Club Car Tempo User Guide

Club Car Tempo Non-Factory Lithium User Guide | KRAKEN Programmer

Club Car Tempo

User Guide for KRAKEN Programmer - Non-Factory Lithium Only

USER VERSION
5 min read
No tools required
Easy

COMPATIBILITY CHART

✓

COMPATIBLE

  • Factory Lead-Acid Battery Carts
  • Aftermarket Lithium Conversions
✗

NOT COMPATIBLE

  • Factory Lithium Battery Carts

Factory lithium carts use a different controller system

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Quick Navigation

1

Locate Connector

Your Club Car Tempo has a Curtis diagnostic port that you'll need to access for programming.

Diagnostic Port Location: The Club Car Tempo diagnostics port is located under the dash area with a round black cover on it. Simply push downwards on the cover and it will reveal the circular connector underneath.
Club Car Tempo diagnostic port location under dash
Diagnostic port location under dash - push down on round black cover to reveal connector

KRAKEN Programmer Connection Interface:

KRAKEN Programmer device connector interface
KRAKEN Programmer connector - plug in the supplied cable from your case here
Connection Setup: You will connect the cable (included in your case) to the KRAKEN Programmer's connector port shown above, then connect the other end to the cart's diagnostic port.
2

Connect Device

Connect your Kraken Programmer to the cart connector using the supplied cable.

Important: Ensure the connector is firmly seated. You should feel it click into place. Do not force the connection.
Device Powers On: Once connected, the KRAKEN will power on automatically and begin communicating with the cart's controller. The screen will light up and display connection status.

Cart Power & Position

Required Before Programming: The key switch must be ON and the cart must be in the RUN position for the KRAKEN to communicate with the controller.
3

Confirm Connection & Pair Device

If the connection is successful, the screen will display:

► Curtis Connected

► Curtis serial # and model #

► Press Pair to Marry

KRAKEN screen showing Curtis Connected
Successful connection screen showing "Curtis Connected" with serial and model information
First Time Setup - Pairing Required: The USER VERSION must be paired (married) to your cart's controller on first use. This locks the device to your specific cart.

Pairing Process:

  1. When you see "Press Pair to Marry" on the screen, click the Pair button
  2. Click the Flash button to complete pairing
  3. You'll see a "Pairing Success" message
  4. The screen will display "Ready" - you can now program
KRAKEN screen showing Press Pair button
Step 1: Click the Pair button when prompted to begin pairing process
Pairing Success confirmation
Step 3: Pairing Success confirmation appears after clicking Flash
KRAKEN Ready screen
Step 4: Ready screen - device is now paired and ready to program
After Pairing: Once paired, your KRAKEN will automatically connect to this cart in the future. You only need to pair once per cart with the USER VERSION.
USER VERSION Limitation: The USER VERSION can only be paired to ONE cart at a time. To use it on a different cart, you must unpair it first, which will erase all saved settings from the previous cart.
4

Parameter Interaction

Once "Ready" is displayed, you can customize various cart performance parameters. The Club Car Tempo uses a specific button interaction pattern.

Button Interaction Pattern:
  • First Press: Displays current value of the parameter
  • Second Press: Toggles to the next value (e.g., ON to OFF, Coast to Mild to Firm)
  • Press "Flash": Saves the new value to the controller
Remember to Flash: After changing any parameter, you MUST click the "Flash" button to save your changes. Without flashing, changes are not permanently saved to the controller.
5

Forward & Reverse Speed Adjustment

Adjusting your cart's speed is straightforward. You have complete control over both forward and reverse speeds.

  • Click Forward Speed button to view current speed value
  • Click again to cycle through available speed options
  • Maximum: 20 MPH forward / 7 MPH reverse
  • Click "Flash" to save the speed setting
Actual Speed with Larger Wheels: The maximum speed shown (20 MPH) is based on stock golf cart wheel sizes. If you have larger wheels installed, you may see actual speeds a few MPH faster than the display indicates, depending on your specific wheel size.
Forward speed set to 20 MPH
Forward speed adjusted to maximum 20 MPH
Reverse speed set to 7 MPH
Reverse speed adjusted to maximum 7 MPH
Safety Reminder: Higher speeds require increased awareness and caution. Always operate your cart safely and in compliance with local regulations.
6

Adjustable Parameters

The Club Car Tempo offers several performance parameters you can customize. Each parameter follows the same interaction pattern: press to view, press again to toggle, then press Flash to save.

Available Parameters:

Pedal Up Mode

What it is: Controls how much regenerative braking (regen) is applied when you take your foot off the accelerator pedal.

Options: Coast (0 = no regen brake) → Mild → Firm

COAST Pedal Up Mode - Coast

No regenerative braking - cart coasts freely

MILD Pedal Up Mode - Mild

Light regenerative braking applied

FIRM Pedal Up Mode - Firm

Strong regenerative braking for maximum energy recovery

Excel Braking

What it is: The brake applied while the accelerator is DOWN but the cart is exceeding the speed proportional to the accelerator pedal position. This typically only happens when going down hill - it prevents the cart from overspeeding beyond what the pedal position commands.

Options: ON / OFF

OFF Excel Braking OFF

No downhill speed control

ON Excel Braking ON

Automatic downhill speed limiting

Fast Acceleration

What it is: Controls how quickly the cart accelerates from a stop. Enabling this provides more aggressive acceleration for improved performance.

Options: ON / OFF

OFF Fast Acceleration OFF

Standard acceleration

ON Fast Acceleration ON

Quick, responsive acceleration

Walkaway Deterrent

What it is: Dynamic brake used to stop/slow the cart when it is rolling unintentionally (such as when parked on a slight incline). This prevents the cart from slowly rolling away.

Options: ON / OFF

OFF Walkaway Deterrent OFF

Cart may roll when parked on incline

ON Walkaway Deterrent ON

Prevents unintentional rolling

Remember to Flash: After changing any parameter, you MUST click the "Flash" button to save your changes. Without flashing, changes are not permanently saved to the controller.
7

View Faults

The KRAKEN can read and display diagnostic fault codes from your cart's controller:

  • Click "Fault" button to view active controller faults
  • The device actively scans in real-time
  • Resolved faults will disappear automatically from view
Diagnostic Tool: The Fault feature is useful for troubleshooting issues with your cart. If a fault appears, refer to your cart's manual or contact support for assistance.
No active faults screen
No active faults detected - cart controller operating normally
8

Unpairing (USER VERSION)

To use your USER VERSION KRAKEN on a different cart, you must first unpair it from the current cart. Unpairing reverts the cart back to factory settings and frees the device to pair with another cart.

Warning: Unpairing will permanently delete all custom parameters and revert the cart to factory original settings. Make sure you want to do this before proceeding.

Unpair Process:

  1. Connect KRAKEN to the cart you want to unpair from
  2. When "Ready" appears, navigate to the Unpair option
  3. Click Flash to confirm and execute unpair
  4. Cart reverts to Setting Original Parameters (factory settings)
  5. You'll see "Unpair Success" confirmation
  6. Device is now free to pair with a different cart
Flash to Unpair screen
Step 1: Click Flash button to confirm unpair process
Setting Original Parameters - factory settings restored
Step 2: Cart reverts to "Setting Original Parameters" (factory settings)
Unpair success confirmation
Step 3: "Unpair Success" - device is now available to pair with another cart
After Unpairing: The cart is now running on factory original settings. Your KRAKEN is unpaired and can be connected to a different cart to begin the pairing process again.

Power Information

This device is powered by the cart. No external batteries are required.

Always Powered: As long as the KRAKEN is connected to your cart via the Curtis connector, it draws power directly from the cart's system.

Finished Programming

Once you've completed your programming session and applied all desired changes:

  • Disconnect the cable from your cart's connector
  • Store the KRAKEN Programmer in its protective case until next use
Best Practice: The device should only remain connected during active programming sessions. Disconnecting after use helps preserve your cart's battery and protects the device's electronics.

Need Help?

If you experience any issues or have questions:

Important Disclaimer

Use of this device is at your own risk. The creators, developers, and distributors of the Kraken Programmer are not responsible or liable for any damage caused to your golf cart, vehicle components, or personal property resulting from improper use, incorrect programming, or misuse of this tool.

The terms "Club Car" and "Tempo" are used strictly for identification and descriptive purposes. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by Club Car, Tempo Golf Cars LLC, or any of their subsidiaries. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Use this device only if you fully understand the changes being applied to your vehicle.