Data Sheet

www.dimensionengineering.com/products/Sabertooth2x32
Ramping
This setting is the amount of time the controller will take to go from full reverse to full forward. If the
setting is left as Default, then the value depends on the operating mode. The default in Analog and R/C
mode is for the ramping to be controlled by an analog signal sent to A1. The default in Serial and USB
mode is for the ramp timing to be controlled by a serial command. Changing the selection to Custom
allows for a pre-defined, fixed ramp speed. The Ramping time is the time it would take to go from a full
reverse command to a full forward command.
Battery Compensation
This is a new feature in the third generation Sabertooth motor drivers. As batteries discharge, the
voltage they supply declines. A 12v lead acid battery will supply 13.5 volts fully charged, and 9 volts fully
discharged. What this means is your system will run faster on a full battery than a depleted one.
Sabertooth 2x32 is always measuring the input voltage, so it is able to compensate for this change,
resulting in more consistent operation. This is especially helpful with closed loop control.
Battery compensation can only decrease the output, so the Compensated Voltage must be less than or
equal to the minimum expected input voltage. Battery compensation is less efficient than using the
proper input voltage directly. A Sabertooth with a 24V input compensated to 12v will run hotter than if
it was running from a 12V input. The motor will also run less efficiently.
Fixed Battery Compensation
When fixed battery compensation is selected, the duty cycle will be scaled such that full speed forward
or reverse puts out the Compensated Voltage, regardless of the input.
Automatic Battery Compensation
Automatic compensation uses the battery cutoff voltage defined in the General tab as the compensated
voltage. For example, a 3s lithium polymer battery with a cutoff of 9V will cause the system to respond
as if it is always being supplied 9 volts.
Disable Regenerative Braking
This option disables regenerative braking. This is typically used to drive plating tanks, Peltiers or other
loads that are not motors. A motor driven this way may run much less efficiently. Motors driven this way
will also stop less rapidly. If you are running motors, but the system runs from a power supply, it is
usually better to leave regeneration enabled and use the power outputs P1 or P2 as regenerative
voltage clamps.
Reverse Direction
This check box will reverse the motor output for this channel. Now instead of assembling a complicated
project only to find one motor is turning backwards and having to change the wiring, you can solve the
problem in software.