How to: Ackmaniac ESC Tool

[Kingdom421]

the VESC great again…

They may be building a firewall!!! But who will pay for it?

[deucesdown]

I’m also in the 2.54 club, my default firmware. Thanks @mmaner for the write-up.

I am also on an older FW version, Is there any big new features in Ack’s FWs that would prompt me to update?

EXTENDED ACKMANIAC-ESC Tool based on VESC-Tool

Besides stuff already mentioned (max erpm for reverse, cruise control), the stuff that stands out to me (for bldc-tool based 2.54 vs esc-tool based):

• more careful remote failsafe behavior
• more config options for ramping (I think in PPM tab)
• throttle curves

Now if only we could get ackmaniac to update the android app to talk to Unity…

[Kingdom421]

Finally my remote is working the way it was described when I bought it from @longhairedboy website long before I ever even seen an esk8 forum.

[mmaner]

First you do completely wrong statements

Where? Point them out please.

VESC-Tool doesn’t even have PPM reverse yet, so an absence of ERPM limits for switching to reverse is purely logic and not a bug or safety issue

In fact, it DOES have PPM reverse. I’ve used it with a PPM remote on the latest VESC firmware. When you hit the break in current mode it reverses until you pass stop and then go backwards. Do you even know your own product?

[Briman]

Once again another awesome write up and walk-through tutorial by @mmaner the bearded angle who doesn’t ride a unicycle but he is drunk enough may be talked into riding a unicycle.

[mmaner]

doesn’t ride a unicycle but he is drunk enough may be talked into riding a unicycle.

Dude, that was supposed to be a secret!

[DAddYE]

After a recent discussion with Trampa, it appears that feature requests are equal to “You are all very good at complaining instead of actually be thankful “. With that being the case I figured I’d write a tutorial, or “How-To”, for the Ackmaniac ESC-Tool so you guys have options for a safe & reliable reverse and a wizard that give accurate values.

Can we remove such childish statements?
Ok, there isn’t a reverse rpm feature. I’ll bring it back but, dammit guys, Vedder provided us for free an amazing platform, everyone forked HIS project, and No one ever contributed back. Including Ack and Enertion.

[mmaner]

Can we remove such childish statements?

I don’t see it as childish, it’s motivation. It’s the reason I wrote the tutorial, it’s one of the reasons the forks exist in the 1st place.

everyone forked HIS project, and No one ever contributed back. Including Ack and Enertion.

That’s just misleading.

Why would Ack pay Trampa? He was fixing issues, that Ben didn’t care about, for the community. He wasn’t selling the result, it was and is free.

It’s my understanding that Enertion offered Ben and Trampa a flat fee per VESC sold and the offer was rejected. No negotiation, just “Nope”.

[Colip61]

Thanks for this awesome write up @mmaner. That will help me a lot setting up my board when it is ready. I educated myself about the VESC project and it looks like Ackmaniac firmware is the way to go. It looks like over 2700 downloads on the other forum looking at the link!! Also a big thank you to Ben starting the project.
Where do I get the VESC Tool @Trampa is talking about? It looks like you need to create an account on some website to download it, but that can not be true. Can some share a link?

[mmaner]

It looks like you need to create an account on some website to download it, but that can not be true.

It is, you have to create an account, then ‘purchase’ the VESC-Tool (for $0) then you will be emailed a link. It’s cumbersome, but I assume Trampa wanted to integrate the process into their existing shopping cart so they could track who has downloaded the software.

[DAddYE]

In the next few days I’ll try to update the FW and tool with latest changes. Reverse RPM is almost ready.

Watt mode (Current) will be next. Ps. I think you forgot to document that.

We’ll see if we need to maintain a different community supported vesc software but my hope is that with some flags we can keep both in the same repo.

[mmaner]

BTW, that’s the second time someone from Trampa has called me childish and made unproven accusations, just in this thread…professionalism

[DAddYE]

LoL. I’m a software engineer. I relate with Vedder, Niko etc… Never ever bought or owned something by TRAMPA.

[Skunk]

has called me childish

I mean you are a full grown man who builds skateboards and makes dick jokes online in your spare time.

[mmaner]

In the next few days I’ll try to update the FW and tool with latest changes. Reverse RPM is almost ready.

Glad to hear it, that will be great for the esk8 community.

Watt mode (Current) will be next. Ps. I think you forgot to document that.

I didn’t forget, I didn’t see it as needed. WATT/Current Mode info will likely be included in the EXTRAS: section at a later date.

The purpose of the tutorial was to walk people, step by step, into updating the Ack firmware and configuring their VESC’s so that they can have the features they want, not JUST the features that Trampa wants them to have. It is not an all-inclusive documentary, I was pretty clear on that. But good on you for trying to find ANYTHING you can that I did wrong…

[mmaner]

I mean you are a full grown man who builds skateboards and makes dick jokes online in your spare time.

OK, point taken .

[DAddYE]

BTW, I think you’re doing a very good work. I just don’t want like in the other forum flame wars. But, isn’t my forum so lol

[mmaner]

LoL. I’m a software engineer. I relate with Vedder, Niko etc… Never ever bought or owned something by TRAMPA.

My bad. My assumption that you code for a product Trampa owns the TM too and at the direction of Ben who is an employee of Trampa still seems pretty valid.

[Colip61]

@Trampa I was reading a lot of your comments when educating me on both forums about the VESC project. Do you came to a conclusion how much the VESC project is based on software and Bens work? Is it 90+%, 95%, 98%, 99% or 99.5%?

the guy who wrote 99% of the code your board runs on

Vesc tool BLE setup metr pro

The guy coding VESC-Tool is called Benjamin Vedder. He has written 98% of all code your skateboard runs on.

VESC based design means it runs the Vedder code, since 98% of the work is in Software and not in Hardware.

This way more and more hardware will get available in all sorts of different markets.
99% of the work is in the software.

The VESC project is 98% Software and safety relevant.

Without all the effort Vedder puts into coding, this community would be stuck to outdated Software and FW. 95% of the workload is in the code!

Please also note that 90+% of the work is in the software. VESC-Tool is a very advanced piece of code!

99.5% of the work is in the code, which is Open Source thx to Benjamins ethos to code sharing.

Vesc tool BLE setup metr pro https://www.electric-skateboard.builders/t/focbox-unity-enertions-responsibility-to-contribute-to-os/86263/21 https://www.electric-skateboard.builders/t/new-vesc-from-china-seems-like-not-only-maytech-is-making-vescs-now/5207/592 https://www.electric-skateboard.builders/t/street-carve-kaly-6374-190kv-mbs-110-ollin-vesc-12s4p/17282/115 https://www.electric-skateboard.builders/t/any-interest-in-a-trampa-vesc-6-group-buy/94966/25 https://www.electric-skateboard.builders/t/alternative-esc-odrive/94300/6 https://www.electric-skateboard.builders/t/tm-drums-being-beat-again-vesc-infringement-warning/52908/20

[mmaner]

BTW, I think you’re doing a very good work.

I appreciate you saying so, it means a lot.

flame wars

Truthfully and with all the honesty, that is not my intention. This is the only way I found to get people an easy to use method of getting a safe reverse and keeping PPM support. Sure I took a couple of jabs at Frank, it’s not like he hasn’t taken them at me. Frank/Trampa has proven, over & over, that he is not going to listen to us as a community, that he decides what we need and that is what we get. I’m done with that.

To be clear…I never said anything about Ben, I never do, he’s a ghost who I know nothing about, I only have assumptions.