State of Charge gauge

[Benny947]

Looking to install a State of Charge meter in a 36V Marathon EZ-GO. I have a digital meter that only reads Full all the time. I was advised that an analog gauge would be better. I have concerns about the range of the needle movement in one of the analog gauges as I have heard the batteries could be depleted and still showing the indicator in the Green area. Is there a gauge out there that will work as it should? Right now the Go Pedal tells me more than the meter. Any recommendations? I'm currently using a diagnostics voltmeter to insure I do not go below 36.3V. Thanks

[orangeman6]

Most everyone uses one of these. https://www.cartsunlimited.net/battery-meters.html

Just keep an soc chart in the cart for anyone that needs the numbers.

[Timberwolflt]

Originally Posted by orangeman6

Most everyone uses one of these. https://www.cartsunlimited.net/battery-meters.html

Just keep an soc chart in the cart for anyone that needs the numbers.

I have these meters all over the place and they’re all within .3V accuracy... Which I consider close enough

[scottyb]

Unfortunately bad advice is given as often as good advice in this business. Example when I would tell people lead-acid batteries want to be kept charged up and deep discharge is a no-no... people would tell me the dealer says deep discharge only -
The digital meter you have is the BEST.
If analog is better my can you not find one in a repair shop anywhere anymore?

[kgsc]

Scotty I think he has a bar graph meter from the wording. Benny, is this correct? What you really want is a digital meter with numbers to read the actual voltage.

[nickdalzell1]

I wish I could educate the dumb customers around my area in KY about the digital readout numeral gauges. They can't figure anything out without a 'F' and 'E'. They see numbers, go uphill, see them drop and panic.

FYI: to the uninitiated, half-full on an LED bar gauge is pretty much less than 20% SoC and bad bad bad! Most of those bar gauges don't reset after a charge cycle resulting in a lot of calls about 'my charger ain't working' when it was working fine--the gauge was what failed.

Also FYI: the RXV factory 'gas gauge' battery gauge on the electrics and Freedoms are also garbage just like the LED bar gauges. half is empty. they float on full and decline rapidly once you get close to 25% SoC. Great if you love destroying motor brakes.

[Benny947]

I know some about battery banks, wet cells down >50% shortens battery life. looking for a gauge that can tell me when I get to 36.3V. I recharge shortly after every use, but will exercise batteries once a month taking them down to 36.3 volts.

[nickdalzell1]

See that's where I deal with such confusion on readout gauges. Personally I don't recommend any gauge, idiot light or whatnot. If you drive golf cars enough you learn when it's getting low on charge. That is, if you're smart. Sadly not many are it seems these days.

So when car sits after it's charged the gauge might say something like 41.2 on a 36V car with no load. Try going uphill WOT. I bet you'll see it drop as low as 34.6 and then recover to around 37.8 on level ground assuming you're still wide open. This is where people panic and act as if their batteries are weak/dying and insist on a bar type gauge. the readouts vary so often and no one seems to know what 'dead' is in the numbers, or what you use as a basis for 'full'. is it when there's no load at all? what about hills? going fast? are you on a lift kit? terrain? have a Bandit motor? all those cause the readouts to vary wildly.

I really miss the days of resistor cars and ferro-resonant chargers. A golf car is really a simple machine and owning and using one ain't rocket science. Why they had to get complicated where things get super expensive is beyond me. Throw-away chargers, super expensive controllers, etc. It's over-engineering. Why I will never own a Mercedes unless it's a 70's diesel version.

[cgtech]

Miss the "resistor-coil days"!? You must be kidding, right. I totally miss the days when driving at 25% speed used just as much energy as driving at full-throttle! I bet everyone would totally agree! Them "good-ole days"! I heard some Whoppers, but, wow! I just love fried wiper boards & setting the field on fire! 5 different solenoids to control speed & direction? Sign me up! The gains we have made in efficiency easily make up for the "simplicity" lost from the "good ole days". I could add some more "good 'ole" designs, but, I'll save them for another day........

[Mooncarter]

Originally Posted by scottyb

Unfortunately bad advice is given as often as good advice in this business. Example when I would tell people lead-acid batteries want to be kept charged up and deep discharge is a no-no... people would tell me the dealer says deep discharge only -
The digital meter you have is the BEST.
If analog is better my can you not find one in a repair shop anywhere anymore?

Advice is all over the map from people who don't deal with these all the time. I don't run a business like you but I have seen/heard enough from those who are adamant and uneducated in their beliefs.

I sold a cart to an older gentleman (neighbor) a couple months ago. The cart was one I have had a while with batteries I bought new and have maintained for the last couple years. He stopped by yesterday and told me how pleased he was with the cart, no problems, etc.

He then proceeded to brag about he had only HAD to plug in the charger 3 times since he has had it. I'm not sure how much he uses it but I know it is a lot and his mailbox is about 1/4 mile from his house.

I then (again) told him to plug it in every night and let the charger do what it is supposed to. If he missed a night, not the end of the world but it was good practice and best for the batteries to do so.

He then informed me that he had been to some sort of "battery school" back in the 1960's. (I think he worked at Sears or something like that) Of course he told me I did not know what I was talking about and what I was telling him would ruin the batteries in "short order."

Sometimes you just can't help people.