Inquire information from VisforVoltage
This is a complicated question to ask. I have been using PCs ever since I can remember, and I have been getting a tad bit frustrated with the changes in the operating system and transferring information between PDAs, micromini computers, and regular desktop towers. Now with "most" computers information comes out of some sort of serial port, whether it be PS2, 9 pin D connector, USB, and on some computers firewire, and also on USB, version 1.1, and now 2.0, and I've heard there's one even faster than 2.0 and on some of my computers I still even have the parallel port to transfer information from computer to computer. When I have to program some of my controllers, like the model AXE4865, a 650 Amp 48-volt controller, I use a USB to a 9-pin D connector to my P2 laptop and shove a CD in the drive and I guess burn the parameters into Damon's play toy. I guess there is another controller that uses a hairball that you have to do the same thing to the Manzanita controller. The famous Rich Rudman who made the Rudman regulators and a lot of powerful controllers designed programmable controllers via RS-232 interface. One of my questions is, what computer or whose computer or what type of computer do I need to program my Vectrix?
Also while shopping I stopped in and saw another type of computer called the Apple. I'm not John D. Rockefeller, and I'm not Bill Gates, so I never could afford one. Anyway, Bill wouldn't want to buy one; he says it's inferior. Whereas Steve Jobs builds nice, nifty, powerful toys for most of us. Finally the cost of his computer dropped down to $599.00 for the MAC Mini. It's even smaller than the computers I build, called the mini ITX, which have just over 1gig processing speed and the new MAC Mini has 2.6 gig processing speed. It is small enough to make quasi-portable for it uses 18.5 volts, 6 Amp input, and you can use your own small portable monitor. It has a lot of USB ports, and my question here is can I program the hairball and Damon's Alltrax controller using the MAC mini? Or is the MacIntosh Mini another operating system?
Most editors, newspaper personnel, graphics people tend to use MACs for their graphics, and in order to post on VisforVoltage I hear it is a lot easier to do it on a MacIntosh system vs a PC; so I'm thinking of going the route of the MAC computer system and abandoning as much as I can the PC platform.
Third question: If it is different, I guess I should keep around an old P2 or P3 with Windows XP for burning controllers, right?
A little history of controllers below in quotes.
About Us
Manzanita Micro was formed by Rich Rudman and Joe Smalley. The two of them were roommates in college at the University of Idaho and became friends. Both had a love of racing and tinkering with high performance automobiles and also an affinity for things electronic. Manzanita Micro began as a floppy disk drive service company and grew into a small business which built timing systems for autocross and road racing. By the mid 1990s Rudman and Smalley found a hobby which melded their love of cars and electronics -- the electric vehicle.After converting a Ford Fiesta and building his own 2,500 amp controller Joe went to work for the US Navy in Bremerton. Rich converted his own 1978 Ford Fiesta “Goldie” and then began doing contract circuit board design laying out plans for inverters and other medical and marine electronics. He also worked for Cruising Equipment in Seattle on the original E-Meter electric vehicle gauge.
As his experience with electric vehicles grew, Mr. Rudman became acquainted with Damon Crockett and they along with some other gentlemen founded DCP. While at DCP Rich worked on the powerful Raptor and T-Rex controllers. He also designed and built a working prototype BLDC drive system.
In his off time, Rich and his old friend Joe drag raced their Fiestas and also got into racing electric hydroplanes setting a few EV records. Rudman and Smalley saw the need for a powerful and flexible charger for electric vehicles and also a good battery management system for the ever popular new AGM batteries. DCP moved down to Oregon and later became Alltrax and Rich moved back to the Kitsap Peninsula where he had grown up. He and Joe finalized plans for their BMS system and flexible power factor corrected chargers and the “Rudman Regulators” and PFC line of chargers were brought to market.
Rich began working full time out of his garage building and marketing the new EV battery components. The PFC chargers could plug into any outlet and charge packs from 12 Volts up to 450. Charger power increased from 20 amps to 30, to 40 for the small boxes and up to 50 and even 75amps for the larger PFC-50.
Now a fourth question? I don't think Damon make his DCP-1200 and DCP-450 so where do I send my antique controllers back to get update to resistive control instead of Inductor and also to get working again since Massachusetts weather has destroyed controllers. All my EV's got DCP controllers and three of four are dead.
I can only answer your last question. I think if you read what you posted " to Oregon and later became Alltrax" . I would say go to Alltrax for help LaTeR
thank GOD I wake up above ground !!!!
Thanks but that was my first choice and his name is Peter Senkowski but turn around is 9 months or more. I belong to NEEAA and he does the fix here for members but only he and Damon must have the specs. I actually was hoping for others who really knew the ins and outs of the DCP1200.
KB1UKU
Have a look at this: http://visforvoltage.org/forum/6031-can-bus and the other pages in http://visforvoltage.org/book/ev-collaborative-hand-books/6796 for a start.
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There is always a way if there is no other way!
Good afternoon Mr. Mik
I read those post again and I am still confused? Can you if you had the CANbus adapter do programming stuff to the VX-1, and the hairball and even program the Alltrax with a MAC Mini? An OS-X platform. The down loads for the Alltrax controller requires Windows XP or higher. I was wondering is Apples MAC can program EV's? I am thinking of going the Macintosh platform since the Moderator of this group uses it. And most if not all graphics people use MAC.
The Zilla requires use of the Furball to program the 2000 amp controller, I mean the hairball.
KB1UKU
Well, everything I've heard from alltrax is that they aren't officially releasing the information on commands to send over the serial port or data that's sent by the controller. Hence Alltrax is the only people you can get control software from, and they're only providing a Windows version, and Mac's do not run Windows. It might be possible to run a virtual Windows within a virtual PC on a Mac (using Parallels or VirtualBox) and then use a USB-Serial adapter to get a serial port to connect to the controller. I haven't tried that.
I do have Alltrax controllers on two vehicles but have not tried to program them. And that's because I avoid Windows and Alltrax doesn't provide Mac software.
I have heard that some people have somehow determined the data that goes over the serial port to the Alltrax. I don't remember where the info is.
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
there's also the option to really get crazy and go Linux! :-) . This is really a complicated series of questions all in one. A Mac can run virtual PC sessions, the fun may be in mapping the ports to work for the windows environment inside the Mac operating system, without port data getting buggered. The best way to deal with ports for programming as they often have to handle binary data dumps is native hardware and software that the other device was designed for. If the controller programmers set their stuff up for PC-XP, that is the easiest place to go. If they set up for 9pin serial with Terminal programming, that can be done by almost anything, unless they require binary data dumps that might be interrupted by one operating system or another. On USB, you may get a successful device detection, but not have a driver for it, and some emulators can be a pain about "virtual" devices needing to be recognized by both the native Operating system and the virtual one as well. Some serial to USB adapters dont quite work for certain handshaking of serial data too, so if you need 9 pin setups, best to save those old motherboards! Some of the Intel based macs, with bootcamp can do a separate load of OS X and WinXP or Later. Without the control program for the controller, and instructions from the manufacturer, its a longshot to get anything figured out. A USB or even ethernet driven web-interface would be a sweet way to go, as long as the interface is not password protected to keep it "service center only"