Novak GTX Programmable Racing ESC 7th Profile Customizing Sheet (IM-1780-2) - Manual (Page 2)

The GTX speed control is epuipped with the industry standard
connector on a user-replaceable combination power switch/input
harness-- the 3-pin connector on the end of this harness works with
all the major radio brands new receivers. However, some very old
receivers must have the wiring sequence inside the plastic 3-pin
connector housing changed. This is an important step, because the
receiver electronics may be damaged if the sequence is not correct.
JR • Hitec • Futaba • New KO • Airtronics Z
JR, Hitec, Futaba, new KO, & Airtronics Z receivers do not need input
harness re-wiring. Airtronics Z receivers have blue plastic cases & new
KO cases have tabs on the input harness openings as in Figure 1.
• Plug the 3-pin connector end of the input harness into the receiver
with the BLACK wire toward the outside edge of receiver case.
• Plug the 5-pin end of the power switch/input harness onto 5-pin
header on the side of the GTX’s case with the WHITE wire toward
the ‘S’ (signal) marking by the corner of the ESC’s case.
Old-style KO • Old-style Sanwa/Airtronics
If your receiver is an older KO or Sanwa/Airtronics, you must change
the sequence of the ESC’s input harness wires.
Old Sanwa/Airtronics cases are black in color & Old KO cases do not
have the tab openings, as in Figure 2 above.
• Using a small standard/flat blade screwdriver, remove the red and
black wires from the plastic 3-pin connector housing at the receiver
end of the input harness as in Figure 3 below.
• Interchange the red and black wires in the plastic 3-pin connector
housing at the receiver end of the input harness.
• Insert modified 3-pin end of the harness into the receiver with the
RED wire toward the outside edge of receiver case.
FIGURE 3 With a small standard screwdriver, gently lift plastic prong until
wire and metal socket easily slide out of plastic housing.
The GTX is supplied with both a long and short length input signal
pigtail to allow you to get a custom looking install without all the
extra signal wire that needs to be bundled up in the vehicle.
To change the input signal pigtail, follow above instructions for
removal of old pigtail. Select proper wiring sequence as described
above, then insert the new pigtail, and you’re done.
using a receiver battery pack
changing input harness pigtail length
changing wiring sequence @ receiver end
FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2
New KO (with tabs) Old KO (no tabs)
tabs no tabs
black red
red
white
black
white
Power Capacitor
taped or tie-wrapped to chassis
One-Touch/“SET”
programming button
Keep receiver & antenna as
far from motor, servo, battery,
& power wires as possible.
User-replaceable
combination
power switch
&
input harness
Black power wire
(battery negative)
Trail excess wire off
top of antenna mast
Red power wire
(battery &
motor positive)
Blue power wire
(motor negative)
Three
0.1µF (50V)
ceramic
capacitors
(–) (+)
(–)
(+)
4 to 7 cell
battery pack
P2 P3
step
1
–
connect input harness
If using an external receiver battery pack with the GTX:
1. Plug an external 5 cell (1.2VDC/cell) receiver battery pack into
the battery slot of the receiver.
2. Leave the GTX’s ON/OFF switch in the OFF position, and use
receiver battery pack’s ON/OFF switch to turn the system power
on and off––Do not use the GTX’s switch.
step
2
–
MOtor prep
1. MOTOR CAPACITORS
Electric motors generate RF noise that causes interference. The
included 0.1µF (50V) non-polarized, ceramic capacitors must be
used on all motors to reduce motor noise & prevent ESC damage.
Note: Some motors come with capacitors built-in. If your motor
only has two capacitors, you need to install a capacitor between
the positive & negative motor tabs––If you experience radio inter-
ference when using only built-in capacitors, install external ones.
Solder 0.1µF (50V) capacitors between:
• POSITIVE (+) motor tab & NEGATIVE (–) motor tab.
• POSITIVE (+) motor tab & GROUND tab*.
• NEGATIVE (–) motor tab & GROUND tab*.
*If motor has no ground tab (below), solder the capacitors to motor can.
Negative (–) motor tab
0.1µF Capacitors
Schottky diode
Positive (+) motor tab
Ground / motor can
Extra 0.1µF capacitors are available in Novak kit #5620.
2. INSTALLING OPTIONAL SCHOTTKY DIODE
The GTX has a built-in 36A Schottky diode and does not require
an external one under most conditions. The external Schottky
will optimize the ESC’s braking and motor performance in
applications with heavy or repeated braking (lap after lap), or
when using very low-turn modified motors.
• If using a Schottky diode with axial leads like shown in the
photo above (older Novak style--35V/8A minimum) , solder the lead
CLOSEST to the silver stripe on the body of the Schottky diode
to the POSITIVE (+) motor tab. Solder the lead OPPOSITE the
silver stripe on the body to the NEGATIVE (–) motor tab.
• If using the Novak Racing Schottky Motor Module (this is the best
perfoming Schottky diode available) , solder the red wire from the
module to the POSITIVE (+) motor tab. Solder the black wire
from the Schottky module to the NEGATIVE (–) motor tab.
If Schottky diode is installed backwards it will be destroyed. Replace
only with Schottky diodes with a minimum rating of 35 volts/8 amps.
Racing Schottky Motor Modules are available in Novak kit #5636.
step
3
–
wiring speed control, motor, & battery
The GTX is an extremely powerful ESC, capable of very efficient delivery
of battery power to your vehicle’s motor, and thus requires very good
connections between the battery, ESC, & motor to obtain the best
performance. A common cause of perfomance problems & ESC failures
is poor solder joints--If you have any doubts about your soldering skill,
we suggest seeking assistance at your hobby shop or track.
select a mounting location
:
• Keep the ESC and its power wires away from other electronics
in the vehicle, especially the receiver & antenna.
• Do not bundle receiver/signal wires with other wires--messy
installations account for nearly all radio interference (glitching)
problems. A clean looking install almost always works better.
• Route ESC wires to clear any moving parts in the vehicle.
• Airflow through the ESC’s heat sink is a huge performance plus.
Like a real car, cooling is everything--if you can mount the ESC
where it will see some air flow, it will run cooler; and that means
that the ESC will be even more efficient (and make you faster!).
Once you’ve decided where to put the GTX, it’s time for some wiring.
The GTX uses a 3-wire system where the battery & motor share the
same red wire. The recommended wiring method is direct soldering
for a system with the least amount of resistance. Installations can also
use battery/motor connectors & will be discussed at the end of this section.
1. PREP & SOLDER SPEED CONTROL’S RED WIRE
Depending on your vehicle’s configuration, there are two main ways that
you can make the red wire connections--making a “Y” (or “T”) out of the
red wire to go to the motor & battery, or a single wire set-up where the red
wire goes to the battery and then continues on to the motor (or vice versa) .
using the single wire method
:
a. Position the GTX where it will be mounted, strip a 1/4-3/8” section
of insulation from the mid-section of its red wire where you will
solder it to positive (+) of the motor or battery (component that is in
the middle) . Tin the exposed section of wire with solder.
b. Solder the exposed section of wire to positive (+) tab of the motor
or the positive (+) end of the battery pack [see Figure 5: Set-Up Photo] .
c. Cut the GTX’s red wire (after the first connection) to the proper length
so it will reach the final component (battery positive or motor positive)
and strip 1/8-1/4” of insulation off the end. Twist & tin the wire.
d. Solder the tinned end of the GTX’s red wire to the final
component--battery positive (+) or positive (+) tab of the motor.
using the “y” method
:
(Figure 6)
a. Strip a 1/4-3/8” section of insulation from the mid-section of the
GTX’s red wire where you want to split and go to the motor &
battery. Tin the exposed section of wire with solder.
b. Strip a 1/4” of insulation off the one end of the extra piece of red
wire that came with the GTX. Twist & tin the wire.
c. Slide the supplied piece of heat shrink tubing over the red wire
coming from the GTX, and slide it all the way to the ESC.
d. Solder the tinned end of the extra piece of red wire to the tinned
section along the GTX’s red wire & shrink the tubing over the solder
joint with a heat gun (a lighter or match also works well) .
e. Cut one end of the GTX’s red wire (after the ”Y”) to the proper
length so it will reach the positive (+) tab of the motor and strip
1/8-1/4” of insulation off the end. Twist & tin the wire.
f. Solder this end of the GTX’s red wire to the positive (+) motor tab.
g. Cut the other end of the GTX’s red wire to the proper length so it
will reach battery pack positive (+) and strip 1/8-1/4” of insulation
off the end. Twist & tin the wire.
h. Solder this end of the GTX’s red wire to battery positive (+) .
2. PREP & SOLDER GTX’S BLUE & BLACK WIRES
a. Cut the end of the GTX’s blue wire to the proper length so it
will reach the negative (–) tab of the motor and strip 1/8-1/4” of
insulation off the end. Twist & tin the wire.
b. Solder the end of the GTX’s blue wire to motor negative (–) .
c. Cut the end of the GTX’s black wire to the proper length so it will
reach battery pack negative (–) and strip 1/8-1/4” of insulation
off the end. Twist & tin the wire.
d. Solder the end of the GTX’s black wire to battery negative (–) of
a charged 4 to 7 cell pack.
TIP: Twisting BLUE & RED wires once or twice around each other as they
go to the motor helps reduce RF noise emitted from power wires.
using battery & motor connectors
Battery & motor connectors can be used for making your connections,
however they will never have as low of resistance as a good solder joint.
If you are going to use connectors for your battery and/or motor, we
suggest the Dean’s Ultra Connectors--do not use crimp on types.
When using battery and motor connectors, please note the following:
• If you have any doubts about your soldering skills, seek assistance
from your hobby shop or track, or see our website for tips.
• Use connectors that cannot be plugged in backwards--reverse
voltage will damage the GTX and void the warranty.
• Use a female connector on battery packs to avoid shorting.
• If using connectors for both battery & motor leads, use a male
connector on the GTX’s battery lead and a female on the GTX’s
motor lead to prevent cross connection (also voids warranty) .
For additional information on connector usage, visit our website.
replacing power wires @ solder tabs
When replacing the battery or motor power wires at the GTX’s solder
tabs, it’s important to not overheat PCB (printed ciruit board) with the
soldering iron by applying prolonged or excessive heating.
• Remove wires from the tab by first removing GTX from vehicle to
access solder joints on the bottom of the tabs. Use a soldering iron
to apply heat to the wire’s solder joint while gently pulling on the
wire to remove it from the hole in the PC Board.
• Replace the wires by stripping 1/8-1/4” of insulation from the end
of the new wire. Tightly twist the wire strands and lightly tin with
solder. Insert the wire end into the proper hole in the PC Board (if
there is still solder in the hole you can melt it with the iron while pushing the
wire through the hole)
. Apply heat to the section of wire that is sticking
through the tab’s hole, and add solder to the tip of the soldering
iron and to the wire. Add just enough solder to form a clean &
continuous joint from the plated area of the solder tab up onto the
wire. Use side cutters to trim excess wire above tab (about 1/16”) .
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 5: SET-UP PHOTO
(in-line ’single wire method’ of red wire shown)
continued –>
status LEDs why you want the power capictor
The GTX comes with the best available power Capacitor that drops ESC operating temperatures
by 10-15°F (remember, cooler means your GTX will be more efficient & faster) and dissipates noise &
voltage spikes from the ESC’s high switching speed that makes the GTX so smooth.
You MUST use Novak Power Capacitors--other capacitors with similar ratings don’t provide the
same protection. We’ve done extensive research to find capacitors with the very best quality factors.
Green Amber
Blue
Red SET
button
Fig.7: ST
A
TUS LEDs
FIGURE 6: ‘Y’ METHOD OF WIRING
Power Capacitor
taped to chassis
‘Y’ in red wire heat shrink all
exposed wiring
ON/OFF switch
screwed to chassis
insulate
exposed
wiring &
leads