HOBBYWING AXE540L R2-1400KV-FOC XERUN AXE R2 Brushless System User Manual

USER MANUAL
XERUN AXE R2 Brushless System

Disclaimer

Thank you for purchasing the HOBBYWING’s XERUN AXE Brushless System! Brushless power systems can be very dangerous. Any improper use may cause personal injury and damage to the product and related devices. We strongly recommend reading through this user manual before use.  because we have no control over the use, installation, or maintenance of this product, no liability may be assumed for any damage or losses resulting from the use of the product. We do not assume responsibility for any losses caused by unauthorized modifications to our product. We, HOBBYWING, are only responsible for our product cost and nothing else as a result of using our product.

Warnings

• Ensure all wires and connections are well insulated before connecting the ESC to related devices, as a short circuit will damage your ESC.
• Ensure all devices are well connected to prevent poor connection that may cause your vehicle to lose control or other unpredictable issues such as damage to the device.
• Read through the manuals of all power devices and chassis and ensure the power configuration is correct before using this unit.
• Please use a soldering iron with the power of at least 60W to solder all input/output wires and connectors.
• Do not hold the vehicle in the air and free rev it to full throttle, as rubber tires can “expand” to an extreme size or even crack to cause serious injury or damage to your system can occur.
• Never allow the ESC & motor temperatures (external temp.) to go above 90 /194, as high temperature may cause damage to both the ESC and motor.
• Always disconnect the batteries when your vehicle is not in use. The ESC will continue to drain current if it is connected to batteries (even if the ESC is turned off). Extended battery connection (Even when off) will cause batteries to completely discharge and result in damage to batteries or ESC. This WILL NOT be covered under warranty.
• The ESC must be Calibrated or set up to your radio system before normal operation.

Features

• Apply FOC(Field Oriented Control) driving mode to the power system of the rock crawler. The low-speed torque Is very strong, it is better than an ordinary sensored brushless power system or even better than the brushed power system.
• The chip-type magnetic encoder inside the motor guarantees consistency between three phases’ signals and always outputs the pure and precise signals indicating the rotor position.
• The waterproof and dust-proof design (*IP67 standards) allows the AXE brushless power system to be used in all weather & track conditions without any issue of damage caused to the system from water or dust. Damage to the vehicle caused by water, mud, or conditions should be monitored closely when running in muddy, wet, or adverse conditions.
• Intelligent torque output & speed closed-loop control for easy control, and consistent motor RPM under all loads.
• The adjustable drag brake & drag brake rate control with the maximum drag brake of up to 200% (that’s near twice the drag brake of standard brushless power systems) can provide unprecedented parking capacity on slopes, with no jerky stops.
• The innovative built-in Bluetooth connectivity allows users to read ESC data or update ESC firmware via a smartphone (installed with the HW LINK app).
• Multiple protections: low-voltage cutoff, thermal, fail-safe (throttle signal loss), motor lock-up, over current, and battery reversal.
• It supports dual operation mode, not only classic “Forward and Reverse (rock crawler)” mode but also “Forward/Reverse with brake (normal)” mode.

Specifications

Connections

Please make sure that the two arrows align when connecting, otherwise, you may damage the inner part of the connectors and cause the power system to function abnormally. Remember, never connect/disconnect them forcibly.
This is an extremely powerful brushless motor system. For your safety and the safety of those around you, we strongly recommend removing your pinion gear before performing calibration and programming functions with this system, and keeping wheels in the air when you turn on the ESC.

1. Cooling Fan Installation (Optional)
   When pairing the ESC with a 550 motor, we recommend installing the matching cooling fan. The cooling fan can be powered by the receiver.

2. Motor Wiring
   The XERUN AXE brushless ESC only supports the XERUN AXE series of FOC brushless motors. The Axe ESC it cannot be paired with any other type of motor. The Axe Motor, cannot be used with any other type of ESC.
   There is strict wiring order from the ESC to the motor, the three A/B/C ESC wires must connect to the three A/B/C motor wires correspondingly. Next, connect the ESC sensor wire to the motor sensor wire. Never change the order of your motor wires or damage will occur.
   Please ensure that the ESC sensor wire has been plugged into the motor sensor wire and screwed up, otherwise the water may get inside and damage the ESC or motor.

3. Receiver Wiring
   The throttle control cable on the ESC has to be plugged into the throttle (TH) channel on the receiver. The throttle control cable (the Red wire) provides an output voltage of 6V/7.4V to the receiver and steering servo, hence, no separate battery can be connected to the receiver. Improper wiring of any external BEC or battery pack will result in damage to your ESC.

4. Battery Wiring
   Proper polarity is essential. Please ensure positive (+) connects to positive (+), and negative (-) connects to negative (-) when plugging in the battery! When the reverse polarity is applied to the ESC from the battery, it will not function.

ESC Setup

Set the Throttle Range – ESC Calibration – Radio Setup
In order to make the ESC match the throttle range, you must calibrate it when you begin to use a new ESC. If you install a new radio system or make changes to your throttle/brake values in your transmitter, you must redo the ESC Calibration Process.
Failure to calibrate the ESC to your radio system will result in the ESC not working correctly.
We strongly recommend activating the “Fail-Safe” function of the radio system and setting it (F/S) to “Output OFF” or setting its value to the “Neutral Position” to ensure the motor can be stopped when there is no signal received from the transmitter.
About setting the throttle range, please follow the following steps：

1. Turn on the transmitter, set parameters on the throttle channel like “D/R”, “EPA” and “ATL” to 100% (for transmitter without LCD, please turn the knob to the maximum) and the throttle “TRIM” to 0 (for transmitter without LCD, please turn the corresponding knob to the neutral position). You don’t need to do this step if the transmitter’s settings are default!

2. Start with a transmitter on and the ESC turned off but connected to a battery. Holding the SET button and pressing the ON/OFF button to turn on the ESC, the RED LED on the ESC starts to flash (Note 1 the motor beeps at the same time), and then releases the SET button immediately. (The ESC will enter the programming mode if the SET button is not released in 3 seconds, then you need to restart from step 1.)
   Note 1: Beeps from the motor may be low sometimes, and you can check the LED status instead.

3. Set the neutral point, the full-throttle endpoint, and the full brake endpoint.
   • Leave the throttle trigger at the neutral position, press the SET button, the RED LED dies out and the GREEN LED flashes 1 time and the motor beeps 1 time to accept the neutral position.
   • Pull the throttle trigger to the full throttle position, press the SET button, the GREEN LED blinks 2 times and the motor beeps 2 times to accept the full-throttle endpoint.
   • Push the throttle trigger to the full brake position, press the SET button, the GREEN LED blinks 3 times and the motor beeps 3 times to accept the full brake endpoint.

4. The motor can be started 3 seconds after the ESC/Radio calibration is complete.

Power On/Off & Warning Tones

1. Power ON/OFF:
   (Start with the ESC turned off), Press the ON/OFF button to turn on the ESC;
   (start with the ESC turned on) press and hold the ON/OFF button to turn off the ESC.

2. Warning Tones: Turn on the ESC in the normal way (that is to turn it on without holding the SET button); the motor will beep the number of LiPo cells you have plugged in. For example, 3 beeps indicate a 3S LiPo.

Programmable Items

Item #| Programmable Item| Option 1| Option 2| Option 3| Option 4| Option 5| Option 6| Option 7| Option 8| Option 9| Option 10
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
1| Running Mode| Forward and
Reverse| Forward/Reverse
with Brake| | | | | | | |
2| Cutoff Voltage| Disabled| Low| Intermediate| High| | | | | |
3| RPM/Throttle Matching| Low| Intermediate| High| | | | | | |
4| Max. Forward Force| 25%| 37.5%| 50%| 62.5%| 75%| 87.5%| 100%| | |
5| Max. Reverse Force| 25%| 37.5| 50%| 62.5%| 75%| 87.5%| 100%| |
6| Turbo Timing| 0-10 degrees adjustable (default: 0 degree)
7| Turbo Delay| Instant| 0.1s| 0.2s| 0.3s| 0.4s| 0.5s| | | |
8| Drag Brake Force| 50-200% (default: 80%)
9| Drag Brake Rate| Level 1| I Level 2| Level 3| Level 4| Level 5| Level 6| Level 7| Level 8| Level 9| Auto
10| Neutral Range| 6-17% (default: 10%)
11| Start Mode (/ Punch)| Level 1| Level 2| Level 3| Level 4| Level 5| Level 6| Level 7| Level 8| Level 9|
12| BEC Voltage| 6.0V
CCW| | | | | | | | |
13| Motor Rotation| | | | | | | | |

Note: those black-and-white options are default values.

1. Running Mode
   Option 1: Forward and Reverse
   This mode is often used by special vehicles (rock crawlers). It adopts the “SINGLE-CLICK” method. The vehicle will reverse immediately when you push the throttle trigger forward.
   Option 2: Forward/Reverse with Brake
   This mode provides the braking function, it’s usually for training. “Forward/Reverse with Brake” mode adopted the “DOUBLE-CLICK” method, that is your vehicle only brakes (won’t reverse) when the 1st time you push the throttle trigger forward (away from you) (1st push). If the motor stops when you quickly release the throttle trigger and there-push the trigger quickly (2nd push), the vehicle will reverse. If the motor does not stop, then your vehicle won’t reverse but brake, you need to push the throttle trigger one more time. The vehicle only reverses after the motor stops. This method is for preventing vehicles from being accidentally reversed.

2. Cutoff Voltage
   Low Voltage Cutoff for LiPo Protection. This item is mainly for preventing the LiPo pack from over-discharge. If the low-voltage cutoff protection is enabled, the ESC will monitor the battery voltage all the time and gradually reduce the output to 50% (in 3 seconds), and cut it off 10 seconds later when the voltage goes below the cutoff threshold. The Red LED will flash a single flash that repeats (☆-, ☆-, ☆-….) when the ESC enters the low-voltage cutoff protection. The ESC will not cut off the power when the voltage is low if the low-voltage cutoff protection is disabled. We don’t recommend setting the “Cutoff Voltage” to “Disabled” when using a LiPo pack, otherwise, the battery will be damaged due to over-discharge.
   • NiMH – For a NiMH pack, we recommend setting this item to “Disabled”.
   • Voltage – The specific voltage values correspond to “Low/Intermediate/high” are 3.0V/3.2V/3.4V per cell. Please note, due to a number of variables you may not see exactly these same voltage values.

3. RPM/Throttle Matching
   The speed/RPM will change when the vehicle encounters obstacles or terrain changes based on the loads (on the vehicle), so changing this setting (with the throttle input remaining unchanged) can change the resistance to maintain the speed/RPM.
   With the throttle input remaining unchanged, setting this item to “Low” allows you to have the kind of feeling that a brushed motor will bring you, then the speed/RPM will be significantly influenced by the resistance change; setting it to “High” allows you to have a remarkable feeling of speed-governing, that is the speed will change seldom due to the resistance change and the speed/RPM remains almost unchanged.
   In simple terms, set it to “Low” if you like the feeling that a brushed motor will bring you or set it to “High” if you like a more stable speed/RPM when the throttle input remains unchanged, (it’s “Intermediate” by default, ) so please set it as per your preference. This setting is only valid in “Forward and Reverse (rock crawler)” mode!

4. Max. Forward Force
   It’s the force when the throttle trigger is at the full throttle position. It’s adjustable among 25%, 37.5%, 50%, 62.5%, 75%, 87.5% and 100% (by default). You can lower down the value for better driving feel/control when you drive a crawler (simulation model) over difficult terrains (and don’t have any requirement against the maximum speed).

5. Max. Reverse Force
   The reverse force of the value will determine its speed. For the safety of your vehicle, we recommend using a low amount.

6. Turbo Timing
   This item is adjustable from 0 degrees to 10 degrees, the corresponding turbo timing (you set) will initiate at full throttle. It’s usually activated on the long straightaway and makes the motor unleash its maximum potential. Turbo timing adds “RPM” at full throttle.

7. Turbo Delay
   When “TURBO DELAY” is set to “INSTANT”, the Turbo Timing will be activated when the throttle trigger is moved to the full-throttle position. When another value is applied, you will need to hold the throttle trigger at the full throttle position (as you set) till the Turbo Timing initiates.

8. Drag Brake Force
   It is the braking power produced when the throttle is at the neutral position. (Attention! Drag brake will consume more power and heat will be increased, apply it cautiously.). Higher drag brake means stronger hold or hill brakes. This setting is only valid in “Forward and Reverse (rock crawler)” mode!

9. Drag Brake Rate
   It’s the rate at which the drag brake increases to the preset value. This feature slows down how rapidly the ESC applies brakes. Lower values are slower and prevent sudden stops or jerky stopping movements. You can choose the drag brake rate from level 1 (very soft) to level 9 (very aggressive).
   In Auto mode, the ESC adjusts the brag brake rate automatically as per the current speed. The higher the current speed, the lower the drag brake rate (when releasing the throttle trigger to the neutral position); the lower the current speed, the higher the drag brake rate. It can not only help prevent vehicles from flipping over or the drivetrain from damage due to the rapid intervention of drag brakes when driving at a high speed but also guarantee the sensitive control feel when driving at a low speed. This setting is only valid in “Forward and Reverse (rock crawler)” mode!

10. Neutral Range
    As not all transmitters have the same stability at “neutral position”, please adjust this parameter as per your preference. You can adjust to a bigger value when this happens. The neutral range is the “dead zone” or “dead band” of the throttle/brakes. If you notice inconsistent drag brakes, you would increase your neutral range value.

11. Start Mode/(Punch)
    You can choose the punch from level 1 (very soft) to level 9 (very aggressive). This feature is very useful for preventing tires from slipping during the starting-up process. In addition, “level 7” and “level 9” have strict requirements on the battery’s discharge capability. It may affect the starting-up if the battery discharges poorly and cannot provide a large current in a short time. The car stutters or suddenly loses power in the starting-up process indicating the battery’s discharge capability is not good, and you need to reduce the punch or reduce the pinion gear size.

12. BEC Voltage
    Option 1: 6.0V
    It’s applicable to ordinary servos. Do not use this option with high voltage servos; otherwise, your servos may not function normally due to insufficient voltage.
    Option 2: 7.4V
    It’s applicable to high voltage servos. Do not use this option with ordinary servos; otherwise, your servos may be burnt due to high voltage.

13. Motor Rotation
    This feature allows the changing of the motor’s forward direction. To check, look at the motor with the shaft facing you. If the motor spins counterclockwise if this item is set to CCW; the motor spins clockwise if set to CW. The drive train of your chassis will determine what direction motor you should use. Some vehicles use normal or CCW rotation, other vehicles use CW or backward rotation motors.

ESC Programming & Firmware Upgrade – The Axe ESC is Only Adjustable using the HW Link App and a Bluetooth enabled SmartPhone

1. Program your ESC with a smartphone (installed with the HW LINK app)
   • Download and install Hobbywing’s official app “HW LINK” on your smartphone. For smartphones with the iOS operating system, please search “Hobbywing” in the App Store; for smartphones with the Android operating system, search “Hobbywing” in Google Play or download it from our website or scan the following QR code to download it.http://hobbywing.com/Upload/software/app/download.html
   • Connect a battery to the ESC and turn it on, then open the Hobbywing official app“HW LINK” on your smartphone. It will ask if you want to connect “Bluetooth” or “WiFi” the first time when you open the app; at this point, please select “Bluetooth”. You need to change the connection to “Bluetooth” after using the “WiFi” connection, you can click “Settings” (on the home page) and then “Select the connecting mode” to change the connection. A list of Bluetooth devices will pop out when you click the ESC icon on the upper right corner, then select the ESC you want to program to establish the Bluetooth connection between the ESC and smartphone. (Note: the default name & password of the Bluetooth device are HW_BLE**** & 888888 respectively.)• Click “Parameters” (on the home page) to adjust the ESC parameters, click the ESC icon on the upper right corner to disconnect the Bluetooth connection between the ESC and smartphone after completing and saving the adjustments.

2. Firmware Upgrade with a smartphone (installed with the HW LINK app)
   • Download and install Hobbywing’s official app “HW LINK” on your smartphone.
   • As you enter the app, click Settings→About→Check for updates to ensure that the database and software version of your ESC is the latest.
   • Connect a battery to the ESC and then turn it on, open the “HW LINK” app on your smartphone, a list of Bluetooth devices will pop out when you click the ESC icon on the upper right corner, then select the ESC (Bluetooth device) you want to program to establish the Bluetooth connection between the ESC and smart phone.
   (Note: the default name & password of the Bluetooth device are HW_BLE**** & 888888 respectively.)
   • Click “Firmware upgrade” and then “Select the target version” to select the firmware version you need, and then click “Update” to upgrade your ESC. After the upgrade, you can adjust the parameters via “Parameters” and click the ESC icon on the upper right corner to disconnect the Bluetooth connection between the ESC and smartphone after saving the adjustments.
   • During the upgrade process, please ensure that the network connection is stable and do not upgrade your ESC at any place with strong interference. In addition, please ensure that the smartphone is fully charged and the battery connected to the ESC still has sufficient power and it’s firmly connected to the ESC. Do not disconnect the battery during the upgrade process, as that may cause the ESC to get damaged or be unable to function.
   • When connecting the Bluetooth device (your ESC), please ensure the connection between the ESC sensor wire and the motor sensor wire is normal, otherwise the Bluetooth device cannot be connected and programmed.

Factory Reset

• Restore the default values (ESC parameters & Info about the Bluetooth module) with the SET button
  Turn on the ESC, press and hold the Set button for over 3 seconds.
  Pressing and holding the SET button for over 3 seconds at any time when the throttle stick is at the neutral position (except during the ESC calibration or programming), can factory reset your ESC. The Red & Green LEDs flash at the same time indicating the factory reset is successful. The default values only take effect after you turn the ESC off and then on again.
  Attention! This method will also factory reset the Bluetooth device.

• Restore the default values (only the ESC parameters) with a smartphone (installed with the HW LINK app)
  After entering the app and establishing the Bluetooth connection between the ESC and smartphone, click “Factory Reset” in “Parameters” to factory reset your ESC. After that, please re-calibrate the throttle range.

Automatic Motor Pairing (Optional)

You must do the “automatic motor pairing” (as explained below) when any of the following situations occur:

1. Updated the ESC firmware,
2. Issues like loose rear endplate, severe impact, or abnormal heat (during the operation) abnormal power output occurs to the motor, Steps of “Automatic Motor Pairing”
   Step1: Unplug the throttle wire from the receiver, and then remove the pinion gear (or you can hold the vehicle in the air and remove the wheels, but the effect won’t be that good);
   Step2: Connect a battery (to the ESC), turn it on, press and hold the SET button for 3 seconds after it completes the self-test to enter the “automatic motor pairing”, the motor will spin a while during the process.
   Step3: The ESC will automatically re-start and beep out the number of the LiPo cells you’ve plugged in after the pairing completes, after that, please re-plug the throttle wire into the receiver, and then the power system will be ready.

Explanations for Different Status LEDs

1. During the Starting-up Process
   • The Red LED keeps flashing rapidly indicating the ESC doesn’t detect any throttle signal or the neutral throttle value stored on your ESC may be different from the current value stored on the transmitter. – Redo the ESC calibration Process if your ESC is flashing and not working.
   • The Green LED flashes “N/ (number of)” times indicating the number of LiPo cells you have plugged in.

2. In Operation – What lights you should see.
   • The Red & Green LEDs go out when the throttle trigger is in the throttle neutral zone.
   • The Red LED turns on solid when your vehicle runs forward. The Green LED will also come on solid when pulling the throttle trigger to the full (100%) throttle endpoint and setting the “Max. Forward Force” to 100%.
   • The Red LED turns on solid when you break the vehicle, the Green LED will also come on solid when pushing the throttle trigger to the full brake endpoint and setting the “Max. Reverse Force” to 100%.

3. Error or Warning LED CodesN
   • The Red LED flashes a short, single flash that repeats (☆, ☆, ☆) indicating the low voltage cutoff protection is activated.
   • The Green LED flashes a short, single flash that repeats (☆, ☆, ☆) indicating the ESC thermal protection is activated.
   • The Green LED flashes a short, double flash that repeats (☆☆, ☆☆, ☆☆) indicating the motor thermal protection is activated.
   • The Green and Red LEDs flash a short, double flash that repeats (☆☆, ☆☆, ☆☆) indicating the power system stops functioning due to “sensor issue”. In that case, please check if the ESC sensor wire has been firmly connected to the motor sensor wire before resuming the operation.

Trouble Shooting

The ESC was unable to start the status LED, the motor after it was powered on.| 1. No power was supplied to the ESC.
2. The ESC switch was damaged.| 1. Check if all ESC & battery joints or connections have been well soldered or firmly connected.
2. Replace the switch.
The ESC was unable to start the motor but beeped
“B-B-, B-B, B-B-” (the time interval was 1s) and the Green LED on the ESC flashed.| The battery voltage was beyond the normal range.| Check if the battery voltage is within the regulated range.
After the ESC was powered on and finished LiPo detection, the GREEN LED flashed N times, and then the RED LED flashed.| 1. The ESC didn’t detect any throttle signals.
2. The neutral throttle value stored on your ESC is different from
the one stored on the transmitter.| . Check if the throttle wire is reversely plugged in or in the wrong channel and if the transmitter is turned on.
2. Re-calibrate the throttle range after you release the throttle trigger to the neutral position.
The vehicle ran backward when you pulled the throttle trigger towards you.| The default motor direction didn’t match the chassis.| Set the motor direction/rotation to the other option via the HW LINK app.
The motor suddenly stopped or significantly reduced the output in operation.| 1. The receiver was influenced by some foreign interference.
2. The ESC entered the LVC protection.
3. The ESC entered the ESC thermal protection.
4. The motor entered the ESC thermal protection.| 1. Check all devices and try to find out the possible causes, and check the transmitter’s battery voltage.
2. The Red LED keeps flashing indicating the LVC protection is activated, please replace the battery.
3. The Green LED keeps flashing indicating the ESC thermal protection is activated. Please let it cool again before using the ESC again.
4. It is over-temperature protection of motor if green light flashes continuously (double flash). Please continue to touse it after the temperature of the motor reduces.
The vehicle couldn’t be started or stopped halfway, and the Red & Green LEDs flashed a short, double flash that repeated.| 1. “Sensor wire connection” issue.
2. ESC problem.| 1. Check if the ESC & motor sensor wires are damaged and re-connect them and re-start the ESC after confirming that there is no sensor issue.
2. Contact the dealer for customer service.
The car ran forward/backward slowly when the throttle trigger was at the neutral position.| 1. The neutral position on the transmitter was not stable,
so signals were not stable either.
2. The ESC calibration was not proper.| 1. Replace your transmitter.
2. Re-calibrate the throttle range or fine-tune the neutral position on the transmitter.
When pressing the SET button to set the throttle neutral position, the GREEN LED didn’t flash and no beep was emitted, or you were unable to set the full- throttle endpoint and the full brake endpoint after the neutral position was accepted.| 1. The ESC throttle cable wasn’t plugged in the correct channel
on the receiver.
2. The ESC throttle cable was reversely plugged in.
3. The throttle range stored on your ESC is different from the
one stored on the transmitter.| 1. Plug the throttle cable into the throttle (TH) channel on your receiver.
2. Plug in the throttle cable properly by referring to the relevant mark shown on your receiver.
3. If you’re using a Futaba transmitter, set the throttle to “REV”; if other transmitters, please try to keep the ratio between “Forward” and “Reverse” on the throttle channel at 5:5.
The motor is very hot during running after upgrading the firmware of ESC.| The ESC and motor didn’t do “Automatic Motor Pairing”| Please make “Automatic Motor Pairing” according to the manual part 6.6.

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