Novak Brushed Speed Control: M2 Dig Basic Set-Up Guide- 4 Profile Model (55-1846-1.4) - Manual (Page 2)

FIGURE 1
Input harnesses plugged
into Ch.2 & Ch.3 of receiver.
The M2 Dig has user-replaceable input harnesses with the
industry-standard 3-pin JST connector on both ends, and
works with all major radio brand’s new receivers (Refer to Figure
1 to see how to connect the included user-replaceable input harness).
1. CONNECT ESC TO THR/CH.2 OF RECEIVER
The throttle channel harness connects to the 3-pin header
closest to the edge of the ESC’s case.
2. CONNECT ESC TO AUX/CH.3 OF RECEIVER
(See TRANSMITTER ADJUSTMENTS for proper adjustment)
NOTE: AUX/Ch3 harness is not required for PROFILE 3.
If the M2 Dig ESC is being used for a boat, tank, or robot
application, see APPLICATIONS for connection and set up.
Some very old receivers must have the wiring sequence in the
plastic 3-pin JST connector housing changed on the receiver
end. This is important, as the receiver & servo electronics may
be damaged if the sequence is incorrect.
For instructions on changing the wiring sequence for older
receivers, visit the Novak Web site.
P3
Mount the ESC so the power wires are as far away from other electronics as possible.
Make sure that the ESC or the power wires will not interfere with any moving parts in the
vehicle. Select a location that has good cooling and allows airflow through heat sinks.
If the ESC gets air flow, it will run cooler; and that means it will be more efficient!
1. MOUNT SPEED CONTROL IN VEHICLE
Use the included double-sided tape to mount the speed control in vehicle (do not use
glue). Avoid contact with side walls or other chassis components to avoid vibration damage.
Be sure receiver & antenna are mounted as far from ESC, power wires, battery, &
servo as possible--these components all emit RF noise when throttle is applied. On
graphite or aluminum chassis vehicles, it may help to place receiver on edge with
crystal & antenna as far above chassis as possible.
Note: Mount antenna as close to receiver as possible--trail any excess wire off top of
antenna mast (cutting or coiling excess antenna wire will reduce radio range).
2. SECURE POWERCAP TO CHASSIS
Use included double-sided tape or a tie-wrap to mount the PowerCap to the vehicle’s
chassis. Capacitor can also be tie-wrapped or heat shrunk along the power wires--this
requires less space on the chassis and provides good isolation from vibration.
3. INSTALL ON/OFF SWITCH
Use the included double-sided tape, and mount the switch where it will be easy to
access--be sure to select a position where it will not get damaged or get switched
OFF during a crash or roll-over.
4. INSTALL LED DIG INDICATOR LIGHTS
Secure the indicator LEDs to the chassis or body of the vehicle where they will be easily
visible during operation. Note the proper LED connection on the ESC’s pin-out label.
1. MOTOR CAPACITORS
Electric motors generate RF noise that can cause radio interference. If a motor
combo was purchased. the included 0.1µF (50V) [Novak #5620] non-polarized,
ceramic capacitors may be used to reduce motor noise, if needed.
Solder 0.1µF (50V) capacitors between:
• POSITIVE (+) motor tab & NEGATIVE (–) motor tab.
• POSITIVE (+) motor tab & Motor Can
• NEGATIVE (–) motor tab & Motor Can
Positive (+) motor tab
0.1µF Capacitors
Grounded motor capacitors
Negative (-) motor tab
Motor can
Do NOT to touch capacitor leads to motor can, except for the capacitors that are grounded to the can.
2. INSTALL PINION GEAR & ADJUST FOR PROPER GEAR MESH
Install pinion on motor and align pinion and spur gears. Tighten pinion’s set screw
on the flat of motor shaft.
A. Adjust the motor position for proper amount of free play. You NEED a small amount
of play between the pinion gear and the spur gear (about the thickness of a piece
of paper)–check the free play at several positions around the spur gear to ensure
a proper mesh (just in case the gears are out of round).
MAKE SURE THE PINION/SPUR GEAR MESH IS NOT TOO TIGHT!
If gear mesh is too tight, motor shaft breakage can occur.
B. Tighten motor mounting screws–Avoid using excessive force that could break
screws or strip the threaded holes in motor.
3. SOLDER MOTOR POWER WIRES
The M2 Dig 3S ESC has two sets of motor wires. These sets of motor wires are labeled
as M1 and M2. For dual motor crawler or MOA (Motor-On-Axle) applications, it is
best to use the M1 wire for the front motor and the M2 wire for the rear motor..
A. DUAL M.O.A. INSTALLATIONS––The rear motor must be a reverse-rotation motor.
If a reverse-rotation motor is not available, you may do one of the following:
• REVERSE THE POLARITY OF THE MOTOR: To do this, connect the M2 blue
wire to the positive tab of the rear motor, and connect the M2 yellow wire to
the negative tab of the rear motor. The motor wires for M1 will remain normal.
• ROTATE END BELL: If the motor you are using has an adjustable end bell, you
may loosen the end bell, rotate the end bell 180˚ and re-tighten the end bell.
This reconfigures the motor into a reverse-rotation mode.
B. SINGLE OUTPUT INSTALLATIONS––For use with single or dual motor applications
when using a two-channel transmitter––the Dig feature is not available in this Mode.
FOR SINGLE OUTPUT MODE, ESC MUST BE PUT IN PROFILE 3
BEFORE PERFORMING THE ONE-TOUCH PROGRAMMING
• FOR SINGLE MOTOR APPLICATIONS: Either set of motor wires may be used,
or both sets may be used for increased performance. When using both sets of
motor wires, both yellow wires connect to the positive terminal of the motor
and both blue wires will connect to the negative terminal. See Figure 4. Use
Throttle Profile 3 (refer to Thottle Profile Selection on P6 of Field Guide available
in DOWNLOADS section of website (www.teamnovak.com/downloads).
• FOR DUAL MOTOR APPLICATIONS: The M1 motor wires will connect to the front
motor, and M2 motor wires will connect to the rear motor. Use Throttle Profile 3.
C. Determine the best routing in vehicle for power wires. Prepare ends of motor power
wires by stripping 1/8–1/4” of insulation from end of wire. Tin wire ends with solder.
D. Lay tinned end of the wire flat on the solder tab and solder wires to proper tabs of
the motor. Apply heat with soldering iron to the power wire and solder tab–begin
adding solder to tip of iron and to wire– Add just enough solder to form a clean &
continuous joint from the solder tab up onto the wire.
FACTORY-INSTALLED POWER-CAP REQUIRED
The factory-installed PowerCap MUST be used with brush-type motors.
If PowerCap becomes dented or damaged, ESC failure can occur--replace immediately
(Novak Kit #5682). Longer wires on PowerCap leads will decrease performance.
SINGLE-BRUSHED MOTOR
SET
-UP PHOTO
FOR PROFILE #3 ONL
Y
(FIGURE 3)
DUAL-BRUSHED MOTOR
SET
-UP PHOTO
FOR PROFILES 1, 2 & 4 ONL
Y
(FIGURE 2)
Blue wires
to motor negative (–)
ESC
ON/OFF
Switch
User-
replaceable
input signal
harness (Ch.2)
Black power wire
(battery negative)
Red power wire
(battery positive)
2-3–cell LiPo batter
y pack
Servo plugged into
steering ch. (#1)
P2
Brushed Motor
One-Touch
button
Status
LEDs
Power
output
pins
(+)
Red power
wire (battery
positive)
Servo plugged into
steering ch. (#1)
Yellow wires to
motor positive (+)
User-replaceable
input signal
harness (Ch.2)
Black power
wire (battery
negative)
Trail excess wire off top
of antenna mast
One-Touch
button
Status
LEDs
Power
output
pins
If your vehicle uses very high-power servos OR you are using a 3S LiPo/LiFe
battery, an external BEC module (Novak #5463) is REQUIRED. A cooling fan (Novak
#5647) is highly recommended. The external BEC module has a switching BEC and
will be able to supply the power required by the servos. The ESC’s internal BEC will
supply power to the ESC and fan. This keeps the servos from pulling too much current
from the ESC’s internal BEC that results in saturation of the BEC and the ESC & receiver
cutting out. Refer to WIRING AND COOLING FAN on P4 for fan installation instructions.
1. MOUNT EXTERNAL BEC IN VEHICLE
Use tie-wraps or double-sided tape to mount the BEC and the ON/OFF switch in
your vehicle, close to the main battery pack.
2. SOLDER WIRES TO MAIN POWER SOURCE
Solder red (positive) wire of BEC to ESC’s positive power wire tab. Solder black (negative)
wire of BEC to ESC’s negative power wire tab. Shorten red and black BEC wires, if possible.
3. PLUG THE BEC INTO THE RECEIVER
Plug the BEC’s 3-pin JST connector into the receiver’s battery slot, making sure the
polarity of the wires is correct.
4. REPLACE THE 3-WIRE JST INPUT HARNESS(ES) WITH THE INCLUDED
2-WIRE (BLK/WHITE) JST HARNESS(ES) [Refer to Step 1 for installation]
Using the standard 3-wire input harness(es) will damage
the ESC and/or BEC and void the warranty
5. EXTERNAL BEC OPERATION
Turn on external BEC’s power switch first, and then turn on ESC’s power switch. The
external BEC will be providing power for the servos and receiver only, NOT the ESC.
When turning off the radio system, turn ESC off first, then the external BEC.
When the external Novak BEC is switched ON, its blue light will turn on.
NOTE: Double check that your battery pack is fully charged before operation. You will
NOT have radio control of external BEC if the main battery fails or is fully discharged.
2-3–cell LiPo batter
y pack
(–)
Cooling fan
recommended
for 3S LiPo use
(refer to Fig. 5)
PowerCap (Novak #5682)
Synthesized FM
Receiver
Battery connector
(not included)
ESC
ON/OFF
Switch Cooling fan
recommended
for 3S LiPo use
(refer to Fig. 5)
FIGURE 4
User-replaceable
input signal
harness (Ch.3)
(+)
(–)
(+)
(–)
Yellow wires
to motor
positive (+)
Blue wires to
motor negative (–)
Synthesized FM
Receiver
Trail excess
wire off top of
antenna mast
External
LED dig
indicator
lights
Battery connector
(not included)
Wires cut
to length
Wires cut
to length
Ch.2 Ch.3
step 1–connect input harness
step 2–mount esc
external bec usage
step 3–Wire esc to motors
To connect the M2 Dig to the battery pack using connectors, we suggest polarized,
high power connectors like Novak XT60 Power Plugs (#5750) or Deans Ultra.
• Use polarized connectors. Reverse voltage will damage ESC & void warranty.
• Use a female connector on battery packs to avoid shorting.
1. INSTALL BATTERY CONNECTOR
A. Cut BLACK & RED battery wires to desired length and strip 1/8–3/16” of insulation
from each wire end. Tightly twist and tin the ends of the exposed wire with solder.
B. Solder the ESC’s RED (+) battery wire to the connector’s POSITIVE (+) contact.
C. Solder the ESC’s
BLACK (–) battery wire to the connector’s NEGATIVE (–) contact.
D. Cover the exposed solder joints with heat shrink tubing to prevent possible short circuits.
2. CONNECT ESC TO BATTERY PACK
Connect the speed control’s battery connector to a fully charged 2-3 cell
LiPo/LiFe or 4-9 NiMH cell (1.2 VDC/cell) battery pack.
NOTE: If using NiMH batteries, the Voltage Cut-Off Circuitry must be deactivated (P4).
step 4–Wire ESC to Battery
Note: Most MOA
vehicles require that the
one of the motor’s power
wires be reversed for
proper rotation.
PowerCap (Novak #5682)
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
Battery pack. battery connector,
receiver and servo are not included.
Motors included in certain combos
Battery pack. battery connector,
receiver, motor, and servo are
not included.
For Single Motor Mode operation,
change ESC to Profile 3. Refer to
M2 Dig Field Guide (available in
DOWNLOADS section of website
(www.teamnovak.com/downloads)
FOR PROFILES #1, #2, AND #4 ONLY
Brushed
Motor #1
Brushed Motor #2,
Winch, or other
accessory item
FOR SINGLE MODE PROFILE #3 ONLY
WARNING!
DO NOT USE PROFILE #4 IN THIS
CONFIGURATION!
DAMAGE TO ESC WILL OCCUR AND NOT
BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY