Re: (ET) Alternative controller (was Elec-trak Digest, Vol 14, Issue 113)

["David Roden" <etpost drmm net>]

On 30 Aug 2016 at 11:03, Robert Laird wrote:

> I have to disagree with your description of 4Q and 2Q controllers.  In
> short, 4Q controllers have dynamic braking.  2Q do do not.

Thanks for catching my mistake.  I misunderstood (or maybe misremembered) 
the term four quadrant. Your link provides a pretty good clarification.  

The online manual for the 4QD-200 controller explains that it "[gives] 
control of the motor in all four 'quadrants' -- that is, forward and 
reverse, acceleration and braking."  So I stand (actually, sit) corrected.

I still tend to prefer 4QD over Curtis for the previously stated reasons 
-- 
joystick f/r control, regen braking, UK manufacture.  

Though I haven't had extensive experience with 4QD support, I've found 
them 
to be more informative and helpful than Curtis.  

When I called Curtis with a problem about 20 years ago, their answer was 
"buy a new one."  They did offer me a modest "trade-in" discount if I 
shipped the sick controller back to them.

So I still find 4QD worth looking at.  And in fact I own a 4QD that I 
bought 
for my New Idea R36 a while back (ahem), but (ahem) have yet to get round 
to 
installing.  (That's how I know something about 4QD support.  They 
answered 
my questions and didn't go under the assumption that if I took the 
controller apart I'd probably hurt myself AND the controller.)

But that's me.  Some of my priorities are a little ... different.  ;-) If 
price is your primary consideration, and you don't mind doing some 
hardware 
hacking, you probably want a Curtis.

If you have relatively little electronics background (meaning less than 
mine, which is: I can follow a schematic and assemble fairly simple stuff, 
and sometimes it even works ;-), the Alltrax is probably still your best 
bet.  It's about as close as you'll get to a drop-in installation, and 
most 
of the challenges are mechanical ones.


David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA

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