Is the chassis of a PDS electrically bonded?

bash11

I have a 2008 PDS cart to which I am adding a few accessories. I noticed that the cart chassis does not appear to be connected to any of the electrical system. The schematic does not indicate any bonding either. Is this by design, or do I have a goofy cart? What would happen if the negative terminal of the first battery were bonded to the chassis?

What kind of voltage appears on the key switch when on and off? Is there a way to use the voltage on the key switch to turn on some accessories using a relay or opto isolator etc.? What current level would be available for this? Are there any schematics available for the stock controller?

Thanks,

Bash11

BGW

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remac

You do not want to connect the NEG post to the chassis.
You should run two wires for each circuit, a POS and a NEG.
One potential problem with a NEG chassis (other than poor connections)
would be if you used two of the 6v batt to power an accessory device.
If you chose to use two batteries at one end of the string,
maybe because they were closer to the accessory so the wiring is shorter,
but your chassis ground was off of a different NEG than the 12v ground,
you could have as much as a 24volt direct short when you grounded your accessory.

bash11

Thank you. Yes, I fully understood what you wrote. I was only intending to use the first two batteries on the string (starting from the negative end). I was also intending to run two wires as you suggested. My question was if it would hurt the controller (which could happen if some internal part of the controller circuitry were connected to the chassis) if the most negative battery post were connected to the chassis.

I am still waiting for a response to the keyswitch question.. I really appreciate all your help!

kgsc

On off for the switch is 36 volts. You can use a 36 volt relay if you wish yo switch something with that circuit.

sportcoupe

Or grab a 3 position key switch. Those have an extra set of contacts for an accessory (usually 12v).

JohnnieB

Do yourself and your batteries a favor and either add a 12V battery for the accessories or add a DC to DC converter powered by the entire battery pack to run the accessories.

When you tap the main battery pack, it becomes imbalanced and all the batteries will have to be replaced sooner.

As for grounding the frame, it is an safety issue more than an electrical one. Batteries out-gas hydrogen, so you may have an explosive atmosphere above the batteries and grounding the frame increases the odds of a spark occurring.

sportcoupe

I agree it's a safety reason that a golf cart doesn't use the frame for grounding and the key switch is the main reason. You wouldn't want to electrocute a driver if it's raining and he/she turns the key switch while touching the metal frame. Bad bad bad.

Sir Nuke

As JohnnieB above mentioned.....and do yourself a favor and get a 12v aux. battery or run a DC to DC converter, as so many of us do.

bash11

Thanks for your advice. I fully understand the battery unbalance problem. I am only adding accessories to make the cart licensable in Michigan. 99% of the time, I will be running in daylight. I will consider either another battery or converter.

Do you have to manually switch the converter on when you want to use it or does it have a sleep mode that would allow it to stay connected to the pack?

Sir Nuke

you would need to either put a switch to turn it on and off, otherwise it would be powered up all the time, and you don't want that. I just put a toggle switch that has a light on it, so I can see the light as a visual indicator that its on. That way I don't forget to turn it off. mine powers all my lights, radio and the horn.