12 Volt Battery Life

[ZackMan]

I just took delivery of a 2008 CC Precedent and it has the original Trojans. It seems that the battery bucket was attended to very well with no corrosion on the battery terminals. A battery corrosion chemical (red in color) was coating all eight terminals. The only item I had to address upon initial inspection was to fill one cell in the #3 battery with distilled water. It took a charge right away and has maintained that charge so far (i.e. 50.77 volts across the battery pack).

[Stevec3201]

Originally Posted by trigger1937

Steve,... There is something else going on with the #4 battery and I've seen it on the last 3 carts I have had. The battery that is used for the lights and the charger or OBC gets used more and always seems to be the first battery to go week. I just got a 2008 Precedent that had 2010 +12 Volt batteries. It came off a Golf Course and it has no lights or any other accessories. The #4 battery was not usable as the 1st cell would not take a charge. I got the deeler to give me another Trojan that check out ok.

Steve,.. do you know if once you have converted the lights over to your 48 to 12 converter, does the OBC or anything else still use #4 exclusively????

I think that may have just been a random battery issue, it does happen. I never heard of the OBC taking any real juice out of a battery? The #4 cable goes through the OBC so voltage can be monitored (sensed). Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt the energy required to power the OBC is significant. What about other carts (DS), and 6 battery carts?

[trigger1937]

Steve,... I hope you don't mind but where did you get your +48 to +12 converter and what did it cost you. Since the primary drain will occur with the light "ON", it should be easy to build a small R-C-Zener circuit to drop the voltage at nomal load since the zener could handle the small changes in stop lights, turn signals, brakes, etc.

[Stevec3201]

Originally Posted by trigger1937

Steve,... I hope you don't mind but where did you get your +48 to +12 converter and what did it cost you. Since the primary drain will occur with the light "ON", it should be easy to build a small R-C-Zener circuit to drop the voltage at nomal load since the zener could handle the small changes in stop lights, turn signals, brakes, etc.

I had a gift card to Everything Carts (site sponsor) so I used it to get a 10 amp converter. I have a feeling that it may not be enough for my lights, but I'll try it any way. ($59.00) It is on back order. I may install LED headlamps, but will decide what I'm going to do when I get the converter. I might even cancel it and just get a 20-25 amp converter and be done with it

I don't use the lights often, just for the times when we are delayed somewhere or a car is not available.

[trigger1937]

Steve,.. I know the front lights are halogen but not sure about the turn indicators so I will get some data on those bulbs. The rear tail lights are LED and those draw minimal current. I can not believe that you need more than 10 amps but I could be wrong. That is 120 Watts for the front lamps.

[Down South]

Hmmmmm, Watts/Volts=Amps, 120W/12V=10A. So if you are running 12V you are at your 10 amp rating with 120 watt bulbs.
I'd get the bigger converter in case you want to hook something else up to it.

[scubabud]

Originally Posted by Down South

Hmmmmm, Watts/Volts=Amps, 120W/12V=10A. So if you are running 12V you are at your 10 amp rating with 120 watt bulbs.
I'd get the bigger converter in case you want to hook something else up to it.

Totally agree... I have a 20/25 amp converter and will sometimes run Christmas Lights or Halloween Lights along with the radio and headlights. You'll always find that you'll need more. 10 amp is just too small.

[Stevec3201]

Originally Posted by Down South

Hmmmmm, Watts/Volts=Amps, 120W/12V=10A. So if you are running 12V you are at your 10 amp rating with 120 watt bulbs.
I'd get the bigger converter in case you want to hook something else up to it.

I agree with your math. My next approach will be to investigate the use of LED bulbs as headlights. I don't need anything that bright, as there is plenty of ambient light. If it gets to be much more of a pain in the butt, I will just get a bigger converter.

[trigger1937]

To all the people that posted good info about their 12 volt batteries,..could you add some more information on how you use your cart. This will help us to understand your duty cycle, charges per week, etc. and with this info we can estimate what we should expect. I live on a golf course about 1 mile to the club house and our course is about 6500 so with up and down and back and forth I estimate about 7500. I also typically have 1 additional passenger to carry. I play 3 times a week and sometime one or two weekend days.(Please--No whinning from the Not-Retired Group). So I'm trying to compare my usage to your usage. Appreciate your feedback.

[Stevec3201]

Originally Posted by trigger1937

To all the people that posted good info about their 12 volt batteries,..could you add some more information on how you use your cart. This will help us to understand your duty cycle, charges per week, etc. and with this info we can estimate what we should expect. I live on a golf course about 1 mile to the club house and our course is about 6500 so with up and down and back and forth I estimate about 7500. I also typically have 1 additional passenger to carry. I play 3 times a week and sometime one or two weekend days.(Please--No whinning from the Not-Retired Group). So I'm trying to compare my usage to your usage. Appreciate your feedback.

Our cart is used to pickup our oldest daughter from school mon-fri. The drive is about 1.5 miles roundtrip. Later that same day, we (1-2 adults, 2 kids)usually go for a nature drive for about an hour. I get up to speeds of about 30 mph on flat surfaces for 1-2 minutes, but for the most part cruise around 15-20 mph on sidewalks. We go around lakes and ponds and up and down small man-made hills at speeds not exceeding 10 mph. Our cart goes pretty much everywhere without any problems. I have no idea what the total mileage is, but we are moving for about an hour. The cart has about 49 volts left when I put it on the charger for the night.