Charging 8 6 volt batteries???

[maddog468]

Getting serious about upgrading my Club car ds from 36 volts to 48 volts. The most economical way for me to do the upgrade is by adding two more 6 volt batteries. For a total of 8, 6 volt batteries. Notice I didn't say easiest.

So my question is which charger would be best for my setup? The DPI charger charges at 17 amps while the Lester links is at 13 amps. I would assume that more amps would charge faster. Is one charger better for 8, 6 volt batteries?

Both seem to have good reviews and are priced about the same. Is one charger better than the other? Is there another charger that is available that would work better than these two? Warranty is 3 years for the dpi vs 2 for the Lester.

A little background about my cart. 700 amp controller 400 amp solenoid 2 ga wires stock motor 22 inch tires lift kit. Trying to get the cart ready for a bigger motor.

Thanks for your input.

[Swan]

I would go with the DPI charger .

[maddog468]

Originally Posted by Swan

I would go with the DPI charger .

Any reason why?

My last two chargers have been Lester and the original charger from 1989 is still going strong. Just makes a lot of noise.

Can you replace components in the DPI? Not that I am looking to do that, but I have had to change a fuse and diode in the old charger. The parts were easy to come by.

Thanks

[NCPW]

I'm not very familiar with the Lester, so don't want to sway you one way or the other with comparisons. But, I have the DPI and love it.

It has a float charge to keep your batteries topped off after a bulk charge, so it's safe to keep the cart plugged up to the DPI anytime it's not in use. Secondly, I like the fact that I can change to charge algorithm on the DPI myself to suit whatever battery pack I have (in my case US Battery batteries) without having to send it back to the manufacturer for them to do it. This will increase the longevity of my pack with proper charging.

You can pick up a DPI with the plug you need from any number of the site sponsors also.

[scottyb]

Proper battery recharge is done in phases. These phases compose an algorithm. Wet cell batteries require the initial (bulk) phase of the charge be nearly 10% of their capacity rating. Most 8v batteries are 170-190 ah requiring close to 17-19 amps to stir the heavy elements off the bottom of the battery with each charge. Without sufficient amperage the battery water will become deprived of these heavy elements and loose efficiency.

Use the highest amperage 48v charger you can find with 8/6v

[maddog468]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Use the highest amperage 48v charger you can find with 8/6v

The highest amperage charger so far that I can find has been the DPI at 17 amps. Are there any higher?

After everything is said and done I will have 8, 6 volt interstate batteries rated at 216 ah each. What would be the amperage need to properly charge this pack?

Also, that was another point that I wanted to bring up, thanks Scottyb. Is one charger suited better to charge 8 batteries based on internal system logic? Which charger is smarter? The Lester says on the back it is rated at 24 cells, but both battery packs will have 24 cells. The 8, 6 volt pack will have a higher a total amperage than the 6, 8 volt pack. So the DPI would be a better choice, from what everyone is saying.

Thanks

[scottyb]

The DPI charger is a very good choice. I think I remember an older 48v Yamaha charger by Lester that was 20 or 25 amps? but it did not have a float mode like the DPI.

[Swan]

Originally Posted by maddog468

Any reason why?

My last two chargers have been Lester and the original charger from 1989 is still going strong. Just makes a lot of noise.

Can you replace components in the DPI? Not that I am looking to do that, but I have had to change a fuse and diode in the old charger. The parts were easy to come by.

Thanks

Sorry didnt back to you but you got your answers already above .

DPI customer service was great when I dealt with them. I love the fact that i could go away for a month or two and charger will keep my batteries where they need to be with minimum water loss .