2012 ezgo rxv Curtis controller failure?

[Jasonrs4317]

Last night after some obviously bad advice from a friend I cut the two wires to the reverse buzzer. Once I get it fixed I will simply be quiting it with a little duct tape. My real question is since I did not disconnect the batteries or toggle the tow/run switch did I fry the controller? The buzzer is on in F/N/R and will not move in reverse only creeps in Forward, brake releases like it should solenoid operates and brake releases in tow mode. Controller is curtis 1206a 5201

[Hokiehunter]

Did you fix the buzzer yet?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[cgtech]

Reconnect the buzzer wires, try the cart. If it doesn't work, you damaged the controller. It's a somewhat common eff-up amongst the uninformed. I saw a 1 week old cart with a fried controller for that exact cause. If you did damage it, it is repairable for far less than the cost of new.


Hate to say this, but when the locals do this bonehead move, I don't take much pity. But, If they had only asked us first, we have several options that cost nothing. One of those options is turn off the buzzer in the controller programming (which I very strongly urge against, but it is possible). Others include Velcro or tape over the hole on the buzzer.

Also, don't let your buddy help you wire up your accessories to the keyswitch either, the results are the same.

The cart won't run if the presence of the buzzer is not detected anyway, so if you wanted to disable the cart (and the buzzer) without damaging the controller, you could have just cut 1 of the 2 buzzer wires, instead of both.

[Jasonrs4317]

Thank you for the feed back. Reconnecting the wires will make the buzzer active again and with the repaired/new controller all should work? Nothing special needs to be done to the buzzer wires?

[kgsc]

If you have the buzzer hooked back up to the correct wires and it is buzzing all the time you cooked the controller. It is repairable and after that is done it should all work again. If it is the 235 amp controller you could consider jumping to the 350..

[BobBoyce]

Once the controller is powered up after cutting one or both wires, it will damage the controller. I have had several of these sent to me in the past week. I can disable the buzzer test to allow the controller to function somewhat, with intermittent uncontrolled sounding of the buzzer. But no guarantees on how long the controller will last beyond that. If one or both buzzer wires are cut again to silence the intermittent buzzer, the result will be an immediate and total failure of the controller.

[cgtech]

Wow, I didn't even know it was that sensitive. Boooo to Curtis for doing that. I knew it monitored the buzzer, but I didn't know it was that nasty! How does an open circuit (never shorted by clipping both wires with your handy pliers) do that? I thought it "watched it", not committed suicide in the absence of a buzzer. Still can't wrap my head around that one.

[BobBoyce]

It's one of those logic state snafoos. It creates a logic condition that was not anticipated for in software. The multi-state port in that case is what burns out without the load of the buzzer on it, burning out the input state of the port. This affects the output state of the port when the burned out input state conflicts with it. The only solution is to disable testing of the port and reconnect the buzzer. It will act flaky and intermittently sound the buzzer as the damaged input state interferes with the output state.

Since it is a microprocessor input, it is not a simple part change. The microprocessor would have to be ordered, pre-programmed from Curtis. No chance of that, and an unprogrammed microprocessor would not have the code onboard to allow it to be programmed once replaced.

The controller can be sent to FSIP for repair, as they are an authorized Curtis repair center. They can order the pre-programmed microprocessor from Curtis. Is it worth the cost? Maybe. It depends upon if you have a less expensive source for replacement controllers.