KAVAN GRT-10 Brushed - Instruction manual

Introduction

Thank you for your purchase of this KAVAN Europe s.r.o. product. You should enjoy many hours of fun and excitement from this advanced R/C model. Please read all instructions and familiarize yourself with the systems and controls of this model before running. If you have any technical questions please contact our product specialists on info@kavanrc.com.

Have fun and enjoy the exciting world of radio control cars!

KAV06.GRT10LB KAVAN GRT-10 Lightning - blue   |   KAV06.GRT10LR KAVAN GRT-10 Lightning - red

KAV06.GRT10TB KAVAN GRT-10 Thunder- blue   |   KAV06.GRT10TR KAVAN GRT-10 Thunder - red

Safety precautions

Please read all instructions thoroughly before operation including the radio and ESC manual.

1. This product is not a toy. It is a high performance model product. It is im portant to familiarize yourself with the model, its manual, and its construc tion before assembly or operation.
2. Always keep this instruction manual ready at hand for your assembling and operating reference, even after completing the assembly.
3. Do not operate model products in rain, on public roads, near crowds, near airport, or near areas with restricted radio operation.
4. This product, its parts, and its construction tools can cause damage to yours or others health and/or property if not used properly. Always exer cise extreme caution when assembling and/or operating this product. Do not touch any part of model that rotates.
5. Always check your radio for proper operation before operating a model.
6. Use an adequate charger for the batteries and follow the instruction co rrectly.
7. Right after use, do not touch motor, ESC and battery on the model because they may be hot!
8. Do not stall the motor. The ESC may fail if power is applied to the motor when car cannot move freely.
9. By the act of assembling or operating this product, the user accepts all resulting liability. If the buyer is not prepared to accept this liability, then he/she should return this product in new, unassembled, and unused con dition to the place of purchase.

Warning: To avoid a possible fire hazard or ruining your battery, ALWAYS unplug the battery after use. Do NOT leave your vehicle unattended with the battery plugged in.

Specifications

	Lightning Truggy	Thunder Truck
Length (mm)	412	425
Width (mm)	312	316
Height (mm)	162	190
Wheelbase (mm)	296	296
Drive System	4WD	4WD
Wheel Diameter (mm)	104	110
Wheel Width (mm)	52	56
Motor	RC 550	RC 550
ESC	GRT-10 Brushed 40A	GRT-10 Brushed 40A
Battery	*7.2 V 2000–5000 mAh NiMH	*7.2 V 2000–5000 mAh NiMH

(* Not included in the RTR set)

Charging the battery pack

You will need 7.2 V NiMH 2000-5000 mAh battery pack or 7.4 V 2S LiPo 2000- 5000 mAh battery pack (a hard-case pack preferred) with Dean-T® connector. You will need an appropriate charger to for NiMH or LiPo batteries as well. Suitable batteries and chargers can be found on www.kavanrc.com Whatever battery and charger you are going to use, always follow the instruction manuals closely observing all safety notes given in there. Ignoring the proper usage routine may cause incidents leading to serious property damage and/or personal injure.

Safety notes on battery handling

• Do not leave the battery and charger unattended.
• Touch the battery pack periodically during the charging process. Unplug the battery immediately if it becomes hot and/or “inflates” in the case of LiPo batteries.
• In the charging process, keep your charger and your battery in a cool and shady place, away from any possible source of fire or flammable materials. Do not cover the charger or the battery with clothes or similar: the ventilation is crucial for the necessary cooling of the device.
• Children may not use the charger without constant adult supervision.
• Do not use the charger if the wire is frayed or worn. Otherwise a short circuit can cause a fire or burns.

Preparing the transmitter and reciever

Specification

	Transmitter	Receiver
Antenna	Built-in	Built-in
Frequency Range	2,400–2,4835 GHz
RF Output Power	<20 dBm	–
Max. Range	300 m
Input Voltage	4x 1.5V AA battery	4.8-6.0 V
Low Voltage Warning	<4.2 V	–

Loading the transmitter batteries

1. Open the battery compartment cover.
2. Insert 4 fully charged AA batteries into the compartment. Make sure that the cells are inserted with the correct polarity (as marked on the bottom); batteries make good contact with the terminals of the battery compartment.
3. Replace battery compartment cover.

Low battery alarm:

When the transmitter battery voltage is lower than 4.2 V, the G.LED on the panel will flash slowly. Stop the running; replace the batteries for fresh ones.

Power on

Follow the steps below to turn on the transmitter:

1. Check to make sure that that battery is fully charged and installed correctly.
2. Toggle the switch to the [ON] position. When active the red R.LED will be lit.
3. Power on the receiver.

Caution: For safety always power on the transmitter before the receiver.

Binding the transmitter and receiver

The transmitter and receiver have already been bound at the factory. However if the receiver needs to be replaced or additional receivers bound follow these steps:

1. Turn on the transmitter while holding the bind button to enter bind mode. Red G.LED will start flashing quickly. Once in bind mode release the bind button.
2. Turn on your receiver (turn on the ESC switch); the receiver will enter bind mode automatically when powered on.
3. Once binding is successful the receiver‘s LED will flash slowly
4. Turn off the receiver and then your transmitter.
5. Turn on your transmitter and then the receiver - and the receiver LED will glow red solid.

Note: If the receiver red LED blinks quickly, the binding has not been successful. Repeat the above described steps once more.

Channel description

The transmitter outputs a total of 4 channels, which are allocated as follows:

• CH1: Steering Wheel – Connect the steering servo.
• CH2: Throttle Trigger – Connect the ESC (Electronic Speed Controller).
• CH3: Three-position Switch – Unused with GRT-10
• CH4: Button – Unused with GRT-10

Channel reverse switches (ST.REV, TH.REV)

This function is used to adjust each channels direction of movement in relation to its input.
The ST.REV / TH.REV switches are the reverse switches for CH1 and CH2.

Note: The default setting for GRT-10: both ST.REV and TH.REV down.

Steering and throttle trims

The trims serve for fine adjustment of the neutral (centre) positions of steering and throttle channels. One push of (+) or (-) button shifts the neutral position by one step to one or the other side. The push of a button is also signalled by a flash of the green G.LED: one flash means one step, dual flash means the centre (zero) position of the trim. If there is no G.LED flash accompanying the button push, you have reached the end point of the trim range in the given direction.

Note: Normally, the throttle trim TH.TRIM should be left in the centre position. Only if your car moves forward or backward although the throttle trigger is in the neutral, push the TH.TRIM- or TH.TRIM+ until it stops.

Steering dual rate ST.D/R

ST.D/R is for a quick steering servo travel adjustment; adjustment range: 0-120% (step 5%). One push of ST.D/R- button decreases servo travel by one step, ST.D/R+ increases servo travel (the push of a button is also signalled by a flash of the green G.LED). If there is no G.LED flash accompanying the button push, you have reached the end point of the steering range in the given direction.

Note: 0% D/R value means the steering servo does not move at all.

Fail-safe

This function dictates what the receiver will do in the event that it loses signal from the transmitter (the receiver LED starts blinking); it presets the emergency servo/ESC position. For electric cars we strongly recommend setting the fail-safe for both steering and throttle to neutral (you car will stop once the signal is lost). For nitro cars the throttle fail-safe should make the brake engage. Function Setting:

1. Turn on the transmitter and make sure it is connected to the receiver.
2. Hold the steering wheel and throttle trigger at the desired fail-safe position.
3. Press and hold the BIND button for 3 seconds; the G.LED starts to flash for 2 seconds, indicating that the settings are successful.

Note: The fail-safe function has not been set at the factory by default – you should set it accordingly during the initial set-up of your model. If no failsafe setting has been set, then the receiver will maintain the output of the last signal when the signal is lost.

Note: Binding erases the previously set fail-safe stored in the receiver - you have to set the fail-safe again.

Beginner mode

Beginner mode is designed for the people who are new to the hobby. In this mode the throttle has been limited to 50 percent.

Function setting:

To switch between beginner and normal modes, press and hold the CH4 button while turning the steering wheel completely counter clockwise as far as it can, and at the same time, power on the transmitter.

Note: By default, the system is set to normal mode. If the system has set to beginner mode, the G.LED will be in a state of two-time flashing and on off, and keep the state for 3 seconds during power on.

Preparing your car for the first run

Turning on the power

Remember: ALWAYS turn on the transmitter first and only then the receiver.

1. Turn on transmitter first. Set both the steering and throttle trims to the centre (double blink); set the steering dual rates to max. (keep pushing the ST.D/R+ button until the G-LED stop blinking).
2. Depending on the power pack you are using (NiMH or LiPo) set this type on the ESC; check the running mode is set to Forward/Brake/Reverse (refer to the ESC manual in the appendix).
3. Connect the power pack to the speed controller in your car. Turn on the ESC switch. The receiver LED indicator should glow continuously red. If the receiver LED is flashing or does not light at all, the transmitter and receiver have not been paired. Refer to the „Binding the Transmitter and Receiver“ section.
4. The ESC gives the ready signal (refer to the „ESC Throttle Range Calibration“ section). The car is ready for the first test.

Transmitter control check and trim setup

1. Turn the steering wheel to the left (counter clockwise); the front wheels of your car have to turn left. If the wheels turn right, flip the ST.REV reverse switch on the transmitter.
2. With the steering wheel and trim in the centre the front wheels must point straight forward. If wheels point left, push the steering trim to the right. If wheels point right, push the steering trim to the left. (The front wheels actually have a slight toe-in or toe-out.)
3. Pull the throttle trigger slightly just to see the wheels turning – your car has to go forward. Push (twice) the throttle trigger forward – your car has to go back. With the throttle trigger and trim in the centre the wheels may not spin. If this is not the case, refer to the „ESC Throttle Range Calibration“ section.

Range check

The range check should be performed in the beginning of each riding session, after any RC equipment change, after a heavy crash or whenever you are in doubts on proper operation of your radio. Ask a friend to take your model to the most distant place of the race track you are going to ride on. The car has to respond without any delay to the control inputs, they may be no servo buzzing or jitter, no drop outs. Do no try to drive your car if the range test was not 100% successful.

Fail safe setup

The receiver has a built in failsafe. The failsafe will automatically go to a pre-set position if the receiver lose radio signal from the transmitter or suffer any interference. If properly set up, the fail safe cuts the throttle to neutral so the car won’t go away under such circumstances.

1. Turn on the transmitter and make sure it is connected to the receiver.
2. Hold the steering wheel and throttle trigger at the desired fail-safe position.
3. Press and hold the BIND button for 3 seconds; the G.LED starts to flash for 2 seconds, indicating that the settings are successful.
4. The fail-safe check: Move the throttle trigger elsewhere from the neutral and turn off your transmitter. The ESC has to cut the throttle and stop the motor.

Note: Any new binding will clear the previous fail-safe setting.

Turning off the power

ALWAYS turn off the receiver first and only then turn off your transmitter. If you switch off the transmitter first before the R/C car, you may lose control of the R/C car.

1. Turn off the ESC switch.
2. Disconnect the battery connector from the speed control connector.
3. Turn off the transmitter switch.

Warning: To avoid a possible fire hazard or ruining your battery, ALWAYS unplug the battery after use. Do NOT leave your vehicle unattended with the battery plugged in.

Driving

• Driving an R/C car may take some time to master but here are some basic tips on driving:
• Drive your car in a large space, especially until you get the feel of driving the vehicle.
• Do not run on public streets or roads. This could cause serious accidents, personal injuries and/or property damage.
• Do not run in water or sand.
• If you keep pulling the throttle trigger on the transmitter, the vehicle will keep accelerating and run very fast. It is difficult to steer the vehicle running at high speed – try to run slowly being gentle on the throttle until you become used to driving.
• When the vehicle is running toward you, you need to operate the steering wheel in the opposite direction – take your time to get used to it.
• Practice turning the vehicle, referring to the following:
• Rather than just paying attention to the direction of the steering wheel, imagine that you are at the centre of the steering wheel, looking ahead of the vehicle, to turn in the direction you like.
• Once you become comfortable driving the vehicle, practice driving on a track with cones.
• Keep practising until you feel comfortable with the steering and throttle at low speed.
• Once you are feeling comfortable try using reverse.
• When you have mastered the basics you will be able to drive at higher speed having your car under control all the time.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	What to do?
The vehicle does not move	Transmitter or receiver is off	Turn on both the transmitter and receiver
	Batteries are not placed correctly in the transmitter	Place batteries in the transmitter properly
	The power pack is not charged enough	Charge the power pack
The vehicle does not follow your driving inputs	Transmitter or receiver is off	Turn on both the transmitter and receiver
	Transmitter reverse switches are set incorrectly	Check the reverse switch settings
	Transmitter End Point Adjustment (EPA) dials and/or the steering Dual rates (D/R) are set incorrectly	Check the settings of EPA dials and/or D/R on your transmitter.
	Weak batteries in either the transmitter or the car	Replace batteries in the transmitter and recharge the power pack.
Motor and/or ESC overheats	Gear mesh is too tight	Let motor cool and reset gear mesh: use a strip of paper inserted between the pinnion and spur gear in order to get the correct setting.
	The gear ratio is too high	Let motor cool and check recommended gearing for your car, motor and battery.

Maintenance after driving

Proper maintenance is essential. Make sure to always perform appropriate maintenance after driving so that you can enjoy driving without problems next time.

1. Always disconnect the battery pack and turn off the radio system when the car is not in use.
2. Remove the sand, mud, dirt, and any other elements completely from the car before you store it.
3. Never use chemicals or any solvents to clean the chassis as it may cause damage to the electronics components and plastic parts as well. Use compressed air, soft paintbrush, or toothbrush to clean dust and dirt.
4. Inspect each part, screw and nut for loosening, missing or damage.
5. You should always make sure the wheels are tightly secured and all moving or rotating parts move freely after and before use.

Recycling and waste disposal note (European Union)

Electrical equipment marked with the crossed-out waste bin symbol must not be discarded in the domestic waste; it should be disposed off via the appropriate specialised disposal system. In the countries of the EU (European Union) electrical devices must not be discarded via the normal domestic waste system (WEEE - Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Directive 2012/19/EU). You can take your unwanted equipment to your nearest public collection point or recycling centre, where it will be disposed off in the proper manner at no charge to you. By disposing off your old equipment in a responsible manner you make an important contribution to the safeguarding of the environment!

EU declaration of conformity

Hereby, KAVAN Europe s.r.o. declares that the radio equipment type: GRT-10 series car with RC set and the accessories supplied with them is in compliance with Directive 2014/53/EU.
The full text of the EU declaration of conformity is available at the following internet address: www.kavanrc.com/doc/ This 2.4GHz radio equipment can be used without any prior registration or individual authorisation in the entire European Union, Switzerland and Norway.

Guarantee

The KAVAN Europe s.r.o. products are covered by a guarantee which fulfils the currently valid legal requirements in your country. If you wish to make a claim under guarantee, please contact the retailer from whom you first purchased the equipment. The guarantee does not cover faults which were caused in the following ways: crashes, improper use, incorrect connection, reversed polarity, maintenance work carried out late, incorrectly or not at all, or by unauthorised personnel, use of other than genuine KAVAN Europe s.r.o. accessories, modifications or repairs which were not carried out by KAVAN Europe s.r.o. or an authorised KAVAN Europe s.r.o., accidental or deliberate damage, defects caused by normal wear and tear, operation outside the Specification, or in conjunction with equipment made by other manufacturers. Please be sure to read the appropriate information sheets in the product documentation!

GRT-10 40A Brushed forward/reverse ESC

Introduction

Thanks for purchasing our electronic speed controller (ESC). The power system for RC model can be very dangerous, please read this manual carefully. In that we have no control over the correct use, installation, application, or maintenance of our products, no liability shall be assumed nor accepted for any damages, losses or costs resulting from the use of the product.

Features

1. Water-proof and dust-proof for all weather races.
2. Small size with built-in capacitor module.
3. Automatic throttle range calibration, easy to use.
4. Multiple protections: Low voltage cut-off protection for LiPo or NiMH battery / Over-heat protection / Throttle signal loss protection.
5. Easily programmed with the jumpers

Specifications

Forward Cont./Burst Current	40 A / 180 A
Backward Cont./Burst Current	20 A / 90 A
Input Voltage	2-3S LiPo, 5-9 cells NiMH/NiCd
Cars Applicable	1:10 on-road, off-road
Motor Limit (2S LiPo or 6 cells NiMH)	540 or 550 size motor ≥12T, RPM <30 000 at 7.2 V
Motor Limit (3S LiPo or 9 cells NiMH)	540 or 550 size motor ≥18T, RPM <20 000 at 7.2 V
Internal Resistance	Forward: 0.002 Ω, Backward: 0.004 Ω
Built-in BEC	5 V/2 A linear mode
PWM Frequency	1 kHz
Dimensions	46.5×34×28.5 mm
Weight	65 g

Turning on for the first time

1. Connect the ESC, motor, receiver, battery and servo according to the following diagram
   “+” and “-” wires of the ESC are connected to the battery pack.
   Warning: The incorrect polarity will damage the ESC immediately.

   The control cable of the ESC (trio wires with black, red and white colour) is connected to the throttle channel of the receiver (usually CH2). The “Motor +” and “Motor –” wires are connected to ESC

   without any order. If the motor runs in the opposite direction, please swap these two wire connections.
2. Set the Transmitter
   Please set the “D/R”, “EPA” and “ATL” to 100% for throttle channel (for transmitter without LCD, please turn the knobs to the maximum value), and set the “TRIM” of the throttle channel to 0 (for transmitter without LCD, please turn the TRIM knob to its neutral position). For Futaba® and similar transmitters, the direction of throttle channel shall be set to “REV”, while other radio systems shall be set to “NOR”. For the GRT-10 transmitter, set the “TH.REV” switch to the down position. The “Fail Safe” function of the radio system is strongly recommended to be activated. Please make sure that the motor can be stopped when the “Fail Safe” happens.
3. Throttle Range Setting (Throttle Range Calibration) In order to make the ESC match the throttle range of different transmitters, the calibration of the ESC is necessary.
   1. To calibrate the ESC, please turn on the transmitter, keep the throttle stick at its neutral position.
   2. Connect your power pack to the ESC, turn on the ESC switch.
   3. Wait for 3 seconds to let the ESC execute self-test and automatic throttle calibration. When the ESC is ready to run, a long beep sound is emitted from the motor.

Beep Sound	The Meaning
1 short Beep	The battery is NiMH/NiCd
2 short Beeps	The battery is 2S LiPo
3 short Beeps	The battery is 3S LiPo
1 long Beep	Self-test and throttle calibration is OK, the ESC is ready to run

LED Status
When the throttle stick is in neutral range, red LED is of
Forward, brake or reverse at partial throttle, red LED blinks
Forward, brake or reverse at full throttle, red LED is solid

Throttle trigger position

The “Forward/Reverse with Brake” mode uses “Double-Click” method to make the car go backward. When you move the throttle trigger from forward zone to backward zone for the first time, the ESC begins to brake the motor, the motor speeds down but it is still running, not completely stopped, so the backward action is NOT happened now. When the throttle trigger is moved to the backward zone again (The 2nd “click”), if the motor speed is slowed down to zero (i.e. stopped), the backward action will be occurred. The “Double-Click” method can prevent mistakenly reverse when the brake function is frequently used in steering.

Note: The max. power available for the reverse is 50% of the max. power for the forward running.

Set the ESC

The ESC is programmed by the jumpers (A pair of tweezers is recommended to plug and unplug the jumper). You can select the running mode of t your ESC - “Forward/Reverse with Brake” or “Forward/Brake”. You can also set the type of battery used - either LiPo or NiMH.

Note: Be sure the ESC is OFF before trying to change the settings.

Protection functions

1. Low voltage cut-off protection
   If the voltage of battery pack is lower than the threshold for 2 seconds, the ESC will enter the protection mode. When the car stops, the red LED blinks to indicate the low voltage cut-off protection has been activated.
   

   Input Voltage	2S LiPo	3S LiPo	5-9 cells NiMH
   Voltage Protection	Output reduces to 50% at 6.5V. Output cuts off at 6.0V, cannot be recovered	Output reduces to 50% at 9.75V. Output cuts off at 9.0V, cannot be recovered	Output reduces to 50% at 4.5V. Output cuts off at 4.0V, cannot be recovered

2. Over-heat protection
   When the internal temperature of the ESC is higher than a factory preset threshold for 5 seconds, the ESC will reduce and cut off the output power. When the car stops, the red LED blinks to indicate the over-heat protection has been activated. If the ESC cools down to 80 Celsius degree, the output power is recovered to normal state.
3. Throttle signal loss protection
   The ESC will cut off the output power if the throttle signal has been lost for 0.1 second. The “Fail Safe” function of the radio system is strongly recommended to be activated.

Trouble shooting

Trouble	Possible reason	Solution
After power on, motor can’t work, no sound is emitted, and LED is of	The ESC doesn’t get its working voltage; Connections between battery pack and ESC are broken.	Check the battery wires connection or replace the defective connectors.
	Switch is damaged.	Replace the switch.
After power on, motor can’t work; red LED blinks.	Throttle signal is abnormal.	Check the throttle wire connection; make sure it is plugged into the throttle channel of the receiver.
	Automatic throttle range calibration is failed.	Set the “TRIM” of throttle channel to 0 or turn the knob to its neutral position.
The car runs backward while giving throttle. (The motor runs in the opposite direction)	The wire connections between ESC and the motor need to be changed.	Swap two wire connections between the ESC and the motor.
The car can’t go backward.	The jumper position is wrong.	Check the jumper and plug it to the correct position.
	The neutral point of throttle channel is changed or drifted.	Set the “TRIM” of throttle channel to 0 or turn the knob to its neutral position.
The car can’t go forward, but can go backward.	The direction of throttle channel is not correct.	Reset the direction of throttle channel from original “NOR” to “REV”, or from original “REV” to “NOR”
The motor doesn’t work, but the LED in the ESC works normally.	The connections between motor and ESC are broken.	Check the connections and replace the defective connectors.
	Motor is damaged.	Replace the motor.
The motor suddenly stops running while in working state.	The throttle signal is lost.	Check the transmitter and the receiver. Check the throttle wire connection.
	Low voltage cut-off protection or Over-heat cut-off protection has been activated	Replace the battery pack, or cool down the ESC.
The car cannot get top speed and the red LED doesn’t solid on at full throttle	Some setting in the transmitter are incorrect.	Check the settings. Set D/R, EPA, ATL to 100% or turn the knobs to maximum value. Set TRIM to 0 or turn the knob to its neutral position.
Motor is cogging when accelerated quickly.	The battery has limited discharge ability	Use battery with better discharge ability.
	Motor RPM is too high; the gear ratio is too aggressive.	Use motor with lower RPM, or use smaller pinion to get softer gear ratio.
	Something wrong in the driving system of the car.	Check the driving system of the car.