Programming the Vector Controller

[ToddMurray]

I've had my MP vector rear hub installed for about a day now.
Some minor issues running on 48V 10A Life battery however. After a full charge, the controller will not engage the motor.
If I wait a few minutes, pull the plug off the battery, then connect it again, this seems to resolve the issue.
Once the battery runs down a bit, I can't reproduce the problem, until I recharge the battery. I checked the voltage on the battery after a full charge and it is 58.3V. I'm using the 3Amp charger.

On to the road test.
I'm getting about 43Km/h with a mountain bike on level ground with no peddling. This was confirmed by the street radar sign in my neighborhood.
I tried it tonight on the steepest hills I could fine and I never needed to touch the peddles to get up.
I have the twist throttle. I find it twitchy, especially on bumpy dirt trails. I discovered if I put cruse control on at a safe speed, this helps the jerking on the throttle.

I also check the max amp draw from the battery, and it peaks at 25Amps.

My hub is on the rear with a rear battery mount. This leaves my front end very light. This is not a problem on the paved roads, but I get really loose on dirt, and I must really slow down.

I'd like to bring this down to 32Km/h but can't get the MP3 application to work with the MP vector. Can someone point me to the correct application to use for the Vector?
goldenmotor.ca doesn't have it listed.

Todd

[Bikemad]

Hi Todd,

It sounds like you "Overvoltage protection value" may be set slightly too low as it should not deactivate the controller until the battery voltage exceeds 62V for the 48V battery:



Regarding the programming problem, I did reply to your post over on ES but presumably you haven't seen the reply, so I am reposting the important bits here:

The driver and programming software that I used with both Windows 7 and XP can be accessed here:

CH341SER.EXE USB driver
PI-800 version 3.3.0

You can download my "Torque and Speed" spreadsheet attached to this post which should come in handy for working out the required wheel rpm to set your maximum speed (see the lower left hand section). It will be interesting to see just how accurate the real rpm is compared to the programmed rpm (and your maximum speed).
 
First you’ll need to install the correct driver for the USB lead (download and run CH341SER.EXE USB driver in the above link) and download the programming software (LBMC_GUI_v3.3.0_GoldenMotor.exe in the above link).
 
Here is the important sequence that must be followed in order to connect successfully:
1) Connect the USB lead. (Vector controllers use a USB lead fitted with a five pin connector, see below)
2) Open the software that you downloaded previously.
3) Select the correct COM port from the dropdown option box (if you don’t know which COM port the USB lead is assigned to you will have to repeat the whole process selecting a different port each time until you find the right one).
4) Click the “Connect” icon and wait for the timeout error.
5) Then connect the battery power!!
The controller should instantly connect and the relevant parameters should automatically be uploaded and displayed.

When the alterations have been saved to the controller you need to unplug the USB lead and then switch the battery power off and then back on again for the controller to work.
If you switch the power off and on again without disconnecting the USB lead it will re-enter programming mode again.

Please let me know if this works for you.

Alan

EDIT:
Broken links updated

[ToddMurray]

Thanks you so much.
I will give this a try and updated this thread.

[ToddMurray]

Hi Alan
I can't get this CH341SER.exe driver to work. I installed it as administrator.
I tried it on two Windows 7 computers. One is 64bit, the other is 32bit.

I would expect once the driver is installed and USB cable connected, the new com port would appear under Computer Management, Ports (Com & LPT).
I have a USB to Serial Port on Com7, but that is for something else.
The Vector USB cable is not showing up on a port.


I did try your process of running through all the com ports, but that didn't work either. Probably because there com port was not added by the driver.

Please advise.
Todd

[ToddMurray]

After a little reading about this driver, it works for chipsets CH340/CH341.
I have apparently been shipped the USB Programming Cable for Vector Controllers SKU:  VEC-USB.
Does this USB cable have this chipset?

[Bikemad]

This is what I get on my Windows 7 64 bit machine:


And this is what I get on one of my XP laptops:


Have you tried rebooting your PC to see if it makes a difference?

Did either of the PCs indicate a new unrecognised USB device when you originally plugged the USB lead in, or do they not recognise anything when it's plugged in?

I have just tried plugging the USB lead into an XP PC upstairs and it could not install the device because it couldn't find a driver.
I didn't bother downloading the driver and installing it properly as I won't be using that PC for programming, but at least it recognised the USB lead.

If your PCs don't recognise the USB lead it may be a faulty cable.

After a little reading about this driver, it works for chipsets CH340/CH341.
I have apparently been shipped the USB Programming Cable for Vector Controllers SKU:  VEC-USB.
Does this USB cable have this chipset?

My USB cable which was supplied specifically for the Vector controller has a five pin connector on one end and the USB plug on the other and appears to have the CH340 chipset.

Alan
 

[ToddMurray]

I see more than five pins on my adapter. Does yours look like this?

[Bikemad]

Unfortunately not, that looks like the ten pin main harness connector, my USB lead looks like this:


And this is the connector on the motor harness that it plugs into:


You don't need to unplug the main harness to connect the USB lead on my vector controllers like you had to on the earlier ones.

I have four different GM programming leads:
1) MPII
2) Early MPIII (and early Smart Pies)
3) External controller
4) Magic Pie and Smart Pie (vector controllers)

I haven't seen one like yours before, I suspect that it's for the later MPIII and Smart Pies prior to the vector controllers, unless there is more than just the one type for the vector controllers.

If yours is not the right lead, it might explain why you are unable to connect to the controller.

Alan
 

[ToddMurray]

Thanks Alan. That explains it.
I will contact my Canadian dealer for the correct one.

[Ron]

Thanks Alan. That explains it.
I will contact my Canadian dealer for the correct one.

Hi Todd,
I got the same 10 pin usb cable as you.  Did you find out if you will need to get the usb cable replaced?
Thanks,
Ron.

[Ggtronic]

Thanks BikeMad for your support...
i have download your Vector program...

i have the same problem to connect to my Magic pie Vector :
have the 10 pin USB connector using old software and cannot connect , cable might not be appropriate ?

in fact I don't even know if I really have the Vector ? no marks+ no details on the hub
it run good with factory parameter and it seems to have more silent & smooth startup... 

[GM Canada]

It seems Golden Motor did not tell me about the new Vector USB Cables. I have them now. It is unfortunate I have to come to the forum to learn about them. If I sent one to anyone by mistake please click the link below and we will get it sorted.

I have used the new vector 5 pin usb cable now and connected with the software and I must say despite the way you have to get it up and running it is very impressive. Nice clean look and lots of settings to toy with.

Here is a link to a video I made on connecting. The video is currently uploading so it will be online shortly. It outlines to method to connect as listed by Alan above and also shows how to find out what com port your USB cable is plugged into.

Thanks Alan for your efforts. Your an amazing person!  I think we should "sticky" this topic as its a good thread to start out on for the vector experience.

http://youtu.be/ahcEXpMBxuA

Gary

[Ggtronic]

Thanks for the video Gary...

have done a 20km run with aggressive hills and the Magic pie Vector is amazing !
smooth + silent + aggressive statups !

now I need a battery and a USB cable to benefit from this monster 

[ToddMurray]

I have my new 5 pin vector cable and have successfully connected to the vector.
I notice that my controller was setup for a 24volt battery. I changed it to 48Volt battery and now my regen braking is working as well. I used the spreadsheet Bikemad uploaded to calculate my RPM wheel speed and it was very accurate at 32Km/h.
Also, my over voltage protection is now at 62V.

Thanks Bikemad
Todd

[Bikemad]

I'm glad to hear you have got it working correctly and it's also nice to know that the spreadsheet is not miles out.

Alan