Would love some advice. Just want confirmation on whether I'm the idiot or if this charger is faulty.
Setup:
3x12v 100ah dakota lithium batteries wired in a series.
Renology battery meter.
Dakota Lithium 36v 8amp charger.
Positive Terminal - three cables
- Main power cable to the golf cart
- charger positive cable
- combination cable of 12v reducer and positive to the battery meter.
Negative Terminal - three cables
- Main negative to the golf cart
- charger negative cable
- combination cable of 12v reducer and negative to the fuse panel
The first sign of an issue was when I was wiring everything together. I had the Anderson connectors together and attached to the charger. No power to the charger. I connected the positive terminal to the charger - no issue. When I went to connect the negative cable to the negative terminal it shorted (heavy sparks flying). A little smoke came from the charger. Knew something wasn't right.
Tried a second way. Disconnected Anderson plugs. Connected the charger to the battery. Tried to connect the Anderson plugs. This time a pop and smoke from the charger. Disconnected the Anderson plug and am not touching it again....
Did I wire something wrong to cause this? Or is this just a defective charger??
Otherwise, everything works great. I balanced the batteries before installing them and with the charger removed from the loop everything (accessories, headlights, and golf cart) works perfectly and the cart performs like a dream.
Appreciate the help!!!
See picture below for setup.