Lester on board charger review

[scottyb]

Lester 2800 on board charger review.
I'll be reviewing the 48v 19.5 amp model 2800.

Below are some un-boxing pics. The charger is very well packed against rough handling in shipment. Box weight was under 15 pounds.
Bulk size is 10x11x4. That nearly 2 Xs the size of the OEM charger.

There are some LED indicators for charge activity and God forbid fault codes.
All LED functions clearly explained in the online manual... that's right. If you want a hard copy you have to send an email request to Lester or print your own. I found it inconvenient to run back and read the manual for each question I had. I guess Lester figures nobody reads the manual anyway - lol.

The manual suggests installation on a metal surface for heat transfer (dissipation)

More on installation in my Ezgo TXT later - we've run out of time today.
I'm rigged up and charging. Yellow LED slow blinking indicates bulk charge, My in dash meter indicated pack voltage jumped 2 volts in the 1st minute. Exactly what I would expect from a 19.5 amp charge.

[gornoman]

Waterproof? Shockproof?

[scottyb]

Not submersible but yes, sealed and water resistant. Shock, vibration, heat, and dirt proof. It's a Lester.

[gornoman]

What does it weigh?

[scottyb]

It was 14.75 in the box so I'd guess about 12 pounds. In stall pics coming

[scottyb]

IN stall was simple enough bolted to the open floor space shown. I used one existing hole in the front passenger side of the install. Drilled 3 holes for the 4 1/4x20 x 1 stainless screws with self locking nuts. (what I had handy)
The charger takes all of this space.

[scottyb]

I shoved the charger as far forward as possible to use the one existing hole. Yeah, I'm that lazy and because there I could see the LEDs on the back side. Which is very important if you want a clue as to what going on with this thing...
It flashes a code for everything it does.

I had already stole a charge last night by slipping the the pack connection under the seat but, when I checked it in the AM I was getting an error about the safety interconnect.... yeah, yeah, I knew that wire was dangling.

So I checked the TXT48 diagram, the XCT diagram, and the charger install instruction and I felt I could find my connection.

On the TXT48 the blue wire from the charge receptacle goes a few inches and connects to the orange wire with red stripe. This is the high/low cut off for the control. In the OEM molex connector this is pin 5. I verified it was high voltage when the OEM charge plug was out and low voltage when the charger was plugged in.

I'm telling you all this because it didn't work for me. The charger was doing the same high/low thing on the 3rd wire (safety lockout) connection. Hooked it up and the cart ran with and without the charger plugged into AC voltage on jack stands.

[scottyb]

Gotta go BRB
Okay back.
Looked in the program options and it says show charger interlock. So I select show interlock. I select high/low from the 2 operating functions. The charger interlock works ...... in fact it works all the *** time no matter the voltage on the orange wire with the red stripe.
I check monitor status & it shows charger plugged in ALL THE TIME> cart won't run. I deselect high/low interlock option and cart runs all the time !? What the heck something wrong I'll seek some help in the AM with this.

I wanted to show a little onboard charger plug housing I had. See pics.

[kernal]

I know you're fussing with the wiring now, but did you consider mounting this charger on a standard EZGO reclining controller mount?

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by kernal

I know you're fussing with the wiring now, but did you consider mounting this charger on a standard EZGO reclining controller mount?

That's a good idea... There would be great heat dissipation that way.
I'll look at that when I get the programming sorted.