TXT Regen questions

[rickaroonie]

Hey all,
Im working on my 36v TXT. I believe it's DCS. it has the FNR switch at my right knee, and the run tow switch under the seat. I could swear it had regen braking when I first bought it, and the service manual says it should have it. Though Im not sure if i have the correct year manual. I see folks on here saying I do not have that on my cart. the motor only has 4 wires A1 a2 s1 s2. Was I just having brakes locked up on me? OR do I have regen and its now not working?
Any help is appreciated.

[webwarmiller]

Definitely sounds like a DCS cart to me. The DCS carts don't have a speed sensor on the motor so all the regen functions are handled by the controller itself. There's no way I know of to remove the regen feature on stock DCS carts other than a controller swap. There's no jumper you can add to the stock controller or speed magnet you can add to the motor (since there is no speed sensor). Find a decent grade hill and see if regen kicks in when going down. On my friends DCS cart you'll both feel and hear it kick in once you hit about 14mph or so.

[JohnnieB]

You can also let the cart roll from a stop on an incline (or push by hand) and the regen braking will kick in. (Walkaway Safety feature - see attached)

With a DCS drive, I don't know if the regen braking kicks in when you lift your foot off the pedal like it does in a PDS cart when one of the hill modes is selected.

Maybe a DCS owner will chime in.

[rickaroonie]

Ok, so let me start over. My wife was rushing me up for supper and I totally screwed up my OP.
I have a 98' TXT 36v. IT says Drive control system on the side. So I do believe it is a DCS. Thanks for clearing up that some DCS regens do not have the speed sensor wire, that was befuddling me.
Ive had the cart a while, and have just started to troubleshoot some issues. We use it regular as a neighborhood rider, I put a lift kit on last year and new Battery Pack in over the summer, it drives fine in so called low stress use. My two big issues are
1: The regen braking/ rollaway does not work at all, its been so long I was beginning to think I had imagined that it even existed before. We periodically go down to the creek, which isn't far, but is steep. I replaced the brake shoes when I bought it but the regen would be a nice back up.
2: I can pull up hill with me and the wife and two kids, but if I hook the wood splitter behind and only me in the cart it stalls. My neighbor has a pds cart with older batteries and pulls the splitter or a trailer load of wood anywhere he wants.
Eh, Call it "firewood envy" IDC, I want the same capability.

Also as a note, I am considering electrical upgrades, so If Im gonna have to buy a motor or controller anyway then I will do a whole kit. But If my problems can be solved with a cheap fix I will push on with current set up.

[rickaroonie]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

You can also let the cart roll from a stop on an incline (or push by hand) and the regen braking will kick in. (Walkaway Safety feature - see attached)

With a DCS drive, I don't know if the regen braking kicks in when you lift your foot off the pedal like it does in a PDS cart when one of the hill modes is selected.

Maybe a DCS owner will chime in.

Ok, Maybe you are onto something. My manual says that I have the regen walkaway feature, and a regen that kicks in at a max speed. NO mention of a hill braking feature unless the cart was stopped before it started rolling. Possibly I have not met any of those conditions to activate the regen is why I think it doesn't work.(complicating factor, I sometimes play golf, ride many different carts, pedal to the floor, asphalt. Here we only go slow, gravel drives, hilly, kids)
Its possible I am mixing up memories of what my cart used to do.
I will do those tests tomorrow.
The Next question will be, IS there an upgrade that will give me regen hill braking while driving?
And I have an up hill power issue also

[JohnnieB]

You said a lift kit was installed and that typically means taller tires were installed also. Taller tires increase speed, but reduce torque as well as the regen braking effect.

What is the measured tire height? (The numbers on the sidewalls are at best, very approximate.)

Ironically, a stock PDS motor has less torque than a stock DCS motor, so you friend's PDS cart probably has shorter tires, or better batteries, or better high current cables; Or all of the above.

You mention installing new batteries. What make/model are the new batteries?

The Alltrax XCT48400-DCS controller is user programmable and the amount of regen braking is adjustable.

Upping the battery pack to 48V will up the torque by 33.3% and the stock DCS motor loves 48V, but adding an aftermarket motor also will add even more torque.

Since your 36V pack is only a few months old, simply adding two more of them in the bagwell will probably work out okay.

For heavy work like pulling a splitter uphill, 2Ga cables should be used throughout.

[rickaroonie]

So, My roll/walk away does work. I dont have a place to gain enough downhill speed to test that part of the regen, nor do I need it. I will be looking at doing those upgrades this winter, I need ability to pull the splitter in winter, and have regen hill braking at slow (family) speeds in summer. I may sell my pack to my neighbor for a fixer upper cart he has and get new 48v pack in mine, I dont want to take up my bag well with 2 more 6v, its where I throw log chain and empty beer bottles
So, where do I get a good package deal on all the goodies?

20201011_140256.jpg

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[JohnnieB]

The standard 36V pack uses 225AH batteries and yours are 208AH, so your battery pack is a bit on the wimpy side.

The 20" tall tires reduce the torque by 10% where rubber meets road and if they are the low pressure type (less than 10PSI max pressure), they take a lot of torque to turn.

When you go to a 6 x 8V pack, use at least 170AH 8V batteries.

Here is where I get my parts from: https://www.cartsunlimited.net/alltrax-xct-sepex--.html

[rickaroonie]

Thanks JohnnyB.
Im looking them up now. Looks like I can do my controller and cables now and save the batteries for later, then if necessary upgrade the motor later also.
I like Integral steps

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by rickaroonie

Thanks JohnnyB.
Im looking them up now. Looks like I can do my controller and cables now and save the batteries for later, then if necessary upgrade the motor later also.
I like Integral steps

Make sure you get cables for 8V batteries. They have both terminals on the same side, so longer cables are needed inside the pack. Cables for a 6x8v pack will work on a 6x6V pack, so you can do them now and go to 48V later.

Need to upgrade solenoid also. Get one that will work on 36V now and 48V later. The MJZ400 I have does that and there may be others, so let Scottie know what your future plans are.

Also, you might want to get a XCT48500-DCS since you'll be pulling heavy stuff.