'98 CC DS - New Batts - Not charging correctly

[bigcmac]

Hey everyone....

I could get long winded with this but I'll start with the main highlights and fill in any blanks if needed.

I had a bank of bad batteries in a Club Car DS that started throwing a random number of blinks on the batt indicator light. 2 sec on 5 sec off 6 sec on 5 second off. The old bank wouldn't charge so I assumed it was just bad batteries and exchanged them for a new set of trojans. While the batts were getting swapped I guess the OBC was reset being disconnected for that time. When I installed the new batts I was stoked, no warning light and it took a charge. I didn't let it cycle all the way through because the weather was nice and the beer was cold that day. After a short ride the light started blinking. So I searched through the forum and followed the OBC reset procedure. It worked but only for a couple hours and the charger cut off and light came back on.

I'm assuming you're going to tell me it's time for the OBC bypass and smart charger but would like to confirm before spending any more money on this one. I also want to protect the new bank of batteries and make sure I'm not causing any harm to them.

TYIA for any help with this.

C

[NoleFan4Ever]

You are correct. If it is starting, charging, and turning off, it may be ok. You need to plug it in and leave it alone until it fully charges. Wen you plug it in, look for the 3-8 second delay. Make sure the cart will not move when plugged in. Make sure it cycles. Monitor the voltage while it charges. It should be in the low to mid 60's on voltage but very low on amperage at the end. It will time out after 16 hours if not fully charged. Once it turns off automatically, wait ~12 hours and check the pack voltage. Should be at least 50.9vdc.

If any of these things fail to work correctly, outside of an unforeseen issue, them your OBC is failing. If all of this works, then it is working correctly.

[bigcmac]

dang - looks like we lost of lot of meat and potatoes from this post but.....

I disconnected the regulator / voltage reducer that we thought may have been interfering with the OBC sensor thingamahbobber..... After another reset of the obc it came back with the same issue.

I tried another reset but this time I Was able to hook up the reverse buzzer, get it to reset while listening to the buzzer. Since that last reset that was vs just disconnecting the neg - she's playing ball correctly. Is there a difference between the reverse buzzer obc reset and just disconnecting the neg for 20+ minutes? I even left it disconnected over night just to see if that matered but it didn't.

The two variables that have changed is the regulator / voltage reducer has been removed and the reset method changed......

[Mooncarter]

I was wondering the same thing. Is this the same thread that had a lot lot of responses a couple days ago?

[bigcmac]

Originally Posted by Mooncarter

I was wondering the same thing. Is this the same thread that had a lot lot of responses a couple days ago?

Sure is....

UPDATE: Light came back on with Voltage Reducer still unplugged. BUT the batteries got their first full charge. I just don't get it. I was trying to avoid having to buy a smart charger for this cart.

[Fairtax4me]

If that was their first full charge then the batteries need another 15-20 charge cycles to come up to capacity. Brand new batteries take several cycles to “break-in”.
Is the charger staying on for 8-12 hours during charging now?

[bigcmac]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

Is the charger staying on for 8-12 hours during charging now?

Only the one time. If I reset the OBC it *might* stay on again but I'm starting to have doubts.

[Fairtax4me]

I know there were some more details in this thread before the site crash last week.

When you reset the OBC how long did it charge for?
How long and how far do you drive the cart on the next run after a charge?
How long does the charger stay on after using the cart?


Just so you have something to compare to.
Normally, if using a cart for a few runs back and forth across the camp here (includes multiple steep hills), 2-3 trips from one end to the other and back, works out to be about 5-7 miles. This usually means about 3-4 hours charge time.
A full days use, back and forth multiple times per day, so maybe covering 15-20 miles, they take 8-12 hours for a full recharge.

[Sergio]

Keep in mind that after an OBC reset the first cycle or two will not use the HALL sensor to measure current since the OBC is using a dV/dT algorithm.

If the charging interrupts too soon after the first few cycles, that means the OBC is defective and it cannot read the charging current.

If You have anything other than the OEM 6ga cable for pack negative, there is a possibility the sensor got damaged when trying to run a new cable through the opening in the OBC.

[bigcmac]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

I know there were some more details in this thread before the site crash last week.

1- When you reset the OBC how long did it charge for?
2 - How long and how far do you drive the cart on the next run after a charge?
3 - How long does the charger stay on after using the cart?

1 - the first few times with the reset it wasn't charging but MAYBE 1-2 hrs at most. I had walked away assuming the best but came back and it was off soon after. This last time it ran for 18 hrs or so, as expected I think.

2 - After the full charge we must have run it 3-5 miles or so. Before I didn't want to push it and only went maybe 2 miles.

3 - If it comes on, maybe 20 minutes. I haven't attempted another reset yet tho. If I don't reset the OBC, it won't come on with the light flashing.

hope this helps, thank you for your insight!