Sevcon Gen4 PumpApp

PumpApp is a simple-to-use application that comes preprogrammed in the Sevcon Gen4 motor controllers. When correctly configured and power is applied to the motor controller, it will boot up, precharge, close the line contactor, and then run the pump based on minimum speed, throttle command, digital switch, or some combination of these. This makes it ideal for pump applications where simplicity is a priority.

The article titled: Understanding the Built-In Applications of the BorgWarner Sevcon Gen4 Motor Controller will give you some background on the Sevcon Gen4 architecture and how it relates to the inbuild applications such as PumpApp.

Setting Up a Pump on Sevcon Gen4 Controller

Let’s start with the easiest version: a single switch that turns your pump motor on at one fixed speed.

(This assumes you’re starting with a working motor configuration)

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Put the motor in Speed Mode

Pump motors always run in speed mode — there’s no alternative here. In the DVT Helper’s Main tab, go to the “Control Mode” dropdown and select “Set Speed Mode.”

2. Tell the controller it’s driving a pump

In the Input/Output tab, set the node control to “Motor Drive Pump.”

3. Wire up your switch

Map Digital Input 1 to “Pump Switch 1.” This is the physical switch that will trigger your pump.

4. Configure Pump Motor Parameters (0x2A01)

Set your desired pump speeds and acceleration rates.

5. Configure the switch itself (0x2A20)

Set Pump Switch 1’s priority to 255, with a switch value of 1.

That’s it, with those steps, you’ve got a working pump that spins up when the switch is flipped.

Once You’ve Got the Basics: Adding More Features

Once your simple setup is working, the Gen4 controller opens up a lot of flexibility. You can combine switches and analogue voltage inputs.

All of these extra features live in parameter group 0x2A00. Here’s what’s available and why you might use it:

• Inhibit pump on low battery (BDI cut-out): Stops the pump from starting if the battery is too low. If it’s already running when the cut-out hits, it’ll keep going until every pump input goes inactive — so it won’t cut out mid-cycle unexpectedly.
• Drive Enable / Seat switch disables pump: A safety feature. If the operator isn’t in the seat, or drive isn’t enabled, the pump won’t run.
• Ignore Line Contactor state: Allows the pump to operate if it is not connected to the battery through the line contactor.
• Use Power Steer target velocity as pump input: If your pump motor is also driving power steering, this lets the steering demand feed into the pump speed calculation.
• Enable minimum pump speed: Forces the pump to always run at a minimum speed (set in 0x2A01,2), even with no active trigger. Great for keeping constant hydraulic pressure.
• Pump stops on low battery: A stricter version of the BDI cut-out — this stops the pump immediately, rather than waiting for inputs to go inactive.
• Use power steer demand for minimum pump speed: Similar to the option above, but specifically ensures there’s enough pump pressure to support steering.

Setting Speed, Torque, and Acceleration

Your pump’s minimum speed, maximum speed, maximum torque, and acceleration/deceleration rates are all set in 0x2A01.

The actual speed the pump runs at is calculated with a simple formula:

Pump Speed = Input Value × Maximum Speed

So if your input (switch or throttle) is giving 0.5 (i.e. 50%), and your max speed is set to 3000 RPM, the pump runs at 1500 RPM.

Understanding Priority vs. Additive Inputs

Each input (switch or throttle) can be set up in one of two ways:

• Priority input: The controller looks at all active priority inputs and uses whichever one has the highest priority number as the base pump demand.
• Additive input: Any active additive inputs get added on top of that base demand.

In other words, think of “priority” as picking the main driver of pump speed, and “additive” as extra boosts layered on top. This lets you build fairly sophisticated logic — for example, a base switch that sets a minimum pump speed, with a throttle that adds extra speed on demand.

Priority and additive levels are configured in 0x2A10, 0x2A11, and 0x2A20–26.

Pump Throttles

If you want proportional (variable, not just on/off) control of your pump, you’ll use throttle inputs. There are two available, configured independently at 0x2A10 and 0x2A11. You’ll:

• Map each throttle to an analogue input
• Set voltage levels for min and max
• Decide whether each throttle is a priority or additive input

Pump Switches

For simple on/off control, there are seven pump switch inputs available. Each one can be:

• Configured as priority or additive
• Assigned a value in 0x2A20-26

Driveability Profiles

If you need different pump behaviour in different situations — say, a “gentle” mode and a “full power” mode, driveability profiles let you switch between preset configurations on the fly. Each profile can adjust:

• Acceleration and deceleration rates
• Throttle values
• Switch values
• Maximum torque

Profiles are triggered using dedicated select switches at 0x2152 and 0x2153, at least one of these needs to be mapped for profiles to work at all. The profiles themselves are configured at 0x2A30 and 0x2A31.