nextGeneration - chargers/dischargers
and
LiPoCard2 - charger

September 2007:
Some improvements in the software were programmed to increase reliability of the devices also regarding overload situations.
In addition there is an extension of functionality (single cell voltage display) on the NEXT generation series.
Please check frequently for new firmware updates on (Section Download: C 3).

alpha-receiver series with software version 1 or 2

July 2005:
Problems in combination with MPX car transmitters (with pistol grip and steeing wheel)

The problem occurs in the past only with transmitters with a high repetition pulse rate and less than 5 channels.
In practice it concerns only car- and boat modellers which are using the 40 MHz band.
Instead of arming the receiver the error-LED shows "transmit frequency not within +- 1.5 kHz of the nominal frequency" (had flashed about 2 times per second continously.
If you own the prog-adapt-uni cable and the prog-adapt-alpha adaptor you can solve the problem by yourself by an update of the newest firmware (from the download section of our homepage).

Problems especially with the 5th output of the alpha-5.xx with some servos or gyros

Interchange recognition for channel 4 <--> channel 5 may work faulty - sometimes the channels changed when you connnected some special types of servos (or the fifth channel was switched off when the connected servo was detected as a jumper).
Similar effects are also known when you connected digital servos and/or gyros which are sending pulses to the receiver and/or to a programming/configuration tool.

We improved the firmware and published it on the download section of our homepage.
If you own the necessary programming adaptors you can update the alpha firmware by yourself.

isl 6-Series with software version 8

July 2003:
Software version 8.00 through 8.04 change for free to --> V8.05 or higher <--

Improvement To Charge Rates and Charge Time Limits of the Schulze isl6-330 Chargers

Following the release of software upgrade version 8 (V8.00 - 8.04) for the isl6 charger series earlier this year, we have continued to learn about Lithium Ion (LiIo) and Lithium Polymer (LiPo) cells and their behavior in charge- and discharge cycles. With this very new technology, we expect that this learning curve will continue for all of us modelers and manufacturers for quite a while.

In applying this freshly gained information to our charger algorithms (and our clients), we have found that some LiPo packs react adversely when the charge limits are selected improperly, in fact, overcharge may occur in this case.

For this reason we decided to check, enhance and improve our charge/discharge programs for lead acid and lithium batteries for safer operation.

1st We did not incorporate an automatic cell count detection in our Lead-Acid and Lithium charge-/discharge programs. The cell count has to be selected manually. YOU only know exactly how many cells are connected in series in your pack. This can definitely lead to a safety problem if YOU select the wrong cell count (e. g. 5 cells at a 4 cell pack). However...
from Version 8.05 upward an automatic cell count detection supervises your manually selected cell count.
Nevertheless this means that you have to select the cell count carefully. There is the possibility that the isl 6 will detect an incorrect cell count and give you a warning.
Depending on the different charge level of the cells the voltage level of a pack with discharged cells might be identical to a pack with fully charged cells and a lower number of cells.
In this case the automatic cell count detection can not always find the right cell count.
Sometimes NO error/warning message occurs, sometimes the isl 6 only gives a warning (on the display ans with the buzzer) but does not switch off.
In this case you have to check the cell count immediately.
Only if the cell count selected is wrong the whole charger (i. e. output 2 also) will be switched off with an error message on the display and the buzzer activated.
Hint: This feature is only available for battery 1 output .

2nd We have found that there is a problem in the lead acid and lithium programs when the charge quantity limit is set improperly. The isl 6 does NOT COMPLETELY cut off the charge current when the limit is reached and neither the quantity limit message nor the buzzer signalled this.
With "normal" pack charge settings this condition can not occur (this means that the charge limit has to be set to a value the pack never can reach).

This problem occurs in the software versions 8.00 through 8.04 in lead and lithium programs and is solved from version 8.05 upward.
All users of an isl 6 charger with software versions 8.00-8.04 should absolutely set the charge quantity limit to "99999" when charging lead-acid or lithium batteries - i.e. simply disable this limit.
(This problem does not occur in Ni-Cd and Ni-MH programs).

In order to maintain our excellence in product quality and customer support, we hereby offer to effect a change to your charger which will prevent this possible overcharge condition.
Since we feel that reliability and safety are concern number one in this hobby, we will make this softwareupgrade from versions 8.00-8.04 to the newest version at no cost to you, the modeler.

Please call your importer in non european countries how to schedule this free upgrade.

In germany you need to follow one of the three instructions outlined below
if one of the following software versions is mounted V8.00, 8.01, 8.02, 8.03, 8.04 :

1st Send your charger to us/your importer and we/he will install the new eprom and return it to you at no charge to you and we even pay for the return shipping.

2nd For those capable of opening the charger case and removing the eprom themselves, you can send just the eprom to us/your importer for an exchange of eproms to the new version. Again, we pay for the return shipping.

3rd Call us/your importer and we/he will get the necessary information from you
a) complete address,
b) complete type of charger (e.g. isl 6-330d, isl 6-636+)
c) language of the program
and we will get an eprom in the mail to you immediately. You will be invoiced on a 10 day invoice. When you receive the eprom in the mail, you install it yourself and return to us the version 8.00-8.04 eprom in the supplied pre-paid padded envelope. When we receive your returned eprom, we will issue a credit memo that cancels out the 10 day invoice.

The new eproms offer more precise monitoring of your battery under charge making the worlds best charger even better!

Note: The Schulze factory will be closed for summer holidays the first three weeks in august.
In the meantime make sure that you
a) select the correct cell count when setting up the charger, and
b) select charge quantity limit as "99999".

best regards
matthias schulze

future-series

June 2002:
future-universal series in helicopters
Several users of our new future-u Controllers have reported unexpected motor stoppage anywhere from 30 seconds to ‘several flights’ after start-up.

Following this encounter, motor start with throttle stick in 'stop' (motor off) position does not function anymore. Even after disconnecting and re-connecting the battery, the normal power-on melody is played, but the 'armed' beeps are not experienced.

We have analyzed this behavior and found that all major future-u ESC controller functions are still operating, only it has ceased to recognize the input pulse it gets from the receiver’s throttle channel. All returned ESC’s were found to have a defective input transistor; this transistor receives the throttle pulses from the receiver and drives the ESC’s internal opto coupler.

Customer contacts indicate that all failures were encountered in helicopters, not in electric planes.

This helped us find the problem: it appears that the cause is static build-up from the tail rotor drive belt. This charge can create such high voltages that the input transistor can be damaged. Interestingly, I remember having seen earlier reports on E-Zone which have also indicated radio and gyro problems as a result of static build-up from the drive belt.

The first solution is, of course, to fix the source of the static build-up: spray the belt with a graphite spray such as 'Graphit 33' (Kontakt Chemie, CRC Industries Deutschland GmbH Iffezheim). This forms a thin, electrically conductive film on the belt, which prevents the build up of high static voltages. We have found that this spraying activity should be repeated every hour or so of flying. The nice side effect is that this conductive film also reduces the problems people have encountered with their receivers and gyros, so it is a good idea all-around. We have found this conductive film spray to be much more effective than the application of metal gears, contact springs, belts with embedded metal particles etc. to discharge the belt electric charge.

Secondly, we are redesigning the input stage of the future-u so that it will withstand higher static charges at its input (production date 07.02 and higher) - but, we do strongly suggest that you follow our advice of using the graphite spray on the belt - it will improve operation of all your on-board electronics.

Please mount all cables carefully by following rules:
1 Be sure that all cables are not in range of the belt (3 cm and more).
2 Be sure that all cables are fixed outside of the chassis...
3 ... and all cables should also not be located near the tailboom.
4 Spray the belt with 'Graphit 33'
Below there are some mounting recommendations - a click on the picture enlarges the size.

From the left to the right: 2 times Logo10 with BEC-System, then Logo10 with opto-coupler+receiver battery

December 2000:
The first shipment of future controllers has been delivered, and we have already received many positive reports about their compact design and excellent performance.

However, some users have had problems with motors failing to start.

We have tested a large number of different motors produced by various manufacturers, and our findings are as follows:
whenever a problem arises with a motor failing to start, the cause is always either a nearly flat drive battery, a battery with too few cells (cell count below the range stated by the motor manufacturer), or too large a propeller.
In short: if your motor fails to start, this always indicates an unsatisfactory or unreliable system combination.
To avoid a large number of complaints from users, we have now included a little more intelligence in version 3 of the future-bo's software:
The motor is now analysed during the initial start-up when a new battery pack is connected. This avoids all these problems, at least in the case of minor mis-matches, e.g. a 30-cell motor will now run on 6 cells.
This also makes it straightforward to use a large-diameter direct-drive propeller (e.g. 25/15 cm = 10/6") on a motor designed primarily for ducted fan use (e.g. 90 mm /3.54" impellers). However, this does not make such a combination a sensible proposition, as it will undoubtedly cause the motor to draw a current far in excess of its maximum permissible load (e.g. 50 A from a motor rated at 35 A), and this is very likely to cause damage to the motor.
For this reason we strongly recommend that you use a clamp ammeter to measure the load current at full throttle, to ensure that the motor is running within the permissible range specified by the manufacturer.

The poor start-up characteristics described above have brought to our notice a problem with a particular Plettenberg motor, which is either a labelling error or the incorrect use of an "S" rotor for increased rotational speed (i.e. lower torque) in a motor which is actually intended for direct drive. The motor concerned bears the label HP 220/30/A5-P4, but in reality it is an HP 220/30/A5-P4 S, whose data have not yet been printed in the Plettenberg catalogue. This applies to motors delivered up to this time (15.10.1999). Naturally the Bergemann company will replace the rotor in your motor if it proves to be unsuitable for your application.

slim-series

May 1999:
We regret that a micro-processor programming error has slipped into the slim series before/until 1999.
Controllers featuring a software version lower than V9 (slim-08) and lower than V40 (other slims) contain an error which shows up as follows:
If you operate the controller at half-throttle for a protracted period, the micro-processor erroneously detects a 'low voltage'condition, and switches the motor off.
As this error is only evident when the tolerances of the controllers'components are unfavourable and when certain transmitters and receiving systems are used, we did not discover the error in the laboratory.

We regret this error, and are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
If you are a customer who has encountered this problem with your slim controller, we will naturally exchange the micro-processor in the unit at no charge.
The software version in your controller is inscribed on the processor of the slim-08, and on the type placard next to the date on other models of the slim.

Relatively old Robbe and Futaba receivers are particularly prone to problems with receiver signal detection, as these receivers feature a very high-resistance signal stage, and the signals are only about 3.3 Volts in magnitude.
In rare cases this can cause the controller to fail to detect the receiver signal. This only occurs when the micro-processor's switching threshold is higher than the usual 2.5 V.
Naturally we are also prepared to help you in this instance, provided that the cause is beyond doubt. It is very helpful if you can send us your receiver for checking, so that we can measure the signals.

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