder to fully wet the conductors but not so much that it forms a big ball or glob Use only rosin core solder never acid core Good solder joints are shiny not dull Dull solder joints are usually referred to as cold solder joints The usual cause is not heating the conductors to be soldered sufficiently before applying the solder Lead free solder may produce joints that are a bit duller looking 13 Figure 1 Soldering an Alligator Clip Remember to put the alligator clip insulators on the wires before soldering the alligator clips and make sure they re far enough away from the solder joint so that they don t overheat and melt If you plan to charge LiPo s you will need to consider another connection system See Connecting the Turbo35 GFX Lipo to a LiPo Pack further on in this document for advice here Powering up the T35 GFX The 14 gage 4 foot long pair of leads on the left side of the T35 GFX are to be connected to the DC power supply The other leads are used to make connections to your pack or motor Avoid using the switch on an outlet strip or the line cord plug on the AC side of your power supply as a means cont
27. 3 See our website for this and other products To use the optional battery box connect the large alligator clips to the bare 14 gauge wires on the battery box red to red and black to black or install a high quality connector of choice Whatever connector you choose should be rated for continuous current capacity of 35 amps if you intend to discharge at full rated capability Then connect the small red alligator clip to the small red lead on the cell holder in like manner connect the small black alligator clip to the small black lead The small voltage leads must be connected to get accurate discharge readings DO NOT increase the length of the battery box high current leads or introduce any type of additional connection other than the main connection formed with the end of the leads To do so may cause discharge current to taper off at the end of the discharge due to additional voltage drops introduced by the additional series resistance Mount the the battery box to a flat surface with the holes provided The cell in the battery box may be loaded and unloaded by means of the convenient operator lever The positive terminal of the cell goes to the red lead end of the box The plating used in the contacts is relatively maintenance free and needs no cleaner as a general rule you may need to use a light gage wire brush on them occasionally To Recap So start with the appropriate factory preset Talk to other racers Do your research on the
28. 35 GFX has some special discharge profiles for conditioning These profiles are selected here They are e STANDARD e OVAL e OFFROAD A standard cycle draws a constant discharge rate from the pack determined by the discharge setpoint and is the most commonly used discharge profile These remaining two discharge profiles are specially designed for conditioning packs As a result the measured and calculated data gathered when using these profiles is invalid and should not be regarded as accurate The Oval Discharge Profile 38 The oval discharge profile is designed to draw current from the pack in a way that is similar to actual oval racing conditions The profile is as follows 45 amps for 1 25 seconds 0 amps for 1 25 seconds 3 6 amps for 1 25 seconds Repeat Cycle The Off Road Discharge Cycle The off road discharge profile is designed to draw current from the pack in a way that is similar to actual off road racing conditions The profile is as follows 45 amps for 25 seconds 0 amps for 25 seconds 22 5 amps for 5 seconds Repeat Cycle When you start a discharge cycle with one of these conditioning profiles activated the T35 GFX goes through a short calibration period at the start of the cycle to make sure it delivers accurate current Then the profile is executed Cutoff Voltage The discharge cycle is terminated when the pack voltage reaches the cutoff voltage setpoint for the discharge cycle Changing the cutoff voltage se
29. 5 GFX is no exception How the T35 GFX operates is a function of both hardware electronic circuitry and software For this reason changes to the design or performance enhancements made to the T35 GFX cannot always be incorporated into preexisting machines However there are many feature additions and changes that are exclusively a result of software These things can often be added to existing T35 GFX units with only a short reprogramming process To find out if your machine can be upgraded observe the firmware revision number that appears on the display and then call Competition Electronics Inc to see if there is an upgrade that can be installed in your T35 GFX CEI can do this for you for a small service charge Limited Warranty COMPETITION ELECTRONICS INC warrants the product manufactured by it to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 90 days from date of purchase by the original purchaser for use COMPETITION ELECTRONICS at it s option will repair or replace without charge or refund the purchase price of any product which fails during the warranty period by reason of defect in material or workmanship found upon examination by COMPETITION ELECTRONICS INC to have been the cause of failure This 67 warranty does not cover any failures attributable to abuse mishandling failure to follow operating instructions alteration or accident To make claim under this warranty the purchaser must
30. 815 874 8001 FAX 815 874 8181 www competitionelectronics com This manual and its contents 1996 2007 Competition Electronics Inc 68
31. Competition Electronics Inc Turbo35 GFX LiPo User s Manual and Guide to Electric R C Racing Competition Electronics Inc 3469 Precision Dr Rockford IL 61109 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TO THE T35 GFX A TOOL TO MEASURE AND CONDITION YOUR CELLG 000000 7 WARNING nihii canina ace ance A A E E Wucecducdbadscacdueuss tetesvesbesussectasedsusdustedeesducaseuaeeeve 7 SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR LIPO MODE USE cccccccccccccccccccccccccccananananononaonanannnnnnnnonnncccnccccrcccnccncccncccn nc cc nnananos 7 WARNING PLEASE READ BEFORE USING YOUR TURBO35 GFX LIPO CHARGER DISCHARGER 7 CARING FOR BATTERY oroo duaaseseuesdessescuscuseusssedesscedcasacecuuvetsessecesnseedcdesssausevesseseseacdsedectoesssesbese deceusbensvevesecessseseseeedess 9 OPERATING A AAA RR A 9 CONNECTING THE TURBO35 GFX LIPO TO A LIPO PACK ccccccssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssscsssssssssssssssssssees 9 SENSE A secetescepessdsesbasdececsascebedssseeseesetececcessessesecsscestsacccusvecssoessedoscnecceencesdesesesecetecesseseseveccevccseuss 9 MAKING THE PROPER CONNECTIONS WHEN CHARGING OR DISCHARGING A LIPO PACK ccceeccccccesecccccusseccecessecceceuseccesuuasecceusaneesees 10 IMPORTANT USING AN EXTERNAL BALANCER WITH THE T35 GFX LiPO cceeecccceeeccccccsecccccsscccccussecccceusscceseueccasceusccuscceeceuncees 11 FINAL NOTES ABOUT BALANCERS ccccccccsseessseecccccsceccussesssesesccccsseceusueussesecec
32. DC 16 VDC NimH NiCd Charge Current Setpoint Range 0 1 A 12 0A Charge Current Setpoint Resolution Below 2 A 0 1 A Above 2A 0 5A LiPo Charge Current mAHr Setpoint Range 500 to 12000 mAHr LiPo Charge Current mAHr Setpoint Resolution 50 mAHr Max Charge Start Delay 999 minutes LiPo Max Charge Seconds 100 Sec to 7200 Sec LiPo Max Charge Seconds Resolution 100 Secs LiPo Cell Count 1 Cell to 3 Cells NimH NiCd Discharge Current Setpoint Range 0 5 A 35 0 A NimH NiCd Discharge Current Setpoint Resolution Below 5 A 0 1 A Above 5A 1A LiPo Discharge Current Setpoint Range 0 5 A 35 0 A LiPo Discharge Current Setpoint Resolution Below 5 A 0 1 A Above 5A 1A LiPo Cell Count 1 Cell to 3 Cells Motor Current Range Up to 20 A Motor Voltage Setpoint Range 0 5 V 8 0 V Cooldown Delay Between Cycles 0 minutes 180 minutes Max Delay Between Peak Detects 1 and 2 0 seconds 999 seconds Trickle Charge Rate 100 mA 0 1 A Peak Detect Voltage Setpoint Range 0 01 V 0 19 V Auto Repeak Yes up to 2 Built in Peak Detect Lockout Time 1 minute Long Lockout Peak Detect Time optional 10 minutes Cell Count 1 to 8 Cells Voltage Measurement Resolution Below 2 V 1 mV Above 2V 10 mV Current Measurement Resolution 100 mA Maximum of Stored Voltage Points for Charge Profile 500 Maximum of Stored Voltage Points for Discharge Profile 500
33. LEADS Note the following e The GFX s heavy current carrying charge leads connect directly to the input of the balancer e The balancer s output leads equipped with the proper harness are connected to the LiPo pack per the balancer manufacturer s instructions e The GFX s sense leads are connected directly to the large bullet connectors on the LiPo pack A few things need to be said about this hookup Do not charge at a higher rate than the balancer can endure Observe all proper polarities Observe the balancer manufacturer s directions Make sure that the sense lead connections are made very close to the pack connectors In this case we can be assured that under normal circumstances the voltage drop across the bullet connectors will be very low as they are high quality connectors designed for this purpose so physically the best you can do is to strip back the insulation right where the high current charge leads are soldered to the bullets and clip the sense leads at that point There is a lot of current flowing through the power leads but very little flowing through the sense leads so in this case the only critical aspect of the connections of the sense leads is that they be made as close as possible to the bullet connectors Let s consider how to connect another popularly configured LiPo pack 11 CHARGE LEADS COMPETITION a ELECTRONICS BALANCER CHARGER BALANCE PLUG LIPO PACK 22 GA VOLTAGE SENSE
34. Now use the mouse to select File Exit to exit the program When you do the program group window will reappear from underneath where the HyperTerminal was You will see the icon you selected appearing in the window with the title you selected appearing underneath Double click on the icon to activate your connection 7 Now make sure that you have connected the 9 pin serial PC cable to the T35 GFX Connect the PC end of the cable to the com port you selected 8 On the T35 GFX go to the dat mode screen and navigate to the Comm line Select the desired data output type as described earlier in this manual Then press the Start key If you have done everything correctly the selected data will be transmitted and will appear on the HyperTerminal window Capturing and Saving Data Ok I said I wasn t going to do this but here is a brief but detailed description of how to get around in Windows in order to capture files using HyperTerminal Locate the menu selection at the top of the HyperTerminal program window that says Transfer Use your mouse and left click one time on this menu item text A drop down menu will appear move the mouse pointer down by moving your mouse until the menu item Capture Text is selected and left click one time A screen very similar to the one below should appear 56 fi winame i eNO e 5 xj File Edit View Favorites Tools Help Q Back P P Search le Folders 2 9 gt lt
35. O CHARGE CYCLE EE OSE E a 37 UVA CHARGE SECONDS AAA ANO 37 NG OF A RN 37 TAN IT 37 UNDER AND OVERVOLTAGE CONSIDERATIONS esscsssesssessnsssbovossebseseonsedscetssoossedesseessvesbedessesessedsensdndbensessccesebeateedtaccvesescesesesseebesoes 37 Viewing th Charge Graph iii gue less lt ocdeaseh devok E dsd an ER SETE Ensi 38 NIMH Y NiGp DISCHARGE M ODE ss cccsesescsvescesseiesovsnsenecbscscesectectesssoesesecesecessdvesesesescesescsedsesveseonsiscvectecbecsestesocovecsteeteaceSesesoteeees 38 DISCHARGE POWER DISSPANION EIMI sorna dt e dt ii A A ccd a tao IO ai 38 SETTING UPA DISCHARGE CYCLE e a a dit ona seda 38 Discharge AMP asa 38 FOE Cal a RE ODA AE a a A ORA N 39 Discharge Profile Mode Adenda ohdsuacecanTastemsgagees 39 CUE Vol A A E a tad oe atone atte oes 39 ATRON OEE sanar ANA di A e AA NTE Drie AI att iia 40 UA NAAA A rE e is ssri asa 40 SETTING UPA DISCHARGE CYCLE nine A A A a ae ede A Tabs Sade a aa aa a NOE 40 Discharge AMPs annn naa R a lA ta 40 EEE i ENNE EA E A T A E A E PES SE O AN 40 AIRON OFE taa E nd ad oo ll tii 40 UNDER AND OVERVOLTAGE CONSIDERATIONS ccsssssssssssssssssssssssscsssssssssssssccccccccccsccsscsssssssesesesssessesssssssssssssssssssssccssssscsscssssscesssees 40 Interpreting the ResUlt iii di ld ak A a Shas Base A AS 41 Discha rge Or Run TIME dad 41 MAH A A A EEA LEE SEI ESE ALESIS NEE EERIE LN Al MWH att Dita iaa derivando boda 41 Average Discharge Vols A At A A AI aa izda 41 Average Discharge Volts bl Vo
36. ON VOLATILE MEMORY isssectesscosssscescsseceiossscsest sessessosessSeseussenssscbeeesedsnssessasedcesesssecessescssessssesessbeseasssuaedeossoceeesede 33 NiMH NiCn CHARGE MODE NAS 34 CHARGE POWER DISSIPATION LIMIT cscceeseessccccccccccccecesessscccccccccccceseessecsssessesneestsnsnensannseanaeaeeeeeeeessessseccceeeeceeeeceseeuaneeeesseuuees 34 SETTING UPYA CHARGE CYCLE Sta A ede ons PROS SECC A eh Feared eo E 34 Charge Rate secs E at Sos lee rieth ined pibebiatesdectehGg N vasesedteule bub Seca lahenteelaleeadsetorghbexcueledasnaseesawiads anes 34 Peak Detect Voltage s vescc cxcessace sia sass A sea ea eae hd at BR Nico EGG Ad eles bse ade 35 Turbo Flex OMV O 2d coe ciate Seale at Medea ct Oda do lite Bui e e e AC ee ed a e la ce 35 TurboFlex LEVEL A A E AS a E NA 35 ong EockotOWMO dai A a A E 35 O A O CEE 35 Del A A A A A AA Rai 36 Interpretine the Results ita A IAE E a A tds 36 Peak VOS A LAS AA AE A Ae LEA AE ASA A E sd 36 MAH A tii 36 Charge TIME AA AAA es 36 Other Featunesss A EEN A A 36 ABELA RE ae a A E E EAE A A A AA A dd did 36 Dela yd aan AA AA E EOE E E E A E CANA 36 Miscellaneous Features and FUNcCtions cccccccccccccssssssseececcessssceeccccsesssseecececesssssescccecesssseesececesssseeececesseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeees 36 Adjusting Charge Rate during a Charge Cycle ccccccccccscccsssscssneeeseesssecesseecsseeceeeenseecsseecsaecssaecssseceeseessaeeenseeseseeeesenenaeees 36 TTPO CHARGE ON 36 SETTING UP A LIP
37. READINGS READINGS READINGS PAGE PAGE as ms PAGE gt PAGE 1 1 de O OE 5 SETUPS S SETUPS PAGE PAGE Figure 2 T35 GFX Menu Tree When you first turn on the T35 GFX the display will show the sign on message including the firmware revision number This number corresponds to the version of software in the T35 GFX From time to time CEI upgrades this software either to fix firmware bugs or to add new features The firmware revision number may be important if your T35 GFX needs service see When it doesn t work for more details about this After this you will notice that the T35 GFX LiPo shows the Cell Type selection screen Here you can use the rotary encoder dial to select either NimH NiCd or LiPo chemistry r The unit defaults to NimH NiCd from the factory but if you Figure 3 Sign on Screen select LiPo and then store the setup the next time it will default to LiPo mode A scrolling message will appear at the bottom of the screen indicating that the T35 GFX LiPo is in LiPo mode The T35 GFX has three buttons on the front panel as well as a combination rotary dial push button The buttons are as follows 15 Start Stop used to start and stop the selected function Mode This button is used to cycle through the six main functions detailed below Page This button will cycle through the various screens associated with each function Use the Mode and Page buttons to navigate to the desired page
38. S FOR CHARGE Rates DISCHARGE RATES AND PEAK Detect SETTINGS FOR Nimi NiCp CELLS AND PACKS e TA an a ia 24 CAP CUTS 22 E se ashe sue ols TO A A lati cated AROMAS 24 Peak Detecta nto Le it Deh Phat Cate tdo Sakata bia 25 False Pork adi di cone ter vant a E E E lt dhecds Matsa ais 25 Cell Heating a A A A A a AS A A a 25 ECU MO A A A A E A TOA 26 TurboFlex What is it and what does it do oooooooocccnnnonaouccocononnnanononononnnnnnonocononnnnnnnnnoconnnnnnnnnrccnnnnn AAEREN INNOVARE 26 DISC cole cbse cocuenTictasseeds 26 Discharge Rate and It s Relationship to Performance cecesccesessccesseeseeeseesseceseeeseeeseeeseceseesaeeeseeseeeaeecaeeeseeseeeeeeateeaeees 26 Nimh NiCd Cell Matching and it s Effects sessssscsececeesaessceseeecneessecsseeesesenesenecssnsensesocessecssaceoesonseeneesneseesteeseneeteees 21 Charging EiPo Packs inicia a E E E ii a E a AE N E E a O EA EE E 27 Discharging LiPo Pak Sii ionian aei ia AE sea doen sd A E a ET Aa S i aT T AR dias 28 USING SIMULATED DISCHARGE PROFILES TO CONDITION NIMH NICD PACKS ccccccceesssceeeccceessssseeccessesssseessecesesssseseseccessntseeeeeeses 29 ZAPPING WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DOES IT DO cccessessceccccccccccecccsscccecccccceccceccssecsesessesssesesesssnssnsaaauaaaaeceeceeeeessessssceceeeeeeeceseeuanees 29 EXTREME NimH NICD DISCHARGE EQUALIZING cccssesecccsccessssecccescccsssssnecssccssssssnscsscessesseseesscesessenseeesccessssseescecesssttssessceseesesss 29 GET
39. TING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR CELLS DEPENDS ON DRIVING KKlLL cooooooooononnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnonononcnnnnonanonnnnnnnnnnnnn nn nn nn non nnnnnnnnnnnnanacinnns 30 TETP OY CAUTIONS Si jects a a a cE od aang A A ole Sees ventas ov ee ae a aaa 30 Hmmm Ir sounps CooL BUT Is IT USEFUL GIMMICKS TRENDS AND SUPERSTITION ooccocccccccccccccnononennnannnnnnnnano nn nn nono non nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnns 30 FINAL ADVICE FOR NOW A A oisoass snas e see eseo soseo o sosoo s osano eotea oos ESSE eS KE E SS ESR aose Noss 30 RESOURCES ON THE WEBi A sosesssecdesssesvonseuseuseedbesos vnboocsadsadeceersoascsedessbesUosseeuseesseeseesooeeseees 30 THE T35 GFX IN DETA DD isscieissidessceeds ssteconsesitctevececvcectsseiesecvelesssesseascucetesstusscuedses sduseuecsseseduasdusdesstavsccevedcdevavesscucled evsees 31 WHAT CAN TDO WITH MY T35 GFX cccssi sstsccctesssecdesdeteosssvcstscecsessvecsssctttessdesedsuetdesssccscdctessvesdsdececlcccsescsvstvssdvdvedvs 31 INIA TN 32 THE PAGE Buri KON sisccssscisessdacescvoasssccacesescessvetedvesesesbuscosstusvedeseslesedseesasnccedesccesosceceseesdessecdsseseedesnsdesetsnnicescasssosesecessdeeesssccete 32 THE START STOP Burt OnscssccscssscsostslesvcssessonseescstvecesGccscsesscessessscesedsesesecedsvedeaeadeccdsedesoodsastceusesecesesosdesesesseeeveseseessensecoocss 33 THE ROTARY DIAL SWITCH AND THE CURSOR cccccccsssssscesscssssssssssssssesssssssssssssssssssssssssccscccscccssccsccsssssssssscssssssesscesscscsonssescesooes 33 RE INITIALIZING N
40. ae 50 JAY LODI EEEE E TE E O 50 WHAT SETTINGS ARE SAVED RECALLED IN A SETUP eono arae ar RA A a AS e 50 E r EAE TENE AE AE E E ATENE AE AI AEA A A AETS E E REED E AI ENE EERE IEE E E A E 50 Char ota 50 Dish aia 51 EE AE EE E E E ET 51 Motor ERE AAEE A E E E E E E EE E A E EAEE EE NT 51 STORING RETRIEVING SETUPS sssssscevssocsviiescdsdicoccscessecverdsvessesvescevesseuseesonsvaseeceusconbeeassesiccsecsecaecsidceeber soe Udesecceeessseutesedesascescensete 51 LOADING SETUP a 52 SAVING SETUPS ato ii AA A A A AC A EA Ad 52 INAMING RENAMING SETUPS coivadticir ia E N a adele a A ist aby cea 53 EDMING ETUPS ta A eI Ba TE IA ERS Poe da ainda 53 BEEPER A a as ll dida do ta Sea BS cae Nes wont inn lala cio 53 AA A ENT 54 Turbolkabel Output a A a A A ed N a A late Becta BASE ee 54 Using TurboLabel with the T35 GFX cccccecscccssscessseesseeesseecesneessaeesereccaeessaeeesaeeesseecsseesesaecseeeeceeeeaseesseeseseseeeeesseenaeeees 54 TurboLabel Computer Data Formate aenn nanon a a i a re S 54 USING THR PC AND HELPER PROGRAMS asrine eat iratra uia aeae A enc idiotas asais 55 HyperT mimada e AEEA E AI A NATE E e A EE A A EE N OA AEE IET 56 HYPER TERMINAL QUICK TAR Dt A oes aed E ares Saeed A AE A Rested 56 CAPTURING AND SAVING DATA penere a a aaa a aa a a a a A AA E aa Er a 57 Tera Lerma a Ne A A al 60 EXC a A ts Li olla BVA AE 60 OST O E dC A 64 SPECIFICATIONS cita iii ai E IAE AA A aaa 65 POWER SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS sessccsssssctscsseesesetetec
41. ant to compare Peak Charge Volts In a general way a higher peak charge voltage means that it took more volts across the pack to induce the setpoint current through the pack during charge for a given charge rate This is an indication of the pack s internal resistance and age higher voltage means the pack is less desirable This parameter does not apply to LiPo packs since they are always charged to 4 22V Cell Firmware revisions before 3 00 cross over at 4 2V A firmware upgrade is available Discharge Average Volts Discharge average volts is simply that the average voltage over the discharge curve measured at intervals from the start of the discharge cycle until cutoff Of course a higher number is better because it means that the cells will deliver a higher average voltage to the motor More volts means more power Discharge Average Volts at 1V This parameter is useful in this way that most people won t care about the average voltage after the per cell voltage drops below 1 volt because the cells are too discharged to provide useful power It will result in a higher number than Discharge Average Volts and represents the voltage over a more useful range This parameter does not apply to LiPo packs Run Time How long from the start of discharge until cutoff at the set discharge current Longer is better if you need the time If your races are short that means that the pack could have delivered more power if it was required M
42. ata can be collected for each of the charge and discharge cycles If timing exceeds 2500 seconds the earliest data will be overwritten by the newer data which is equivalent to saving the most recent 500 data points in either case Data will not be stored during charging if TurboF lex is active Using the Cursor The main feature of the graphing screen is the cursor or vertical line that appears on the graph screen Rotating the rotary dial will move the cursor from point to point across the graph As it positions on a point the point time and voltage value will be displayed at the bottom Supply Voltage On page 2 of 2 of the dat mode screens the only parameter present that hasn t been described is the Supply Volts This of course is the DC supply voltage present on the T35 GFX power supply leads The T35 GFX has some low power protection features built in If the power supply dips below 4 4 VDC the T35 GFX will stop any cycle and perform a shutdown alerting the user with a message SYSTEM SHUTDOWN At this point it is necessary to disconnect the T35 GFX from the supply and any attached cells then restart the charger from scratch If the power supply drops below 10 volts but stays above 4 4 volts the T35 GFX will suspend any charge cycle in progress then give the message POWER SUPPLY BAD Should power return to normal any charge cycle in progress will be restarted in order to attempt to carry out the charge function in case
43. ated to the internal resistance of a cell You can use it to compare packs a lower number is better In order to measure this parameter a full charge discharge also known as a Cycle must be run In order to get comparative numbers you must use similar settings for charge and discharge current across packs to be compared It has been largely replaced by Actual Internal Resistance another CEI innovation in R C racing competition grade equipment RIR does not apply to LiPo packs Maximizing Performance What helps what doesn t Understanding Cell Rating and Manufacturer s Specifications If you buy your cells from a distributor or matcher you may not have thought about the fact that they are a middle man to the manufacturer Google for the manufacturer s website you may find valuable information concerning the cells you are using Charge and Discharge Rates and the C Rating For instance manufacturers of storage cells rate their cells by giving them a C rating Below is a graph of cell voltage vs percentage of full capacity charge input for a 1C charge rate for a 3300 mAHr sub c NimH cell This is related to the rate of discharge current which will empty the cell of charge in 1 hour So a 1C charge rate is the approximate current necessary to charge a dead cell to full capacity in 1 hour 23 Note Due to inherent inefficiencies in charge transfer into the cell the actual charge mAHr will always be more than
44. aving Setups below Otherwise you can check and set each parameter 39 To navigate to the discharge screen press the MODE button until dcg mode appears in the upper right hand corner of the display Discharge Amps Discharge Amps can be found on the setup screen for the discharge mode It appears on the page as Deg Amps Adjust for the desired discharge rate Be sure not to exceed the maximum allowable temperature for the pack during discharge consult the pack manufacturer s specs for this value of Cells Selecting the number of cells will automatically select the termination voltage Make sure the cell count matches the number of cells in the LiPo pack you are charging AIR ON OFF This will turn the actual internal resistance measurement on or off One result of this is that the momentary discharge current alterations made for the actual internal resistance measurement will not appear in the discharge graph because they are not made when AIR is OFF This will give you a nicer looking discharge graph if desired Under and Overvoltage Considerations NOTE As with charging there are under and over voltage checks built in which will terminate discharge if it can be determined that there is an abnormality Interpreting the Results Much of the data collected and calculated during the discharge cycle is displayed on the pages of the data mode screens Where that is the case it will be indicated in the text below
45. aybe changing to a higher current motor or changing the gearing might give you more performance by allowing you to utilize more of your pack s stored power 22 mAHr mAHr milliampere Hours is the capacity of a cell or cells expressed as the product of the discharge current in milliamperes times the time it delivers this output current in hours a mA is 1 1000 of an ampere Manufacturer s mAHr rating on the types of cells R C racers use is typically printed right on the cell jacket mAHrs can flow into or out of the cell in other words we can use mAH to describe the rate of charging or discharging Due to the built in inefficiency of power transfer into and out of the cell it will always take more power to charge up a cell or pack than the cell or pack can deliver into a load You can use this to figure out how long a pack can supply a given current before it is spent EIS DT a nni mWHr Figure 8 Close up of 3300 mAHr cells mWHr milliWatt Hours is a measure of the power the cell can deliver over time It is measured and calculated in the T35 GFX by making a measurement of the output voltage for a periodic mAHr rate and multiplying the voltage measurement times the mAHr for that time period and totaling the result for the duration of the discharge period until cutoff Relative Internal Resistance Relative internal resistance was developed by Jeff Pack a programmer and racer as a way of making cell comparisons rel
46. ble If you notice that the stored parameters have funny or nonsensical values or if your T35 GFX acts strangely in any way it won t hurt to try restoring the nonvolatile memory to factory defaults See Reinitializing non volatile memory earlier in the manual for details on how to do this Failure to power up correctly garbled display Due to the fact that power is connected to the T35 GFX through alligator clips or connectors sometimes the T35 GFX will fail to power up correctly and the display will be garbled and the T35 GFX will not function correctly Disconnecting and then carefully reconnecting the clips with a deliberate non jerky motion will result in a normal power up sequence and normal operation 65 Fuses Figure 24 20 amp fuses Sooner or later you ll blow one or more fuses on your T35 GFX so go to the local auto parts store and buy some extras now The two forward located fuses protect the charge and discharge power circuitry The rearmost fuse protects the power supply input circuit All are rated at 20 A If you blow one of the forward fuses change both because they are connected in parallel and it is most likely that if one blows the other has been stressed and will blow shortly The fuses share current and so they both have to be in good shape in order to achieve the full 40 A rating without blowing Normally if you hook up the power leads backwards the rearward fuse will blow immediately UNLESS your p
47. cks such as transmitter packs or packs used for airplanes often come with a pin and socket type connector or a Dean s connector already assembled to the pack If the connector ampacity is sufficient for the discharge rate it is suggested that you obtain a mating connector and afix it to the GFX contacts in such a way that no short or polarity reversal is possible Larger packs such as those intended for R C cars often have low resistance gold plated barrel type connectors In this case CEI recommends obtaining the proper mating connectors and connecting them to the Turbo35 GFX LiPo output leads in such a way that shorting of the pack is not possible In this case it is recommended that similar proper mating connectors be directly attached to the Turbo35 GFX LiPo output leads For convenience you can use suitable connectors such as Dean s connectors on the sense and power leads Then make plug in harnesses for different pack types terminate the NimH NiCd harness with the usual large and small alligator clips Terminate the LiPo harness with a pair of high quality barrel connectors specifically designed to mate with the LiPo pack CEI DOES NOT recommend using alligator clips or any dissimilar connector to directly connect to the LiPo pack s recessed terminals In addition avoid lots of floppy alligator clipped connections with LiPo packs Make the connections as simple as possible and as short as practical Sense Leads ALWAYS USE THE SENSE
48. common needs This is the quickest way to get started Use the Mode button to navigate to the set mode display shown in the upper right hand corner of the LCD display The top line will be highlighted by rotating the dial you can select one of the presets and by pressing the start button you can load it into the T35 GFX memory for use The factory settings are NimH NiCd 1 6CellNimH for a 6 cell 3300mAHr pack 2 8CellTx for a 8 cell transmitter pack 3 4CellRx for a 4 cell receiver pack 4 4CellNimH for a 4 cell 3300mA Hr pack 5 6CellCyc setup to run a charge discharge cycle for a 6 cell 3300mA Hr pack LiPo 1 Li4800 2S 4800mA Hr 2 cell series pack 2 113200 2S 3200mA Hr 2 cell series pack 3 Li800 2S 800 mA Hr 2 cell series pack 16 4 Li0500 2S 500mAHr 2 cell series pack 5 Li2200 3S 2200mA Hr 3 cell series pack Generic setups have been provided for both NimH NiCd and LiPo packs as a starting point and a convenience to the user It is the responsibility of the user to understand select and adjust these setups to suit specific packs Load the factory preset cycle that most closely matches what you want to do Then if necessary adjust individual settings to tweak the setting to your liking If you don t know much about how to set the various parameters the preset cycles are a good starting point As you learn more about the charging and discharging of cells you can make adjustments as yo
49. csssesuuuusssesececesssecuuuuussssecececssseeeuuuenssesecesssseeuauensess 13 BAGANGING WITH THE TURBO GEX ALONE tii 13 HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL iscissicssscssccscscssesccdcedsesdsnnecssbseddbcssccscssassvecsnssscecsedsaiecdsessecdssdsdssisesssssveosscevessssecdesteesesesceees3 13 QUICK START A STARTING LINE VIEW OF THE T35 GEX ccccccssssssssssssssssssssccsscssssssssccssssssssssssssssssssssess 13 PREPPING THE LI EXFOR USES E A AE a ods Rash aia dt UA 13 POWERING UP THE TI GEA A aaa 14 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE T35 GFX MENU SYSTEML ccccccccccccesseesesecccccscceceusessssececcssseseeuuuesseeecccessseeuuuuusesecececcsscuuecessuneeeans 14 TEE MODE INDICATOR NE danita 16 TZOADING REACTOR SETUPS a it ES A A ta EE 16 CONNECTING YOUR PACK AND MOTOR ii d3headsenuauvavoe lds cptdcsnnandusvbsdacededdauetenduse diebescdascetetoes 17 Quick START Nixx OR LiPo SELECT sicssescscscsccescsnstsscacccsesescccsisessensccescccsscssccecsccdscesendseseccaceessesesesdcansacecccessdabenbesesessiaesouecaseses 18 QUICK START CHARGE AAA O ON 18 QUICK STARTS DISCHARGES sscecissisisesoscsesssescesevecsscesssedecidesesiiscbesaieccsstessesctscessteseectosdesesedsssessestsesussiscsbsesetsesiscssdcanctansedetesesiees 18 QUICK START AA NA 18 QUICK START MOTOR AAA RN 18 LEARNING ABOUT CELLS AND PACKS FOR R C RACING ccssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssccsscssesscosees 19 T YPES OF CELLS USED IN R C RACING siscccsssssccessiesscsssccetscedeess
50. cting your readings If necessary we can easily recalibrate the unit Sending your T35 GFX in for Repair The usual turn around time for repairs is 5 working days beginning on the day we receive the unit Total charges will include parts cost labor and return shipping It is best to contact us before you ship us your unit because we can help you make sure that there really is a problem requiring service Also the method of payment can be established at this time and you will help us to serve you more efficiently by minimizing irritating delays The preferred method of payment is Visa or MasterCard Include your card type Visa or MasterCard only and the card account number your name as it appears on the card and the card s expiration date If you would prefer to pay by UPS COD make sure to provide a daytime phone number so that we can call you with the exact cost You will need to obtain a cashiers check or money order in the correct amount When you return your T35 GFX include the following e Your name e A return address e A daytime phone number e An explanation of the problem For warranty repair also include e A copy ofa dated receipt of purchase Please see the warranty information printed later on in this manual for specific warranty details Firmware Updates At the heart of the T35 GFX is a computer It is a very small computer but it is a computer nonetheless It takes software to make computers run and the T3
51. ctivated This will cause dropback voltage to be disregarded for 10 minutes beginning at the start of the charge cycle Long Lockout will be reset to OFF after the cycle ends This is done to avoid as much as is possible putting current into a fully charged pack for 10 minutes which is what would happen if you connected a fully charged pack and Long Lockout was ON Our philosophy is that the user needs to deliberately turn on long lockout and then the user will not arbitrarily make this mistake of Peaks The T35 GFX terminates the charge cycle when the peak negative dropback voltage is equal to the peak detect setting Sometimes the racer might want to repeak the cell or pack after the primary charging is finished Setting the of peaks to 2 will enable an entire second charge and peak detect The settings for this second peak are found on the peak 2 page in the charge mode This includes charge rate independent from the first peak charge rate peak detect volts turboflex and delay Delay Delay appears on the Peak 2 page of the charge mode screens Use it to set the number of seconds between the first and second peak functions One reason to use the delay is to let the pack rest after the first peak Interpreting the Results Much of the data collected and calculated during the charge cycle is displayed on the pages of the data mode screens Where that is the case it will be indicated in the text below Peak Vol
52. e which minimizes charge time while keeping cell heating within bounds The rule of thumb for charging LiPo packs is to charge at a 1C rate more on this later That is why the GFX LiPo charge rate is set in mAHrs because it allows direct input of the 1C mAHr rating inscribed on the LiPo pack Some manufacturers allow higher charge rates this will be determined on a case by case basis When discharging NimH NiCd cells and packs you Il want to try to use the highest discharge rates applicable to the cell type you are using in order to test it under conditions similar to actual use When discharging and charging and storing LiPo packs you need to consider the maximum temperature of the pack Do not allow the pack to exceed manufacturer s specifications The T35 GFX can sustain a 35 amp discharge rate which will easily overheat some LiPo packs so be alert Racers often ask what will be the effect of increasing the charge current lowering the peak detect voltage etc The T35 GFX is the perfect tool for getting answers to all these questions Which manufacturer s cells perform better What rate should we charge at All these things can be tested and answered by the racer using the T35 GFX You can use it to test single cells or packs Balancing Both LiPo and NimH NiCd packs can become unbalanced after some period of usage Unbalanced packs are packs made up of cells that are in a different state of charge capacity and so when dischargi
53. e Studio File Folder 1 22 2003 4 52 PM E From Old Laptop Dreceipts File Folder 5 1 2003 8 23 PM El O Internet Restaurants File Folder 7 21 2003 1 18 PM E mer Sermons File Folder 8 24 2003 1 50 PM E My eBooks Spam List File Folder 6 6 2003 9 08 4M El My Library Test data File Folder 3 11 2003 12 22 PM My Maps writings File Folder 8 4 2003 6 33 PM E E My Music adb log Text Document 9 2 2003 4 15 PM a a My Pictures anis Shivani Noncooperation and Resistance htm HTML Document 2 24 2003 11 07 AM El 5 My Received Files El another United Nations War by Rep_ Ron Paul htm HTML Document 2 28 2003 1 36 PM ES my videos E Biz1Logo jsp 7KB JSP File 1 1 2003 12 42 PM a a My Webs E eaglerc usr 4KB USR File 7 11 2003 4 19 PM Noise Reduction for Simo Tapes FourCellChargePeakProblem TXT 6KB Text Document 11 27 2002 10 00 AM El A Pinnacle Studio T GeigerMuellerbro pdf 363KB Adobe Acrobat Doc 1 2 2003 12 31 PM El receipts Initial Song List cbs 380KB Acoustica MP3 CD B 8 12 2003 9 31 AM El O Restaurants M Introduction doc 20KB Microsoft Word Doc 3 1 2003 12 18 PM Sermons Blirimis103 paF 108 KB Adobe Acrobat Doc 2 7 2003 2 36 PM Spam List al john01 TxT OKB Text Document 6 24 2003 2 10 PM O Test data john TXT OKB Text Document 6 24 2003 1 46 PM E E writings Bumiss par 412KB Adobe Acrobat Doc 12 3 2002 10 04 PM El YY my Computer Meal Item signup 8 xls 17KB Microsoft Excel Wor 7 28 2003 8 03 PM
54. e are two main types of cells used in R C racing today as well as the promise of a third LiPo NiCd NiCd stands for Nickel Cadmium Until the last few years NiCd was the most popular cell used for R C racing 18 NiCd cells have a typical cell voltage of 1 2 volts Among their disadvantages is the fact that they have a memory and if they are not routinely discharged completely and recharged fully their capacity diminishes considerably Another disadvantage of NiCd chemistry is that they require special disposal procedures because of their cadmium content They are a bit more durable than NimH cells and can stand a bit more abuse but their mAHr capacity is considerably lower than NimH types They are more consistent in their charge discharge characteristics from cycle to cycle NimH NimH stands for Nickel metal Hydride NimH is still the predominant cell in use today for R C racing NimH chemistry does not suffer from any of the disadvantages of NiCd It is less toxic does not have a memory and now comes in higher mAHr capacity than the NiCd types Today s NimH cell voltage after zapping we will discuss zapping a little later have significantly higher average voltages NimH cells should still be recycled at the end of their useful life LiPo Lithium polymer chemistry is currently making the move from cell phones and laptops into R C car racing The LiPo packs offer the advantages of lighter weight greater capacity and g
55. e voltage drops back from the peak or maximum voltage seen during the charge 24 process by the peak detect amount If you use the T35 GFX graphing feature to look at the charge curve you will be able to see this hump for yourself The actual peak rate of change and the magnitude of peak negative dropback voltage are highly dependent on the charge current At charge rates of say 0 5C and below the peak negative dropback voltage may be too small to serve as a reliable indicator of charge completion A typical value for peak detect for a NimH pack is 0 007 to 0 010 V cell or 0 04 to 0 06 volts for a 6 cell pack The value for a NiCd cell will be somewhat higher typically 0 008 to 0 013 V cell as the NiCd cell exhibits a larger peak negative dropback voltage than a NimH CEI recommends using the lowest value required to reach a temp of 130 to 140 F False Peaking As you can see from the graph the voltage at the start of the charge cycle will jump up some amount as current is applied Then the voltage will level out for a while or slowly rise It is at this point that NimH and NiCd packs often exhibit a characteristic called false peaking The pack voltage will actually drop even though the pack is not yet near full charge This effect can be magnified if dead shorting or deep discharging the battery If you are not aware of this you may think your packs are fully charged but in reality they are only partially char
56. ear in the file stringdata TXT When you have transferred all the data that you wanted to save again left Click the Transfer menu Item on the main HyperTerminal window and then left click Capture text Another submenu will appear left click the Stop menu selection At this point the data is written into a file called stringdata TXT on your computer s hard drive To find and use this file open a program called Windows Explorer NOT Internet Explorer Below is a screen shot of what this program looks like Again things can vary greatly depending on how you have your Windows operating system configured and which Windows operating system you are using To cover these things is beyond the scope of this document seek out a video or book on basic Windows Operating System Commands Je My Documents ETA 10 x Fie Edit view Favorites Tools Help O Bak O P A Search E Folders 2 X 19 gt address O my Documents HLE Folders x nane e o size type Date modified bate Picture ADvTapeDB a My Pictures File Folder 9 13 2003 8 09 PM 5 Another United Nations War by Rey omy Received Files File Folder 9 19 2003 8 27 AM CD Covers ny Videos File Folder 6 20 2003 3 23 PM El Christian Works imy Webs File Folder 7 19 2003 2 47 PM Church Docs noise Reduction for Simo Tapes File Folder 12 24 2002 1 53 PM Express Assist Synchronize Pinnacl
57. escccssctocasensesedssseseneadcedecesseosseveselessensstesbesedseacacdecesosecssseenesecssese 19 RC RACING IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BATTERY APPLICATIONS ccsssssssssssccsscssscsscccccccccecceseeessssessesssesssssesssssscssscsscssssssscssccssscsssees 19 How can CELL AND PACK CAPACITY BE MEASURED AND COMPARED sccccccssssccccccscccccccscsccccccesccccccesscccceccssccccecsscccceesescsccesseeces 20 SETTING UP TESTS AND COMPARING DATA ade 20 BALANCINC A A A A a ag Do obs 20 AR A NANO 21 USEFUL PARAMETERS FOR MEASURING PERFORMANCE sssseeeeeeeeessesscsscceececeeeeeeeeeeeecececcecececeeeeseseseeseeeenetettetsttsteeeceseeuauaeeeseesanes 22 Actual Internal RESistance Li a da 22 Peak Charge Volta A A E Ea tddi 22 Discharge Average Vol A A AA da Ad 22 Discharge Average Volta V ui nd A adicta 22 RUN MO AS AS E AA EIS a A A a a SoBe heeds daa 23 MAH A A EET E IAE ATT ea asec 23 DIVA AA LA NENE EI AE 23 Relative nemal Resistance S E da A lidia dado da 23 MAXIMIZING PERFORMANCE WHAT HELPS WHAT DOESN Tu sscccsssssssscccccsssscsscccsccssssssccccsscsssssscccsscsssscscccescsssssssccccccccccssssssseseeeees 23 UNDERSTANDING CELL RATING AND MANUFACTURER S SPECIFICATIONS ccccccccessssseseccccccccccecuusesseeccccsssseesusuesseeececcsssseeuusceseueceeuaes 23 Charge and Discharge Rates and the C Rating cccceccccccssccssseesneceeseecsseeceseececeeseaecceseecsaeeeeeeceseeenaeeeeseeeseeseeeeeesaeeeeeenes 24 How TO DETERMINE STARTING POINT
58. est describes your data Delimited Characters such as a or tabs separate each field Fixed width Fields are aligned in columns with spaces between each field Start import at row fi File origin 437 OEM United States Preview of File C Program Files TTERMPRO stringdata txt Cancel lt Back u gt Finish Be sure to select the Delimited for Original Data Type Then click Next In this window make sure to select the Comma checkbox for the Delimiter type Text Import Wizard Step 2 of 3 17 xj This screen lets you set the delimiters your data contains You can see how your text is affected in the preview below elimiters JV Tab 7 Semicolon Iv ic Space J Other i J Treat consecutive delimiters as one Text qualifier f y Cancel lt Back text gt Finish Then click Finish Data will appear in your spreadsheet 6l El Microsoft Excel stringdata txt lo xi Type a question for hep Voltage is what we re interested in here so left click the column header A with your mouse It should then look like this Type a questio
59. ged If your pack appears to have peaked too soon a quick test is to feel the pack to see if it is warm If it is not good and warm that means that the pack false peaked and is not fully charged If the T35 GFX indicates something less than the 1C mA Hr rating has been delivered to the pack it is almost a certainty that the pack has false peaked False peaking can be overcome in the T35 GFX by using the Long Lockout feature to cause the T35 GFX to ignore voltage drop across the pack at the beginning of the charge cycle It will automatically re enable its peak detect monitoring after the time for false peak rejection has expired This has proven to be quite reliable as a method to avoid false peaking It eliminates the hassle of having to restart the charge cycle because the pack false peaked LiPo packs do not peak as such and no peak detect function is supplied in the LiPo charge cycle Cell Heating When charging properly functioning NimH packs during the first part of the charge process the cells will self heat slightly NiCd cells do not exhibit this self heating behavior before peaking For both types of cells temperature will rapidly rise as the pack nears full charge Normally for good cell longevity it is desirable to minimize cell heating as much as possible However in R C racing there are definite advantages to heating your cells It turns out that the performance of warm cells is noticeably superior to cold cells It will
60. haracters for the graph When this feature was first introduced almost all printers widely available to the average consumer were of the ASCII compatible dot matrix type Some time after that the laser printer was introduced and then the ink jet printer As the Windows family operating systems became more and more popular as technology advanced and as competition forced prices down ASCII compatible printers have become more and more scarce Form based printers such as laser and ink jet types have become the norm and dot matrix printers have faded into the background As a result use of this feature has become less widespread However if you still want to interface a printer directly to the T35 GFX it can be done First you will need to be sure that your printer is compatible with ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange data The second hurdle to overcome is that you will most likely have to convert data coming out of the T35 GFX in serial format to standard parallel data format compatible with IEEE 1284 Centronics compatible printer ports To do this you will need a serial to parallel adapter This is not simply a chunk of plastic with the right connectors on each end this is an electronic device that converts data from one format to the other electronically Below is a picture of the gear typically required to interface the T35 GFX to a printer along with a point by point description of how to go about it 47 on o
61. he setting It is just another safety device which may be useful in the event of a malfunctioning LiPo pack You should determine the typical charge time for a given LiPo pack at a given mA Hr rate and then set this just a bit longer Be sure to consider charge inefficiencies the mA Hr setting will have to be increased over the mA Hr rating on the pack in order to allow the pack to be fully charged 36 It is also useful as a way to put a partial charge into a pack for the purpose of storage No of Cells Always make sure the number of cells set into this setting agrees with the number of cells specified on the LiPo pack Charge mAHrs Set this to the mAHr rating on your LiPo pack label The Turbo35 GFX LiPo will charge at the ampere rate which will result in full mA Hrs delivered in 1 hours time For example if you have a 3200 mAHr pack set the mA Hr setpoint for 3200 and the Turbo35 GFX will charge at a rate of 3 2 amps Some manufacturers of LiPo packs specify the ability to charge at 2C or even 3C rates Check your manufacturer s pack data to determine if this is acceptable to your pack At the time of this writing it is generally the case that charge rates higher than 1C can shorten the life of the LiPo pack NOTE Unless specifically allowed by the manufacturer of the LiPo pack in question never exceed a 1C charge rate Under and Overvoltage Considerations LiPo charge will be disabled and an error message displayed if the pack vo
62. i0 Fal Address M c iprniectsiHynerterminal rirectinns l El co T35 Direct HyperTerminal 10j xj Folders File Edit View Call Transfer Help x E Projects El E Al Huber Dla 213 ol El Ampeg Anita Oake a Baptismal robes BFL Pacer Campout Campout 7 2002 Campout 2000 E 5 Canoe headset project E E Church battery charger infi E Church Multimedia Projecto E Church Sound System E Church Website capture rene NA Folder C Documents and Settings Mark Skeels My File ark Skeels My Documents stringdata TXT Browse m Code Cancel O acctest E O General El Harig L Hyperterminal directions Interbase tape program El Jenny Smith El MIDI controller E E MiniRF El O msp430 sp asm Pacer E O ParkPal PCB library master PIC sonar E O Preu El PKPROSMT El O PktProRF EE O Poller El E Portable Pacer El O PPTest Puppy Connected 0 10 53 Auto detect 9600 8 N 1 ScRo caps Num Capture Print echo DPA vadia mento 4 start Deleted Items Outlook 135 Direct HyperTer L C Projects Hypertermin Minii a 8 32am Let s take a closer look at this window Se a Folder C Documents and Settings Mark Skeels My File fark Skeels My Documents stringdata TXT Browse oros As you can see the path i
63. in Detail This section of the manual is the place to go to get detailed information on how the T35 GFX works and how to use it See the previous section for detailed information about what each setting does 30 What can do with my T35 GFX The T35 GFX functionality is presented to the user as a set of 6 menu functions referred to as MODES When the T35 GFX is first turned on it goes through the sign on screen where you see the copyright notice and the firmware revision number Next it prompts you to select battery type either NimH NiCd or LiPo After that the Charge menu for the selected battery chemistry appears Moving through the various screens of the menu tree is called navigating the menu tree Note the three buttons clustered to the left of the rotary dial switch on the right hand side Figure 12 T35 GFX Front Panel Controls They are e START STOP e MODE e PAGE The MODE Button The T35 GFX display can be advanced from one mode screen to the next by pressing the MODE button It will move through these modes CHARGE DISCHARGE CYCLE MOTOR DATA SETUP 31 Regardless of which chemistry you have selected you can always tell what MODE you are in by observing the MODE STATUS display in the upper right hand corner of the display They are chg mode dcg mode cyc mode mot mode dat mode set mode Regardless of what PAGE you are on in a given MODE pressing the Figure 13 Typical status screen showing MODE bu
64. ke lemmings to chase after the latest gimmick We find that these gimmicks peter out after a little while as racers discover that they don t do anything useful that is If you hear about some new technique feature or device and you want to know if it works use the T35 GFX to check it out Then instead of guessing you ll KNOW Final Advice for now There s no way we at CEI could carry out all the research needed to find out the best ways to charge discharge and condition cells to get the very best performance out of them The next best way is to give racers a tool to do it themselves and then turn em loose with it The T35 GFX is such a tool Technology keeps changing Capacities increase cells get more durable and more powerful Keep an open mind Talk to other racers Use the Internet This way you ll find out what works best for you Resources on the Web The following links are a compilation from various members of the CEI staff Batteries in a Portable World A handbook on rechargeable batteries for non engineers http www buchmann ca GP Batteries Corporate Website Contains datasheets for some popular R C cells http www gpbatteries com sg Sanyo US More datasheets here http www sanyo com home cfm Intellect Batteries More battery info here http intellect battery com Kokum LiPo Batteries LiPo applications info and datasheets http www panasonic com industrial battery The T35 GFX
65. link as it contains a lot of useful information about printers data transfer etc TurboLabel Computer Data Format The following is a description of the data packet structure for the Turbo35 GFX All actual data fields are separated by commas The packet will have certain differences based upon whether it is a single cell or multicell pack NOTE There is no LiPo data in the packet at this time Field Typical Field Field Description Numb Value er 1 ae Start of data packet 2 are Start of data group included for compatibility with TurboMatcher 4 3 02 Machine code number Hard coded into the machine TurboMatcher4 is 01 Turbo35 is 02 Turbo35 GFX is 03 Two digits Leading zeros included 4 0280 Discharge time in seconds XXXX Leading zeros included 5 04 49 or Ave Discharge voltage DP and significant digits change 1 134 based upon the voltage of the cells tested Under 2V will give 3 places to the right of the decimal point Five digits Leading zeros included 6 04 49 or Ave Discharge voltage when pack voltage divided by 1 134 number of cells first reaches or dips below 1 volt DP and significant digits change based upon the value of the voltage Under 2V will give 3 places to the right of the decimal point Five digits Leading zeros included 7 N Discharge Mode Values are N normal V oval R 54 off road
66. ls Congratulations on your purchase of our Turbo35 GFX The T35 GFX is a state of the art competition grade battery charger discharger motor run machine If you are new to the T35 GFX it will take a while to become fully familiar with its many advanced features However the T35 GFX is designed so that its basic functions are easy to use right out of the box If you ve used other CEI products you ll feel right at home with the T35 GFX However if you ve used earlier CEI products you ll find that the T35 GFX also has many new exciting and useful features that you won t find on our competitor s products In order to get the most out of your T35 GFX please take some time to familiarize yourself with this manual Warning To reduce the risk of injury use only rechargeable nickel cadmium or nickel metal cells and packs or 1S 3S LiPo packs with the T35 GFX Any other type of battery may burst and cause personal injury DO NOT leave the T35 GFX unattended The remote possibility of an electronic failure could cause extreme overcharge This could cause a cell to burst and cause a fire hazard The T35 GFX is designed to provide data about rechargeable nickel cadmium nickel metal and LiPo batteries In order to simulate high discharge rates obtained during racing the T35 GFX is designed to discharge at high currents While the methods used in the T35 GFX are common in selecting cells excessive heat generated during the process may cause
67. ls and packs Actual Internal Resistance A pack or cell powering a load can be approximated by a voltage source in series with a resistance delivering power to a load such as a motor Ohm s Law Voltage volts Current amps x Resistance ohms tells us that current will decrease when resistance increases Lower current means in turn a lower voltage delivered to the motor which means less power delivered to the wheels So it follows that one important way to compare packs is to measure it s actual internal resistance It s called actual internal resistance to distinguish it from relative internal resistance mentioned elsewhere in this manual In the T35 GFX actual internal resistance is measured by briefly altering the current at a predetermined time during the discharge process and recording the voltage Having voltage and current for two different currents the actual internal resistance can then be calculated From Ohm s law Volts Resistance Amps So it follows that f a 9 7 oy Actual Internal Resistance l l Vols am 2 Volis ae 1 Amps Time1 Amps Time This is the basic math used by the T35 GFX to calculate actual internal resistance The T35 GFX presents actual internal resistance in milliohms Lower is always better Below discharge rates of 5 amps actual internal resistance measurements cannot be made with the T35 GFX ASAIN A Ee i Other Features Viewing the Discha
68. lta A ld ia 41 INN 41 Other Features tai Apia E Soe ER A Sec i eee ES 42 Viewing the Discharge Orar ida 42 AR A 42 NE A RN 42 Force A ANT etal wt aaa 42 Cool Down Mint una li Ane dodo WU Cbs Beco coats Whoo oaks 43 Relative Internal Resistance ia A a a a US eee Boose 43 CYCLING WITH THE TURBO GEX LIPO ssssssssssscsssssssssesssssssssssesssssssssssssesesssssssssssssesssssssssscessssssesesssessessees 43 MOTOR RUN MODE AAA A AEE 43 SETTING UP THE MOTOR RUN EXCEL ia 43 Motor VOL tS cu A A land teh 43 Run Time MinUteS ca e a E a a RSS OES EERE aE 43 Using the GFX with a Commutator Lathe oooooccincocionocoooncoonncnononnoncnnnnonoon conan nncnnnrconn nro r anno nr nn E e Eie anina 43 Adjusting Motor Voltage While RUDNIN iiemed aoise 43 DATA AT 44 COMM e A H INTE EENE PEETI E E did 44 MAN aljand AUTO Mati A E RE ence leet nah adi TEE E Ta tev dada 45 GRAPH MAN ad GRAPH AUTO erreari a A E A E 45 COMP MAN and COMPAUTO 0 EA TA EAT AAA S 45 REAC TIN E 0 ta E N En ES E EIA E E EETA E Da O NEE E 45 Therner PO e EAEE O A N E AEAN A E toto nc 45 HardWare Configuration Detalla A A da 45 Communications Configuration Details ser e R E RA nn non nn nan A nro non r ran nn nan nn cnn nn nn A Ee A eS 46 Real TimeData EOI taa 46 Intertacine an ASC Pri naaa dd IEA az 47 USING THE GRAPHING FEATURES 0d tt a a a A iia 49 Data Collection and MIA ii A A e bea a aa 50 IBEST EEEO A E A A ieee ee 50 S101 A 0 D ENG EEE AEE E E A AEE S EA ETE A
69. ltage exceeds 4 3V per cell or if it is less than 2 3V per cell If the LiPo pack voltage is between 2 3V and 3V per cell the Turbo35 GFX LiPo will try to charge the pack at approx 10 of the mA Hr rate setpoint for 2 minutes in an effort to restore the pack voltage to 3V per cell If the pack does not return to this level after 2 minutes the charge cycle is terminated and an error message is displayed Viewing the Charge Graph While the charge cycle is in process pressing the MENU button will toggle back and forth between the main charge screen and the real time charge graph More will be said about the graphing feature later in this document Figure 15 Typical charge graph NimH NiCd Discharge Mode The T35 GFX can discharge individual cells as well as packs of 2 to 8 cells 37 The main display for the discharge mode will show you the currently selected setup the pack voltage the discharge rate the mAHrs drawn from the battery the elapsed seconds since the start of the discharge cycle the number of cells in the pack the discharge current setpoint and the discharge profile currently selected Discharge is terminated when the pack voltage reaches the cutoff voltage setpoint Factory presets are based on a starting point of 0 9 volts cell so that in most cases you can simply change the of cells setpoint and the cutoff voltage will be automatically adjusted to the correct value However the cutoff voltage is independently adj
70. ly with these warnings and safety guidelines General Guidelines and Warnings 1 Use only the LiPo mode never the NimH NiCd mode to charge and discharge LiPo batteries Failure to do so may cause a fire which may result in personal injury and property damage Likewise do not attempt to work with NimH NiCd packs in LiPo mode 2 Always use the sense leads LiPo operations require precise voltage sensing damage to LiPo packs may occur if you fail to use the sense leads 3 Never charge batteries unattended When charging LiPo batteries you should always remain in constant observation to monitor the charging process and react to potential problems that may occur 4 Ifat any time you witness a battery starting to balloon or swell up discontinue the charging process immediately disconnect the battery and observe it in a safe place for approximately 15 minutes This may cause the battery to leak and the reaction with air may cause the chemicals to ignite resulting in fire 5 Since delayed chemical reaction can occur it is best to observe the battery as a safety precaution Battery observation should occur in a safe area outside of any building or vehicle and away from any combustible material 6 Wire lead shorts can cause fire If you accidentally short the wires the battery must be placed in a safe area for observation for approximately 15 minutes Additionally if a short occurs and contact is made with metal such as rings on your hand
71. mmutator lathe which is used to reshape the commutator contacts on the armature of your motor to maximize conduction and therefore power to the wheels Adjusting Motor Voltage While Running On T35 GFX units with firmware version 1 60 and above the user can vary the motor voltage on the fly that is while the motor is running Older firmware revisions that lack this feature may be upgradeable visit our website http www competitionelectronics com or call CEI for details Data Mode The dat mode mode does not contain any cycles Instead it is a collection of useful measured and calculated parameters as well as the place where you access the stored graphs for the last charge and discharge cycles run on the T35 GFX Many of the data mode parameters have already been mentioned in the descriptions of the charge discharge and cycle sections here are the descriptions of the remainder of the information it contains 43 Figure 17 T35 GFX serial port connector The T35 GFX has a built in serial port on its side that can be used to transfer certain data out of the unit The comm setting is the setting that selects the format of data being sent out of the T35 GFX There are five selections GRAPH MAN GRAPH AUTO COMP MAN COMP AUTO REAL TIME MAN ual and AUTO matic The difference between MAN ual and AUTO matic is that if a manual selection is made the user will have to first navigate to the Comm line then press
72. n enough Do not use this if you want accurate readings it s just a convenience to shorten charge time When you change the charge rate during a cycle the 60 second lockout will be re activated to assure that no false peaking results from the changed voltage across the pack due to a change in charge current LiPo Charge Mode The T35 GFX can charge individual LiPo cells as well as packs of 2 to 3 cells The main display for the charge mode will show you the currently selected setup the pack voltage the charge rate the mAHrs delivered to the battery the elapsed seconds since the start of the charge cycle the number of cells and the charge current mA Hr setpoint Setting up a LiPo charge cycle As mentioned earlier on this manual there are 10 stored setups in the T35 GFX 5 for NimH NiCd and 5 for LiPo You may find that one of these setups is ideal You may also find that one of the stored setups is a good starting point You can load one of the setups as detailed in Storing and Saving Setups below Otherwise you can check and set each parameter To navigate to the charge screen press the MODE button until chg mode appears in the upper right hand corner of the display It is recommended that you always use the smaller voltage sensing leads when charging LiPo cells or packs Max Charge Seconds This is a user settable safety time limit that will shut off the charge and signal an error if the charge time becomes equal to t
73. n for help E A 100 y 10 Window 7 Al 8 157 8 15 5 743 D 6 051 1 i 6 036 2 6 002 3 6 007 4 6 012 5 6 012 6 6 012 7 6 017 8 6 017 9 6 021 10 6 017 11 6 012 12 6 017 13 6 017 14 6 021 15 6 017 16 6 021 17 6 021 18 6 021 19 6 021 20 6 021 21 6 021 22 o 6 026 23 6 017 24 6 017 25 6 017 26 6 021 27 6 017 28 6 017 29 6 021 30 E stringdata gt 62 l Now click the graph icon on the top toolbar This will activate the graphing wizard A little time fiddling with this feature in Excel should yield a graph like this Charge Profile 6 Cell NimH pack En 149 297 445 593 741 889 1037 1185 1333 1481 Seconds Excel has many other graph formatting options you can experiment with There is also the possibility of overlaying multiple graphs and actually performing scientific analysis on the collected data Open Office If you don t have the to buy Excel there is an open source suite of programs similar to Microsoft Office called Open Office Open Office contains a spreadsheet application which can do virtually everything Excel can do and it is 100 free It is beyond the scope of this manual to guide you through the use of Open Office you ll have to do that yourself but Open Office can be found here http www openoffice org Have fun 63 Specifications Operating Temperature Range non condensing 32 F 100 F Power Supply Input Range 12 V
74. nfigured for the following settings 9600 Baud 8 Data Bits 1 Stop Bit No Parity e No Handshaking Whatever device you connect to the T35 GFX 1t will have to be configured with these parameters in order to achieve successful communication Usually this is a function of the program you are using on the PC but on some very simplistic programs you may have to edit parameters in whatever your PC and operating system provides for manipulation of the serial com port Real Time Data Format What does the data look like as it comes out of a T35 GFX Here s a sample 46 8 157 5 743 8 190 6 051 8 212 6 036 8 238 6 002 8 256 6 007 8 271 6 012 8 289 6 012 8 304 6 012 8 315 6 017 8 326 6 017 8 340 6 021 SORIA ADN OS The format for the data is often referred to as csv or comma separated value format Helper programs from Microsoft and others know how to read these types of files and separate lines into individual values Each line contains three values the first is the pack voltage the second is the pack current and the third is the seconds since the start of the operation This sample happens to be from a charge operation It is only a part of the entire file generated as there is a line for every second Interfacing an ASCH printer As noted above the T35 GFX can produce an ASCII discharge graph This output is meant to be sent directly to a printer and makes use of standard ASCII codes to generate c
75. ng or charging some cells in the pack will reach the end of the process before others With NiCd NimH packs this is not so critical but with LiPo packs it can be a big problem depending on the amount of imbalance present That is why LiPo manufacturers almost always provide balancing contacts on LiPo packs Balancing contacts are nothing more than electrical connections at the electrical junctions between individual cells To insure proper maintenance and long life of LiPo packs the charge state of each cell in a LiPo pack should be periodically balanced by setting up the GFX for a single cell pack 1S and running a charge cycle on each individual cell in the pack This will bring each cell in the pack to a full charge state independently and balance the pack It might be possible for cells in a LiPo pack to deteriorate so much that cell to cell characteristics will be too different to allow for charge discharge of the cells as a complete pack Another possibility is that one cell in a pack might go bad For this reason it is imperative that you observe all charge discharge operations with LiPo packs and that you do not leave LiPo cycles on the GFX to run unattended NimH NiCd packs can also become unbalanced and may be rebalanced in the same way 20 Single Cell Testing Figure 7 T35 GFX and Single Cell Holder If you re planning on doing a lot of single cell NimH NiCd testing you will want to get a cell holder from CEI CEI 490
76. o less than 15 VDC Under no circumstances shall the DC supply voltage be allowed to exceed 16 VDC The main display for the charge mode will show you the currently selected setup the pack voltage the charge rate the mA Hrs delivered to the battery the elapsed seconds since the start of the charge cycle the number of peaks set the charge current setpoint and the status of the Long Lockout and TurboFlex features Charge Power Dissipation Limit The T35 GFX will limit the maximum power dissipated within the charge output power MOSFETs to 185 watts 33 As the charge cycle progresses the output voltage will rise in order to maintain the setpoint current because the pack voltage naturally rises If the T35 GFX sees that the charge power MOSFETs have begun to dissipate power in excess of 185 watts the T35 GFX will lower the voltage to bring power dissipation within safe limits That means that the output voltage will be limited to the maximum safe value and the charge current will drop below the setpoint When power limiting is in effect the display will indicate this by displaying the message POWER LIMIT ACTIVE The power limit feature cannot be defeated but in some cases you may be able to bring the T35 GFX out of power limit mode by reducing the power supply input voltage Do not lower the input voltage below 12 volts Setting up a charge cycle As mentioned earlier on this manual there are 10 stored setups in the T35 GFX 5 f
77. ome to the last SETUP screen for the selected MODE pressing PAGE once more returns you to the main MODE screen for the selected MODE You can tell what PAGE you are on for the selected MODE by observing the PAGE STATUS display in the upper left corner of the display The PAGE STATUS displays are specific to the MODES Please refer to the menu tree diagram in Figure 1 earlier in this manual for details Armed with this information you re ready to navigate the menu tree of your T35 GFX The START STOP Button The function of the START STOP button can change depending on where you are in the menu tree In general pressing start anywhere from within the CHARGE DISCHARGE and CYCLE modes will jump directly to the main MODE screen and start that MODE Whenever the T35 GFX is executing a CHARGE DISCHARGE or CYCLE MODE pressing the START STOP button will stop the MODE execution In the case of some parameters the START STOP switch will advance sequentially through a line of single characters such as when you enter a new name for a setup 32 The Rotary Dial Switch and the Cursor djustable parameters appear as reverse highlighted lines on the SETUP screens This is referred to as the CURSOR Pressing the Rotary Dial Switch advances the CURSOR to the next adjustable parameter When ositioned at the last line pressing the Rotary Dial Switch again repositions the CURSOR to the first adjustable parameter In general when
78. only analyze T35 GFX data you can balance your checkbook etc For use with the T35 GFX we re interested in its ability to import data In order to try this you ll have had to have previously captured real time data from your T35 GFX in a file If you haven t done that yet do it now then return to this section To import data into Excel launch the Excel application and using the File Open menu selection locate and open the captured file US VJ VJ VJ VJ Wawa wu A aa Look in E My Documents e 1 AXE Tools E QvCSReport txt ofx TXT 0 Snaglt Catalog Sasser removal tool 5 Quotes Programming Style Pitbull x3 manual pdf Original Pitbull 5 OneEighteenthScale RC Stuff O MySetups 5 My Videos B My Pictures a My Music History My Documents amp Desktop E s you ll Favorites My eBooks gt If you a ls 1 or File name import C My Network ection lc Places Files of type A A sarees sire Notice that in the Open dialog box Files of Type shows a selection of csv and txt You must do this A series of dialog boxes called the text import wizard will appear to guide you through the import procedure 60 Text Import Wizard Step 1 of 3 The Text Wizard has determined that your data is Fixed Width If this is correct choose Next or choose the data type that best describes your data riginal data type Choose the file type that b
79. or NimH NiCd and 5 for LiPo You may find that one of these setups is ideal You may also find that one of the stored setups is a good starting point You can load one of the setups as detailed in Storing and Saving Setups below Otherwise you can check and set each parameter To navigate to the charge screen press the MODE button until chg mode appears in the upper right hand corner of the display If you want accurate numbers from your charge cycle you must use the smaller voltage sensing leads However if you just want to charge applies to NimH NiCd ONLY use of the sense leads for the charge cycle is optional The peak dropback voltage will still be accurate it will just be offset by the voltage drop of the pack connections Charge Rate Charge rate is the current delivered to the pack during the charge cycle Units are in amps This is how you get power into the pack To set the charge rate use the PAGE button to advance to the page peak 1 The page appears with the CURSOR positioned to the first parameter which is the Chg Amps Rotate the ROTARY DIAL SWITCH clockwise to increase the charge current counterclockwise to decrease the charge current The values will cease to change when you reach the built in limits for the parameter Make sure that your power supply is capable of supplying the current you select plus a bit more the T35 GFX cannot make power out of nothing Your DC supply must have sufficient power f
80. or the demand Peak Detect Voltage Peak Detect Voltage appears on the display as Peak Det V This is the dropback voltage setpoint at which the T35 GFX will automatically terminate the charge operation Units are in volts Turn the ROTARY DIAL SWITCH to set the Peak Detect volts TurboFlex On Off TurboFlex On Off appears on the display as Turboflex This is the setting that turns the TurboFlex feature On and Off Rotating the ROTARY DIAL SWITCH will toggle the setting TurboFlex Level TurboFlex Level appears on the display as Turboflex Level The TurboFlex level adjusts the discharge rates relative to the charge rate The discharge rate of the burp is fixed at 5 amps 34 The TurboFlex burp takes place once per second The duration of the TurboFlex discharge period every second is given by Charge_Amps 4 Turboflex_Level 17000 2 0 2uSec So for a charge rate of 5 amps and a TurboF lex level of 5 the duration of the discharge burp will be 5 4 5 17000 2 0 2uSec 1 71 mSec Long Lockout On Off Long Lockout appears on the display as Long Lockout Normally at the beginning of a charge cycle the T35 GFX will disregard dropback voltage from the peak voltage detected up to the present point in the charge process for a duration of 60 seconds This allows stabilization of the pack voltage for a short period before peak detection kicks in In order to overcome false peaking Long Lockout can be a
81. ower supply goes into current limiting or cannot deliver enough current to blow the fuses If this is the case you will almost certainly see smoke coming from your T35 GFX Although this means a repair it does not usually cause extensive damage Beware of cheap fuses They can overheat and cause fire Use good quality name brand fuses such as Bussman or Littelfuse Voltage Drop Resistance and the Proper Use of Sense Leads When using the T35 GFX during charge or discharge always be sure to connect the small sense leads as close as physically possible to the pack connectors For NiCd NimH packs avoid clipping them to the larger power carrying alligator clips and don t cut the clips off and solder them into the alligator clips LiPo packs often have shrouded connectors and a separate sense lead connection to the terminals can be impossible so in this case you must solder the sense leads directly into the main connectors as illustrated below The LiPo packs have superior lower resistance connectors and there will be less voltage drop than what is experienced with alligator clips Use sense leads for all LiPo operations 66 Should send my T35 GFX in for Calibration The T35 GFX is one of the most accurate and stable charger dischargers CEI has ever made It would be highly unlikely that recalibration would be necessary If you suspect your T35 GFX is out of calibration call us and we ll talk about it there may be other factors affe
82. pears in the display line The second step is this advance to the Save Rename To line Rotate the rotary dial to select the setup to rename then press START to rename the setup Editing Setups To edit a setup e load the setup into T35 GFX active memory e make changes to the desired settings in the active memory e save the setup That s all there is to it Beeper The T35 GFX contains an internal beeper that signals the end of cycle as well as a button press The beeper action at the end of the cycle can be set to the OFF MOMENTARY or CONTINUOUS modes 53 Machine This setting sets the machine name for computer data output It allows external programs like TurboLabel to distinguish between different machines TurboLabel Output The T35 GFX has a selection in the COMM DATA parameter line called COMPUTER DATA OUT This is the setting meant to be used with TurboLabel The T35 GFX packet format is compatible with older T35 s even though the T35 GFX does not generate all the data that older T35 s do Using TurboLabel with the T35 GFX CEI has a program called TurboLabel that allows you to design and print labels for your cells and packs using data collected from T35 GFX and TM4 35 chargers dischargers and matchers For a complete description of TurboLabel and its capabilities see http www competitionelectronics com turbolabel html It would be a good time investment to read the TurboLabel manual found at this
83. pecially when charging LiPo packs using external balancing devices Because accurate voltage control is a must when working with LiPo packs proper connection of the sense leads is critical To reiterate you must use the sense leads when working with LiPo packs In order to get good results when working with LiPo packs it is important to understand these two principles e Connection of the sense leads should always be made as close as possible to the LiPo pack terminals both electrically and physically e The more current there is flowing through a connection or wire the more voltage drop will occur across that connection or wire and the more error there will be in the voltage reading if that connection or wire is between the pack and the sense leads Now with these two principles in mind let s look at a couple of diagrams that show a hypothetical balancer used with the T35 GFX to charge balance 2C LiPo packs 10 The first below is a diagram showing the connections for a LiPo pack with bullet connectors Note that this pack has two high current bullet connectors which serve for both balance and charge functions and a separate smaller bullet connector in the center which is intended for balancing That does not mean that it could not be used for charging but current limitations of the smaller connector must be observed CHARGE COMPETITION ELECTRONICS Sel BALANCER CHARGER LIPO PACK 22 GA VOLTAGE SENSE
84. ps Setups are accessed from the set mode screen Here is the mechanics of storing retrieving and renaming setups Although not shown LiPo mode is similar in operation 51 Loading Setups Figure 22 Loading a setup To load a setup navigate to the Load line on page 1 of 1 of the set mode screen When highlighted rotate the dial As you do the setup number and name will change When you see the setup you want to load press START This loads the selected setup into the T35 GFX active memory Saving Setups To save the current setup navigate to the Save line on page of 1 of the set mode screen If you wanted to save to the same location make sure the current setup shown in the Save line is the one you want to update Otherwise selecting a different setup number will overwrite the current setup data in that setup memory with the data currently in the active memory of the T35 GFX As above press START to make the save 52 Naming Renaming Setups Figure 23 Renaming a setup A saved setup can be renamed in two steps First navigate to the Rename line on page 1 of 1 of the set mode screen When the cursor is positioned on the Rename line the first character position of the name will begin to flash In this line the START button functions differently It advances the character position to the next character To change the current character rotate the rotary dial Proceed character by character until the full name ap
85. reater longevity Currently LiPo packs however cannot deliver as much power as a good quality NimH pack in good condition but that will likely not be true for much longer That is why LiPo capability has been added to the T35 GFX The biggest disadvantage of the LiPo chemistry is the possibility of it s catching fire or exploding due to physical damage or electrical abuse For this reason the charging and discharging procedure for LiPo packs is much more stringent and must be strictly observed Dispose of LiPo packs properly RC Racing is different from other battery applications If you talk to a cell manufacturer about the way R C racers charge and discharge their NimH NiCd cells he or she may tell you that you are abusing these cells The fact is to a certain extent this is true However the goals of an R C racer are different than the goals of an average user In the case of the R C racer there is the need to balance cell longevity with performance It is an inherent trade off racers make so you should understand from the beginning that racers don t treat their cells nice As a result they cannot be expected to last as long as they might in a less demanding application If you are interested in ultimate performance plan to relegate older packs to practice duty after they have been used for a while Exactly when you do this is a function of your skill level and how much you are willing to spend on cells LiPo packs are different The
86. return the product to COMPETITION ELECTRONICS INC at the address shown below properly packed and with shipping charges prepaid All claims must be accompanied by a sales slip or other written proof of date of purchase TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXCLUDED ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES NOT EXCLUDED ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO 90 DAYS FROM DATE OF PURCHASE INCIDENTAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED FROM THE REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO PURCHASER AND THE REMEDIES PROVIDED BY THIS WARRANTY SHALL BE EXCLUSIVE TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW Note Some states do not allow limitations on how long the implied warranty lasts or the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages so the foregoing limitations and exclusions may not apply to you This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state If any product returned by the purchaser is found by COMPETITION ELECTRONICS INC to require service not covered by warranty COMPETITION ELECTRONICS INC will recondition to working order any product returned to it regardless of condition upon purchaser s remittance of payment of 2 current retail price if it is still manufactured by COMPETITION ELECTRONICS INC How to Contact Competition Electronics Competition Electronics Inc 3469 Precision Dr Rockford IL 61109 PH
87. rge Graph While the discharge cycle is in process pressing the MODE button will toggle back and forth between the main discharge screen and the real time discharge graph More will be said about the graphing feature later in this document Figure 16 Typical discharge graph 41 Cycle Mode Cycling is just a way of automating a charge cycle followed by a discharge cycle You will always have to get charge into a pack before you can get anything out therefore cycling is a useful feature Cycling makes use of the charge and discharge features already discussed and so most of the settings for a cycle are already complete from previous setup sessions already discussed Setting up a Cycle There are only two parameters to set for a cycle everything else is set in the charge or discharge mode screens of Cycles Simply specifies the number of charge discharge cycles to be run sequentially Why would you want to run sequential cycles What if you wanted to do extended longevity testing to get an idea how long a certain type of cell might last before degrading That s just one example you may think of others Cool Down Minutes When you charge discharge a pack it gets hot If you want to you can set cool down minutes so that the pack has enough time to fully cool between cycles Relative Internal Resistance In order to measure relative internal resistance both a charge and discharge cycle must be run thus it is associated with
88. road racer The oval racer settles into a pattern Jam down the trigger going out of the turn let off going into the next turn then do it again The off road racer has an entirely different pattern 28 For this reason the T35 GFX includes conditioning discharge cycles for oval and off road racing These discharge cycles periodically increase and decrease discharge current to simulate oval and off road racing patterns They are intended for conditioning only and the display of regularly measured and calculated parameters are not supported in these modes So don t be surprised when the measured data don t look right after using one of these discharge modes The T35 GFX programming locks out simulated discharge conditioning profiles below a discharge current setpoint of 3 amps This is built into the T35 GFX to avoid drawing large currents from small capacity cells You should not try to run these profiles on cells smaller than say 2000 mA Hr rating as it will attempt to draw 45 amps from the cells at times during the profile execution Zapping What is it and what does it do Zapping is a process where special equipment is used to discharge a high voltage pulse through a NimH NiCd cell Each battery matcher will have their own way of doing this and will not likely reveal the details of their process However zapping does increase voltage output of the cells and it is an important component for maximum pack performance NOTE CEI
89. rol power to the T35 GFX Instead always make and break the final power connection to the T35 GFX AT THE DC INPUT WIRE on the power cable of the T35 GFX After terminating the lead wires connect the T35 GFX power leads to a 12V 16V DC power supply Obviously the red lead goes to the positive terminal the black lead to the negative terminal of the supply This DC supply should be capable of 20 amps if you want to utilize the full motor run capacity and 12 amps to realize the full charging capacity of the T35 GFX See Power Supply Requirements below for more details Getting Familiar with the T35 GFX Menu System Like many digital electronic devices the T35 GFX has an LCD display that communicates the status of the T35 GFX to the user By this means the T35 GFX menu system is displayed Below is a menu tree showing the navigation pattern for the T35 GFX menu 14 SIGN ON SCREEN NimH NiCd LiPo PAGE ry PAGE PAGE gt PAGE PAGE an C tree CO aorin Z iment ns O mone SETUP DELAY START DELAY START PAGE Us g PAGE PAGE DISCH MODE DISCH MODE MAIN SCREEN MAIN SCREEN PAGE PAGE pj LA PAGE CYCLE MODE CYCLE MODE MAIN SCREEN MAIN SCREEN PAGE PAGE g Om g goo PAGE PAGE PAGE MOTOR RUN PAGE 1 MOTOR RUN PAGE 1 oe SETUP aoe SETUP MAIN SCREEN MAIN SCREEN PAGE PAGE ci a PAGE sm PAGE PAGE a PAGE DATA MODE PAGE 2 DATA MODE PAGE 2 MAIN SCREEN onnenn READINGS MAIN SCREEN see Ae
90. rp LLL SERIALPARAL MODEL Ele a Y a El f fi y PARALLEL y A q A Y RD a i b y gt of r a l Figure 20 Serial to Parallel conversion gear 1 On top of the converter are a series of small switches Note that they are labeled 1 8 Also note the markings off and on Using a pointed object such as a pencil set the switches as follows switch setting ON ON OFF ON OFF OFF OFF OFF ONANDNABWN eK 2 Connect cables as shown in the picture above Connect the free end of the smaller PC serial cable to your Turbo35 s RS 232 serial port Connect the free end of the larger parallel cable to the Printer s parallel input connector The cables and adapter shown are available from any Radio Shack store or from their web site www RadioShack com The Radio Shack part numbers are as follows Standard PC Printer Cable N A Female DB9 to Male DB25 Serial Port adapter 26 209B 6 ft Serial RS 2432C Cable Male DB9 to Female DB9 26 117 48 Male DB9 to Male DB9 Gender Adapter 26 231 This Serial lt gt Parallel converter is made by B amp B Electronics Mfg Co Inc The B amp B part number is 232SPS2 More information about this device including a user s manual in PDF can be found at their website which is www bb elec com For European customers you can use their European website which is www bb europe com The Radio Shack and B amp B trademarks are the exclusive property of the
91. s displayed in the text box A path is just a string of characters with backslash characters that denote folders Your computer s hard drive is organized as a series of folders within folders and this is the paradigm that we use to understand where data files are located The name of the file is found at the far right side of the path text string in this case the name of the file is stringdata txt You can control the file s name and its contents by naming it at this point in like manner In general perform this step first each time you want to capture data from the T35 GFX in order to control what data appears in the text file Makes sure you choose a different new name each time you want to save a separate set of data so that each set of data gets saved individually Remember to be careful only to rename the portion of the string between the last VW and the TXT Don t use punctuation characters except for space in this portion of the string 57 After you have completed the naming process left click the Start button on this window This will cause HyperTerminal to collect all data from this point forward into a file called stringdata TXT Now transfer the data you want to save by configuring the T35 GFX and starting a cycle or printing other data Don t worry about any data that might have appeared on the window before this point only what you transfer from this point forward will app
92. se companies Note Some previous models of the T35 required a Null modem adapter in order to make a successful connection to the T35 serial port The T35 GFX does not require this adapter Using the Graphing Features Figure 21 Discharge graph CEI was the first to introduce graphing features in R C chargers dischargers and the T35 GFX was the first self contained R C charger discharger to put them right on its display The graph can show important information at a glance For example you can see the shape of the graph Does it look normal compared to your experience with charging and discharging this pack in the past The Data Mode page 1 of 2 contains two lines having to do with graphs they are e Dcg Graph e Chg Graph To see the graphs position to one of these lines If there is data in the graph the parameter will show a Y at the end for YES Otherwise it will contain an N for NO If it says Y then press the START button while positioned on the line to reveal the graph press START again to go back to the page display 49 Data Collection and Storage Data points for the graphs are collected and stored in nonvolatile memory in the T35 GFX during charge and discharge operations Data storage is limited to the most recent 500 data points for the charge cycle and 500 data points for the discharge cycle Data points are collected every 5 seconds meaning that a maximum of 2500 seconds worth of d
93. ssessnsedesocsecentcodbeedesessecsedesdensessdbessesesedcccdbscssescdsccedecscacedsotebesesecvesecctensees venian 65 WHEN TE DOESNT WORK 6sscscsstssssisediescessesccdeetsccscncssccssooscsssisdet esscecescvedesnsudeesesscoetaedascetuaclsscessceceseetstcvscedesseseesSecsevesses 66 COMMON PROBLEMS AND QUESTIONS scc ivesecescesstoossssensesccecesasenstecececsdsosssdacss oossesseessbesssesesescnauss ses becdebeedecnddeceatsodaccoosdssscsseseseseses 66 INONVOLATIEE MEMORY CORRUPTION zee Sers 954 dE E A E EE E dete gute ae aa 66 FAILURE TO POWER UP CORRECTLY GARBLED DISPLAY ccsscscsscccseesssseecceccesssseeeeccccssnssseeeccceesssseecceseesnseeesececessssssssssasseseseeseeeeeeeees 66 USES O RT Ee TR a Ta OS DOP 67 VOLTAGE Drop RESISTANCE AND THE PROPER USE OF SENSE LEADS sssseeeeeeeseeeeeseenscesecececeeeeeeeeeeeescccceeeeeeeeeeseeeseeseeensneeeeeenaas 67 SHOULD I SEND My T35 GFX IN FOR CALIBRATION cccccccsscsscccccccceceeecccccecccceccececeseesseeseeeesusessssassusasaaaeaeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeececeeeeeeeeeess 68 SENDING YOUR T35 GFX IN FOR REPAIR scesccovsssscvonesesssssovseeseasvoasssoossoocsesecsssssssccbscecsestenssuseunondseseceseeconsasectasseosscoscsoseeseseseseced 68 IRMWARE AA NL 68 A AI AA RO O OO 69 How TO CONTACT COMPETITION ELECTRONICS ccscscssssssssssccccccccccccsssscsesccccccccsecccsssssessceccccceeseessscssccsccccccseecescosesccccessscoeesccoses 69 Introduction to the T35 GFX A Tool to Measure and Condition your Cel
94. t here for that very reason it is included with all newer Windows operating systems not Vista and although it s a bit clunky in some ways it has the basic capabilities we need to capture and manipulate data Here s a quick step by step description of how to use HyperTerminal with your T35 GFX 1 Locate the HyperTerminal application on your PC and start it 2 HyperTerminal will present the user with a dialog box in which you may name a new connection and select an icon for it Enter an appropriate name and choose an icon you like Click once on the OK button 3 A dialog box entitled Connect to will appear Click on the arrow of the drop down combo box entitled Connect Using Select Direct to Comx where x is the number of the Com port on your PC you intend to use For most PC s this will be Com1 but this can vary especially with laptops Newer PC s may not have a Com port if so obtain and install a USB to Serial converter then start again from the top of these directions Otherwise click once on the OK button 4 Another dialog box will appear in which you can set the communications parameters for the Com port you selected Select Bits per Second 9600 Data Bits 8 Parity None Stop Bits 1 and Flow Control Hardware Click once on the OK button 5 Use the mouse to select click on File Save from the main HyperTerminal menu This will save the connection you have just created 6
95. the Turbo35 GFX Alone You can balance a pack using only the Turbo35 GFX as follows e Set up the GFX for a 1C charge e Charge each cell of the pack individually using the proper combination of balance and main charge connections on the LiPo pack Just make sure that e You do not exceed the current rating of the balance connector e You follow the principles outlined above when connecting the voltage sensing leads 12 How to Use this Manual This manual is divided into several parts e Quick Start If you can t wait to use your T35 GFX go here Come back later when you want to get into the details e Learning about Cells etc This section contains useful background information about cells and packs and how to get the most out of them e What can I do with my T35 GFX Look in this section for more detailed operating instructions e Specifications This section contains a concise technical summary of the T35 GFX capabilities and requirements data e When it doesn t work In this section you learn how to tell if your T35 GFX is broken and what to do about it Also look here for information about how to get your T35 GFX upgraded calibrated etc Quick Start A Starting Line View of the T35 GFX This section of the manual will get you up and running fast Prepping the T35 GFX for use If your T35 GFX is new out of the box you will need to configure the power and output lead wires CEI supplies heavy duty alligator clips for
96. the pack voltage before charging discharging It is not advisable to attempt to charge any pack if open voltage per cell is less than 3 3v If you insist and the per cell voltage is greater than 2 3 volts the Turbo35 GFX LiPo will charge the pack at a reduced current for 2 minutes in an attempt to reach at least 3V per cell However chances are the pack is damaged and will need replacement 8 CEI recommends charging at 1C rate or less mA Hr capacity of the battery 1000 in units of amperes unless the manufacturer specifically recommends otherwise 9 Do not discharge battery to a level below 3V per cell under load Deep discharge below 3V per cell can deteriorate battery performance cae se ae Caring for Battery 1 Use caution to avoid puncture of the cell Puncture of cells may cause a fire Operating Temperature Typical Charge temperatures 32 to 113 degrees F Typical Discharge temperatures 32 to 140 degrees F 1 Consult the specific manufacturer s data sheet for temperature data before charging or discharging a LiPo battery 2 Let battery cool down to an ambient temperature before charging 3 During discharge and handling of batteries do not exceed 160 degrees F Connecting the Turbo35 GFX Lipo to a LiPo Pack The hazards to both the battery and operator associated with shorting out or reversing polarity to LiPo packs make it essential that care is taken with connections between the Turbo35 GFX LiPo and the pack Smaller pa
97. then be better to peak your cells right before a race so that they are warm when you use them Also some racers thermally insulate the pack while charging to cause the pack to build more heat during the charge process while maintaining a lower peak detect voltage Another factor that will heat the pack is a higher charge rate A higher peak detect voltage will also result in a hotter pack But don t forget that excess heat does damage the cells and will shorten their life Normal treatment of NimH cells would dictate as small a peak detect voltage as possible to avoid as much heat as possible during charging but R C racing is different LiPo cells do not heat during charge under normal charge rates It is indeterminate what effect moderate heat has on a LiPo pack at this time Cell Venting 25 Both NimH and NiCd cells have vents at the positive electrode end that will release pressure and electrolyte when the cells are charged This venting is normally to be avoided It will occur at higher charge rates Repeated venting will certainly degrade cells LiPo cells are hermetically sealed and do not vent under normal conditions If this seal fails fire will be the likely result so don t allow your LiPo cells to be punctured TurboFlex What is it and what does it do Your T35 GFX includes a feature called TurboFlex also known as burping TurboFlex is only intended for use with NiCd cells The rationale behind TurboF lex
98. tock racer you will want to experiment with extreme discharge Getting the Most out of your Cells Depends on Driving Skill Here s an undeniable fact all the voltage and current in the world won t help you if you don t have good driving skills Only good drivers can utilize the small but real advantage that the best packs give If you fit into this category you need em If you re not quite there yet maybe you can get away with cheaper packs You ll have to be the judge here 29 LiPo Cautions Experimentation with LiPo packs is much more limited Be sure to read the cautions at the beginning of this document Voltage current and temperature must be applied to LiPo cells and packs in very limited and specific ways Make sure your tests with LiPo cells and packs are conducted within safe operating limits Hmmm It sounds Cool but is it Useful Gimmicks Trends and Superstition Finally keep in mind that this is applied science and like any field of knowledge there s such a thing as smoke mirrors and snake oil If somebody tells you that submerging your packs in milk for a couple hours will give you better run times don t believe it Unless you happen to try it and it works Look out for manufacturers advertisements that contain long lists of acronyms that you never heard of before and that sound nonsensical If they seem bogus they probably are Remember you re a marketing target Sometimes racers get in line li
99. ts Peak volts is related to the charge function but it is located on page 1 of the data mode dat mode screen This is the highest voltage recorded across the pack during the entire charge cycle Seen on page 1 of 2 of the dat mode screens mAHr Charge mAHr is the measure of the power delivered into the pack Seen on the main charge screen Charge Time This tells you how long it took to charge your pack It is found on the main charge screen 35 Other Features Moving from Peak 2 to the 3 of 3 page exposes several miscellaneous functions described below Trickle Charge After the main portion of the cycle is through setting Trickle Charge to ON will enable a fixed 100mA current into the pack for the purpose of trickle charging The trickle charge will be automatically disabled if the charge current is set below 2 amps Trickle if enabled will continue until the user stops the cycle Delayed Start Wouldn t it be nice if you could time your charge cycle so it would finish just before the race That s what this feature is for Dial in the number of minutes for the delay then press start Your charge cycle will begin that many minutes after you press start Miscellaneous Features and Functions Adjusting Charge Rate during a Charge Cycle The T35 GFX allows you to adjust the charge rate while the charge cycle is active One use for this feature is to speed up the charge if you see that it won t be done soo
100. tting will affect the cutoff voltage only for the number of cells selected AIR ON OFF This will turn the actual internal resistance measurement on or off One result of this is that the momentary discharge current alterations made for the actual internal resistance measurement will not appear in the discharge graph because they are not made when AIR is OFF This will give you a nicer looking discharge graph if desired LiPo Discharge Mode The T35 GFX can discharge individual cells as well as packs of 1 to 3 cells The main display for the LiPo discharge mode will show you the currently selected setup the pack voltage the discharge rate the mAHrs drawn from the battery the elapsed seconds since the start of the discharge cycle the number of cells in the pack the discharge current setpoint and the discharge profile currently selected Discharge is terminated when the pack voltage reaches the termination voltage setpoint Factory presets for Lipo packs are predetermined at 3 0V times the of cells Simply change the of cells setpoint and the discharge termination voltage will be automatically adjusted to the correct value Setting up a discharge cycle Again we remind you that there are a total of 5 setups storage memories for each chemistry in the T35 GFX You may find that one of these setups is ideal You may also find that one of the stored setups is a good starting point You can load one of the setups as detailed in Storing and S
101. tton will always advance the display to the main screen of the the mode display in the upper right hand next mode There is one exception when CHARGE DISCHARGE and cami CYCLE modes are active the MODE button toggles back and forth between the main MENU screen and the real time GRAPH screen Using this feature you can see the charge or discharge curve as it is being generated The PAGE Button In any given MODE one or more SETUP screens are available You can sequentially cycle through these SETUP screens by pressing the PAGE button The SETUP screens contain adjustable and measured data parameters specific to the mode selected For CHARGE DISCHARGE and CYCLE modes there are essentially no settable parameters on the main screen except for a few exceptions which we will discuss later In general parameters for these modes must be adjusted from the SETUP screens For the DATA and SETUP modes some values can be set from the main mode screen as well as from the selected mode s associated SETUP screens So you can think of this by envisioning in your mind a picture of a vertical list of screens which represent the different MODES When you come to the last MODE screen in the vertical list pressing MODE once again will bring you back to the first MODE screen which is the charge screen For each MODE you can envision a horizontal list of screens which represent the various SETUP screens associated with that mode Like the MODEs when you c
102. u wish If you are using the T35 GFX with something other than these more standard cell types the charge and discharge rates will depend on the mA Hr rating and the application the cells are being used in Make sure to set properly if working with LiPo packs Don t guess about current and cell count settings with LiPo packs Connecting your pack and motor First of all you ll notice that your T35 GFX has four leads This is no accident One of the things that set your T35 GFX apart from the competition is that it has a set of separate smaller sense leads Why Ohm s law tells us that where there is a higher current flowing there will be a greater voltage drop across any resistance in the circuit under observation In this case most of the unwanted voltage drop occurs directly at the mechanical connections between the large hi current leads and the battery pack This can be minimized by making better connections but the fact is that there will always be a voltage drop at the connections because of the high current flowing during charge or discharge That is why we have the additional small sense leads These leads are designed specifically for measuring and will have essentially no voltage drop at all because the current flowing through these leads is relatively low The advantage of this is that they can measure the voltage far more accurately So in general it s best to always use the sense leads Note You must never fail to use
103. ustable for maximum flexibility Discharge Power Dissipation Limit As with the charge function the power dissipation of the discharge function is limited to protect the T35 GFX discharge MOSFETs A 7 cell pack will be limited to a maximum of 25 amps discharge rate and an 8 cell pack will be limited to a maximum of 20 amps discharge rate However because pack voltage decreases during discharge there is no automatic dynamically adjusted by the charger current limiting in the discharge cycle Setting up a discharge cycle Again we remind you that there are a total of 5 setups storage memories for each chemistry in the T35 GFX You may find that one of these setups is ideal You may also find that one of the stored setups is a good starting point You can load one of the setups as detailed in Storing and Saving Setups below Otherwise you can check and set each parameter To navigate to the discharge screen press the MODE button until dcg mode appears in the upper right hand corner of the display Discharge Amps Discharge Amps can be found on page of 2 of the setup screens for the discharge mode It appears on the page as Deg Amps Adjust for the desired discharge rate of Cells Selecting the number of cells will automatically select the cutoff voltage However the value of the cutoff voltage may be customized see Cutoff Volts below Discharge Profile Mode Earlier in this manual we mentioned that the T
104. verage voltage is not as important because you can always go to a lower wind read lower impedance motor to compensate for the lower voltage Remember that when you are testing new packs always cycle the packs 3 or 4 times at the beginning so that you achieve maximum performance from each cell New cells need a few cycles to properly break them in This is true as well if they have been sitting on the shelf for any period of time longer than a couple of days Figure 11 TurboMatcher 8 In order to achieve the best performance from your packs you will need to determine the correct peak detection voltage to use when charging them Given a sufficient charge rate monitoring the cell temperature is an excellent way to do this A typical peaking temperature is around 125 F The temperature rise is an indication that the chemical reaction that takes place within the cells at the end of the charge cycle has come to completion For packs start with a low peak detect voltage such as 0 03 volts Monitor the pack temperature and increase as needed until the final temperature hits the target Be aware that different model cells and different manufacturer s cells may differ in the peak detect voltage required to achieve the desired temperature Using Simulated Discharge Profiles to Condition NimH NiCd Packs There is some evidence to indicate that NimH NiCd packs respond to the way you drive them Consider the difference between an oval racer and the off
105. y MUST be charged and discharged according to the manufacturer s specifications There is no room for mistakes here follow the manufacturer s specifications exactly when working with LiPo packs How can Cell and Pack Capacity be Measured and Compared Pack performance is one of the crucial make or break factors in R C racing The best drivers can use every extra bit of voltage and current available from the best packs Because NimH and NiCd cells can vary considerably from cell to cell and because their performance can degrade or change depending on how we treat them how old they are etc we need a way to measure and compare our cells in order to identify the best cells as well as the best procedures for charging discharging and using them The T35 GFX is designed to do just that 19 Setting up Tests and Comparing Data The best way to test and measure cell performance is to set up defined conditions for charge and discharge and then run these tests on cells to see which cells are the best When you do this it is also important to be aware that the very conditions under which they are charged and discharged have a direct effect on their performance Basically the idea is to run these tests on cells looking for the ones that have the highest average discharge voltage the lowest internal resistance and the longest run time In general when charging NimH NiCd cells and packs you 1l want to strike a balance between a high charge rat
106. y difference is that you will have to do one cell at a time Another reason for matching cells is that over the course of multiple charge discharge cycles the state of charge of the individual cells within the pack becomes imbalanced Matching is a way to restore and recharacterize test em again each cell and even to gain information that will allow you to recombine these cells into new different combinations when their characteristics change to rematch them The primary number for matching cells is the discharge time The object is to gather up sets of cells with as close a discharge time as possible 27 In stock class the discharge average voltage is also an important number You want as high a discharge average voltage as you can get When grading for stock class use the discharge time first as the primary parameter then use the discharge average voltage as a secondary parameter The higher the discharge average voltage the more punch the motor will have This is because the pack with a high discharge average voltage is delivering a higher voltage to the motor for a given period of time Another factor that affects punch is actual internal resistance A lower actual internal resistance is always better The more you can maximize these parameters the better the motor performance will be When using packs with modified motors the actual internal resistance should become the second parameter to grade by The discharge a

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