Total charge III 3 control board issue

[Taykol]

With normal setup (relay not bypassed), charger will not click on. Tested my charger on another cart and nothing. Tested another charger (powerwise QE) on my cart and it worked fine.

Relay currently bypassed charger works fine= bad control board, got it

Could this lead to ANYTHING Other than control board?
Anything else to test before ordering replacement control board?

[Taykol]

The charger worked fine a few weeks ago, once twice it wouldn't click on for quite a while, then I had to give it a good shake, then it stopped clicking on completely.

[JohnnieB]

Working fine with the relay bypassed, so that narrows it down to the control board, or the battery sensing wire(s).

With relay connected normally, what is the voltage on the red and black wires on the control board when the charger is plugged into cart?
(The charger should not be plugged in to AC power for this test.)

The voltage should be identical to the battery pack voltage at the time.

If it is lower than pack voltage, you need to troubleshoot the battery sensing wiring.

Do you have a manual for the charger? I'll post one if you don't.

[Taykol]

Johnnie, as always, thank you very much for the reply.
The battery sensing wires are showing full pack voltage.
Couldn't get a good read on them plugged to the control board, so pulled them out and hooked directly to DVM.


It seems some wires had been cut and a new wire added recently by someone else. Also to note, the ammeter doesn't move when I bypass relay and plug it to ac..

Another shot

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Taykol

1. The battery sensing wires are showing full pack voltage.
Couldn't get a good read on them plugged to the control board, so pulled them out and hooked directly to DVM.

2. It seems some wires had been cut and a new wire added recently by someone else.

3. Also to note, the ammeter doesn't move when I bypass relay and plug it to ac..

1. Control board is bad. If you cannot find the original, a later model one piece board will work.

2. The two 1/4" push on connectors on the terminal board, used to have a varistor between them.
Used for surge protection, not needed for operation.

3. If the battery pack voltage is increasing when the charger is hooked up and running, amps are flowing, so the meter movement is bad.

Chances are you won't find an exact replacement, but any 0-30A DC ammeter will work. Just find a surface mount one whose backside will fit through the hole and drill some holes for the mounting screws.

Also, if you ever blow the press-fit diodes, just drill a couple holes in the heat sink and use 1N1184 stud-mount diodes.

[RoySC]

Great Post. I'm new to this world of golf carts and have the same issue with the charger that came with my cart.

A few follow-on questions: (1) Any suggestions on where to get a replacement control board at a reasonable price? (2) Are there any schematics on the control board that could be used for troubleshooting? (3) Comments on ROI for purchasing a replacement control board and repairing existing charger vs. purchasing a new charger (I've heard that some lower priced versions may do the job). Thanks!

[Taykol]

Originally Posted by RoySC

Great Post. I'm new to this world of golf carts and have the same issue with the charger that came with my cart.

A few follow-on questions: (1) Any suggestions on where to get a replacement control board at a reasonable price? (2) Are there any schematics on the control board that could be used for troubleshooting? (3) Comments on ROI for purchasing a replacement control board and repairing existing charger vs. purchasing a new charger (I've heard that some lower priced versions may do the job). Thanks!

1. Site sponsor golf cart king has control board, best price now web.
2. Manual http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/attac...ts-service.pdf
3. If you have this charger or similar, they will last a forever and can be fixed easily. Control board is $70 and will last you another 20 years.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by RoySC

Great Post. I'm new to this world of golf carts and have the same issue with the charger that came with my cart.

A few follow-on questions: (1) Any suggestions on where to get a replacement control board at a reasonable price? (2) Are there any schematics on the control board that could be used for troubleshooting? (3) Comments on ROI for purchasing a replacement control board and repairing existing charger vs. purchasing a new charger (I've heard that some lower priced versions may do the job). Thanks!

Welcome to BGW!

1. The BGW site sponsors is a good place to look.
http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/site-sponsors.php

2. For the control board? Not that I know of, but I haven't pursued it very hard because few people have the skills need to repair one and I haven't had or felt the need personally. Schematics for many chargers are readily available, which charger do you have?

3. Return on Investment (ROI) is a double edged sword since two investments are impacted by one decision.
The investment many people overlook when deciding whether or not to repair a high quality, reliable, time tested and proven, charger with a cheaper one with unknown or questionable virtues, is the replacement cost of the batteries.

The battery charging profile is contained within the physics of the Ferroresonant Transformer design used by the charger pictured above and the many versions that followed it and are still being sold today. Unlike the switching power supply types (both expensive and inexpensive), a catastrophic failure will not overcharge a battery.

Component failures in a Ferroresonant Transformer design charger either don't charge or undercharge the battery, which is bad, but very obvious and usually recoverable. Even if a control board fails in a constant ON condition, the intrinsic characteristics of the Transformer/Capacitor pair limits the current flow to a "Trickle Charge" in the upper regions of the maximum on-charge voltages they can produce.

On the other hand, if the regulating elements in a switching power supply type design short, only the batteries themselves limit the current flow and can be irreversibly damaged. Better chargers of this type have safe-guards built in to prevent this, but it is added manufacturing expense, so others leave them out. Unfortunately, pricing doesn't always reflect quality.

Bottom line:
A battery pack is a $600 to $1200 investment.
A good charger is a $300 to $400 investment.
A control board is a $100 investment.
Do the math.

Also, the are features like Float charge to take into consideration.

This is what I use. http://www.cartsunlimited.net/48v_Battery_Charger.html

[Taykol]

Worked perfect! Thanks for all the help johnnie.
Always like to post an update for future searchers.
Ordered the board 70 bucks. One note: the relay on the board is orientated a bit differently.
To save a lengthy discussion....if you unplugged it vertical, plug it back in vertical to the new one, same goes with horizontal.

[yurtle]

Thanks for the feedback. That's what makes this forum work.