help with digital voltmeter install

[bulls74]

need some help with digital volt meter install. cart is a 99 txt 36v. read some threads on install including: http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...r-install.html

wanted to confirm if its ok to hook directly to battery pack? or, should it go to key switch? seems easiest to go directly to pack.

pic of of meter is below

[scottyb]

Yes you can connect a LED type meter direct to the pack and leave it on 24/7 due to the incredibly small (almost measurable) draw these things take.

[bulls74]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Yes you can connect a LED type meter direct to the pack and leave it on 24/7 due to the incredibly small (almost measurable) draw these things take.

thanks scottyb, you da man! headed out to install right now.

[bulls74]

got it in. thanks again for the help scottyb!

[JohnnieB]

Charge you battery pack!!!!!!

It's only at 64.5% SoC (if they are Trojan batteries or clones)

[scottyb]

Funny story - neighbor complained the cart was slow and wouldn't hold a charge... I put a meter in it. Told him when to charge. Cart runs fine now

[bulls74]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

Charge you battery pack!!!!!!

It's only at 64.5% SoC (if they are Trojan batteries or clones)

will do, it's on the charger now. i remember seeing a pack SoC discharge chart somewhere on BGW. i'll track it down and see where i stand.

drove cart for approx 1 hr yesterday, went to dinner w/friends and forgot to charge overnight. hopped in it this morning and went to CVS (approx 2 mile round trip). then installed voltmeter. hopefully they're ok.

also, they're 2013 interstate batteries (pic attached)

[bulls74]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Funny story - neighbor complained the cart was slow and wouldn't hold a charge... I put a meter in it. Told him when to charge. Cart runs fine now

that is funny! gotta feed the beast.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by bulls74

will do, it's on the charger now. i remember seeing a pack SoC discharge chart somewhere on BGW. i'll track it down and see where i stand.

drove cart for approx 1 hr yesterday, went to dinner w/friends and forgot to charge overnight. hopped in it this morning and went to CVS (approx 2 mile round trip). then installed voltmeter. hopefully they're ok.

also, they're 2013 interstate batteries (pic attached)

Attached is a SoC chart.

Battery aging is the accumulation of lead-sulfate crystals on the plates and they accumulate whenever the SoC (State of Charge) is less than 100% and the accumulation is considerably faster when the SoC is below 70%.

Your batteries sat at <70% SoC for upward of a day, so their usable life expectancy got shortened by a couple of days, but probably no immediate harm of any significance occurred.

After the charger shuts off, unplug it from the cart for an hour or so and the plug it back in and start another charge cycle. The transition from amorphous lead-sulfate to crystalline lead-sulfate takes some time and back-to-back charging sometimes breaks down the smaller lead-sulfate crystals before they join into the latticework of others and bond to the plates permanently.

I noticed you are tapping your main battery pack for 12V, so a back-to-back charge or two every month or so might keep the battery pack in better balance. Back-to-back charging is about as close as we can get to an equalization charge with regular golf cart battery chargers.

[DaveTM]

I just installed one of these "ScottyB" meter's on my 48-V system's. I got the real fancy one 'cause I have a separate 12-V aux battery for my winch and lights. (I can't convince my wife I need the aux wench option) The table that comes with the meter has the same info on it....but it's TO BIG to laminate and tape on my cart roof.

So...I just now copied JohnnyB's to my HD and will print it.....laminate it...and tape it to my cart roof so I can view it at an instant. Of course.....if I'm at the top of a mountain....4 miles up.....I should still be good....as it's all down hill from there!!!

Dave