2000 DS Club Car

bogrady

Recently my OBC acted up resulting in the yellow battery light going on sporadically and the Charger shutting off at about 10 A charge level leaving the
bright yellow light on. I may have caused the problem by plugging in the charger while the key was on.

Anyway, I reset the OBC as suggested and the problem went away. Now full charge works and no yellow battery light.

My Question : what if I bypass the OBC grey wire so the charger relay is activated independently of the OBC ? Will there be a problem with the charger overcharging and batteries not being current or voltage monitored by the OBC? It seems it makes some decision to shut off the charger with the relay but I have no idea why. Why do I need the OBC anyway ? Can I not use a better charger with current and voltage regulation to protect my Trojan batteries ?

Why doesn't Lester build OBC functions into their charger ?

BGW

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TahoeDawgZ71

For dealers. The OBC has far more functions than just charging the batteries. It stores lots of data about the vehicle and charge history of the particular vehicle it's installed on. It makes it possible to determine total usage of one particular cart and also gives you the ability to check usage since the previous charge cycle. This helps the dealer determine if the car has a good range on a full charge. If the brains were in the chargers you'd never be able to do that.

Stevegrmich

. . . interesting . . did not realize it stored all that stuff . . does it wipe clean with an OBC reset?

TahoeDawgZ71

Nope.

It's pretty neat how it works. Inside the amber light on the dash is a sensor. There is a machine called a Communication Display Module. Turn it on and hold it up to the little amber light and within 5 seconds or so all of the data is transferred to the machine. It has 4 functions. They are as follows..

Function 1 - Battery Voltage
Function 2 - Energy units removed since last charge cycle
Function 3 - Total accumulated energy units removed
Function 4 - Last charge termination type (Code 1=incomplete, 2=DVDT backup charge mode, 4=Normal, 8=Max Timer)

bogrady

I am sure a dealer wants stats on battery and cart usage and other info but if the OBC does not actually provide current and voltage regulation OVP etc then I pretty much know the state of my Trojan batteries and rely on the charger to do it's job. Anyway since the OBC has other functions(control amber lite etc) I will be on the safe side and not bypass it .

The Comm Display Module is one cool device for repair shops but I will save my money for the next set of Trojans(ouch whatta cost!!).

Ingersoll Rand sure build a robust product. I have only lubed the chassis once in 12 years and still have avoided doing anything with the drum brakes. My original tires still have some tread but I am glad we have very dry surfaces in Arizona or I would have long ago got new tires.

Thank everyone for the comments . Great site.

p,s, I wish Lester would make a detailed design/functional manual available for the OBC. Their chargers are as robust as the Club Car. Never a problem withy mine.

golfcartthing

i wish club car never put those idiot lights in carts....