Creeper Mode and Battery Stress

virtualy

2008 PDS 6 Trojan 105s

As mentioned in another thread, I bought this cart from someone who couldn't remember when last she'd charged the batteries. When I got home and put a VOM on the batteries they ranged from 5.77 - 5.78 each. Water levels were good.

I installed a digital VOM from Carts Unlimited and have been watching the numbers. The included EZGO PowerWise-QE charger brings the pack voltage up to something over 44 volts, then shuts down. The surface charge levels out at 38.4 after 12 hours or so.

The cart's mission is moving materiel up a hill - about 240 yards. I put an aluminum bed on the back for this purpose. Pack voltage drops as low as 34.1 climbing the hill, unloaded. Am I over stressing the pack?

Stopping completely on the downhill grade, then releasing the brakes, the cart creeps forward with a rapid beeping. However, voltage drops from 38.0 to 37.7 by the bottom of the hill. I originally thought the beeping and slow movement signaled the cart had entered a regen mode. But if that is so, why does the voltage drop?

Assuming this is not a regen mode, if I open up the controller box can I move jumpers around to put the cart in steep hill mode?

As always, thanks.

--P

BGW

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JohnnieB

38.4V after 12 hours rest is in the normal range.

34.1V under load is also in normal range. (Stay above 31.5V under load)

The rapid beeping is the walk-away alarm, meaning the cart is rolling after it has stopped without the pedal being pressed. It applies regen braking to keep (or at least attempt to) the cart at 2 MPH.
Not sure why pack voltage is going down, it should stay the same or go up.

Here is a chart showing the J2 jumper position for the PDS modes.

Note: Regen braking in the two Hill modes only slow cart to 8 MPH. It coasts below that speed.

Attached Images

	PDS J2 mode plugs.jpg (130.2 KB, 0 views)
	PDS Mode speed-regen level.JPG (18.5 KB, 0 views)

virtualy

Thanks. That chart is where I got the idea I could modify the controller with jumper wires. Any insulated wire will do?

Why have too different hill modes if they both modulate downhill travel to the same speed? I think I must be missing something here.

--P

JohnnieB

Yes, insulated wire should work, but the Freedom chip, (Both jumpers installed) can be picked up on E-bay for ten bucks or less.
Add switches in the jumpers and you can select any of the modes you want.

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Max speed on level ground is 1 MPH faster in Mild Hill and the regen braking level is less.

Regen braking doesn't actually limit the downhill speed to 8 MPH, it attempts to limit it to 8 MPH.
If the downhill grade is steep enough, the force of gravity will outweigh the drag generated by regen braking.

Because the regen braking level is less in the Mild Hill mode, the downhill speed on steeper hills would be faster.

virtualy

So I don't think this is going to help me. Eight MPH down a narrow dirt path with sudden steep turns would be a little more exciting than I need at this point.

Has anyone come up with a mod to limit downhill speed to 4 MPH. That's about my speed nowadays...

--P

yurtle

I'd think you would use your brakes. Kinda like downshifting in a car or truck while going downhill on long windy mountain roads, it might not be enough to get you quite as slow as you want, but helps relieve some of the work from just the brakes.

However, I don't have regen, so I may be wrong.