Block Party - Safe to use cart electrical accessories while charging?

[NoleFan4Ever]

Originally Posted by Sergio

That 55v maximum input voltage on the label sure begs the question if the Converter shuts the output or goes off output regulation when the input voltage exceeds that value

I was concerned about the with the one on my Leaf cart, but at 58.41v on the pack, I still have a constant 12v output to my accessories....

Not sure if I will get a premature converter failure at some point, but time will tell....

[Sergio]

A lot of the converters on the market have a 36v-80v input rating, mine is a 26v-60v, but then again I never had any reason to run it near the end of a charging cycle to figure it out if the output was still regulated.

[NoleFan4Ever]

Originally Posted by Sergio

A lot of the converters on the market have a 36v-80v input rating, mine is a 26v-60v, but then again I never had any reason to run it near the end of a charging cycle to figure it out if the output was still regulated.

Oh and I should clarify for others, mine was at rest (58.41v) and not charging as mine is a lithium charger and I just mainly wanted to see if it was still within its output parameters at that voltage.....

[ThreeCW]

Originally Posted by MadAktion

I’m surprised this topic has never come up on the forum... people must be doing it all the time, and never thought to talk about it.

What is the maximum input voltage of your controller? Is your controller equipped with over-voltage protection?

You would really hate it if someone "tries" to move your cart two feet while it was plugged in and charging the batteries in finish mode at 65 volts and it affected the controller.

I had a look at my "vintage" 36-48 volt controller (Curtis 1219-8405) and could not find a maximum voltage rating ... but did find some information that it had factory set over-voltage protection. See attached.

For interest sake, I looked at an Alltrax SR48 volt controller. It is rated at 48 volt nominal and 62 volt maximum. I would not want to be subjecting that controller to 65 volts ... on purpose anyway ... I "assume" that it too has over-voltage protection - but that would not be something that I would knowingly try to test out . Maybe I am being overcautious .

Curtis 1219 Overvoltage Protection.JPG

IMG_4938.jpg

[Sergio]

Well, You should have a charger interlock so not to drive while charging

Regardless if You turn the cart ON or not the Controller is always subjected to the charger voltage since it is connected to the batteries.

While the Controller may not allow you to operate at higher voltage, it will certainly not cause damage.

I know I turned my cart ON many times (voltmeter is on key switch) while equalizing and the voltage was around 63v+, although as soon as the charging current is removed the voltage quickly drops below 56v.