Novak Brushless Speed Control: Drift Spec Track Guide (55-3074P-1 Rev.1) User Manual

Drift spec track guide, Proper gear selection, Trouble-shooting guide

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Drift spec track guide

proper gear selection

6-2014

#55-3074P-1 Rev.1

Motor operating temperature is the ONLY

way to properly set vehicle gearing

The Motor and Speed Control should not exceed

160°F MAX at any time during run

!

Change the gearing to avoid overheating!

DO NOT FREE-REV MOTOR

!

Free-running your brushless motor in a no-load condition can cause rotor failure

& ESC transistor damage that will not be covered by the product’s warranty.

Because of the potential danger of overheating and ESC/motor damage and

failure, you must start with VERY small pinion sizes and check the speed

control and motor operating temperatures at multiple times throughout the

initial runs after installation. This is the only way to ensure that you are not

causing excessive heating.
If ESC & motor temperatures remain low & stable, you can slowly increase

the pinion size while again monitoring the temperatures to determine the

safe gearing for your vehicle, motor, and climate/track conditions. Because

these variables can change or be modified,

you MUST continually monitor

ESC & motor temperatures to protect your electronics from damage.

The Drift Spec Brushless Electronic Speed Control (ESC) has several

programmable features that tailor it to be perfect for drifting

applications. This

Track Guide is designed to keep with you at the

track to use as a quick-reference and help walk you through the

programming of all of the speed control’s features. Please refer to the

Drift Spec Basic Set-Up Guide for ESC installation.
Take the time to thoroughly read this programming guide before

making any programming adjustments so you fully understand the

different ESC parameters, and how they can be used to fine tune your

ESC’s feel and performance.
Visit our web site for the most up to date information and to learn

more about other Novak products and services.

w w w . t e a m n o v a k . c o m

trouble-shooting guide

Steering Channel Works But Motor Will Not Run

• Possible receiver damage––Check operation with a different receiver.

• Possible internal damage––Refer to ‘SERVICE PROCEDURES’ section.

• Check motor or motor connections.

• Check ESC is plugged into receiver’s throttle channel. Check signal harness wire sequence.

Receiver Glitches/Throttle Stutters During Acceleration

• Receiver or antenna too close to ESC, power wires, battery, or motor.

• Bad motor sensors, sensor harness, or connections––Check wiring, sensor harness, &

connections, perform hall sensor test (Refer to ‘MOTOR HALL SENSOR TEST’ section).

• Low voltage to receiver––Try Novak Glitch Buster (#5626) on receiver to retain power.

• PowerCap damaged/missing––Replace PowerCap/Trans-Cap Module.

• Battery pack damaged or weak––Try a different battery pack.

• Motor magnet weak or overheated––Replace rotor (Refer to motor manufacturer’s website).

• Excessive current to motor—Use a milder motor or a smaller pinion gear.

• Untidy wires or signal and power wired bundled together. Input harness and servo

wires should be bundled separately. Power wires should be as short as possible.

Motor and Steering Servo Do Not Work

• Check wires, receiver signal harness wiring & color sequence, radio system, crystals,

battery/motor connectors, & battery pack.

• Possible receiver damage––Check operation with a different receiver.

• Possible internal damage––Refer to Service Procedures.

Motor Runs Backward

• Reverse motor rotation direction––Refer to ‘CUSTOM PROGRAMMING OPTIONS’ section.

• Improper One-Touch set up––Refer to ‘ONE-TOUCH PROGRAMMING’ section.

Speed Control Runs Excessively Hot

• Gear ratio too low––Increase gear ratio/Reduce pinion (refer to ‘PROPER GEAR SELECTION’).

• Motor is damaged––Try a different motor.

Model Runs Slowly/Slow Acceleration

• Gear ratio too high––Reduce gear ratio/Increase pinion (refer to ‘PROPER GEAR SELECTION’).

• Check battery & connectors––Check battery pack & connectors. Replace if needed.

• Incorrect transmitter/ESC adjustment––Refer to ‘TRANSMITTER ADJUSTMENTS’.

• PowerCap damaged/missing––Replace PowerCap or Power Trans-Cap Module.

ESC Is Melted Or Burnt/ESC Runs With Switch Off

• Internal damage––Refer to Service Procedures.

No Power to the BEC

• Check power wire connections to your battery, ESC and BEC unit.

• Check BEC input harness is plugged into receiver & ESC’s red wire is removed from harness.

• Be sure that the BEC unit switch is turned ON.

error/LED codes

Blue status LED on solid at neutral––Minimum Brake is set to value greater than 0%.

Yellow status LED on solid at neutral––Drag Brake is set to value greater than 0%.

Red & Green status LEDs on solid––Check input signal harness connections at ESC and

receiver. Check input signal harness wiring sequence––Refer to

STEP 3.

Red status LED on solid & Green LED blinking––Check motor sensor harness connection.

Possible internal motor damage.

Blue & Green status LEDs both blinking. Locked rotor detection shut-down––return

throttle to neutral position to regain motor control––check drive train for free operation.

Blue & Red status LEDs blinking. Possible ESC thermal shut-down––Check gear ratio

& free operation of drive train for possible overloading/ESC is being severely over-

loaded––allow system to cool & return throttle to neutral position to regain motor

control.

LEDs will continue to blink until system is cooled down.

Blue & Yellow status LEDs blinking. Possible Motor thermal shut-down––Check gear

ratio & free operation of drive train for possible overloading/Motor is being severely

over-loaded––allow system to cool & return throttle to neutral position to regain

motor control.

LEDs will continue to blink until system is cooled down.

Blue & Green (Locked Rotor Detection), Blue & Red (ESC Thermal Shut-Down), or Blue &

Yellow (Motor Thermal Shut-Down) status LEDs blinking. ESC may have shut-down &

ESC’s neutral point is too far off to sense that transmitter throttle has been returned

to neutral (Refer to ‘ONE-TOUCH’ & ‘TRANSMITTER ADJUSTMENTS’).

Red & Yellow status LEDs toggling. LiPo/LiFe Cut-Off voltage reached. Recharge battery.

service procedures

Before sending your product in for service, review the Trouble-Shooting Guide. Product

may appear to have failed when other problems exist. After reviewing instructions, if you

feel that you require service, obtain the most current service options & pricing as follows:
WEB: Print out the

PRODUCT SERVICE FORM from CUSTOMER SERVICE section of the web

site. Fill out required information on form and return it with the product requiring service.
WARRANTY SERVICE: You MUST CLAIM WARRANTY on

PRODUCT SERVICE FORM & include

a valid cash register receipt with purchase date, dealer name, & phone# on it, or a previous

service invoice. If warranty provisions have been voided, there will be service charges.

• ESCs returned without a serial number will not be serviced under warranty •

TRADE-IN PROGRAM: Novak offers a trade-in program for non-warranty items toward

current and discontinued products. You can replace, exchange, or upgrade Novak products

as listed within the trade-in program. Complete a Non-Warranty Service Form to be eligible.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Dealers/distributors aren’t authorized to replace products thought to be defective.

• If a hobby dealer returns your product for service, submit a completed

PRODUCT

SERVICE FORM to the dealer and make sure it is included with product.

• Novak does not make any internal electronic components (transistors, resistors,

etc.) available for sale.

one-touch programming

esc parameters

motor hall sensor test

Adjustable ESC Parameters:

1. Minimum Brake (1 of 10) ..........................................................0-40%
2. Drag Brake (1 of 10) ..................................................................0-40%
3. Minimum Drive (1 of 10) ..........................................................0-15%
4. Dead Band (1 of 5) ......................................................................2-8%
5. Brake Frequency (1 of 10) ..............................................1.67-13.7KHz
6. Drive Frequency (1 of 10) ...................................................... 6-32KHz
7. Reverse .................................................................................. OFF/ON
8. Voltage Cut-Off ............................................................. OFF-LiPo-LiFe

Diagnostic Features:

• Motor Hall Sensor Test
• ESC Operating Temperature

The Hall Sensor Test diagnostic feature in this ESC allows you to easily check the

sensors in the brushless motor connected to it to determine if they are operating

normally. This will help you pinpoint the cause of problems in your system, and

hopefully reduce the down time and expenses associated with sending your product

in for service when you can resolve the issue yourself.
To access this feature, simply follow these steps:
1. Follow the steps in the ‘CUSTOM PROGRAMMING OPTIONS’ section to

access the Hall Sensor Test option via the ESC’s SET button.

2. Slowly rotate the motor’s output/pinion shaft. If motor is installed in a

vehicle, slowly rotate the drive train so that the motor also rotates.

3. The status LEDs on the speed control should cycle through illuminating

the BLUE, YELLOW, and RED status LEDs.

If the BLUE, YELLOW, and RED LEDs light up one after another as the motor’s shaft

is rotated, the Hall Sensors in the motor are operating normally.
If any one of the BLUE, YELLOW, or RED status LEDs do not light while rotating

the motor’s shaft, there is a either a problem with the Sensor Harness Cable (or

its connections either at the motor end or the ESC end) or with the actual Hall Effect

Sensors in the motor’s timing section.
If your motor has a user-replaceable double-ended sensor harness, replace it with

another one to determine if this is this source of the problem. If, after replacing

the harness, all three of the LEDs still do not light up, it would appear that one

of the sensors inside the motor has been damaged--replace the timing section of

your motor, or if your motor is not user-rebuildable, send it in the manufacturer

for the appropriate service.

This speed control features Novak’s Smart-Stop Voltage Cut-Off Circuitry built-in,

and when used properly will allow you to safely use LiPo and LiFe type batteries,

without letting the cells drop below their critical safety voltage during operation.
The default setting in the speed control is that the Voltage Cut-Off is turned ON

and is set to LiPo. If you are using NiMH or NiCd cells, you will need to switch

the Voltage Cut-Off feature OFF. If you are using LiFe cells, you will need to switch

the Voltage Cut-Off feature to the LiFe battery setting.

Note: Whenever the speed control’s One-Touch Programming is

performed, this setting will revert to the LiPo default setting.

DO NOT USE LiPo/LiFe BATTERIES WITH

VOLTAGE CUT-OFF TURNED OFF

voltage cut-off circuitry

NOVAK R/C, INC.

19 Rancho Circle, Lake Forest, CA 92630

PHONE: (949) 916-6044 Monday-Thursday

Customer Service E-mail: [email protected]

Tech Support: [email protected]

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temperature monitoring

This ESC has a built-in diagnostic temperature monitoring feature that lets you

quickly check the ESC’s operating temperature at any time.
While connected to a battery and powered ON,

simply tap the ESC’s SET button

and one of the on-board LED lights will flash 4 times to indicate the operating

temperature of the speed control.

WHITE flashing LED = normal operating temp--

under 135°F (57°C).

BLUE flashing LED = medium operating temp--

136-147°F (58-64°C).

YELLOW flashing LED = hot operating temp--

148-167°F (65-75°C).

GREEN flashing LED = hotter operating temp--

168-194°F (76-90°C).

RED flashing LED =

hottest operating temp--195-215°F (91-102°C).

You are now pushing the ESC extremely hard and should be very careful

to avoid overheating and possible thermal shut-down.

All LEDs flashing = DANGEROUS operating temp--

216-239°F (103-115°C).

Your ESC is now about to thermally shut-down.

Reduce the pinion size to avoid overheating speed

control that could result in potential damage.

With the ESC connected to (at least) a charged battery pack, the receiver,

and the brushless motor’s sensor harness:

1. TURN ON THE TRANSMITTER’S POWER
2. PRESS & HOLD ESC’S ONE-TOUCH/SET BUTTON
3. TURN ON THE SPEED CONTROL’S POWER

With transmitter throttle at neutral, and still pressing the SET button, slide the

ESC’s ON/OFF switch

to ON position.

4. CONTINUE HOLDING SET BUTTON UNTIL RED LED COMES ON
5. RELEASE SET BUTTON AS SOON AS RED LED TURNS ON
6. PULL TRANSMITTER THROTTLE TO FULL-ON POSITION

Hold it there until the green status LED

turns solid green.

Note: Motor will not run during programming even if connected.

7. PUSH TRANSMITTER THROTTLE TO FULL-BRAKE/REVERSE

Hold it there until the green status LED

blinks green.

8. RETURN TRANSMITTER THROTTLE TO NEUTRAL

The red status LED will

turn solid red, indicating that the ESC is at neutral and

that proper programming has been completed. Blue & yellow LEDs will also be on

indicating Minimum Brake (blue) & Drag Brake (yellow) settings are at levels above 0%.

If transmitter settings are changed, the One-Touch Programming must be repeated.

If you experience any problems, turn off ESC and repeat One-Touch.

NOTE: Whenever the One-Touch Programming set-up is performed, the

speed control will automatically revert back to the factory-default settings.

With the higher performance of brushless systems, undesirable radio

system noise may occur when used with lower quality radio systems.

2.4GHz radio systems are the best to use. FM radio systems are

acceptable, as long as the system is high quality. AM radio systems are

not recommended.

Good Quality Radio System Suggested

Transmitter adjustments may not be required to properly complete the

One-Touch programming of the speed control. However, should you

have any problems completing the

ONE-TOUCH PROGRAMMING, adjust

the settings on your transmitter as listed below, then repeat the

ONE-

TOUCH PROGRAMMING as described above.

THROTTLE CHANNEL ADJUSTMENTS

A. Set HIGH ATV

or

EPA

to 100%. [amount of throw at full throttle]

B. Set LOW ATV, EPA, or ATL

to 100%. [amount of throw at full brakes]

C. Set EXPONENTIAL

to

zero setting.

[throttle channel linearity]

D. Set THROTTLE CHANNEL REV. SWITCH

to either position.

E. Set THROTTLE CHANNEL TRIM

to

middle

setting.

[adjusts neutral position/increases or decreases coast brakes]

F. Set ELECTRONIC TRIGGER THROW ADJUSTMENT

to 70% throttle and

30% brake throw (or 7:3)–best for racing ESCs. Set to 50% throttle and 50%
brake for full time use with reverse to get the best performance in reverse.

[adjusts trigger throw on electronic/digital pistol-grip transmitters]

G. Set MECHANICAL TRIGGER THROW ADJUSTMENT

to position with

2/3 throttle and 1/3 brake throw.

[adjusts trigger throw on mechanical/analog pistol-grip transmitters]

•NOT ALL TRANSMITTERS HAVE ALL OF THESE ADJUSTMENTS•

FM

AM

2.4 GHz

Do not use

OK to use

Best to use

transmitter adjustments

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