Strange symptoms, cart dying with new batteries

[Unicorn]

May not matter but I measure 52v while charging after the potential reset. I don’t have a way of confirming the reset was successful on this cart. Negative was disconnected for 20 mins.

[Fairtax4me]

Does your pack negative cable go through the hole in the OBC? The negative cable must go through the OBC for it to charge properly.

You have other accessories connected to the battery - connection which will cause a draw on the pack that the OBC does not take into account when it is charging. This can cause it to not charge the pack fully, depending on how much current is being drawn through those accessories.

The reverse buzzer will only sound if there is sufficient energy stored in the capacitors of the controller. The only reason for putting the cart in reverse to turn on the buzzer is to drain those capacitors. If it does not sound while doing the reset it is because the capacitors are fully drained already. Usually if the capacitors need to be drained they will only sound the buzzer for about 1-2 seconds if that. It's not a necessary step IMO, when the same thing will happen just by waiting for about 10 minutes.

How long does the charger typically run when you plug it in?

[Unicorn]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

Does your pack negative cable go through the hole in the OBC? The negative cable must go through the OBC for it to charge properly.

You have other accessories connected to the battery - connection which will cause a draw on the pack that the OBC does not take into account when it is charging. This can cause it to not charge the pack fully, depending on how much current is being drawn through those accessories.

The reverse buzzer will only sound if there is sufficient energy stored in the capacitors of the controller. The only reason for putting the cart in reverse to turn on the buzzer is to drain those capacitors. If it does not sound while doing the reset it is because the capacitors are fully drained already. Usually if the capacitors need to be drained they will only sound the buzzer for about 1-2 seconds if that. It's not a necessary step IMO, when the same thing will happen just by waiting for about 10 minutes.

How long does the charger typically run when you plug it in?

Yes, the negative cable goes through the hole to the OBC. All connections look good. I don’t know how long it usually charges. It’s always a minimal trickle after charging overnight. It’s possible the reset worked. After “thinking it was fully charged” last night, the cart is still receiving approximately 4.5 amps after 4 hours have passed since the reset. Still measuring 52v while charging. I’m not sure what the OBC/Powerdrive charger algorithm is for adjusting the charge amperes. .

[CP241]

If it’s been charging for that long and only registering 52v while plugged in and charging, something is wrong with the charger or OBC. Most likely the OBC. It should charge close to 60v by the time it’s done. There’s no reason it should be charging all night long either. Even when I’ve had mine drained big time, it would charge for maybe 5 or 6 hours at most. Then the charger should shut off.

I think it’s time to bypass the OBC and get a nice charger.

[Unicorn]

Charger off. Pack reads at 48 I guess? Exactly like the first reading I posted. I’m thinking the charger is fine. Best bet to bypass the OBC for charging?

[CP241]

Originally Posted by Unicorn

Charger off. Pack reads at 48 I guess? Exactly like the first reading I posted. I’m thinking the charger is fine. Best bet to bypass the OBC for charging?

No. You either need a new OBC or a smart charger. You can get a DPI for $250-300 that’s a good solid charger.

The oem club car charger is “dumb”. There’s no brains in it. Just a transformer, relay, and a few other basic parts. The OBC is the brains of the operation. It is what tells the charger what voltage and amperage it needs to charge at, the charger just does it. If you leave the charger alone and bypass the OBC the charger will never turn on. You can bypass the relay and it will turn on, but it will just charger full bore and never lower amperage or shut off. Ive done that a couple times when I’ve brought carts home that were completely dead, but never for more than a half hour or so. Just to get the charge up high enough for the charger to detect voltage and turn on the right way.

A new OBC is about the same price as a good charger. May as well spend that money on something that will give you more flexibility and reliability in the long run. Take the obc out and toss it in the garbage.

[Unicorn]

I’m seeing the chargers you are talking about. Is there not a diy way to eliminate or verify a OBC issue? I’m a hobby, work on my own BMWs guy so I’d like to learn a bit more. Not afraid of doing my own work. My powerdrive charger has a manufacture date of 2000. I’m not one to throw parts at anything unless confined.

[Unicorn]

Ok. Carts been on the charger all night. OBC shut off the charge. Voltage is low still. It appears that as others have said, it’s time to bypass the OBC and buy a smart charger. If everyone agrees then that’s the path I will take.

[Unicorn]

What I don’t understand is what would be wrong when the OBC is functioning, just not letting the cart fully charge? Could the OBC be fine and I have another issue? The OBC seems to be sending signals, just with incorrect information.

[Fairtax4me]

Still measuring 52v while charging.

This is very low. You should be seeing over 58v at some point during the charge cycle, and ideally it should be in the 60-65v range at the end of the cycle.
Do you have or can you get a digital voltmeter? It's possible your meter is lying, and it would be helpful to know the exact pack voltage (down to tenths of a volt at least) vs just being "in that range" on such a wide scale that your meter shows. After 12 hours of rest off of the charger, Each battery should be at 8.49v assuming it received a full charge, which means a total pack voltage at least 50.94v.

If another voltmeter shows the same voltage as your current meter, then you may have a bad battery. Which will be revealed by measuring individual voltage of each battery.

Check the voltage of each battery, then drive the cart for 10 minutes or so and check each battery again. If one of them is significantly lower than the rest, that one is bad.

The other possibility is a bad charger or the OBC may be bad. Other testing will be necessary to determine which one it is. For now start by making sure each battery has the same voltage.