1 SETUP/LEARN MODE: SET-UP FOR AP300/AP500/AP550 BASE UNITS

The set up and learn modes allow the user to adjust the major cruise control parameters so that the cruise control operation is optimised for each vehicle installation. The 3 basic modes tell the cruise control Electronic Module the pulse rate of the distance and speed sensor (PPM value, the throttle linkage free play (INIT count) and overall systems sensitivity (GAIN factor).

The adjustment procedure for these 3 basic parameters is straightforward and can be accomplished while driving the vehicle. This allows the user to fine tune the parameters under actual driving conditions for accurate settings. These settings can be accomplished without removing the Electronic Module from its mounting location to access special adjustment switches.

The adjustments are made electronically and the results of the settings are stored inside the Electronics Module.

1.1 SET-UP Mode Entry

To enter the SET-UP mode, turn the vehicle ignition switch OFF, then ON again. Within one minute, press and hold the BRAKE pedal while pressing the FIX/SET key 4 times in quick succession. The Electronic module will respond with 4 Hi Tone beeps. You must enter the SET-UP mode first before selecting one of the following adjustment modes.

1.2 Auto PPM and INIT Adjustment Mode

The AUTO PPM adjustment mode allows a single step mode to FIX/SET the PPM, INIT and GAIN settings to simplify the initial adjustment procedure. This procedure may be followed by any of the manual adjustment modes at a later date to fine-tune the parameter settings.

To enter the AUTO PPM adjustment mode from any SETUP mode, press and hold the BRAKE pedal and press the RES/MEM key once. The Electronic Module will respond with one LO Tone beep for each press of the RES/MEM key. Release the BRAKE pedal and the Electronic Module will respond with 1 Hi tone beep confirming the AUTO PPM setting mode. If you hear the incorrect number of Hi tone beeps, repeat the BRAKE pedal and RES/MEM key sequence.

Drive the car at a speed of 45 mph. Press the FIX/SET key for DISTANCE (blue wire) sensor speed regulation or press the RES/MEM key for TACH (yellow wire) sensor speed regulation.

The cruise control will engage and immediately go to the manual INIT adjustment mode as described in section 1.4 below. Press and hold the FIX/SET key to increase the INIT response by on count per Electronic Module beep. Press and hold the RES/MEM key to decrease the INIT response by one count per Electronic Module beep. To confirm the correct INIT response, press the BRAKE pedal to save the PPM, INIT and GAIN settings and exit the SETUP mode by pressing the BRAKE pedal while pressing the FIX/SET key 4 times. No further adjustments should be required.

1.3 Manual PPM Adjustment MODE

To enter the manual PPM setting mode from any SET-UP mode, press and hold the BRAKE pedal while pressing the RES/MEM key 2 times in quick succession. The Electronic Module will respond with one LO Tone beep for each press of the RES/MEM key. Release the BRAKE pedal and the Electronic Module will respond with 2 Hi Tone beeps confirming the manual PPM setting mode. If you hear the incorrect number of Hi tone beeps. Repeat the BRAKE pedal and RES/MEM key sequence.

To set the PPM in this mode, drive the car at the minimum (22-25 mph), engage speed and press the FIX/SET key for DISTANCE (blue wire) sensor speed regulation or press the RES/MEM key for TACH (yellow wire) sensor speed regulation. Changing the PPM setting will overwrite any previous INIT setting with the factory default values but will leave the GAIN setting unchanged. (Note: an alternative to manual PPM, INIT and GAIN setting can be accomplished with the AUTO PPM and INIT setting mode described in 1.2).

1.4 Manual INIT Adjustment Mode

To enter the manual INIT setting mode from any SET-UP mode, press and hold the BRAKE pedal while pressing the RES/MEM key 3 times in quick succession. The Electronic Module will respond with one LO Tone beep for each press of the RES/MEM key. Release the BRAKE pedal and the Electronic Module will respond with 3 Hi Tone beeps confirming the manual INIT setting mode. If you hear the incorrect number of Hi tone beeps, repeat the BRAKE pedal and RES/MEM key sequence.

To set INIT in this mode, drive the car at a convenient control speed and press and hold the FIX/SET key until the cruise control throttle servo pulls the throttle pedal away from your foot. Disengage the cruise control with the BRAKE pedal and press the FIX/SET button again. The cruise control should take over with minimum drop or overshoot. Press and hold the FIX/SET key to increase the INIT amount by one count for each Electronic Module beep or press and hold the RES/MEM key to decrease the INIT amount by one count or each Electronic Module beep.

Note: The normal TAP UP and TAP DOWN functions of the FIX/SET and RES/MEM key are disabled in this mode to allow these keys to be used as adjustment inputs.

Press the BRAKE pedal to disengage the cruise control and store the current INIT parameter inside the Electronic Module. When the INIT parameter is changed, the Electronic Module will calculate the most likely GAIN parameter for the cruise control module and change the value stored inside the Electronic Module. For most installations, no further adjustment is necessary. It is suggested that you exit the SET-UP mode and test the cruise control operation again (See Section 1.6). If GAIN adjustment is necessary, perform steps 1.1 and 1.5 to adjust the cruise control system GAIN.

1.5 Manual GAIN Adjustment Mode

Low system gain is distinguished by sluggish throttle response when travelling up or down a hill. The result is excessive speed loss when climbing a hill or cresting the top. High system gain is distinguished by overactive adjustments and continuous surging. Normally the default gain calculated, after the INIT adjustment is made, will produce satisfactory cruise control performance. If adjustment is required, follow the procedure below.

To enter the manual GAIN setting mode from any SET-UP mode, press and hold the BRAKE pedal while pressing the RES/MEM key 4 times in quick succession. The Electronic Module will respond with one LO tone beep for each press of the RES/MEM key. Release the BRAKE pedal and Electronic Module will respond with 4 Hi Tone beeps confirming the manual GAIN setting mode. If you hear the incorrect number of HI tone beeps, press the BRAKE pedal and RES/MEM key sequence.

To set the system GAIN in this mode, drive the car on a typical road at the most likely cruise control speed and press the FIX/SET key to engage the cruise control. Press the FIX/SET key gain while engaged to increase the system GAIN by one count for each beep from the Electronic module. Press the RES/MEM key while engaged to decrease the system GAIN by one count for each beep from the Electronic Module. A very sensitive test for cruise control GAIN setting is to test the cruise control at a convenient cruise control speed then disengage the cruise control with the brake pedal. Let the vehicle slow down 15-20 mph below the cruise speed and press the RES/MEM key to enable the resume function. Monitor the throttle response while the vehicle is accelerating back to the cruise speed.

Excessive throttle motion indicates the gain is too high. Excessive overshoot of the final FIX/SET speed indicates the gain is too low. When the cruise control's response has been adjusted to a satisfactory level, press the brake pedal to save the GAIN settings. The electronic module will respond with 2 beeps to confirm the saved settings. Exit the SET-UP mode as described in section 1.6.

1.6 Exit SET-UP mode.

To exit the SET-UP mode, press and hold the BRAKE pedal while pressing the FIX/SET key 4 times. The Electronic Module will respond with one long Hi Tone beep to confirm the SET-UP mode has been terminated.

Keyboard Initialization Mode Operation

The keyboard initialisation mode is only required if you change the command module keyboard from the factory supplied unit or wish to restore the factory default values for the default ACCEL/FIX or DECEL/FIX constants.

Press the FIX/SET button on the command module to instruct the cruise control to operate in the ACCEL/FIX mode. The Electronic module will respond with 2 hi tone beeps and exit the Keyboard initialisation mode.

Press the RES/MEM button on the command module to instruct the cruise control to operate in the DECEL/FIX mode. The Electronic module will respond with 2 low tone beeps and exit the Keyboard Initialization mode.

2 ROAD TEST

Start your vehicle and turn the cruise control on using the command module ON/OFF button.

While driving at around 25 mph press and release the SET/ACC button and you should feel the cruise control take over. The lowest speed that your cruise control will operate is the minimum engage speed, this should be around 25 mph. The cruise control should now engage smoothly and maintain a stable vehicle speed.

Sensitivity adjustments

If the cruise control does not engage smoothly or if the cruise control gains or loses speed while cruising, you can make adjustments to the sensitivity settings of the cruise control, if the cruise control engages too quickly, you can decrease the INIT count. If the cruise control engages too slowly, you can increase the INIT count. When the cruise control is engaged and gains speed, acts erratically or seems too responsive, you can decrease the GAIN factor. If the cruise control loses speed or seems to be sluggish in response, you can increase the GAIN factor.

All the sensitivity settings can be adjusted in SET-UP MODE, please refer to the flowchart (fig. 1.1 - Low resolution flowchart pdf or High resolution flowchart pdf).

This section of the manual includes a list of potential problems and a list of recommended checks to perform to solve these problems.

The LED on the electronic module does not light when the command module buttons are pressed.

Check the 8-pin command module connector from the electronic module and make certain that it is connected correctly to the command module. Check the colour code on the command module and make certain that you have inserted the terminals into the command module correctly. If these are inserted correctly then check the main electronic module power supply and earth connection. The Orange wire should have the battery voltage (+12V) when the ignition is switched on and the Green wire should have earth at all times.

The LED on the electronic module does not light when the brake is pressed.

Check that the LED on the electronic module lights up when the command module buttons are pressed. If not, check the main electronic module power supply and earth connection. The Orange wire should have the battery voltage (+12V) when the ignition is switched on and the Green wire should have earth at all times.

Use a Voltmeter to check the connections to the brake switch. One Brown wire from the electronic module should be connected to a brake light switch wire, which is either permanent feed, or an ignition switched feed. The other Brown wire should be connected between the brake light bulb and the brake light switch. You will therefore read earth through the brake light bulb when the brake pedal is not pressed and the battery voltage (+12V) when the brake pedal is pressed. The two Brown wires are interchangeable. Some brake light circuits will have an ignition switched feed, so test the wires with the ignition switch in the ON position. For safety purposes, the cruise control will not work if you have a problem with the vehicle's original brake light circuit. Therefore, test the brake lights and make certain they are operating correctly.

The LED does not flash with a TACH signal input

Incorrect TACH signal. Check the signal using either a voltmeter or an oscilloscope. Make certain that the peak voltage of the signal is between the limits of 6v to 25v and in the frequency range of 6Hz-488Hz.

Once you have checked that the TACH signal is correct, test the signal again at the cruise control electronic module. Place the Red voltmeter lead or oscilloscope lead on the Yellow wire of the electronic module connector and the other lead to earth. Make certain you have the same signal at the electronic module. If not, check over your connections and check if the Yellow wire is damaged or broken.

Incorrect PPM SET-UP Setting. If speed sensing is selected, then the cruise control will not work from a TACH input signal, set the PPM set up again and make certain the PPM set up mode is in the RPM signal setting.
The LED does not flash with a speed signal input

Incorrect speed signal. Check the speed signal using either a voltmeter or oscilloscope. Make certain that the peak voltage of the signal is between the limits of 1.5 to 24v and is in the frequency range 6 Hz - 8.5 KHz.

Once you have checked that the Speed signal is correct, test the signal again at the cruise control electronic module. Place the Red voltmeter lead or the oscilloscope lead on the Blue wire of the electronic module connector and other lead to earth. Make certain you have the same signal at the electronic module. If not, check over your connections and check if the blue wire is damaged or broken.

Incorrect PPM SET-UP setting. If speed sensing is selected, then the cruise control will not work from a SPEED input signal, set the PPM set up again , and make certain that the PPM set up mode is in the SPEED signal setting.

The Actuator does not pull the throttle in diagnostic mode

Perform all other diagnostic mode tests to check that the problem is not either power supply or command module related. Turn off the ignition and exit diagnostic mode. Leave the ignition off for a few seconds and then press and hold the SET/ACC button while you turn on the ignition to re-enter diagnostic mode. Repeat the test and verify whether the actuator is still not working. Check the actuator connectors to make certain the terminals have been inserted into the connector with the same wire colours. Check the vacuum source to ensure that it is suitable. Remove the chosen hose with the engine running. Check the vacuum pressure at different engine RPM by placing your thumb over the end of the hose. Release the hose and the idle speed of the engine should fall and either should stall the engine or bring the engine to a near stall situation. Press the SET/ACC key on the command module and listen to the actuator. You should hear the valves in the actuator clicking as the button is pressed.

The cruise control does not function smoothly and tends to surge or hunt for the correct SET speed. If the cruise control gains speed, acts erratically, or seems too responsive, then DECREASE the sensitivity by resetting the GAIN sensitivity set-up mode. If the cruise control loses speed or seems to be sluggish in responding, then INCREASE the sensitivity by resetting the GAIN sensitivity set-up mode.

There are two steps to the diagnostic mode:

Diagnostic Mode A (Static) - Tests the electronics and valve operation with the engine off

Ensure that the ignition and cruise control are both switched off. Press and hold the FIX/SET button, then turn the ignition on but do not start the engine. Wait for the computer to beep, then release the FIX/SET button and press the ON/OFF button, the green LED should light. You are now in diagnostics mode.
When you now press and hold the FIX/SET button, you should hear the valves on the actuator clicking on the 'in' valve, the green LED changes to red and the computer will beep while the button is pressed. Press and hold the RES/MEM/Km- button, you will hear the valves on the actuator clicking on the 'out' valve, a red light will appear and the computer will beep. With the AP500 (Electric servo), the cable will actually be pulled in and out in the corresponding direction. Press the brake and clutch pedal (if a clutch switch has been wired) in turn to disengage the cruise control and to test the circuit, the computer will beep again when the pedal is pressed.

Mode A is a good test for all your wiring and connection integrity, plus all the hardware elements of the kit.

Diagnostic Mode B (Dynamic) - Tests the vacuum, cable movement and valve operation with the engine running

Ensure that the ignition and cruise control are both switched off. Press and hold the FIX/SET button, then turn the ignition and start the engine. Wait for the computer to beep, then release the FIX/SET button and press the ON/OFF button, the green LED should light. You are now in diagnostics mode.
Press and hold the FIX/SET button, the cruise will now start to pull the cable in slowly, the green LED changes to red and the computer will beep. The cruise will take a few seconds to take out the slack in the system before the engine revs start to increase. Increase the engine revs to a fast tick over (1.5-2000 RPM) and allow the engine to maintain this rev to see if the cruise will maintain this position. Press the RES/MEM/Km- button, you will hear the engine speed decrease, the computer will beep. Depress the brake or clutch pedal to disengage the cruise control, the computer will beep again.

While performing these tests, you should be looking for any sign of cables sticking, loose hoses or anything that the mechanism could catch on. Also, if any of the buttons or pedals does not give a corresponding beep from the computer, this is a sign of a fault and should be checked out. When operating the unit in diagnostic mode, on pressing any button or pedal, you should get a beep. If there is no beep or you are getting an eight second beep, with brake or clutch, there is a fault which needs investigating.

If both these tests are performed and everything checks out okay and the cruise will not hold speed, the speed pulse signal (or lack of) is the most likely cause. Also check brake lights.

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