Golf Cart Charger

[Tony Wells]

Check with your LWS. If they do repairs, they will have diodes of sufficient capacity if you're in a hurry.

 

[GA Gyro]

Check with your LWS. If they do repairs, they will have diodes of sufficient capacity if you're in a hurry.

THX Tony!

I will need to go to the hanger and look at the wiring between the charger and cart... to determine polarity... and thus the type of diode (anode or cathode). The hanger is 71 miles away, and I will be out/town this weekend... probably get there Sat the 23rd.

Soooo... time is not an issue.

Most of us at the hanger will be in NC this weekend... at a gyro-copter gathering. It is at Anson Cty airport if anyone is in the are... come on out Saturday.

 

[Bill C.]

Do you see signs of or smell burning? I hate open circuits when there are no signs of burnt diodes or resistors. Radio Shack used to carry some of the heavy duty components.

If you have trouble finding replacement parts check with a industrial supply house that handles control panels.

Hope you get it up and running soon.

 

[GA Gyro]

Do you see signs of or smell burning? I hate open circuits when there are no signs of burnt diodes or resistors. Radio Shack used to carry some of the heavy duty components.

If you have trouble finding replacement parts check with a industrial supply house that handles control panels.

Hope you get it up and running soon.

No, no signs or smells of letting the magic smoke out... that would make it easy to figure out...

 

[hgk]

FWIW in case your charger is similar, a you tube link for golf cart charger repair:

 

[WisJim]

I would also point out that you have a battery problem, as all 8 volt batteries should measure well over 8 volts when charged.

 

[GA Gyro]

Thank you... that video confirmed the diodes are bad (the diodes DID cause the meter to beep in the one I am working on).

Interesting board... Mine only has a hard-wired relay. I may get the board and adapt it into the charger... would probably be a good thing.

THX again!

 

[GA Gyro]

I would also point out that you have a battery problem, as all 8 volt batteries should measure well over 8 volts when charged.

Hmmm... I think that is obvious... since the batteries were measured independently.

Since this golf cart was a donation, and it is used for a few runs to the office once a weekend (probably max of 1 to 1.25 miles per weekend)... we probably are gonna let the batteries go for a while... until the cart slows down.

I have been wondering one thing though... is there a point where the relay in the charger will not allow charging, due to low battery voltage? If so, on a 48 volt system, what is that voltage? THX

 

[Round in circles]

Each lead acid cell should be 2.2 volts fully charged when disconnected and at rest ..... say a few min after begin individually charged.
So each battery being 4cells x 2.2 volts =8.8volts
Total package 6 sets of battery = 52.8 volt when fully charged. Your charger must be capable of pushing this voltage plus four or five more volts to put a charge into the whole battery package .

Do make sure your batteries are individually charged & tested off the buggy before you hook up the vehicle charger to a fully connected battery pack or you're likely to end up with yet another set of blown diodes.

Don't just change one diode either .. as all the others will tend to be of the same age and have been subjected to the same stresses, which therefore makes them unreliable components in the long term .

 

[randyc]

That sounds like two half-wave rectifiers in parallel, don't think I've seen that one before...

Me either. The disadvantage of such an arrangement is the possibility of one diode "hogging" most of the current and overheating resulting in "thermal runaway". A small series resistance in each diode would minimize that effect but would add to the voltage drop, thermal and mounting issues and cost. A really, really excellent publication that addresses all of these problems is:

"Rectifier Applications Handbook", Motorola HB214